I've been told that the shrouds on my 1977 Cape Dory Typhoon weekender are forcing the mast down toward the keel because the foredeck has softened. The man at my boatyard is thinking of trying to keep the mast from sinking further by using a piece of wood (like a 2x4, I guess), going from the keel to the deck, to prop up the deck under the mast. His alternative (replacing the deck) would cost more than the boat. Has anybody had (or even heard of) this problem, and if so, was there any solution? I'd appreciate any help. Thanks.
warele@consumer.org
Fix for soft foredeck under Typhoon mast?
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Bill Goldsmith
Re: Fix for soft foredeck under Typhoon mast?
I am no Ty expert, but I do recall reading many posts on this board about installing compression posts to reinforce the deck-stepped mast. As I recall most found this to be a permanent and reliable solution. Check the archives for more. Good luck!
Bill Goldsmith
CD27#173
Second Chance
goldy@bestweb.net
Bill Goldsmith
CD27#173
Second Chance
l.b. ware wrote: I've been told that the shrouds on my 1977 Cape Dory Typhoon weekender are forcing the mast down toward the keel because the foredeck has softened. The man at my boatyard is thinking of trying to keep the mast from sinking further by using a piece of wood (like a 2x4, I guess), going from the keel to the deck, to prop up the deck under the mast. His alternative (replacing the deck) would cost more than the boat. Has anybody had (or even heard of) this problem, and if so, was there any solution? I'd appreciate any help. Thanks.
goldy@bestweb.net
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Larry DeMers
Re: Fix for soft foredeck under Typhoon mast?
There is another possibility that could be causing the mast to move towards the keel. Too tight a tension setting on the shrouds. This is very common in smaller boats..heck, in all sizes really. We call it the Banana Boat Syndrome, where the bow and stern are pulled upwards while the center is depressed. We have a yellow Erickson 30 in the area that is like this..silly looking and tragic when you consider the permanent damage done.
The first thing to do is to determine if the coring under the mast is truly soft, and if so why? It will not get better, only far worse if it is wet. So you have a job to do either way.
Sound out the cabin top with the mast removed, and note any dead sounding spots..mark their boundaries with tape. Check the whole top, and especially near any thru deck fittings etc. If the top is indeed soft..does it deflect when you stand on it?, you have to see how extensive the damage is. Simply shoring up the underside is not going to cure your troubles, and will infact create several others as serious. The shoring lumber idea assumes that the deck is a solid piece, so that the 2x4 on the bottom skin pushes on the bottom skin which pushes on the foam coring, which pushes on the top skin. If the coring is wet and rotted, then you have a lot of air in there. Putting that shoring into place will compress the bottom skin into the top skin with no coring in between. That will crack the glass badly.
I would think that if you can stand on the area with out it oil canning on you, then the coring is probably ok. So next, look at the rigs tension on the shrouds.
They should be tight, but not even close to "Bar" tight. Generally, when on a beat and in 10-15 kts of wind, the leeward shrouds should fall off a little and be physically loose enough to move around from wind and vibrations..or a tad tighter than that. But they should be lose enough to sag a little. See if that does not cure your trouble.
Cheers,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory30 Lake Superior
demers@sgi.com
The first thing to do is to determine if the coring under the mast is truly soft, and if so why? It will not get better, only far worse if it is wet. So you have a job to do either way.
Sound out the cabin top with the mast removed, and note any dead sounding spots..mark their boundaries with tape. Check the whole top, and especially near any thru deck fittings etc. If the top is indeed soft..does it deflect when you stand on it?, you have to see how extensive the damage is. Simply shoring up the underside is not going to cure your troubles, and will infact create several others as serious. The shoring lumber idea assumes that the deck is a solid piece, so that the 2x4 on the bottom skin pushes on the bottom skin which pushes on the foam coring, which pushes on the top skin. If the coring is wet and rotted, then you have a lot of air in there. Putting that shoring into place will compress the bottom skin into the top skin with no coring in between. That will crack the glass badly.
I would think that if you can stand on the area with out it oil canning on you, then the coring is probably ok. So next, look at the rigs tension on the shrouds.
They should be tight, but not even close to "Bar" tight. Generally, when on a beat and in 10-15 kts of wind, the leeward shrouds should fall off a little and be physically loose enough to move around from wind and vibrations..or a tad tighter than that. But they should be lose enough to sag a little. See if that does not cure your trouble.
Cheers,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory30 Lake Superior
l.b. ware wrote: I've been told that the shrouds on my 1977 Cape Dory Typhoon weekender are forcing the mast down toward the keel because the foredeck has softened. The man at my boatyard is thinking of trying to keep the mast from sinking further by using a piece of wood (like a 2x4, I guess), going from the keel to the deck, to prop up the deck under the mast. His alternative (replacing the deck) would cost more than the boat. Has anybody had (or even heard of) this problem, and if so, was there any solution? I'd appreciate any help. Thanks.
demers@sgi.com