I designed the boat to be stored 'ready to sail' so the mast is tabernacled and kept stepped. The mast is 11' long total and made from laminated 1x4s. The tabernacle is from (2) 12" strips of 3/16 flat barstock painted (to prevent rust) and tightly bolted to the lower portion of the mast. The joint is angled to provide the strongest possible mast in this configuration. This picture also shows the wooden parrel beads used on the mast hoops.