PrimitivePaddler
New Member
I just bought my first boat this past summer. Now come winter I am trying to make a few upgrades and keep everything in tip top shape. I did a mast step leak test when I bought it and when I rechecked at the end of the summer and it held water both times. However, there is a crack inside the mast tube. I saw someone else that had asimilar looking crack and someone theorized it might be from ice freezing in it? Given that it looks somewhat severe I was thinking I should probably cut a inspection port and reinforce the tube with fiberglass. I was also thinking of adding a filler of some sort to the crack itself and maybe adding se glass to the bottom of the tube. I don't have any experience with fiberglass but I am a quick learner and enjoy DIY projects. If there are any good resources people recommend besides west systems manual and Boatworks Today, or any pitfalls to avoid I would appreciate any input to help me learn. I have also read a lot on here about reinforcing the mast step and was wondering if that is just a concern on older boats or if I should try to reinforce that while I'm working in there. It does seem to be a large donut on there compared to some I've seen.
The boat has inspection ports on both sides of the daggerboard trunk and appears to have some sort of sealant from past repairs. I think I will tape over the bottom of it and try filling it with water to see if that repair is leaking at all. Should I try to fiberglass that too while I am at it or just leave the repair as is? There are some areas that don't look great. I attached pictures and appreciate any help or thoughts from those of you who have experience in this department.
The boat has inspection ports on both sides of the daggerboard trunk and appears to have some sort of sealant from past repairs. I think I will tape over the bottom of it and try filling it with water to see if that repair is leaking at all. Should I try to fiberglass that too while I am at it or just leave the repair as is? There are some areas that don't look great. I attached pictures and appreciate any help or thoughts from those of you who have experience in this department.
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