Mast foot, sealant or boot?

[saltysailor]

Although I don't see any leaks from the cabin this mast must be leaking at least when I'm hosing off the boat. Would a simple caulk job of 4000UV or equivalent be acceptable or a boot or both? Any ideas and suggestions?

mastboot by picndicular, on Flickr
jared

 

[Tim R.]

Appears to be a deck stepped mast. Not really a good place to secure the bottom half of a boot. The proper way would be to wait until the mast comes down and remove the step, check for leaks and rebed it properly.

 

[saltysailor]

Appears to be a deck stepped mast. Not really a good place to secure the bottom half of a boot. The proper way would be to wait until the mast comes down and remove the step, check for leaks and rebed it properly.

I will be hauling in 6 months or so and will take the mast down at that point but until then I was thinking about sealing this. I'll do a lil more research but it seemed smart to me seal it up now with something i could remove when I need to.

 

[Tim R.]

3M 101 is what I would use for a temporary solution if it is indeed leaking.

 

[mark_swart]

Had a similar issue with a previous boat -- went around it with a bead of 3m 4200. Clean off the old stuff, wipe with acetone, tape then apply the 4200. Then when you pull the mast take the step off and rebed the right way. But this should get you through in the meantime!