mast step and through hull bolt?

N

Nick delTorto

New Member
I am restoring a 1967 sunfish I inherited from and deseaced relative. There is a bolt with a home made rubber washer/gasket from the bottom up into the mast step. What is this and what components do I need to repair replace this? what purpoose did it serve as it doesn't seem to fasten to the base of the mast anywhere. Also there was a dryed cork in the base of the mast? OEM? was it to keep water out of the mast?
 
Sounds like the homemade rubber washer was an add on. Can you post a photo? The cork was indeed original and meant to keep water out of the mast. However once absorbed the cork will rot and then break apart.
 
sailcraftri said:
Sounds like the homemade rubber washer was an add on. Can you post a photo? The cork was indeed original and meant to keep water out of the mast. However once absorbed the cork will rot and then break apart.
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sailcraftri said:
Sounds like the homemade rubber washer was an add on. Can you post a photo? The cork was indeed original and meant to keep water out of the mast. However once absorbed the cork will rot and then break apart.
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I'm brand new to this forum so not sure how to up load picture, I will try. So was the bolt through the hull up into the mast step standard? Do you know what it served? Should I just get a new stainless bolt and gasket to fit from westmarine and attempt to replace? Not sure what it was for?
 
Nick delTorto said:
I am restoring a 1967 sunfish I inherited from and deseaced relative. There is a bolt with a home made rubber washer/gasket from the bottom up into the mast step. What is this and what components do I need to repair replace this? what purpoose did it serve as it doesn't seem to fasten to the base of the mast anywhere. Also there was a dryed cork in the base of the mast? OEM? was it to keep water out of the mast?
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Sounds like someone had some structural problems with the mast step and just did a quick fix, if we can call it that. I would cut the hole for an inspection port -- centered immediately aft of the splash rail -- and have a look inside. It may be that you will have to reinforce the tube, wrapping it with fiberglass from the inside (inside of the hull, not the inside of the tube), including securing the tube better to the inside of the hull. I'd remove the bolt and fill and patch from both the inside and outside. When I had that all done nicely I'd also fasten in one of those aftermarket reinforcement discs inside at the bottom of the tube.

As to the mast, if there is no black plastic cap and you are looking at the normal cork insert just inside the mast, that missing plastic cap might have been at least part of the original problem. You wouldn't want just the aluminum mast bottom making contact with the bottom of the step tube - get a plastic mast cap (bottom) and install it on your mast, sealed and glued with 3m marine sealant.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself -- first, put in the inspection port and have a look at the mast step inside the hull -- post some pictures and you'll get plenty of advice.
 
thanks gentlemen for the detail and time in response. I will put in the port and see what the deal is. So I guess I should just seal the hole at the base of the hull at the mast step...right? Then work on reinforsing the mast step tube from the inside.
 
here are some pictures of the hole through the bottom of the hull up into the mast step, the bolt and homemade gasket and the top of the mast step. I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing to seal up this hole. I appreciate any guideance. Any ideas where to get the replacement plactic end cap for the mast?
thanks so much!
 

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Nick delTorto said:
here are some pictures of the hole through the bottom of the hull up into the mast step, the bolt and homemade gasket and the top of the mast step. I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing to seal up this hole. I appreciate any guideance. Any ideas where to get the replacement plactic end cap for the mast?
thanks so much!
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Holy cow! Maybe the prior owner (with all respects) didn't realize that the mast was normally secured into the boat by the halyard, and figured that through-bolting it directly into the boat might be a good idea, or something. Goes to show there's a first for everything. Of course this is bad for a lot of reasons. The (maybe) good news is that perhaps the reason for doing this was not because the step itself was busted out -- which is what I first feared. (On the other hand, by the look of the deck, maybe someone was towing it with the mast up and hit a low overhang, ripping out the bottom of the step. Or something.). In any event you will still want to check it out, through an inspection port.

And yes, you do want to plug that hole. But you will also want to carefully plug the hole at the inside bottom of the mast step, because you don't want any leakage into the hull from inside the step (even if we think that's low-probability). Opinions will vary here but I'd use some white MarineTex to repair both the inside bottom of the step, and also fill the hole in the hull. If you haven't picked up a mast-step reinforcement disc (and are too impatient to mail-order one) you can cut your own from the fiberglass disc that you will get from your new inspection port hole. Either way, drop the disc in while the MarineTex is still soft and get it secure and level inside the step.

You will also probably want to carefully fiberglass reinforce the top of the mast step from inside the boat, at the underside of the deck, as the top looks chewed up. After you've done that on the inside you can use some MarineTex to fill and smooth around the top on the outside.

And don't forget to get that black plastic mast endcap for the bottom of the mast.

Good luck!
 
This is indeed a first for securing the mast. Perhaps a patent application is called for, or is it too late for that...

More seriously, good advice from minifish2
 
Yikes, that is one scary "fix" done by the previous owner. As minifish2 said you need to fill in those holes and get a mast step disk. You might consider filling it with something with more strenghening power like chopped up fiberglass mixed with resin. You'll hear more advice from other posters here, too.
You can get the mast cap from our sponser (on this page at least) APS and get the LP90430 Mast Base Cap w. Rivet shown on this page:

http://www.apsltd.com/c-2378-sunfish-spars-and-fittings.aspx

That will be 11 bucks well spent to make sure that you don't grind through your freshly fixed up mast base.
 
Wavedancer said:
This is indeed a first for securing the mast. Perhaps a patent application is called for, or is it too late for that...

More seriously, good advice from minifish2
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OK- here is an update if you're interested. It is really getting interesting (and the perverbial can of worms). I shopped yesterday for all of the items I needed, access port, topside paint base cap for mast ect...found a very helpful and knowledgeable gentalman at West Marine in Hyannis, old wood boat builder/instructor. Gave me extraordinary advise and time. Come home, get to work. Cut out the old bilge with sawsall and cut brass nut out with dremel...perfect. found and ordered the replacement now in plastic. start to work on sanding inside the cockpit some chips and gauges ( I have already compltely redone the bottom in interlux gelcoat repair epoxy/paint and beautiful interlux expoxy paint...looks good! start sanding out the gauges for expoxy repair and small amount water is coming out of the hole with the vibration of the sander. My heart sinks...s***! Keep in mind I had this in a garage for 5 years up on it's side...I had opened the "very little" brass drains...no water. So now i got to know whats inside. I cut open the fordeck for the access port to the maststep (remember that issue). my west Marine instructor had advised to cut it 6" or so forward of the mast step as this would be the least stressed area undersail and best access for any repairs. I have to cut some foam away to get in and immediately it feels damp. no standing water but tons of moisture. i think I've solved the mystery of the trough hull bolt repair. apparently the mast step must of snapped out at one point. They inserted a wood disk down into the mast step, then drilled up through the hull and inserted the bolt to secure the base. I'm certain that once the base had been comprimised,(even though they had "secured the base again) this was a major point of water entry. It would then be drained, and resailed over and over.
So, now i'm feeling bound and determined to give this damn thing it new life and do it right. I'm thinking I will reuse the cut away deck material for a glass support ring to support the upper mast step from inside the hull with west system,(as mindfish suggested, thanks!) then make a two part mahogony mast step base cut to wrap the bottom and west system around base. plug the hole on the bottom hull with duct tape and fill thriough the step from the inside. I love old classic stuff and enjoy knowing I'm giving something a new life, but OMG.....I am stubborn this way and pissed I'm aready into this for $150......OK reality check time...am I nuts?
 
Nick delTorto said:
So now i got to know whats inside. I cut open the fordeck for the access port to the maststep (remember that issue). my west Marine instructor had advised to cut it 6" or so forward of the mast step as this would be the least stressed area undersail and best access for any repairs. I have to cut some foam away to get in and immediately it feels damp. no standing water but tons of moisture. i think I've solved the mystery of the trough hull bolt repair. apparently the mast step must of snapped out at one point. They inserted a wood disk down into the mast step, then drilled up through the hull and inserted the bolt to secure the base. I'm certain that once the base had been comprimised,(even though they had "secured the base again) this was a major point of water entry. It would then be drained, and resailed over and over.
So, now i'm feeling bound and determined to give this damn thing it new life and do it right. I'm thinking I will reuse the cut away deck material for a glass support ring to support the upper mast step from inside the hull with west system,(as mindfish suggested, thanks!) then make a two part mahogony mast step base cut to wrap the bottom and west system around base. plug the hole on the bottom hull with duct tape and fill thriough the step from the inside. I love old classic stuff and enjoy knowing I'm giving something a new life, but OMG.....I am stubborn this way and pissed I'm aready into this for $150......OK reality check time...am I nuts?
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Sounds like you are taking a highend approach to this, which is good. Since you are already into the West System, which is the top-of-the-line approach, you can also experiment with adding their various lighter 'fillers' for building up reinforcement for weak areas, like around the step and such.

You are already into it so this next comment won't be helpful to you at all, but 'next time' you could also consider putting the port just behind the splashguard. Not only is there no foam block there but if you find out you also need to work on (or reinforce) the centerboard trunk, which happens, or install backing and through-bolting for a hiking strap, that area can also be reached too, plus the splashguard deflection itself makes for a dryer situation for the port (and as a bonus can provide a potential cat-bag storage option for when you are on the water). But that's for next time on a restoration, and no big deal.

Good luck with that mahogany step support. Hope that works!
 
Also get a fan in there and get that foam dried out! Dont forget to weigh it fist, so you can get a good before and after. Good luck, and have fun.
 
Mast step are a concern with Lasers. Consequently, there is a ton of info on that topic on The Laser Forum.
 
Maybe the previous owner lost a mast and had to paddle home and wanted to make sure it didn't happen again.;)
 
Nick delTorto said:
"...So, now i'm feeling bound and determined to give this damn thing it new life and do it right. I'm thinking I will reuse the cut away deck material for a glass support ring to support the upper mast step from inside the hull with west system,(as mindfish suggested, thanks!) then make a two part mahogony mast step base cut to wrap the bottom and west system around base. plug the hole on the bottom hull with duct tape and fill thriough the step from the inside. I love old classic stuff and enjoy knowing I'm giving something a new life, but OMG.....I am stubborn this way and pissed I'm aready into this for $150......OK reality check time...am I nuts?
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I got a case of "sticker-shock" at the West-System shelves at my local hardware store recently, but knowledge and tools purchased for epoxy repair can be used in subsequent repairs. You may be disappointed in the durability of the "epoxy pumps"; :oops: next time, I'm going to measure it out. :(

I saved my Sunfish inspection-port deck material, and used it years later for a gudgeon repair on my Porpoise II transom. (Good idea to hold onto such things :) ). Rather than mahogany, there are pre-formed fiberglass repair parts available—like for Hobie repairs—although you could fabricate a new mast step from styrofoam, fiberglass, and epoxy. Make it oval in shape, and that piece can be passed through the hole you've cut in the deck.

Depending on your environment, condensation can keep the interior of the hull very wet. (IOW, mahogany may not be the best answer).
 
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