mast step wear - repair

M

mehlig

New Member
I've recently bought my 2nd Laser (92xxx), having moved back to the Baltic Sea.
The first one I had was bought in 1978 (I think). I'm eager to get sailing, but I must deal
with the mast step first. I've read the corresponding threads with interest, but
I'm afraid I still have some questions which I'd like to ask here.

1.) The mast step is 14.3 inches deep, but appears to be water tight (I filled the step
and it held water for more than 12 hours) and looks smooth at the bottom and
the walls. The boat is stiff & dry, and weighs slightly
less than 60kg. There is an inspection port, and the support of the mast step
appears to be tight and strong. There are some small circular cracks in the gel coat
where the mast step meets the deck, but checking from the inside that part
also seems strong. So I'm assuming that all I do for now is
fill the mast step with a mixture of resin + glass fibres as explained elsewhere
in this forum. Then I monitor whether the step begins to leak, and if it does,
I'll do the mast step repair from the inside of the hull. Does that sound reasonable?

2.) What depth should I aim for? I've read 14 inches on the forum, but I measured
my 1st Laser (when at home in Kiel last week) and its mast step was between 14.15 and
14.2 inches deep. I bought that boat new when I was 14 and sailed until I was 19,
always carefully protecting the mast step. From then until now, that boat was only very
rarely sailed. So I'm thinking that I should aim for 14.1 inches with my 2nd boat (so that it remains class legal). I'm hoping that perhaps some of you with new(er) boats have measured your mast steps and could tell me what depth I should aim for.

3.) Epoxy or polyester resin? That's linked to the question of how warm does
the stuff get when it sets? Might not 0.2 inches of resin get too warm
and cause problems? It's also related to the question: how much fibres should
I put in? I want the stuff to be as fluid as possible, because I'm worried that I
might trap air bubbles when pouring it in? Also, the more fluid, the easier it will
be to get a plane surface. I'll go to a boat yard here in Sweden
to get the resin. What should I ask for?

4.) I'll put a sleeve around the mast. I've read about teflon tape and washing-up liquid
bottles on the forum. Does anyone know whether one can buy a teflon tube of the right
diameter?

Yours sincerely
Bernhard
 
If this 1992 is a 'pleasure' boat, I wouldn't do anything (and go sailing instead :D).

To make the mast step conform to specs, I suggest to use polyester because that's what is supposed to be in there (gelcoat = polyester). Maybe add the metal mast wear plate if your boat doesn't have one. In fact, adding the mast wear plate may (partially) solve your 'problem' (actually, not much of a problem).

If you are going to build up the bottom of the step, and are concerned about the rise in temperature due to the polymerization, you can do the 'rebuild' in two or three batches. Please note that we are talking about just a few (<5) mm.

There are others on this forum who have much more experience repairing Lasers and I will be glad to defer to them.
 
Hi.
mehlig said:
...
1.) ...Then I monitor whether the step begins to leak, and if it does,
I'll do the mast step repair from the inside of the hull. Does that sound reasonable?
...
Click to expand...
Yes.

mehlig said:
...
3.) Epoxy or polyester resin? .... much fibres should
I put in? ....I'll go to a boat yard here in Sweden
to get the resin. What should I ask for?

...
Click to expand...
polyester resin (f.e. of "WEST" System) & about 2 layers of the good woven quality of fibreglass


mehlig said:
...
4.) I'll put a sleeve around the mast. I've read about teflon tape and washing-up liquid
bottles on the forum. Does anyone know whether one can buy a teflon tube of the right
diameter?
...
Click to expand...
"Ultra High Molecular Weight" (UHMW) - Foil is what to take. Such stuff might be a thin "Hostaphan"/"Mylar"-Foil. Any good quality boat yard has it in the backyard for some Euros. Cut a suitable rectangular piece out of the foil and roll it to a tube, put it into the mast tube and pay attention to the Laser Classrules No.19 (a) { -> http://www.laserinternational.org/rules/Current Rules.pdf }.


As your Questions "2.)" are concerned, I can't answer in the moment. My Laser is not near for me to measure in the moment.

As Wavedancer mentioned: check if there is a stainless steel mast wear disk in the base of the mast step. You do the check with a detector "for locating electricity cable in walls". Therefore you top down the hull and check at the area in front of the centerboard trunk, where the mast step base makes "a sort of rectangular dent" to the keel-line of the hull.
If your Laser hasn't such a stainless steel disk installed, get soon such a disk from your next Laser store. To install the disk, you take "Stabilit Express" from "Pattex"(/Henkel) and not forget to clean the base of the maststep with acetone before you glue the disk into the base.

I add here later photos of that "UHMW"-Foil I use .

Ciao
LooserLu
 
Thank you for your answers. Following your encouraging suggestions,
I proceeded with the repair. I got some epoxy resin from a local
boatyard, mixed in hardener (55 h/45 r) and very small pieces of glassfiber which
I had cut off a glasfiber mat, following the suggestions at this thread

http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=4114&highlight=funnel

I had prepared a funnel as suggested in this thread, I could not have
done this cleanly without such a funnel. I poured in slightly less than
20 ml resin after I had made sure that the boat was horizontal.

Our kitchen is now lacks the funnel, the measuring cup, and a mixing cup.

I took the opportunity to repair a small chip in the rudder because I had
some resin left. I also coated the sandwich material in the deck around the
mast inspection port to seal it against humidity.

Now I'm wating for the resin to settle. It takes rather long for my taste
(started to gel after 30 or 45 minutes). How long
do I wait before I go sailing (I got the hint, wavedancer!)?

I'll drop in the mast wear plate once the
epoxy has settled but is still slightly sticky on the surface.

Another issue is the cockpit floor: it creaks in some places, and
there is an area of about the size of my hand which flexes slightly
(a mm or so). No visible cracks. I'll leave it for the moment.
The boat was bone dry, and weighed less than 60kg,
hull, deck, cockpit sides are very stiff. I wonder how the cockpit sole
got soft.

Yours sincerely

Bernhard
 
Dear all,

I'd be grateful if you could point to a web address to buy the UHMW foil LooserLu
mentioned

>"Ultra High Molecular Weight" (UHMW) - Foil is what to take. Such stuff might be a >thin "Hostaphan"/"Mylar"-Foil. Any good quality boat yard has it in the backyard for >some Euros. Cut a suitable rectangular piece out of the foil and roll it to a tube, put it >into the mast tube and pay attention to the Laser Classrules No.19 (a).

I tried to get it here in Göteborg, Sweden, no success.

Yours sincerely Bernhard
 
Hi.

For that you get an inspiration what this foil is about :
US Sailing shop "APS" sells it, but it is to expensive to get it from USA.

http://www.apsltd.com/c-2224-laser-sparsandfittings.aspx View at this website "Laser Mastwear Strips" APS Part No. "APS 392". Costs for shipping to sweden is more expensive, I'm afraid, than the costs for the Mastwear strips itself ... And they only have it in such small pieces...

"Hostaphan" is a foil, boatbuilders use to dry wet gelcoat. Gelcoat usually drys out best by "exclusion of air". To do this, the boatbuilder puts a layer "Hostaphan"-foil over the fresh gelcoat. Any quality-"Gelcoat Repair Kit" has a tiny/small piece of Hostaphan foil inside of the parts of the repair kit. ( f.e.: http://www.svb.de/index.php?sid=b1883baa9d61aa8fd4948c43733cbc12&cl=details&cnid=12066&anid=1187 )

Perhaps, it helps you to find out what material I am talking about, if you try to view inside the cover of such a repair kit for the tiny piece of Hostaphan foil. I sometimes have recognized such foil also as window of big chocolate boxes etc. ...

However, in attachment you find two photos of such a suitable hostaphan foil (26 cm x 36 cm). At the lower side of the foil, I did cut out "tooths" and fold them "inside", for that the mast plug later rotates on that tooths. As you see very well at the photos, the aluminum abrasion on the surface of the foil ... I roll the foil first and put it into the mast step cavity. Then the foil automaticly "snuggles" to inner surface of the mast step cavity. Next is to put in the mast into the mast step cavity.

I am not at the boat in reason of the "anti-"summer (...grr) we here have at GER in the moment. So, I can't take photos in the moment, where you see the foil insinde of the mast step cavity, sorry.

Ciao
LooserLu
 

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