crack in hull under mast

fourdeuces

New Member
I was given an older laser yesterday, and it has a crack in the hull, under the mast. this crack had been poorly and not sucessfully patched by the previous owner. I removed this patch and now need to figure out if there could be structural issues with the mast before I go ahead and re-patch the site. Any ideas?
 
fourdeuces said:
I was given an older laser yesterday, and it has a crack in the hull, under the mast. this crack had been poorly and not sucessfully patched by the previous owner. I removed this patch and now need to figure out if there could be structural issues with the mast before I go ahead and re-patch the site. Any ideas?

Where exactly is it cracked? on the outside, or in the mast step? If it's in the mast step, I would go with replacing the whole step unless you have a long history with fiberglassing things.
 
its cracked on the outside of the boat, but it may have originated from the inside with some freezing/thawing. the boat was stored outside, and was only used once a year for the past 10-20 years.
I need a definition of what the mast step is entirely. Does it include the tube that the mast inserts into, the piece of wood at its base, and anything/everything that is involved it supporting that structure? or is it something less or more?
The inside of the boat is damp also, like a sauna right now. I have it under a roof, and I have opened as much as can be opened to try to let it dry out. I think that I need to find a way to get some air circulating inside there to help get the moist air out.
I don't have a strong history with fiberglass and boats, and I am only becomming familiar with this class of boat. Most of my experience is with canoes and kayaks, so any information is helpful. Thanks
 
You will need the inside to be absolutly dry before you fibreglass. To do this you can use a shop vac, just make sure if you're blowing air in instead of sucking air out you don't cover the rest of the inspection hatch, this will create even more fibreglassing for you as is blows one of the deck joints apart. In my case it was the cockpit drain plug (which I had just repaied).

good luck
 
Do a search for "mast step repair" etc. There is a lot of info.

Reach in with a digital cam, and take pics of the mast step/hull attachment. This gives you a closer look at it's condition. Does the tube hold water?

Older boats can be worn thin on the bottom, from sand under the rotating mast. Then just dropping the mast in hard can crack the bottom. Or Frost, as you have presumed, but this is more likely to blow out the sides on the tube/step.

Weigh your hull, just set the rail on a bath scale. If it's much more than 135 lbs, then consider a whole winter in the cellar to fully dry it out. Use an old computer fan to move the air slowly, as it might take months. I wouldn't glass this until it's fully dry. A Summer deck up in the sun, with ports off is almost as good

If you want to sail a few times this Fall, just tape the crack with clear packing tape to seal it. This assumes the step is otherwise good looking, thus not in danger of failing under load.

Al Russell 182797
 
Thanks for the inout and ideas. The digital camera idea is good, I'll use that. Now I just need to figure out where to cut the hole in the deck and I have a weekend project all figured out. I'm sure that I'll be back with more questions in the near future.
 
I have a similar but more dramatic challenge. Last Saturday in a heavy wind here in the Twin Cities, my circa 1973 Laser's mast step finally gave out, with the whole mast going down. The deck around the mast step is, of course, badly torn up. First, can this be repaired? My guess after browsing around here is, yes it can. Second, what should be done - tear out old mast step and purchase new one etc? I have a reasonable amount of fiberglassing experience, but this project requires, I'd assume, a lot of precision in getting the mast step in the right place. My biggest concern is getting the inside of the boat dried out - I don't have a heated garage, and the boat is normally stored outside (upside down, covered, but outside). Any counsel appreciated. #8865.
 
ss#8865 said:
I have a similar but more dramatic challenge. Last Saturday in a heavy wind here in the Twin Cities, my circa 1973 Laser's mast step finally gave out, with the whole mast going down. The deck around the mast step is, of course, badly torn up. First, can this be repaired? My guess after browsing around here is, yes it can. Second, what should be done - tear out old mast step and purchase new one etc? I have a reasonable amount of fiberglassing experience, but this project requires, I'd assume, a lot of precision in getting the mast step in the right place. My biggest concern is getting the inside of the boat dried out - I don't have a heated garage, and the boat is normally stored outside (upside down, covered, but outside). Any counsel appreciated. #8865.


Order part # 50-71-1 ($307.00) from your local Laser dealer which has the mast step tube molded into a precut deck piece. You cut out the rest of your deck to match the template, glass the repair piece in place and you are all set.
 
Let me ask if this makes sense.
It looks like force form the mast being placed in the step is what broke the hull because:
1. The plug at the base of the mast is missing, concentrating weight on only the outside rim of the mast. (reflecting the place and shape of my crack.)
2. the hull has worn thin (through the gellcoat) about 5 inches behind the base of the mast, and I am assuming that it is a little thin under the mast as well.

Assuming this seems logical, what would be the best fix? I was thinking of working through an inspection port in the deck, cutting out the existing block of wood, replacing it (although the replacement would need to be two pieces) reinforcing the thinner areas of the hull from the inside. then sanding out the crack from the outside and adding more fiberglass to the outside as well to be sure the crack is entirely sealed.
Let me know if you all think this sounds like it would work well.
 
fourdeuces said:
Let me ask if this makes sense.
It looks like force form the mast being placed in the step is what broke the hull because:
1. The plug at the base of the mast is missing, concentrating weight on only the outside rim of the mast. (reflecting the place and shape of my crack.)
2. the hull has worn thin (through the gellcoat) about 5 inches behind the base of the mast, and I am assuming that it is a little thin under the mast as well.

Assuming this seems logical, what would be the best fix? I was thinking of working through an inspection port in the deck, cutting out the existing block of wood, replacing it (although the replacement would need to be two pieces) reinforcing the thinner areas of the hull from the inside. then sanding out the crack from the outside and adding more fiberglass to the outside as well to be sure the crack is entirely sealed.
Let me know if you all think this sounds like it would work well.

A few things you need to do or your problem will just reoccur. First get the mast base plug kit (#90-26) and put it on your bottom section. The "crack" you describe was casued by the mast basically drilling a hole through the bottom of your boat not a weight issue but a friction issue. Secondly you also need to purchase a stainless steel mast step insert disc plate (#33-05-0) which olders boats did not have but every new boat (since about 1992) does have. Put a huge glob a West Epoxy mixed with a filler (thicker then peanut butter) on the disc and drop it into the mast step, gently tapping it down on the bottom. If your mast step tube is not loose or broken away from the inside of the hull (and the mast isn't drilled all the way through the bottom) I would leave the wood in place as it will be a bitch to remove, grind out and replace all through an inspection port. I would dry the wood out as best as possible by leaving a small heat lamp bulb (buy at a pet store used to keep Geckos warm) in there for quite a while. Then I would coat everything inside with real liquid West epoxy using a paint brush then use a thick mixture (peanut butter like) of West epoxy and filler and goop it all around the mast step by hand. Kind of mold it all around the base and wood block. That just leaves some outside filler and gelcoat work to do. Hope this helps...
 

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