keel stepped mast motion

[tom]

all of my previous boats had deck stepped masts. The new boat is a pearson 323. I am specifically interested in the P323 but assume all keel stepped boats will be simular. This weekend in very choppy conditions I was below and noticed that there was a sllight motion to the mast. Maybe 1/4 " enough that I could feel it with my fingers resting on the ring that surrounds the mast where it comes through the deck and it made a little rubbing sound. Is this normal or bad???thanks Tom

 

[Steve]

Mast Movement?

I don't think this would be a good thing. I have a Catalina 34 with a keel stepped mast, and I can tell you for sure that there is no movement of the mast in the cabin. Of course, I do only inland lake cruising and racing, but we've had the boat out in 30+ kts of wind several times and that hasn't happened. I suspect that the mast wedges are missing around the mast. There should be a number of small wedges stuffed around the mast where it goes through the deck. If you're missing those - that's likely to be your problem.

 

[Steve Christensen]

Mast Partners Missing?

It does sound as if the mast partners, which are wedges that are supposed to keep the mast firmly in position with respect to the deck, could be missing - or at least of inadequate size. A long term solution to that could be a SparTite kit. This should be easy to check.OR (and this is the more sinister possibility) the deck may be spongy around the mast opening, so that the mast is causing the deck to flex. This can happen if the mast boot does not keep out water, and if the deck core is exposed at the opening. If this is the case I would walk away from the boat, unless the price reflects the cost to repair the deck.Steve Christensen