Orana 44: Water Ingress Around Mast

[pstadt]

Sorry it took so long to get these posted. I removed the aft-facing panel of the wood mast base in the salon and took a few pics. It appears that this entire wooden mast base is constructed as a unit and then glued as a unit to the stand-off blocks that are attached to the fiberglass...it is not meant to be removed (easily anyway).

My best guess at the leak source is the horizontal seam that appears to be separated a bit in the close-up shot of the starboard side. It could also be coming from that same seam, further forward and out of view. Next trip down to the boat, I'll try to reseal the area in question.

Note that the aft facing panel is joined to the sides with wood screws through the plastic pockets in the side panels - prying off that aft panel wasn't easy, but I was able to keep from wrecking the side panels. The one upside down pic shows the lip in the top piece that the aft-facing piece slides into.

We plan to (after fixing the leak) getting a nice piece of finished wood to replace the panel we removed (and somewhat destroyed in the process).

If anyone has found their leak and has a solution, please post.

Pat

[LoudMusic]

That's some good work!

If I'm understanding which run of caulk you're referencing, how does the water get to the backside of that? That's the underside of the same piece of fiberglass that the mast is sitting on, correct? Is water coming through the mast bolts and weeping across the underside of the fiberglass? Would it be advisable to remove bolts one at a time, cover with appropriate caulk, and reinsert?

If/when I get around to tackling this project I think I'm going to remove the wood fascia altogether and clean up the newly exposed fiberglass. It just seems to serve to hide a significant problem. Mine is actually getting mildewy and gross anyway.

[pstadt]

My guess, and I repeat, guess, is that it is coming in from the external mast base. Mine is a flat ring that has several slotted screw heads holding it to the deck, with some other openings in the ring without screws...just holes. I don't currently have a picture but this is where I generously coated the area with "flex seal" spray - to no avail.

Next time down to the boat I will invest more time into learning the entire mast/hull interface. It's a work in progress!

Loud Music, how's the transit going? We'll be on the hard through April...

Pat

[LoudMusic]

Ah yes, you mentioned the flex seal previously. Definitely worth more investigation in that area.

We're now on the hard in Ft Lauderdale. Volvo engine warranty replacement, woohoo!

Then additional works.

[pstadt]

Loud Music, after several attempts to apply some silicone sealant via a long rod inserted into the tiny space below the woodwork....and it still leaks....I've decided on my next attempt to completely remove the structure, clean all the seams and properly seal the offending areas. The top piece of wood is in great shape, I'll just have to rebuild the bottom three panels with new decorative wood to match when I go to reinstall the structure.

Was wondering if you ever had any luck fixing your leak?

Pat

[pstadt]

I finally got the jig saw fired up and cut away the wooden structure surrounding the interior mast base fiberglass in the salon. I had previously attempted to run a bead of silicone with the structure in place and was only successful with that method for about five inches.

Once cut away, I found quite a bit of mildew and other leak spots along the length of the joint between the salon top and deck fiberglass...cleaned that up, stripped out the non functional silicone and ran new beads along the three sides and forward joints at the glass.

I'll cut new wood, rebuild and install the new wooden structure using removable screws to each of the standoff blocks....just in case it starts leaking again Finished product pics to follow at some later date.

Pat

[pstadt]

Little by little, the repair work continues. I dismantled the old assembly, made templates and then purchased some new Birch veneered plywood. Cut out the new panels, sanded the surfaces and stained them to (almost) match the salvaged top piece. Pics show the panels after staining and first coat of polyurethane.

I plan to have the front panel laser engraved with our boat name and I have some crushed stone and powder on order from a wood turning site that I’ll inlay in the engraved name.

Everything goes back together with screws so if/when leaks reappear, I can simply dismantle it. Finished product pics to follow.

Pat

[pstadt]

With the leaks fixed (at least for now), I finished building the new interior mast base. I had the front piece laser engraved with our name and then used crushed stone fuschite inlay material to back fill the engraving. Lots of grinding, sanding, polyurethane, sanding, polyurethane, etc...

I used a bunch of door shims to get the rig centered into place and also to build-up the hidden stand-off blocks so I had solid attachment points. I countersunk three star drive screws into each side and two in the front.

It was a fun project to do, but time consuming.

Pat

[LoudMusic]

WOW! Your new trim piece is really good looking! But what a horrible mess to have to deal with. I'm not looking forward to that. Thank you for sharing your adventures. Hopefully I can tackle this one soon myself.

It looks as though water was coming through the caulk and the screws. Did you apply any caulk to the other side of these seams? It might be accessible through the chain locker.

I wonder if the caulk works itself loose by the boat flexing while underway. It would seem that area could be torqued and twisted as the hulls independently crest waves.