FOR YEARS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO STOP WATER LEAKING THROUGH THE MAST BOOT DURING HEAVY RAIN ON MY KEEL STEEPED CD 36. MY LATEST ADVENTURE WAS WITH SPARTITE....THE IDEA SEEMS RIGHT, BUT IT IS NOT THE ANSWER AS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEAT PROPERLY THE FOLLOWING YEAR AND EVENTUALLY BROKE. MY NEXT ATTEMPT WILL BE WITH A TIRE TUBE AND SOME HOSE CLAMPS. DOES ANYONE HAVE A
REALLY GOOD ALTERNATE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM?
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND INPUT...........CHARLIE
jcp1347@gateway.net
water intrusion through mast boot
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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len
Re: water intrusion through mast boot
charlie
i find liberal amounts of life-caulk (usually renewed annually) to do the trick - the boot itself is one of those commercial ones that you slit and hold on with hose clamps - good luck
len
md.frel@nwh.org
i find liberal amounts of life-caulk (usually renewed annually) to do the trick - the boot itself is one of those commercial ones that you slit and hold on with hose clamps - good luck
len
md.frel@nwh.org
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Stan
Re: water intrusion through mast boot
I have had great luck on a CD 31 with keel stepped mast using the following:
1 truck tire inner tube that can be cut to shape (smaller diameter at top goes around mast, larger diameter at bottom goes around cast aluminum mast partners (?). Cut this so that it takes a little stretching to get an overlap at the single seam that results.
2 use clear silicone caulk to seal upper and lower tube/aluminum interfaces. Be liberal with the sealer in the mainsail track.
Use 2 or 3 nylon wire ties inserted into each other as required to get around the top sealing surfaces and tighten as necessary. Repeat for the bottom sealing surfaces. Use your finger to fillet the silicone and tidy up the appearance. We have a Sunbrella sleeve that goes over the rubber boot, though, so a little unkempt sealer is not visible.
3. Apply silicone sealer to the seam. Be careful to get a good overlapping joint. Having had to stretch the rubber a bit this joint will not normally require any kind of compression to get the silicone to stick and seal.
That's all there is to it! I replace the rubber "boot" every other year, and the one truck inner tube is good for 5 or six boots (10 to 12 years' worth!).
If I haven't communicated this clearly, send an email and I'll forward a sketch.
Long live dry mast steps!!
Fair winds
Ker' and Stan
Nomad CD 31 #008
skuhlman@sprynet.com
1 truck tire inner tube that can be cut to shape (smaller diameter at top goes around mast, larger diameter at bottom goes around cast aluminum mast partners (?). Cut this so that it takes a little stretching to get an overlap at the single seam that results.
2 use clear silicone caulk to seal upper and lower tube/aluminum interfaces. Be liberal with the sealer in the mainsail track.
Use 2 or 3 nylon wire ties inserted into each other as required to get around the top sealing surfaces and tighten as necessary. Repeat for the bottom sealing surfaces. Use your finger to fillet the silicone and tidy up the appearance. We have a Sunbrella sleeve that goes over the rubber boot, though, so a little unkempt sealer is not visible.
3. Apply silicone sealer to the seam. Be careful to get a good overlapping joint. Having had to stretch the rubber a bit this joint will not normally require any kind of compression to get the silicone to stick and seal.
That's all there is to it! I replace the rubber "boot" every other year, and the one truck inner tube is good for 5 or six boots (10 to 12 years' worth!).
If I haven't communicated this clearly, send an email and I'll forward a sketch.
Long live dry mast steps!!
Fair winds
Ker' and Stan
Nomad CD 31 #008
skuhlman@sprynet.com