Mast step repair

B

Bcal

Member
The gelcoat at the bottom of the mast step is cracked and flaking off, also around the ledge of the mast step. I dont believe water is leaking into the hull yet. Its a 2002 fish. Whats the best way to repair this before it gets any worse. I was thinking about dumping some type of epoxydown there and letting it set up. If that will work , what should I buy?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Bill.
 
Bcal,

It sounds like the mast step is trying to break free inside the hull and causing the gelcoat to crack. Fix the step inside the hull first and then repair the gelcoat damage. Do a search (on this forum) for "mast step", look for the topic "HELP! Must repair mast step!!! " on page 2. Most of your questions are answered there. Do not seperate the deck, install a 6" port (cut the access hole but don't install the port until repairs are complete) centered between the splashrail and dagger baord slot should give you enough access. Long sleeves and gloves are recomended.

For the gelcoat repairs, go to the SF Class home page, Tips and Tricks and look for the article on gelcoat.

Make sure your mast has a bottom cap. If not, get a new one at any Vangurd dealer before you sail again. A mast with out a cap is just a big hole saw trying to cut through the hull. You can also wrap a few layers of white electric tape around the mast at the top of the step and at the bottom to take up some of the slack between the mast and mast step. Not too much, the mast has to rotate a little and you want to be able to get it in and out.

Also see post #2596 "Fixing a hole caused by the boom cracking through the hull ..." on the Yahoo Sunfish Sailor pages. It is a related problem.

Good Luck and keep asking questions.
 
Also use the Sunfish mast cap pins instead of pop rivets to secure the bottom cap. The pins fit flush with the outside of the mast tube whereas those rivets stand proud and behave like grinding studs. (countersunk flathead screws might work, too, but you have to remove more aluminum to get them flush.)
 
Supercub, Thanks for your reply. I cut a 6" hole in the deck today to get a peek inside the hull. It was bone dry inside, I grabbed the mast step and felt no physical movement or any soft spots. Even put up the mast and had my Son pull it from side to side, nothing. I guess I'll try to repair the gelcoat inside the step and hope for the best.
Lauman, I do have the pop rivets holding the end cap on And taped over it at the end of last season. To late for the damage that was done though. Thanks, Bill
 
Yes, IMO you DO need to seal the gel coat inside the maststep. That is one place on the boat where water collects and remains while you're sailing. . . and after, if you store the boat right side up. When you're not sailing, it collects water if it's stored outside, gets rained upon, etc. If the laminate is exposed, water will soak in, wick through, and soften the laminate over a large area.
 
I would recommend one of the low viscosity penetrating products like Git-Rot or Gluvit . . . maybe someone with more direct experience with the mast step has a better idea. There are other penetrating sealers.
Clean it as best you can with acetone and dry thoroughly before applying. Have everything ready to go before mixing the resin and catalyst. You will have the working time of the resin to wipe out the excess . . . less time with higher temperature. . . but the thin resins won't "gob" as much as laminating epoxies do. It'll pool in the bottom. Be prepared to discard anything you wipe with after one use. . . It's really sticky and potentially very messy.
 
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