That's the first case of its type I've heard of in over 40 years, where there wasn't something obviously broken.Our boat's mast step is misaligned such that when the mast is installed, it leans quite a bit towards the right side of the boat.
That's the first case of its type I've heard of in over 40 years, where there wasn't something obviously broken.
Would you post some pictures like maybe one of the mast set in it's tube as seen from behind the boat and one each of the mast tube where it attaches to the deck and the hull bottom?
Not totally out of the question, but given the molds and alignment jigs we've seen in the factory tour photo essay, it looks like it would be a glaring error. I'd expect any reputable shop to simply discard the mismolded piece rather than damaging their reputation by selling a second. We could speculate ad nauseum... so let's see what your pictures show.Darn, was hoping it was a more common thing... it appears that the mast hole in the top cover is not aligned with the line of the keel.
If your photos are in a public photo album on the net, use the Insert Image button above the reply window.Ok, so how do I easily post pictures on this forum? I don't know how to do "HTML" stuff...
The photos show up for me just fine.Ok, I'm attempting to post some pics here. If you can see these...
If the mast hole is centered or close to it, the base of the mast step has to be off centerline. The fact that there is an inspection port suggests that the mast step broke, the previous owner installed the port and botched the repair job. I suggest that you cut the mast step flush with the keel with a sharp hacksaw blade, use the mast as a lever to reposition the base of the mast step to true and reattach the step with fiberglass cloth and thickened epoxy. It is really not that hard a fix. Like the other responders, I have never heard of a factory flaw like this.
Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
The mast tube bottom is fiberglassed directly to the keel, centered and held prependicular by a fixture during construction. Heres some pictures of current lay-up. I have one of the process during the AMF days and the jig equipment looks the same.So what does the bottom of the mast step look like, and does it fit down into the groove of the keel? Or is there a gap of some sort between the bottom of the boat (or keel groove) and the bottom of the mast step, if you were to peel / cut away the layers of fiberglass cloth wrapping around the bottom of the mast tube and boat bottom? I assume that this area has to have/be a pretty strong connection, so would like to know how it's supposed to be set up. Have to think on it before starting any cutting...
Ah, the direct approach, I like it. How about packing the mast with sand and bending it around a car wheel?