What to do for A Hole in the maststep?

er111a

laser_sailer
Picture048.jpg

the hole is in the red circle.
ps. this this the mast hole
what should I do
 
If you are not planning on racing it and just want a quick fix. Buy a tube of 5200 fast cure and another metal mast step disc. Empty the entire tube into the mast step or at least enough to go significantly above the A Hole and drop the disc in, tap down gently and let it cure...Should be good for a while..
 
If you are not planning on racing it and just want a quick fix. Buy a tube of 5200 fast cure and another metal mast step disc. Empty the entire tube into the mast step or at least enough to go significantly above the A Hole and drop the disc in, tap down gently and let it cure...Should be good for a while..
now if I did this would it break any sailing rules or could I stile race the boat because im racing this boat right now and I have purchased a disk to put in it
ps should I get 3 oz or 10 oz
 
The problem is that when the step is under stress the hole probably gets larger.

There are two ways to fix:

First the most difficult and the best. Cut hole in the desck for an inspecxtion port. Then rebuild the mast step using West System Epoxy and fiberglass fabric.

The second method that may not totally work: Pour some West System Epoxy in the hole to cover th crack plus 1/4 inch. Then use a steel disk under the mast. It is probably best to cemet it in place using silicone or #M sealant.
 
If you fill the mast step with too much 5200 or whatever and change the depth of the maststep by much, you will not be legal.

Put in an inspection port and fix it right.
 
now if I did this would it break any sailing rules or could I stile race the boat because im racing this boat right now and I have purchased a disk to put in it ps should I get 3 oz or 10 oz

Notice I said "if your not planning on racing".....my solution is a quick and dirty non-racing, non-class legal (because of thickness) recreational fix...
 
The problem is that when the step is under stress the hole probably gets larger.

There are two ways to fix:

First the most difficult and the best. Cut hole in the desck for an inspecxtion port. Then rebuild the mast step using West System Epoxy and fiberglass fabric.

The second method that may not totally work: Pour some West System Epoxy in the hole to cover th crack plus 1/4 inch. Then use a steel disk under the mast. It is probably best to cemet it in place using silicone or #M sealant.
what type of west system epoxy is best for the second method
 
what type of west system epoxy is best for the second method

Regular west resin 105 and select a hardener based on temperature. If its summer time probably want to use the slow cure stuff 206. Highly recommend a chopped fiber additve for two reasons. One, the chopped fiber makes the thick epoxy tougher than unfilled so it resists cracking more, and two it will help reduce the amount of exothermic heat from this thick epoxy layer. The most important part of this approach is getting the bottom of the tube around and above the crack/hole cleaned and abraded. Build yourself a sanding tool out of a long stiff dowel and 40 or 60 grit glued or taped around one end. It helps if the end with the paper has a little wider section so that the rest of the dowel is relieved from the rest of the tube. Don't sand to deep into the tube wall. Just try to take off about half of the gel coat layer. Then vacuum out well and rinse the sanded area with acetone just before applying the west system. Keep your head away from the tube when the acetone is in there. Mask the out side edge of the tube and the inner wall from the epoxy. One other suggestion is to try and force some epoxy through the crack before you pour in the final layer.
 

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