Mast Bolt Hole Damage

[Dave]

Recently hauled my 1983 C-22 on its trailer for the winter. While unstepping the mast, lost balance and the mast rotated slightly and one of the mast bolt holes tore through the aluminum. The other seems okay, I did not see any cracks, etc. Has anyone had this happen? Can anyone offer a solution without altering the mast and standing rigging? Thanks.

 

[Eric Sachau]

Mast bolt hole repair

I had the same situation on my C22 when I bought it. My local welding shop filled the hole and re-drilled it for $25. works fine.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Stronger version.

Dave, Most welding shops can repair what you are talking about very cheaply and easily. On mine I welded an aluminum tube into the mast spanning side to side for added strength. You can also have washers welded onto the sides but it makes it a tighter fit and might require slight compression of the sides, but it is much stronger.Ray

 

[Dave T]

Repairs

I didn't know you could weld aluminum~! I like the idea of adding an interior aluminum tube. I can see this would be much stronger. I thought about adding washers (if possible) only on the inside vs. out, as I thought the final fit into the plate would be too tight if the width increased too much. Great suggestions, thank you.

 

[Bob B.]

Mine too so I installed a mast hinge

Hello Dave:The bottom of my mast was damaged so I cut off the damaged part & installed a homemade mast hinge. This was back in 1992.I poured a 2 part epoxy into the bottom of the mast. Sealed up the bottom of the mast & stood it upright until the epoxy cured. Drilled & tapped 3 holes for Allen Head countersunk machine screws. You can see the epoxy at the large center hole.I also made a mast hinge plate & lag screwed it to the cabin top. That is another story as I can't seem to get the mast rake that I would like. I might have moved the mast base location a bit. Will look at that possibility later. The epoxy material is "Devcon" & is pourable.This grade has a SS filler.I will send a picture of the mast plate too.Regards, Bob B.

 

[Bob B.]

Mast plate hinge

Dave. The other half of the hinge. I have lots of holes & slots because I didn't know what I needed at the time of fabrication.I use the lower holes aft of the slots for the hinge pin.

 

[Garry @ S/V TASHTEGO]

Welding the mast

I know that welding on the mast is quite common but you should be aware that most masts are extruded 6061 T6 aluminum and that the T6 designation stands for high strength heat treated alloy. Think of it as tempered like steel. When welding 6061 T6 the heat of welding may anneal the alloy down to around T0 strength which is a reduction from around 40,000 psi to around 3,000 psi tensile strength. If you must weld on the mast add strengtheners to make the repair strong enough. An inner tubular strength member is a very good idea.