Seeking opinion - 1972 Laser Mast Step Inspection Movie

[cbix]

I was recently gifted a 1972 Laser. The hull number is 2465, which is before they came out with the 16 digit numbers, so this is certainly an early version.

I do have some concerns about the condition of the mast step, as it has some cracking and does not hold water. I made a careful moving that lasts about 1 minute that gives a great look inside the mast step. There is no inspection port on the boat, so I don't yet have a way to look inside the hull.

Here is the link to the movie:

If that does not work, there is a link on the pdf attached below that will take you to the video on google drive.

I am wondering if I should

1. attempt repair without an inspection port
2. attempt repair with an inspection port
3. get one of the laser mast step repair kits that just cuts a 12 inch square hole in the top of the boat and replaces the entire mast step.

 

[Wavedancer]

The usual method is to cut an inspection port and see what is going on from the other side. Typically, the base may need to be replaced and/or the tube may have to be reinforced.

I do see a big crack top to bottom. You could try to seal that with something like Marine-Tex (an epoxy putty) without ever putting a hole in the deck. But, I am not a pro by any stretch.

 

[LaLi]

I am wondering if I should

1. attempt repair without an inspection port
2. attempt repair with an inspection port
3. get one of the laser mast step repair kits that just cuts a 12 inch square hole in the top of the boat and replaces the entire mast step.

1. This applies only to damage which is located at the deck level or close to it. Not more than 5 cm down.
2. Do it. The step leaks, and a visible cause is the long vertical crack on the port side. Install the inspection port at the ”8 o’clock” position, and apply fibreglass to the cracked area of the mast step tube from the inside. You might as well strengthen the mast step/bottom connection as well. Lots of advice on that on this forum!
3. This applies only when a catastrophic, deck-destroying break has already happened:

_

 

[Rob Hair]

To emphasize LaLi's third point, using a replacement mast tube on your boat would make it a MUCH bigger job requiring that you align the new tube carefully. Adding a port shows that your boat was improved and the port is otherwise useful for ventilating the hull and verifying it's dryness for storage.

Great video, LaLi. It shows that a mast tube can fail even in mild sailing conditions.

 

[Wavedancer]

Totally agree with the above posts.
My 'solution' probably wouldn't hold for long, if it did at all.