Catalina 22 Mast Issues

[catalanc]

Hi All,
I purchased my 22 MKII three years ago now. I have had three summers on the water in Lake Dillon, CO. No issues other than I don't know how to sail .. :}

The problem is that I purchased the boat while she was shrink wrapped and while I took a look by cutting a hole in the plastic and crawling around underneath, I did not see this particular issue until completely uncovering her in the spring of 2015. Of course, PO said he did not notice the damage before.

Kinda looks like someone used a gin pole incorrectly and with significant force and damaged the hole (see pic). The marina personnel suggested drilling the small hole at the end of the crack to prevent further damage, which appears to have worked and there has been no change in the physical appearance of the mast in the last three years.

So the question is whether I should actually worry about this. I was thinking of lightly sanding the area around the larger hole to smooth it out, but this is probably a bad idea. Just leave well enough alone? Consider a new mast as a prophylactic move?

Would appreciate your thoughts.
carlos

 

[jssailem]

Carlos... Aluminum welding can be your friend. The masts in the yard up here are welded all the time. Fill holes that are no longer needed... repair holes that should not be there.
Check around for a good metal shop with aluminum welding experience and have them weld the hole and crack. Then grind the weld smooth and polish. In no time the aluminum will age and you will hardly notice the repair.
Well you might because you know it is there..
And now there are a whole lot of sailors from all over the SBO internet world...
But the casual dock person in Dillon will not know...

 

[catalanc]

Thanks John,
I actually moved from Seattle in 2015 and had a power cruiser that I used to explore the PNW. Truly miss it and adapting to sail power has been a challenge. Who knew that you needed more than two lines on a boat! Thanks for the suggestions and I'll ask the marina folks who might do this up here.
cec

 

[jssailem]

Funny... I went to Colorado School of Mines in the late 60’s. Skied and worked part time at Arapaho Basin. We had an end of the year party in Dillon. Great little bar there. Sailed on the lake.

Your marina yard may be able, or you may find a welder in town. The job is welding not boat work. The guy I used to patch the holes in my mast brought his gear out to the yard and welded my mast and 2 others. Took very little time. Looked great. Not expensive. And now with the mast up for the past 16 months you cannot see the spots.

 

[JRacer]

Might check with the folks at Bandemire Speedway (drag strip), in Morrison I think, and see who they know that builds/repairs drag car bodies. Many are still aluminum and these guys are masters at welding thin aluminum. Also important to know what type of aluminum the mast is built from so that either you or the welder can get the right welding sticks for the job. For that, you should call the mast manufacturer or Catalina (they would probably key off the hull number to correctly identify who built/supplied the mast).

 

[catalanc]

Interesting idea, JRacer, will check it out. There is apparently a guy in Silverthorne, CO (very close by) who has done this in the past; preliminary estimate is $700, which seems like a lot to me. There was a recent thread, which I have since lost, that talked about someplace where one could purchase new masts for a good price .. much less than Catalina. Anyone know of what I speak?

 

[Ron20324]

Cut the bad section off and splice in a new one.

 

[JRacer]

$700 seems high to me. I had a smaller crack ~ 2 inches on my Beneteau mast and had a race car body guy do the welding here. Cost was $300 and he drove out to the lake with his equipment to do the work ~ 60 mi RT because taking the 43 + foot stick to him was going to be a logistical nightmare. Only took him about an hour or so. Of course, we have lot's of experienced aluminum people in this town.

 

[JRacer]

Don't know who supplies Catalina with C22 masts. Maybe some of the C22 guys can jump in here. But keep in mind that it would probably come bare and you would have to do all the work to attach everything. That might include having to replace some shrouds, etc. Just something to check out before you jump to replacement.

 

[rgranger]

The hunterowners.com site (here at sbo) sells a gin plate reenforcement plate they should fit over the hole. You would rivet it in. It would be a 30 min fix

 

[Sumner]

Interesting idea, JRacer, will check it out. There is apparently a guy in Silverthorne, CO (very close by) who has done this in the past; preliminary estimate is $700, which seems like a lot to me. There was a recent thread, which I have since lost, that talked about someplace where one could purchase new masts for a good price .. much less than Catalina. Anyone know of what I speak?

Haul it over to my place in Utah and I'll weld it up for nothing,

Sumner

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

The hunterowners.com site (here at sbo) sells a gin plate reenforcement plate they should fit over the hole. You would rivet it in. It would be a 30 min fix

That's what I'd do- fit a doubler plate over the crack, rivet it in place and go sailing

 

[catalanc]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. I took a close look and the mast looks the same as it did three years ago (in pic) so no real issues with it getting worse. I have contacted Hunter to ask about the reinforcement plate and am in communication with them. Appreciate the offer, Sumner ... :}

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@catalanc

First you need to identify the mast mfg. as the reinforcing plate for a Hunter will not fit properly for your what appears to be a Catalina mast. What I think you have is a replacement mast from Catalina for the newer Catalina 22 or Sport 22 mast raising system which is optional. Why? The big hole on front bottom of the mast tells me. If you deduce the mast came from Catalina, then contact Catalina factory in Florida and ask for parts. See who extruded the mast and ask if they can get a section
Of it to fit over the hole and pop rivet it to the mast for extra structural integrity. Do weld the crack though. Use to be a dealer for Hunter and Catalina who designed the Hunter mast raising system and in a large sense copied by. Catalina. Fell free to contact me via private message. Now retired and giving back to sailors with my experience and knowledge