Register Now – NCASA Championship 2018
The National Class A Scow Association will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year on the big waters of Lake Winnebago! Make sure you get your gear and team ready to go for what looks to be a great event. For more information and to register, please visit our event page.
Help Needed – Mast Project Update:
The NCASA Board has been working closely with Melges to reestablish carbon A scow mast production. As we have announced before, the original aluminum mandrel that had been used to produce A scow masts was not in the best shape and had become bent from repeated use. That mandrel was made from an E scow mast with an extension welded on to it to make it the right length. The weld was always a problem when it came time to apply thousands of pounds of pressure to release it from inside the carbon wrap.
Melges has fabricated three new mandrels, but this time the extrusions are the full length we need for A scow tooling with no welded extension that will cause problems. The first mandrel has been transported to the manufacturer in Massachusetts and we have placed an order for three mast tubes to be produced.
Here’s the part where we need your help:Â
The bare masts are not cheap (about $6,000.00 each) and the NCASA Board felt that given the unpredictable demand, it was not fair to expect Melges to foot the bill and absorb the inventory cost (Melges has already paid for all the new tooling costs and shipping the mandrel). NCASA has agreed to fund the cost of the first three bare masts. To facilitate payment, NCASA will contribute one third of the cost to create the mast fund. The additional money will come from tax deductible donations to NCASA. Our goal is to have every A Scow owner/consortium donate $1,000 or more to the campaign. The individual members of your NCASA Board of Directors have already committed over $5,000 toward the campaign. PLEASE NOTE: The donation to the mast fund is not a “down payment” on a mast – it is a charitable donation to NCASA and a new mast will still cost the same for donors.
Once the new mast tubes are complete, Melges will do the basic rigging (fittings, but no halyards, shrouds, etc.) and store the bare masts in Zenda with the goal of being able to rig and deliver a new mast quickly when needed. After each mast is sold, $6,000 of the Melges revenue will go back toward replenishing the inventory.Â
Why participate in this fund raiser?Â
There are some very important reasons why we need to do this. Most importantly, the future the A Scow fleet is in jeopardy if we can’t replace broken masts. Secondly, we need to consider how many people are NOT getting into the class because they have heard you can’t get a new mast if you break one. We think this mast fundraising effort is the simplest and most effective way to make this happen, however if we are unable to raise enough charitable funds, then we will need to raise dues and regatta entry fees to make up the gap.
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NCASA has created an easy, secure donation link (Credit Cards or PayPal accepted) for our owners/sailors to contribute to the mast fund campaign (or you can make a pledge and send your check the old fashioned way).  Please make your tax deductible donation today!  We would like to have the mast campaign fully funded by the time of the 2018 A Scow Nationals in Oshkosh. Â
NCASA Director T. Freytag has agreed to help us lead this fundraising effort and will work with you to answer any questions.  Please contact him at tfreytag@msn.com or 312-296-6031.
CLICK HERE to visit our Donation Page.
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Thank you for your generosity and support.
NCASA Board of Directors
