Mast Step on CD28

[BlueSeas]

Hello All,
I just started looking at CD28s and like what I see so far. I've gotten a lot of info from the board and owners sites but can't find any info about the mast step. I guess lack of info might means no problems but I just looked at a 1977 CD28 and the area under the mast seemed compressed, this viewed from the inside. The liner was cracked and water leaked in past the teak cover plate. Any ideas? How can I inspect the mast step.
Thanks for any info.
Ed

[S/V Necessity]

I would be surprised if the deck looked great and there has been enough movement to distort the head liner.

On my boat there is space (3/4"?) between the liner and the actual mast step (box steel set into the fiberglass deck). If you pull the teak cover plate it should be worth your time.

On my boat the mast step was constructed of thick mild steel and bedded into the deck, along with some polyester filler. The entire T shaped structure the mast sits upon has steel within it. I would think it would be pretty easy to tell by examining the deck if there was a problem. Mine showed cracked and distorted gel coat (the polyester filler material within the step had degraded and gone soft and rotten on mine.)

[SPIBob]

Hey BlueSeas,

When I saw your comment that "the area under the mast seemed compressed", my first thought was "walk away". Upon further review and more careful consideration, my thought is "walk away".

The 28 has a deck stepped mast. The support area around the mast is robust (as is the rest of the CD), but water ingress can, over time, change that. As S/V Necessity mentions, the main support member for the mast is a soft ferrous metal structure that will turn into rust dust and provide no support after long standing water exposure. The surrounding fiberglass and core can longer support the downward force of the mast properly and you get the sag you mention.

This can be repaired but it's a big job. Unless the price is right, or you really want to test your fiberglass boat repair skills, you might want to look elsewhere.

[BlueSeas]

Hey thanks for those insights. SPIBob, your right this would have a big price impact.
If the mast step is mild steel then any 30 year old one would be suspect. From your description it sound like major deck work is involved to replace/repair. Anyone know of a site where this work has be documented?

Thanks
Ed

[Steve Laume]

Something sounds a bit fishy.

What doesn't make sense to me is that you don't seemed to have noticed any problems on the deck. It would also be interesting to see where the turnbuckles are set when the rig is up and tuned.

I believe the 28 and 30 are very similar in layout and the mast step sits between the head bulkheads. If the steel support structure has failed I would think you would notice all sorts of nasty stuff in that area.

You might be able to get a better idea of what is going on by pulling any electrical fittings that penetrate the deck in association with the mast. This is where problems would most likely have initiated. It would also give you a big enough hole to be able to poke around in there and see or feel what was going on. The teak inspection plate would be the first place to look.

I would agree that this would be a major and difficult repair if indeed the mast support structure is destroyed. It does seem like a unique and unlikely problem. This is one area I don't recall anyone posting about problems.

I hope it works out for you and by all means let us know if this is another area we should all be checking on our boats, Steve.

[BlueSeas]

Hi Steve, as I recall the deck had many cracks all over, but nothing that screamed mast step issue. I was thinking more a thick 34 year old gel coat issue.

I looked and departed, not a serious survey. At this point I'm looking for a pretty nice boat, and this one was a project boat despite the ad. But then project vs nice is many times in the eye of the beholder.
Which always makes me wonder how someone can buy a car/MC/boat etc off ebay

[Oswego John]

I would agree that this would be a major and difficult repair if indeed the mast support structure is destroyed. It does seem like a unique and unlikely problem. This is one area I don't recall anyone posting about problems.

Hi Steve and all,

I realize that what is printed next is not exactly what you are referring to. It does apply, somewhat, to sagging decks, turnbuckles and the spinoff effect that occur when the mast support fails. FWIW:


Oswego John



Joined: 05 Feb 2005
Posts: 2687
Boat: '66 Typhoon "Grace", Hull # 42, Schooner Ontario, CD 85D Hull #1
Posted: Sat 3/19/11 6:08 pm Post subject: What To Look For

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I would like to add something to the excellent advice that the Tadpole Sailor gave. My $.02 is kind of basic info and maybe not worthy of mention. Anyhoo....

I had occasion to help a guy with a sunken roof deck. He couldn't figure out what his problem was. He measured carefully and constructed a compression post. He did a real, fine job of it. Just one little problem, he didn't raise the roof to normal before setting the compression post.

It is possible to jack the deck up with the mast in place. Just make sure that there is plenty of slack in the stays and shrouds before attempting to elevate the deck.

Without going into detail at this time, you can jack the deck up from inside if the indent isn't too much. I jack it a little bit at a time, maybe a 1/4" and let it set for a bit to readjust. How long is a bit? I don't know so please don't ask. A bit is just a bit. After a bit, jack it up another 1/4" or so until you have a crown in the deck. Don't be too alarmed if you hear the deck "pop" to its normal position.

To quick check for what Robert (Tadpole Sailor) was mentioning, I use two methods. The simplest is to lay a straight edged piece of wood, or whatever, across the roof of the cuddy cabin, adjacent to the mast position. The center of the convexed arced roof should be approximately 3/4" higher than the edges. If the roof is flat or concaved, the boat definitely needs a compression post.

There is another quick check. Look at the stay and shroud turnbuckles. If they are made up short as much as possible, there is a good reason to look farther. When the roof compresses, the bottom of the mast drops with it. The lowered mast allows slop in the shrouds and stays. To try to overcome this slop, the owner makes up on the turnbuckles (Ed. this compounds the original cause of the problem /Ed) to the max but in cases of deep indentation, the turnbuckles can't adjust enough to take the slack out of the standing rigging. Hence, an untuned boat.

As stated earlier, there are at least two methods I use to raise a compressed roof to its proper position. Jacking from the inside is the easiest and quickest method. When dealing with severe compression, most times the roof can be pulled up from the outside. I helped another guy with a brand X who tried to jack his roof up and in so doing,he opened up his hull to deck joint. When you pull the roof, this won't happen.

Good luck,
O J
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