Last year I had to cut 2'' off the bottom of my mast because it was so corroded that it was ready to blow out and I asked on this forum about a way of constructing a mast plug. I received some pretty good pointers and suggestions from you guys which enabled me to come up with something better than the heavy Mickey Mouse monstrosity that I made up last year that got me through the sailing season.
Well I just finished it and I'll be attaching it to the mast next week when it gets a little warmer.
I used 1" Trex for the mast plug although I could have used PVC Foam Board to make it if I wanted a thicker plug, by gluing another piece with PVC cement.
The Trex is sitting on a 1/4" plate with PVC Foam Board under that. It's held together with two 1/4" stainless steel bolts. I coated the portion of the bolts with Never-Seize where they come in contact with the Aluminum plate and I also sawed some kerfs on the edge of the Trex so that water can escape from the inside of the mast.
I plan on using five stainless steel pan Phillips head screws with nylon washers going through the sides of the mast to hold the plug in place. I'll even dab a little Never-Seize on these screws to insulate them from the mast to prevent electrolysis.
I think I have all the bases covered on this project and my main objective was to come up with an extrusion that was lighter in weight yet looks pretty presentable.
I painted it a color that comes close to the existing Z-Spar extrusions. I'm confident that this will work out fine on my boat. I really don't know if anyone has ever made up a mast extrusion out of these types of materials so perhaps I may be the first to attempt it. Cast Aluminum mast plugs for a Z-190 aren't available for a stainless steel hinged tabernacle. I'm not even sure if the Z-190 masts are available in this country.
At any rate I want to thank you guys for all the great suggestions and tips which allowed me to come up with this. Many thanks!
Joe
Well I just finished it and I'll be attaching it to the mast next week when it gets a little warmer.
I used 1" Trex for the mast plug although I could have used PVC Foam Board to make it if I wanted a thicker plug, by gluing another piece with PVC cement.
The Trex is sitting on a 1/4" plate with PVC Foam Board under that. It's held together with two 1/4" stainless steel bolts. I coated the portion of the bolts with Never-Seize where they come in contact with the Aluminum plate and I also sawed some kerfs on the edge of the Trex so that water can escape from the inside of the mast.
I plan on using five stainless steel pan Phillips head screws with nylon washers going through the sides of the mast to hold the plug in place. I'll even dab a little Never-Seize on these screws to insulate them from the mast to prevent electrolysis.
I think I have all the bases covered on this project and my main objective was to come up with an extrusion that was lighter in weight yet looks pretty presentable.
I painted it a color that comes close to the existing Z-Spar extrusions. I'm confident that this will work out fine on my boat. I really don't know if anyone has ever made up a mast extrusion out of these types of materials so perhaps I may be the first to attempt it. Cast Aluminum mast plugs for a Z-190 aren't available for a stainless steel hinged tabernacle. I'm not even sure if the Z-190 masts are available in this country.
At any rate I want to thank you guys for all the great suggestions and tips which allowed me to come up with this. Many thanks!
Joe
