Cabin roof near mast step

[Jon Walpole]

HelloI've recently purchased a 1977 H27 that had been sitting a while. My major concerns are:1. Dripping water(during moderate rain) viewed from the inside where the deck meets the hull.2. Determining if there's damage to the CDI roller furling (the sail was ripped from it during a storm). 3. When the mast was removed for transport, the mast step stayed on the bottom of the mast. When the boat arrived here, our harbormaster said the screw holes(where the mast step and cabin roof join)needed to be filled with epoxy. I drilled out the four screw holes and filled them up. I've since noticed a slight depression on the roof where the step should be, and the head door below the deck seems to drag a little when opening or closing even though there's no visible sagging of the roof on the inside.I've read many of the articles about these type of problems but would like to get a little more "how-to" info on sealing and identifying leaks, and cabin roof structural repairs. My plan is to put the mast back up for the rest of the boating season and fix it after it's pulled out of the water in the fall.I would certainly appreciate any suggestions you folks may have.

 

[Richard Marble]

Wet core fix

I've got a guy thats doing some work on my boat right now. I do not have any wet core but have talked with him about fixing it. He's been working on boats for 25 years and apears to be able to do about anything with fiberglass. He said the best way to fix a bad core is to take up the glass fix the problem and put the glass back down. I asked if there wouldn't be patches where the deck had been took off and he said not if its done right. I sugest you get someone thats got some years fixing boat core problems and pay them to fix it. It will be done quickly and do right.

 

[Jim]

fix step

I found that with my Hunter 30 (78) a full removal of the top to find all areas of core damage was the key. New core was placed and fiberglass was replaced. A stainless plate to support the mast step was fabricated. Thru hull fittings were placed into the design for cabeling/wiring. The repair blends in very well and best of all...no leak. This took time and a very good fiberglass expert. Well worth it.

 

[David Foster]

Done the repair

Check the archives (hunter 27, mast step) for the detailed description of the process. You can do it yourself, but we had a pro do it for lack of time, and desire for a good finish (you can't tell it from the original, yet it's stronger and more water proof than the original.)This is a key point of the boats structure, and it will keep getting worse unless you fix it all. That means taking up the fiberglass, and pulling out wood until you get good, clean wood, and rebuilding the step with epoxy, aluminum, and glass.But it's well worth it!DavidLady Lillie