Remove water from mast tube after use...?
- Thread starter BVS
- Start date
cskudder
Active Member
YES - dry that mast hole out, don't let water freeze in there.
Freeze-thaw expansion inside the mast tube is bad - very bad.
It often leads to the "donut" inside the hull getting waterlogged, and freeze-thaw expansion cracking of the donut too.
The donut is a crucial part of how the bottom of the mast tube attaches to the inside-bottom of the hull. It has 'let go' in many older boats, at which point the mast tips over, and in turn rips up the deck badly. You're in for a big nasty repair at best. A lot of folks say the boat is scrap after that.
I sponge mine out dry, and also sponge out any water inside the hull (thru the inspection port that I had to put in, to repair it when my mast tipped over + tore it up). I use a chunk of sponge held with a "pick-up tool." But there's 100 other ways.
If you store your boat outside, it's not easy to keep water out of the mast hole all winter. Upside down works. Inside a garage or shed is best. If you have water freezing+thawing in there, the odds of losing the mast go way up, I think.
Here's what happened to mine. I've posted these pic's a dozen times in different threads but people keep asking about this stuff and a pic is worth 1000 words. (some people probaby think I'm nuts about this by now)
It makes a mess, and it has happened to a whole lotta older boats. I sure wish I'd have known about it + seen pics before mine came down. I surely would have
(a) got that mast tube dry and made sure it stayed that way, anytime there was a freeze
(b) got my boat inside the garage
(c) cut an inspection port and reinforced the joint from mast tube to bottom.
Reinforcing is easy + cheap compared to fixing. Woulda saved me $100's and dozens of hours of very unpleasant work.
My 2 cents...
- Keep it dry.
- If you think it might have been stored outside + suffered water freezing in the tube, open her up + reinforce it before you sail much more.
Freeze-thaw expansion inside the mast tube is bad - very bad.
It often leads to the "donut" inside the hull getting waterlogged, and freeze-thaw expansion cracking of the donut too.
The donut is a crucial part of how the bottom of the mast tube attaches to the inside-bottom of the hull. It has 'let go' in many older boats, at which point the mast tips over, and in turn rips up the deck badly. You're in for a big nasty repair at best. A lot of folks say the boat is scrap after that.
I sponge mine out dry, and also sponge out any water inside the hull (thru the inspection port that I had to put in, to repair it when my mast tipped over + tore it up). I use a chunk of sponge held with a "pick-up tool." But there's 100 other ways.
If you store your boat outside, it's not easy to keep water out of the mast hole all winter. Upside down works. Inside a garage or shed is best. If you have water freezing+thawing in there, the odds of losing the mast go way up, I think.
Here's what happened to mine. I've posted these pic's a dozen times in different threads but people keep asking about this stuff and a pic is worth 1000 words. (some people probaby think I'm nuts about this by now)
It makes a mess, and it has happened to a whole lotta older boats. I sure wish I'd have known about it + seen pics before mine came down. I surely would have
(a) got that mast tube dry and made sure it stayed that way, anytime there was a freeze
(b) got my boat inside the garage
(c) cut an inspection port and reinforced the joint from mast tube to bottom.
Reinforcing is easy + cheap compared to fixing. Woulda saved me $100's and dozens of hours of very unpleasant work.
My 2 cents...
- Keep it dry.
- If you think it might have been stored outside + suffered water freezing in the tube, open her up + reinforce it before you sail much more.
Last edited:
jeffers
Active Member
Yes definitely dry that water out.
Get a 'jug mop' from your local kitchen store (they are about 69p in the UK) or get an old batten or piece of dowel and glue a chunk of sponge to the end of it.
Also set your boat so there is enough of a back angle to keep the cockpit empty of water (I leave the drain bung open on my boat) but not so much that any rain that comes in through the bow eye opening in the cover can drain in to the mast pot.
Get a 'jug mop' from your local kitchen store (they are about 69p in the UK) or get an old batten or piece of dowel and glue a chunk of sponge to the end of it.
Also set your boat so there is enough of a back angle to keep the cockpit empty of water (I leave the drain bung open on my boat) but not so much that any rain that comes in through the bow eye opening in the cover can drain in to the mast pot.