H30 cabin top mast base question

[kito]

I took yesterday off work to install a few new portlights on my H30 project boat. I noticed my cabin top mast base (mast is down) is leaking a bit through it's 4 mounting bolts. These are machine bolts with maybe nuts on the backside. When I tried to tighten them they would only spin. How do I access the backside of these bolts from the cabin?. Don't tell me I need to drill out the screw head plugs and remove the teak compression post cover :cry: Just need some input before I do.

 

[H30Gary]

Kito -
Unfortunately you hit the nail on the head. On my boat two of the nuts were off to the side of the compression post and accessible, but two were between the compression post and the cabin top. What a silly way of doing things.

Short of pulling the teak and the compression post, you could jack up the coach roof to get enough clearance to get an open end wrench in there to hold the nuts. A length of 4x4, a small bottle jack, and a small piece of wood to spread the load are what it will take to jack up the roof.

Sorry about that!

 

[kito]

Thanks Gary, I was affraid of that. That's the way it goes when restoring a boat I guess. One day I make good progress and then something like this makes you take 2 steps back. Even though I am impressed with the build quality of the Cherubini's, it's things like this that make me scratch my head. My biggest complaint so far is the chainplate bulheads. They are encased in heavy woven fiberglass and tabbed to the wall real well. The only place on these bulkheads that are not fiberglassed or even epoxy coated are the tops......the first place water from a leaky chainplate will hit. Crazy!

 

[H30Gary]

Have to agree.

I found out about the mast step thru bolts a few weeks ago when I had the mast pulled in preparation for installing a tabernackle rig. With all the rigging freed the crane operator started pulling up the mast but it would not come off the mast step - frozen solid. No amount of rapping with a hammer or rocking the mast from side to would get it broken loose. All that was happening is the deck was lifting off the compression post. This was good because it gave access to the nuts (1/4-20 lock nuts), but unfortunately the bolts were spinning in the base since we didn't have access to the bolt heads. Finally wound up cutting the bolts with a hack saw. Needless to say, a tedious process.

One thing I did learn from this is that the deck area under the mast is really strong. The nuts just had little flat washers on them, not great big fender washers, and these only made small dents in the headliner even though the crane basically lifted the boat out of the water about 2". Had the deck been weak or not sound, the nuts and small washers would have just sucked right through it. I was pleased that this didn't happen.

 

[kito]

That's amazing. The mast only fits over the step about 1-1/2" and there was enough corrosion to weld them together to support 5 tons! My step seems to be firmly mounted to the cabin top. Not sure if I want to go through all the demolition just to tighten up the nuts a half turn. May try to pry up the screw head while turning.....may get the nut to grab on the washer and not spin.

 

[H30Gary]

Worth a try prying up the head to see if you can tighten the bolts. The nuts are nylock lock nuts so my guess they will probably spin.... but again, certainly worth a try.

Jacking up the coach roof to expose the nuts is not that hard - no disassembly is required. Just need a 4x4 cut to length ($8.00 at Home Depot), a small bottle jack ($16 at O'Rileys), and a piece of scrap 2x6 to put under the roof where the jack hits. None of the teak has to come off and you don't have to remove the compression post. Jack the roof up maybe 3/8" and you should have clearance to access to the nuts with an open end wrench or crescent wrench. Good luck!

 

[kito]

You talked me in to it. I will be raising the roof this weekend Probably just use a piece of wood and a floor jack although a bottle jack will give a straight vertical lift. Since it's only a 1/2" I think it will be fine.