Bolting Mast To Mast Step

[Jeff and Sarah]

Nice looking mast plate. You can use Tef Gel to isolate the metals. I'm sure others will have other good suggestions.

I didn't realize that was a mast step as opposed to a mast deck collar (not that it makes much difference). My CD33 has those same holes and the associated pin (no vang though I do need one) in the mast deck collar for the keel stepped mast.

[Capt Hook]

Jean wins the prize on this one. I drilled a hole in Raven's mast for a boom vang bail, just a slight bit higher so I would miss the mast step. It is obviously not there to hold the mast in place because they just barely caught the step. They only messed up by a half inch or so. I would grind away the top of both bolt holes so you could put a bail back on there and wouldn't have to take out the bolt each time you went to pull the mast. That is the only reason this is a mystery in the first place. You might still have the bail on the boom but they must have taken it off to unstep the mast and never put it back.

I believe that you are correct. Possibly no one realized that the bolt had pierced the mast step and it cracked when pulling the mast.
This did not occur to me, as the boat now has a mast plate to attach the boom vang.
What material would be a good insulator to use between the stainless plate and the aluminum mast step (or in general when attaching dissimilar fittings to the mast and boom)?

Gold

[s2sailorlis]

Try electrical tape, I've used that with success.

Jean wins the prize on this one. I drilled a hole in Raven's mast for a boom vang bail, just a slight bit higher so I would miss the mast step. It is obviously not there to hold the mast in place because they just barely caught the step. They only messed up by a half inch or so. I would grind away the top of both bolt holes so you could put a bail back on there and wouldn't have to take out the bolt each time you went to pull the mast. That is the only reason this is a mystery in the first place. You might still have the bail on the boom but they must have taken it off to unstep the mast and never put it back.

I believe that you are correct. Possibly no one realized that the bolt had pierced the mast step and it cracked when pulling the mast.
This did not occur to me, as the boat now has a mast plate to attach the boom vang.
What material would be a good insulator to use between the stainless plate and the aluminum mast step (or in general when attaching dissimilar fittings to the mast and boom)?