The publisher’s low-down on bamboo and its use as spars

Ed Maurer, Dunedin, Florida

After going through all the work of building my sharpie, the last thing I was in the mood for was building the mast and spars. From the beginning of the project, I had it in mind to use only materials historically available in Florida, since I wanted to emulate a vessel that may have been built here. It may seem like a silly notion, but there you have it.

I had the same issue when I built my canoe sailing rig—I just didn’t want to go through making my own spars. What I found then was cured timber that had been cut by the power company when clearing lines. I found a piece that would make a good mast and two more as spars for my lateen, though they had some intriguing “personality” of their own by way of knots and gentle bends in several directions. However, all three worked like champs and required only a little woodworking and varnish. Hard to beat the look of grown spars!

Then I “discovered” bamboo. I knew from the beginning it would be good to use, but at the time I didn’t have the patience to learn more about it and find a source. I’ve overcome all that now.

Bamboo has a number of benefits and, for canoe sailing purposes, only a few drawbacks. First—the drawbacks: It isn’t universally available, but you’ll see many types generally are, and it can’t be worked into a double taper like solid wood and it probably shouldn’t be drilled through, unless reinforced.

Now, benefits…I’ll keep this short as well…Bamboo is cheap, it’s already round, it’s already tapered, it is very light and very strong, it has natural flotation chambers, it’s easy to work, it flexes and almost never snaps, and (maybe the most important attribute) it makes great looking spars.

Now, not all bamboo is created equal. While many are useful for our purposes, some are too weak and should be avoided. One source, The Bamboo Fencer, http://www.bamboofencer.com, has a sailor on staff who can help you select the culms—the bamboo stems—proper for your application. During my research, I learned a lot from their site, which is why I’ve included them here, as well as the following excerpt:

“We invite you Chinese rig sailors to return to the better way and save your back on the halyard, have less weight aloft, improve the sailing quality of the boat, and return to nature…. We use the best bamboo you can get for the job. It is the super hard and strong temperate bamboo Phyllostachys nigra ‘Henon’.”

My own local source, Bamboo Gardens in Palm Harbor, Florida, ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) doesn’t have a web site, but is owned by sailors. I believe the most important consideration you must have when choosing what species to use is to either know specifically what you want, or deal with bamboo dealers who understand your needs. From what I’ve found, most dealers have an intimate knowledge of their product and should be able to help you, though dealing with fellow sailors helps!

Let’s discuss the drawbacks of bamboo, and how to work with them, before we move on to the benefits. Bamboo doesn’t grow everywhere, but, remarkably, it is found growing wild in many cold climates, and many cold-weather bamboo growers and dealers have successfully cultivated crops. Of course, one can always buy bamboo and have it shipped. I would suggest finding a source and speaking with them about your needs directly so both sides have an understanding of the application and limitations of the product.

Unlike spars made out of lumber, bamboo can’t be tapered to fit through a mast partner without an oversized hole. As you see in my photo, the partner is leathered and wedges (also bamboo in this case) are employed to brace the mast, which is not uncommon and any event. The mast step is bored to snugly accept the foot. Avoid the temptation to mount the hollow foot over a pin—it will lead to splitting.