Mast Step Plug???

D

DJ_GAFFA

New Member
I have a little problem, I store my boat outside (under covers of course) and winter is quickly approaching. When it rains, my mast step fills with water.

Is there any "off the shelf" plugs to solve this problem?? or does someone know how I could go about moulding my own???

I would just get a big rubber plug, but the hole at the top is a little oval (03 boat).

Any suggestions would be great.

Cheers,

GAFFA
 
I would have thought a top cover would both protect the boat and keep water out of the mast step).


Ian
 
Packing tape over the hole. It leaves almost no residue. And a cheap plastic tarp will make the covers and boat last longer.

Al
 
If you can, store your boat upside down (deck side down.) The hull will shed water better than the deck/cockpit, and keeping a load off the hull will help preserve its integrity (no flat spots.)
 
I wonder why the designer didn't install a drain to the cockpit from the bottom of the mast tube.

All you need is a hand pump to pressurise the sytem if it gets clogged with rodents or such like.

You can have that idea Bruce. Just call it "the chainsaw tube" and I'll forgo royalties.
 
You can use practically anything to solve this problem... and I agree, you wouldn't want a frozen mast step! All of these solutions supplied above will work. Covers can be expensive, so i would go with just flipping the boat over, and leaving a tarp over it.
 
Thanks for your suggestions,

Upside down is probalbly no good for me, as my dolly is a gunnel support one.

I might try the drinking cup, or even the rubber mat idea.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers all.

:eek:)
 
Follow up question here - I'm like DJ_GAFFA and keep my boat the right way except on a kitty hawk trailer.

I'm curious who has the best method of getting water out of the mast step without turning the boat upside down (hard to do by yourself). The main problem is when I get home I wash it down and then spend 5 minutes sticking towels down the mast step to soak up the water. No big deal, but annoying.

Any better ideas ... WITHOUT turning the boat upside down?

A.
 
astevenson said:
Follow up question here - I'm like DJ_GAFFA and keep my boat the right way except on a kitty hawk trailer.

I'm curious who has the best method of getting water out of the mast step without turning the boat upside down (hard to do by yourself). The main problem is when I get home I wash it down and then spend 5 minutes sticking towels down the mast step to soak up the water. No big deal, but annoying.

Any better ideas ... WITHOUT turning the boat upside down?

A.
Click to expand...

Yup, I have a hand powered bilge pump. I've also seen a clubmember fill a flexible tube with water, blocking the ends with his fingers, then stick it in the mast step. open the ends and it sucks the water right out.
 
My boat doesnt leak, and I have just left the water in the mast step for the past year. I am not sure if this is bad or not. As far as wintertime??? Yeah frozen water isnt good im sure. I leave my boat in a garage with complete boat covers.
 
jamesfreedman said:
My boat doesnt leak, and I have just left the water in the mast step for the past year. I am not sure if this is bad or not.
Click to expand...

If your boat is made from polyester resin, I'm afraid that you couldn't get any worse! lol.

You don't want osmosis starting in your mast tube. Polyester is porous on a microscopic level.
 
astevenson said:
I'm curious who has the best method of getting water out of the mast step without turning the boat upside down (hard to do by yourself).A.
Click to expand...

Over the weekend I bought a little squeeze-bulb-hand-siphon pump (designed for siphoning gasoline) at an auto-parts store for a little less than five bucks, then taped the long end to a dowel rod scrap so I can easily drop the draining end into the step and make sure it reaches all the way to the bottom.

So far so good.
 
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