Keel stepped mast leaks - solutions?

[demonboy]

We have a keel stepped mast which is leaking like bu**ery what with all this rain we're getting in Marmaris.

Short of getting a haul out and pulling the mast up does anyone have a solution to this? Sikaflex around the base?

I have heard of a putty that can be fixed around the base but this does require the mast to be pulled up by an inch or so, and since we're in the water this isn't really feasible.

Thanks in advance.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Keel stepped masts leak one of two ways.

Firstly between the mast and the deck where there should be a rubber or canvas 'mast coat'. These are usually sealed and secured with special long 'jubilee type' clips.

The second way that the mast leaks is by allowing water down inside the mast itself. Sometimes this is from water running down the various ducts and conduits that are in the mast extrusion. Sometimes it is from water running down the sail track that extends below decks.

Problems with the first are solved with a new mast coat and sikaflex or similar.

Good mast builders usually put water stops inside the mast to solve the second problem. If water is running down inside the mast, I suspect that there is nothing much you can do about it whilst the mast is up. If it is the sail track, a good glob is sealant might work?

Can you post a picture of your mast-deck join?

 

[michael_w]

If it is the boot that's leaking one solution is to make a new one out of a truck inner tube. You may need a dab of silicone to seal the sail track.

Pretty easy Blue Peterish thing to do with scissors and rubber glue. Fix to the mast and the partners with a couple of jumbo jubilee clips, or re-use your old ones. Sticky back plastic and old toilet rolls can prove useful.

Bad luck if the water is coming down the inside via halyard slots. It means that the internal plug fitted during manufacture has failed. Not much you can do if you want to avoid pulling the stick out removing the heel plug etc, etc.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Demonboy,

Sealing the bottom of the mast will only cause it to fill with water.

If the leak is not via the mast boot, you can prevent water entering via the inside of the mast.

Select a point lower than your lowest halyard entry-exit point, don't worry about any cables as they can be sealed without problems.

Insert a balloon through the lowest halyard opening and blow it up soft enough to be able to push down inside the mast.

Try to get the top of the balloon about half an inch or so below the halyard opening. Mix some closed cell balloons with an epoxy resin a bit thinner than toothpaste; inject this to cover the balloon and when curing starts, mix a little more and create a slop to drain the water out of the halyard hole.

When cured, add a little paint or resin with pigment added to avoid UV degrading of the epoxy.

Hope this helps.

Avagoodchrissie......

 

[charles_reed]

If the water is coming down the INSIDE of the mast, there is no real solution.
Stopping the water getting out means that your mast will gradually fill with water until it overflows from the halyard slots, doing all sorts of nasty stray galvanic couples on the way..

If, however, the problem is down to the mast-seal, yes Silicone sealant does a good job - don't use Sikaflex!!

I have a plastic pipe which leads the water away into the shower-tray - that is easy enough to pump out.

Water only comes down the interior of the mast, in my experience, when you have very heavy rain combined with strong winds.

 

[homa]

My mast is keel stepped.
Inside the mast is a foam plug immediately below the lowest halyard slot.
Any water runs down inside the mast and out of the halyard slot.
I have a rubber gaiter at main deck level secured with silicone and a (very large) jubilee clip around the mast, the bottom is just slipped over the coach roof SS flange. I could use a second jubilee clip here but it is a good fit.
Inside the saloon the mast foot is bone dry.

 

[demonboy]

Eeek! Problem with my web server - will get those pics as soon as I sort this error out. Thanks John.

 

[demonboy]

Still got web server issues but anyway, thanks for all the replies.

I've just had my old surveyor on board who made a couple of suggestions. The first thing he said is NOT to use jubilee clips as this is s/s against aluminium, even if you are using a canvas or rubber boot.

The second suggestion he made was to fill the gap with foam, either that expanding spray stuff or any other packing foam, and then fill it.

I'll still try and get those photos up as soon as I can.

 

[Billjratt]

We had keel stepped on last (american) boat. Canvas gaiter, jubileeclipped and sealed with silicone as needed. boat was 1972, no corrosion of mast. What have you done to chock at deck level? The yanks use "spartite" poured into the deck joint. It sets like hard rubber, sealing and supporting - no need for any gaiter, but I would envisage problems at mast-out time.

 

[michael_w]

I don't understand your surveyor. The jubilee clips are insulated from the aluminum by the rubber boot.

What ever you do don't use Spartite unless you never want the mast to come out again. I've seen the riggers at Hamble Yacht Services take two days to free a mast glued in with this stuff. They ended up having to drill it out, made a right mess of the mast too.

At one point in the operation the boat was being lifted via the mast and it still didn't break free. BTW it was a pretty substantial boat, about 80' of Dutch built ketch.

 

[pvb]

There's an interesting booklet about sealing of masts on the Selden website - might be worth a look as it has lots of good advice. You can download it from here.

 

[30boat]

Instead of jubilee clips try a few turns of shock cord.It makes a much better seal even around noncircular shapes.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Has anyone else got any good solutions to this problem? My father recommends drilling a hole in the mast at deck level, filling it full of closed cell spray foam, and then drilling a drain hole at deck level to let the water escape that runs down the mast. I am a bit worried about water sitting in the aluminum mast though, although to be fair I am more worried about water consistently sitting in my bilges!