Mast Step Question

G

gsfallon

New Member
I recently bought a used laser. It's a '98 hull which is in fantastic shape. The owner claimed that he only sailed it a few times. Judging by the condition of everything, I had no reason to doubt him. When I picked up the boat I didn't have a flashlight with me, and given the overall condition and the fact that the boat had recently been washed and that water was still in the mast step I figured I'd take my chances and check things when I got home. I did check the inside of the hull for water, but there was none. It looked as though the drain plug had never been opened.

When I got home and actually looked into the mast step, I was horrified at what I saw. The gel coat is chipped in several places on the sides near the bottom. It's as though someone stuffed the mast into the hole with several small rocks near and sailed in heavy air.

There's no leak, so I'm disinclined to replace the entire mast step. I am considering using Marine Tex to try and patch things. It will require some rigging with long sticks, but I think I can do it. I'd probably then use some sort of sealant and get teflon strips for the base of the mast to ease wear in the future.

Anyone have any suggestions or ideas?
 
I had the exact same thing with the '98 Laser I bought back in March. I think what happened was that the boat was left stored right side up with water in the step. The water got into the gelcoat and caused delamination in the step. I tried the West System fix, but that crap was, (in my opinion) hard to work with. Then on my first regatta the West System patch work just fell out. So, I went to an inexpensive resin paste. It was easier to work with and has held just fine. Make sure you go to the Dr. Laser site and look up mast step repair. Taking a long stick with a nail to scrape out the loose pieces and probe the depth of the damage is a must do.
 
Rob B said:
I had the exact same thing with the '98 Laser I bought back in March. I think what happened was that the boat was left stored right side up with water in the step. The water got into the gelcoat and caused delamination in the step. I tried the West System fix, but that crap was, (in my opinion) hard to work with. Then on my first regatta the West System patch work just fell out. So, I went to an inexpensive resin paste. It was easier to work with and has held just fine. Make sure you go to the Dr. Laser site and look up mast step repair. Taking a long stick with a nail to scrape out the loose pieces and probe the depth of the damage is a must do.
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Thanks Rob. The problem sounds almost identical. Frozen water may very well have been the culprit. Thanks for the tip on the stick and nail to get the loose pieces out. I'll definitely take your advice and look at drlaser
 
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