Mast Holes at Deck

[Jongleur]

I have read that the mast head is open to the
sky, and if that's so, water will get in and must
be able to get out, but why are there two holes
in the mast a couple of inches above the deck?

Is air supposed to go through and dry the H20?

Can I drill a hole or 2 as close to the deck as
the drill will allow, to let water escape?

Also, there are "wells" in the corners inside
the mast base that hold water.

How is the deck kept watertight with all the
wires going through that area?

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Jong,

There have been threads on these issues. I posted pics of what I did before but, here they are again.

The first 2 pics show a close-off plate I made. There are still openings at the front & rear on the mast top for venting. The 3rd pic shows vent covers for holes I drilled similar to what you have now. These have the same effect as a cooling tower. Lower pressure at the top of the mast caused by moving air creates vertical suction & with the holes at the bottom, allows for drying any standing water.

My mast was down & I redid the mast base decking because of water seeping into my coring. From your pics, this looks very suspect. I would check the decking with a moisture meter to see if your coring is wet before you have more $$ problems.

Whoever designed the wiring & step plate installation should be working at a Mc Donald's instead. It was designed to fail & is a BIG problem on C30's.

The 4th pic is where I ran the wiring outside of the mast. I don't have a finished pic but, I attached a fitting on the mast & one thru-deck fitting for running wiring below into the head. This ensures a waterproof deck fitting & I can rebedd this easily if needed. I used electrical flex conduit hose to waterproof the wiring coming out of the mast to the deck fitting. Your wiring is inside the mast so, I think this is where water may also be seeping in.

I also added a terminal block inside a pull box to allow for connecting/disconnecting my wiring below.

I would also suggest not to leave your holes uncovered because of rats & wasps.

CR

 

[dj2210]

Those square cutouts are for in mast halyard rigging sheaves.

 

[svPelican]

The mast on my Catalina 30 doesn't have those cutouts. Last weekend I removed some speakers that the PO had mounted a couple of inches above the base. When I removed the screws, water poured out. I assume there must still be more water inside. The base of the mast has caulking around the outside of it, which seems to be holding the water in. Should that caulk be there? Is that part of what seals the mast step? It doesn't seem right. I've never had the mast unstepped, so I don't know what kind of shape the coach roof is underneath. Thanks