Dent In mast

[Brion Toss]

Hi again,
Well, not kinked, but the bend is worrisome, and I don't think that you can properly tune the bend out, given the location of the dent. The picture appears to show the mast hooked to the right, is that so? If it is, it doesn't look like a typical mis-tune bend; too localized. That leaves a compression bend as a possibility, with or without the dent as a contributing factor. Or it could be a result of damage when the mast was out before. Either way, this problem has likely been here for a while, which brings us to a classic problem:
If the bend is old, you've been sailing on it without its collapsing, which seems reassuring. But we don't know how close to collapse you have come, or what will happen if you get an extreme load, in a knockdown, for instance.
It's always nice when there's a clear-cut answer to questions like these. In this case all I can say is that I don't like the feel of it. Anyone else?
Fair leads,
Brion Toss