Cracked mast on wave 14's

The summer camp I've been at this summer has three waves (14 foot), all of which appear to have cracked their mast vertically for a length of around three to four inches. The crack is about at the level of the cleat (ie around a foot off the deck). Is this normal? The boats are about eight or nine years old and have had fairly robust use over the summers and pretty minimal care over the winters.

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Remember - a bad day on the water is usually better than a good day at the office.

Sounds like water got into the lower section of the mast and froze while left stepped. Is this possible?

Yikes.. you might be right. Mine gets stored over the winter near a lake which will have 2 foot of ice mid winter. Better watch this as it looks like the two ends of the mast are sealed with some sort of foam!!!