mast leak on 216's

[doug miller]

considering buying a 216, but concerned that the boat has a reputation for leaking at the mast. is this still a problem with new boats?thank you.doug

 

[Ranger Paul18580]

Get a bowl from the 99 cent store!

You don't say whether or not you are going to trailer the boat or slip it. I trailer mine so I needed to seal the mast hole while it sits in my driveway. I bought a plastic bowl at the 99 cent store with a nice curled edge, cut a notch in it, reinforced the bottom with a piece of plywood, and attached a bungee with a clip so I can clip it to the mast step. Works fabulously! Same color as the boat. Looks like a radome! Comment from Cliff of Hunter Marine: "Pretty clever!"

 

[doug]

radar dome

i'd be keeping the mast up, on a trailer in the parking lot of yacht club. i don't think you clever solution would work on an upright mast, would it?thank you.doug

 

[Jeff Prideaux]

upright mast

You would probably need to inject some material into the hollow section of the mast near where the mast fits into the slot on the top of the cubby cabin (to make the mast solid at that point). Then glue (or attach) a collar around the mast (at that location) so that there is no pathway for water to dribble down inside the mast.... I'm sure there is a solution if you think it through enough...

 

[Ranger Paul18580]

H-216 Mast Leak

Hey Doug,My 99 cent store bowl will not work if you leave the mast up. Look in the H-216 archives (search for the words "and" "a", etc. This was discussed with a good solution in the past. There is even a pic. Basically the sailor gooped the grove, installed the fabric collar supplied by Hunter, then duct taped it.

 

[Lamar Sumerlin]

Mast leak fix for H216

I was able to fix my mast leak with a canvas mast boot that the Hunter dealer gave me after I had bought my 2004 H216, some silicone and mast boot tape. First, the sail track must be sealed with silicone well above the top of the mast boot some 6 inches or so. Be sure that the entire sail track cavity is well filled with the silicone. After the silicone has cured, install the canvas mast boot with the snap attachments that come with it. Finally wrap the top of the mast boot with mast boot tape to seal the top of the mast boot. The boat stays in a slip so I'm not faced with taking the mast down very often.