Mast Leak Into Cabin

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Jay Kienast

I have a 1997 H280 with a cabin leak situation. During rain storms water leaks into the cabin via the mast supporting post ( stainless steel ). It is apparantly coming in from the mast. Has anyone experienced this ? As a result I have some discoloration of the cabin roof presumably because of the water seeping into different areas of the cabin top. Thanx for any help you may provide.
 
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David Straub

Same thing

Have recently found the same thing. Don't have any idea where to begin. So I hope we find something out.
 
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Mike Kinney

need to caulk where wires pass through deck

In stepping the mast, it is important to seal the top of the tube through which the wires pass through the deck. I was successful spraying some expanding foam up into the tube from the cabin and stopping the leaks. Hopefully this would also work for you.
 
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Alex

Many of us over the years , with same problem..

..check the archives , in not ereased , there should be much info on it. But you have to solve it as per Mike advise , I did it this way.
 
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jack

340 mast leak

I wrote this a few months ago in the archives. Hope it can assist you. I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 2000 340. IT'S COMING DOWN THE WIRES AND INTO THE ACCESS PLATE ABOVE THE TABLE. PROPERLY DONE THE MAST HAS TO BE REMOVED. I REMOVED THE COVERING ON THE DECK (4 SCREWS), REPOSITIONED THE WIRES CAREFULLY AND CAULKED WITH A WATERPROOF SEALANT. THEN WENT INSDIE THE CABIN, REMOVED THE ACCES PLATES (2) AND CAULKED FROM IN THERE. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS A COMMISIONING PROBLEM AND NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. THIS SHOULD WORK FOR YOU ALSO, IT'S WHAT YOUR BOAT YARD WOULD TRY.
 
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Hugh McCully

An ounce of prevention

My Hunter 28 (1990) had the same mast leak symptom as has been described. When I got the mast down last fall, I discovered that the leak had been ignored too long. Water had infiltrated the plywood core over an almost two square foot area. This area was ripped out and allowed to dry. Then, the mast step was rebuilt in solid fiberglass and balsa core was used for the rest. You can't keep the water from coming down the mast, but you can prevent what I experienced!
 
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JOHN

Fix it soon, or pay dearly later

If left ignored, you will probably have to shell out big bucks for fixing deck rot. Hugh has not shared what he had to pay to fix his, but I'll bet it wasn't cheap. You must pull the mast and fix it now, while the fixing is cheap and easy. I think the cause may be rain water that gets into the inside of the mast, and fills up at the bottom of the mast. When the water level gets high enough, it spills over the neck of the wire tube; or if the wire tube isn't caulked good enough, seeps down the outside of the tube and into the deck. Can you replace the wiring tube with a slightly longer one that sticks up a little higher, and then drill a drain hole in the very bottom of the mast? Be sure to caulk the be-jeevies out of the tube, and set up a maintenance schedule to pull the mast and re-caulk every 3 or 4 years.
 
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Doug

Call hunter.....

I'm sure they have had this question enough to come up with a fix. Greg Emerson in Hunters tech department in Alachua, FL has been a lifesaver for us on issues like this. We have even emailed him photos of problem areas to help him understand our problems. Our 1988 33.5 had a leak similiar that was arrested and prevented damage due to some good information from Greg. Good Luck and remember that this forum is great but your boat is new enough that these problems should not arrise and the manufacturing company should help you fix it. Doug
 
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