Sealing the Mast Base

[High C]

My Weekender's mast passes through the deck into the mast box, and has a bit of play there. I'm thinking of making some slightly tapered wedges to tap into the front and sides to lock it into place. Or is it adequate to let the shroud and forestay tension do the job?

Also, any clever ideas to seal it to keep water out of the mast box? If I do wedge it, I suppose caulk would do the trick, but if it's left loose, that wouldn't work. The plans call for closed cell insulation foam, but I'd like to use something more long-lasting and nicer looking.

Thanks!

[Bob Taylor]

I fashioned a mast boot from some naugahyde I had left over from another project. They sell these commercially but I wasn't about to pay the cost!! Caulking and some hose clamps did the trick!

[ken connors]

i remember a long time ago seeing where someone had built wooden cover for the mastbox. its hard to describe, but ill try. he built a dam around the very top edge of the mastbox, glued to the deck. then he attached sort of a "lid" around the mast that would fit over the dam when the mast was dropped into the box. maybe someone more computer literate knows what i mean and can draw a sketch. :oops:

[capt jake]

I used neoprene as a boot. I am hoping it will seal up when it is a little wet.

[Knut]

My mast had a tight fit when fully inserted, without being in full contact along the edges at deck level. I therefore did not need any wedging to keep it from moving too much.

With this starting point I simply used a good string of 3M5200 that was also squeezed a bit down into the gap to avoid just riding on the deck. Probably, I would have cut a little groove if there were none, to get the 5200 to seal also a little down into the mast box.

I have seen no tendency of water in the mast box and the paint is intact over the fillet between deck and mast. In your case may be the biggest concern would be how to ensure that the wedges are staying in place permanently?

Solution presented without guarantee :!:

[Frank Hagan]

I used the old styrofoam and ace bandage trick:

I secured the mast in place by pounding in "mast partners", or wedges. Then I took styrofoam and formed it to fit around my round mast. The styrofoam is then wrapped with an old ace bandage.

The finished mast boot takes latex paint very well, and seals it nicely. You can also use rope whipping compound, a rubber-cement like solution that cures to a waterproof sheen (and you can paint over it too).

[TexasPhil]

Is a mast box really neccessary?

Since I am going to install a square mast base with a tabernacle, could I just attach the square mast base directly to the front bulkhead?

And, being secured like that, I would wedge it in and calk around the deck.

[capt jake]

The box would help distribute the forces exerted be the mast in an equal fashion. I would fear that without it, you would wind up with undue stresses eventually. The box distributes the forced to the deck, bulkhead and hull bottom and also ties these three components together.

[Zeroice]

I would agree that the box helps to tie all the parts around it together. It also seems to strengthen and support the top deck. I wouldn't leave it out of the construction.