Mast step s28.0c

Jul 26, 2017
4
S2 8.0c Charleston sc
hello everyone I'm new to this site so here goes I've rebuilt a1979 s28.0c gutted her painted the inside did all the wood work new beta engine new sails Bimini hell almost everything lol but I love it did it all my self with help from friends. Anyhow I've found an issuer I think.. was turning the rigging today and I think the mast step is compressing under the post anyone got any ideas how the post is stepped to the keel? Help lol thanks everyone and if anyone has any questions I might be able to help with please ask I think I've touched every fitting or screw on my boat lol

Butch
 

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
If you gutted her, what did you find under the mast support post? Either the blocking under it failed or the deck core may be the issue. Working on it now myself sadly.
 
Jul 26, 2017
4
S2 8.0c Charleston sc
Well I did gut her but didn't replace the duck so I don't know what's under there I'm going to get a bore scope and remove the fitting for the table and take a look see. It might be just fine which I'm hopeing or I might have to do some interesting engineering.. do you have a s2? And are you removing the post and taking up the deck? Thanks for replying

Butch
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Friend with a Sabre (34?) just had his keel mast step collapse. Too much to repai, insurance did not cover it, he sold it to a yard worker for a song. Worker will probably sell off the new sail, radar, and everything else and make $$$
 

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
Yes I have a 9.2A and yes I have the same problem. I just bough a boroscope as even after cutting an access hole (look at my recent posts) I can not clearly see through the 10 x 10" hole. Somebody else noted that the deck itself, between the blocking under it and the post, had rotted and collapsed. I can see that happening. It is just plywood with a laminate on top. On my boat the rotted area is right next to the head/shower drain. Yours is not I think. My mast is being removed next week so I can jack up the deck and shim or repair the decking, as necessary. I then have a surveyor coming to meter the deck so I can make the tough decision about whether to fix her or give up and donate her.
 
Jul 26, 2017
4
S2 8.0c Charleston sc
Well I'm waiting for my boarescope to take a look see and I hope I'm good but if not I'm going to tackle it anyhow I've got way to much in it and I can take my mast down with a couple of buddy's sooooo I'm crossing my fingers and will keep you posted. Hell I've done everything else on the boat so we'll see lol

Butch
 
Apr 26, 2015
660
S2 26 Mid On Trailer
Hi Butch, We are in the renovation process of an 8.0 C also. We have opened up the sole in numerous areas with a 3" hole saw. About the only place compression would occur under the compression post would be the 1/2" plywood sole. There is resin that is very hard below the wood sole holding the lead (shoal draft keel). I think the fin keel has a wooden stringer under the compression post. You would see this compressing into the wood at the bottom of the post I believe. The more likely area is under the mast step fitting on deck. Very common in older boats. We just repaired the area in our other boat an O'Day 23. If yours has the Dwyer mast step remove the 4 bolts, once the mast is down, and dig around with an L shaped tool in the bolt holes to find the rot. Do a search on this site and you will find many ways to repair.
 
Jul 26, 2017
4
S2 8.0c Charleston sc
Nice to see a fellow s2c restorer

I do see the compression under the post on the deck in the cabin. I got a borescope in the mail today and hope to inspect Sunday to see what I've got for sure. I'll report back. I'd be interested in your projects. I've replaced the engine raised the boom 18in so I can stand in the cockpit under a Bimini. New cushions ripped out all the carpet liner and painted. Reworked all the wood or my wife did . Newest project is hooking a pump to the ice box drain to pump it into the galley sink.. I retire in Jan and try's nag to get all the dollars spent before I retire lol

Butch
 

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
Just got my boroscope too. Lets compare notes later. My mast comes down some time next week. Perhaps Monday.
 
Apr 26, 2015
660
S2 26 Mid On Trailer
Let us know what you find. Is your boat shoal keel or fin? How did it sail with the reduction of area in the main when you raised the boom? What size head sail are you running? I have looked at raising the boom, also, but was a little concerned about changing the center of effort and getting the boat unbalanced. I sent you a PM also.
 

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
I haven't used the boroscope yet, but I had a surveyor on board and he used an awl to poke at the mast step under the deck and it was sound. He also metered the deck and concluded that if I did anything I should replace the core under the deck stepped mast as it metered out as wet. Now this is where it gets interesting. I cut the deck open just inside the raised shoulders of the step area and removed the ~1/2" thick fiberglass slab. One thing I didn't understand before this is how the stainless plate bolted down to the step. How were the threads in the deck formed? Was there some sort of captive insert? Well..yes. Instead of soggy core that needed replacing I found a 1/2" steel plate with four holes tapped in it for the mast plate bolts! The surface of it was rusty and it was clear that a layer had originally been bonded to the fiberglass I removed. I told the surveyor and he said to photograph it and button it back up. So I am going to grind the plate clean, treat it with a phosphoric acid anti rust agent, clean it, dry it and put it back together with a 12:1 fairing for strength.
 

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
Pics. I contacted Gougeon Brothers, who make West Marine epoxies and talked to their technical department. I described what I was doing and sent photos. My question was that typically a 1:12 bevel is mentioned for filling a hole, but in this case the thickness varied from about 3/8 to 1/2" so a 1:12 would be 4-6" and I just didn't want to disturb an area that big if I didn't have to. The rep confirmed that I did not and that the approach I took would be appropriate. After treating it with Naval Jelly to neutralize the rust, rinsing and drying it I ground it back with an angle grinder.

After cleaning it and wiping it down with acetone I treated it with unthickened expoxy, as recommended, to ensure proper bonding of the additional laminates. I then laid it up with alternating layers of chopped and woven mat until I was level with there surface wetting each layer out with unthickened West 105 with 205 slow hardner. It was messy, but I had cut out all the layers first and it went quickly. The "laminate" photo shows the result. Note that I greased and re-inserted the bolts and they came out fine, although I did chase the holes with a tap when I was done to clean them out.

The hole in the deck you see is the enlarged hole for the VHF connection which was the original culprit for water entry. I ended up masking off at the start of the non-skid and sanding the top down to it with 100 grit. Then I thickened epoxy with cabosil to a peanut butter thickness to fair the plateau (filler photo). I overdrilled the VHF hole and cleaned it out as best I could with the old allen wrench in a drill trick. I also dumped some acetone down inside and let it dry for a few days as I had to wait a couple of days from laminate to filler and from filler to gelcoat. It takes quite a lot of the cabosil to thicken the epoxy and I quickly learned to make many small batches (~100mL of epoxy) or the exotherm would just harden it right up. I ended up dumping about a cup of thickened epoxy in the VHF hole.

I sanded the filler with 100 grit, per West's instructions to give the gelcoat plenty of tooth. That is necessary to use gelcoat over epoxy successfully. I bought a gelcoat matching kit and I can't recommend the boatworks youtube channel enough for what I learned, especially about gelcoat matching.
which takes just drops of each color to make a difference. Get your color right then add the hardener. I had it really close, but realized I needed another coat. Rain was threatening so I unfortunately rushed the second match and blew it. But I really needed a third coat. The shoulders of the plateau are damned easy to sand through, and in the final pic (IMG-1394) you can see where I went through a bit. As you can see, I didn't go crazy getting the area under the plate pretty.

One of the holes wasn't very straight from the factory and even the dimension of the plateau was a little off even from the factory so when I bolted the stainless plate back on (with a generous quantity of sealant under it) it looked a bit askew. Saving the original wires turned into more than a wasted effort. I ended up having to removed them anyway and doing it at the end was a pain. The original wiring was crap and not only that, I found butt connectors inside the wall cabinet in the head. So much for careful wiring by S2!

The great news is that with the mast back up the divot in my deck is gone. I am also now 100% sure of the integrity of the boat and how the mast is supported. I also found no other major damage, nor did the surveyor. The hole for the VHF was right in front of the bulkhead inside the cabin. I can only surmise that the small area of wet core was just in exactly the wrong place allowing about a half inch of compression right above the bulkhead.
 

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