I encountered the pins on a Sunfish/Laser generation boat I had. Here's the way S/L instructed me to proceed. Using a tiny diameter drift punch (Hobby or Hardware store), tap the pin inward until it just cleared the mast tube, Tap (ha ha ha) the cap off using a plastic or rubber hammer.my new mast looks better but leaks even worse than the one with the hole. So now I need to get the end caps off, but it has drive pins
I removed my caps and removed the silicone. I think im going to silicone it on again. but if it fails a second time im going to drill a hole in the bottom of the cap. so at least the water can drain out after it fills up.
I think i may have found a solution. I just sealed the top and bottom caps with silicone with out using pins in the bottom cap. and went sailing. i didnt get any water in the mast! Give it a shot before drilling.
Water washes into the mast step (wave action, spray etc.).I'm very confused...! Why is the mast leaking in heavy winds? Unless it's underwater/capsized....where else is the water getting in?
Water washes into the mast step (wave action, spray etc.).
As Bill pointed out, not too much of an issue for freshwater sailors. The clear anodizing resistive coating seals both the outside and inside of the tube equally. So long as the inside dries on a regular basis, little if any deterioration will result. Add salt to the equation and the anodized surface breaks down when exposed repeatedly without a thorough fresh water rinse after a day's sail. When breakdown occurs, you got real trouble.Why try to seal the base of the mast? It would seem logical to drill a hole in the base cap of the mast so that any water that gets in will drain out as soon as the mast is removed. There is little you can do to prevent water from getting into the mast mounting tube, this water is going to exist whether you seal the mast or not, if some of this water enters the base of the mast, so what. It will drain as soon as the mast is removed.
I know I'm replying to an old post but... I bought a used mast about a month ago and when I picked it up, I heard something rolling around inside. Later, I just happened on this post (as I read the forum like a book now) when someone mention "the old racket ball trick" but did not elaborate. I did a "racket ball" search on the forum but did not turn anything up. I'm getting ready to redo the caps on my mast, should I leave this ball inside (assuming that's what it is) and what does it do. Thank you.
Poor choice of words on my part. I was thinking in terms of an induced surface coat, but I see now it was read as an "applied" coating.Actually anodizing isn't a coating, but an electrolytic process that changes the structure of the metal surface making it harder and more resistant to corrosion.
Since Anode-izing is a tank immersion process I don't see how the surfaces could be isolated. The inside likely appears rough because it doesn't get a finish buff applied before treating.I may be wrong but I don't think the masts are anodized on the inside.
As I understand the process, anodizing doesn't make the surface impervious, it just slows further oxidation way down....they usually corrode from the inside out, and when you remove a cap there usually is a white powdery deposit inside. I did break an older mast a few years back and it was corroded on the inside.