Bristol 29 Mast Support

[petecasey]

Hi all! I’ve posted on here once or twice because I am in the process of buying a boat, and I just made an offer on a Bristol 29! The offer depends on a couple of things, and while those are still getting sorted, I wanted to ask about this mast support that I spotted. It is a deck stepped mast, and under the wooden piece (head wall) that supports the cabin top there is a space about 6” from the floor to the keel. Under here is just a few pieces of wood supporting the load. There is a small crack in the fiberglass, showing that at one point the mast had caved into the support a bit. It seems as though the wood underneath is a perfectly fine support, but it didn’t look factory finished and I wanted to check on here to see if it raises any red flags for anyone.

Thanks!
Pete

 

[LloydB]

Those are good pictures showing the damage but they are a bit too close to see what is going on. Normally the bulkhead would be expected to supply that support and wouldn't rely on shimming up the deck.

 

[jssailem]

Agree with @LloydB .

The question is not whether the work is "factory finished", the Bristol 29 was last built in 1971. I would guess many of the workers are long gone who could comment on that as "build quality". The question to ask on a boat 51 years old, is the construction such that the boat will safely sail me to the places I wish to go.

If this is not a boat you plan to sail but one you plan to flip, then the question becomes what are my liabilities if the current design/conditions of the boat endanger the new owner. I would not want to sell a boat I knew was not right.

There are limits to what educated guesses can be made from pictures. Certainly pictures that show more of the boat and the area of concern might help.

 

[dlochner]

A deck stepped mast places a lot of tension on the deck. That tension needs to be transmitted to the hull and keel. Typically it is done through a combination of the bulkhead beneath the mast and and mast compression post.

When the bulkhead/compression post terminate on the sole, or in this case it appears to be a fiberglass pan, the pan needs to be supported. That's what the pieces of oak are doing. The crack on the side of the pan suggests the pan was not sufficiently supported at some point in its life and the glass or at least the gel coat cracked.

My best guess is there was once a block of wood under the pan that rotted causing the pan to sag and crack. Eventually some owner noticed this and blocked it up again with multiple pieces of wood. It appears the area has been repaired and there may have been some fiberglass work done. Notice the glass fibers sticking out and the white bilge paint on the wood.

This is an old boat and repairs are expected. it was also built in the early days of fiberglass boats. Bristol had a good reputation for solidly built boats of a more conservative design. The question, is this a major issue, is really dependent on the plans for the boat. It is hard to venture an opinion with this little information and without seeing the boat up close and personal. For local use, day sailing, weekending, short summer cruises, it would probably be fine. I'd be less certain if the plan was to cross oceans or extended cruises and would want a good shipwright to take a look at it and suggest repair or upgrade options.

 

[rgranger]

That looks like Boudreaux fixed dat. All wood needs to be (at the very least) encapsulated …epoxy would be my choice but a quality enamel will last a long time

 

[FastOlson]

Per your sig line you already own a superior-handling offshore boat, your Cal 34. Why downgrade? Or are you infatuated with the "look" of the Bristol?