Starboard question

[Celestialsailor]

My person 365 has/had a steel mast step/base.
I'm going to have to deal with it at some point in the near future. I was originally going to use G-10 (epoxy/glass). I'm wondering if Starboard might be a "friendlier" alternative.

Any thoughts?

[Matt Johnson]

No. Starboard will cold flow with long term compression. A really bad material for a mast base.

Matt

[Celestialsailor]

Thanx Matt...Back to my G-10 idea

[LittleWing77]

Wow, Celestial!

That's certainly some picture.

Glad you've already done refits a buncha times. What does the bottom of the mast look like? Are you going to have to cut some off?

LittleWing77

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Wow, Celestial!

That's certainly some picture.

Glad you've already done refits a buncha times. What does the bottom of the mast look like? Are you going to have to cut some off?

LittleWing77

Well that's the question of the day. The perimeter of the outside of the mast, at the base, looks in good shape. However, what is going on inside the mast may be a different story. I have read, in some cases, as much as 2"s had to be cut off. On my Tartan Blackwatch 37 I had a similar situation where the mast base sat on an aluminum 1/4" base and was occasionally subjected to salt water. I had to cut about a 1/2" off that one. But the turnbuckles took up the difference. On this one, I will cut off what is necessary and build it back up with G-10 and fabricate a split shoe out of G-10 to hold everything in place. I will also coat the inside of the mast, at the base, with Strontium Chromate and then a few coats of high build primer.

Yanking a mast and storing for a month at a yard is not that much. I also have a full on Machine Shop on the ranch to do this sort of thing. I'll replace all the upper standing rigging (4 wires) while I'm at it. Life is good!

[Manateeman]

Do you have a drawing or can you sketch out the construction of the structure of the mast base.
Seems like a lot of rust.
We’ve built pedestals? not sure what to call them...which lift the mast heel out of the bilge water but welded them in aluminum.
Mark

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Well that's the question of the day. The perimeter of the outside of the mast, at the base, looks in good shape. However, what is going on inside the mast may be a different story. I have read, in some cases, as much as 2"s had to be cut off. On my Tartan Blackwatch 37 I had a similar situation where the mast base sat on an aluminum 1/4" base and was occasionally subjected to salt water. I had to cut about a 1/2" off that one. But the turnbuckles took up the difference. On this one, I will cut off what is necessary and build it back up with G-10 and fabricate a split shoe out of G-10 to hold everything in place. I will also coat the inside of the mast, at the base, with Strontium Chromate and then a few coats of high build primer.

Yanking a mast and storing for a month at a yard is not that much. I also have a full on Machine Shop on the ranch to do this sort of thing. I'll replace all the upper standing rigging (4 wires) while I'm at it.

Life is good!

Well you sound as happy as a pig in the proverbial.

As I'd expect...!
LittleWing77

[skipmac]

Exact same problem on my P422. Couldn't see it until I pulled the mast but found a little over 2" of the bottom of the mast like Swiss cheese. Cut off 3" and rebuilt a 3" higher mast step.

I used UHDPE for the buildup. Put a thin piece of 6012 Al sheet on top for the mast to sit on. Six years a few thousand miles and no problems.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Do you have a drawing or can you sketch out the construction of the structure of the mast base.
Seems like a lot of rust.
We’ve built pedestals? not sure what to call them...which lift the mast heel out of the bilge water but welded them in aluminum.
Mark

Basically the same thing. I imagine that I'll probably cut off up to 1" off the mast bottom with my clamp on miter box that I used on the Tartan. Then I'll bolt down a piece of 1" G-10 with a drainage groove. Then take another piece of 1" G-10 and make the split shoe.

Here is one made out of aluminum. A little elaborate but close to the idea.


I've machined a ton of G-10 and it requires Carbide tooling to machine it, which I have.
Thanx for the input.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Exact same problem on my P422. Couldn't see it until I pulled the mast but found a little over 2" of the bottom of the mast like Swiss cheese. Cut off 3" and rebuilt a 3" higher mast step.

I used UHDPE for the buildup. Put a thin piece of 6012 Al sheet on top for the mast to sit on. Six years a few thousand miles and no problems.

Ya...I guess you just deal with what you're given.

[Matt Johnson]

You shouldn't need G10. Standard FRP or GPO3 would be fine with the compression loads you'll see. They are both cheaper and easier to cut.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Matt Johnson

You shouldn't need G10. Standard FRP or GPO3 would be fine with the compression loads you'll see. They are both cheaper and easier to cut.

Hi Matt...You know...being a Toolmaker and Field Engineer for 40+ years, you'd think I would know the terms like GP03. But in my ignorance I've called all of it G-10. You are absolutely correct and I will go down that road. Thanks for the input.