We have a 1981 30’ and have owned her for 16 years. We are dealing with a stubborn mast leak. The mast step seems to be bedded correctly, there’s a bead of sealant around the outside edge where it meets the cabin mount, and the mast step drain openings are free of debris. The electronics wire bundle in the mast does not exit the mast and go through the deck. Instead, it’s contained inside the mast where it goes straight through the mast step and enters the boat through the cabin liner via a plastic conduit tube, next to the compression post.
We have traced the leak to the wire bundle, where it exits the mast step and enters the cabin through the plastic conduit tube. Someone years ago sealed this up with a glob of silicon. When I pulled out a piece of it the wire bundle was wet. If it rains lightly we don’t see a leak inside the cabin. But if it rains hard it leaks over the top of the inner cabin liner and down onto the nav station. My guess is, because this conduit was sealed, if it rains lightly, the conduit tube holds the water and we don’t see the leak. But, if enough rain gets into the tube it fills up and overflows onto the top of the inner cabin liner. The good news is the area around the conduit and the compression post is dry. But the leak is getting larger. Also, I’ve checked the hatch just behind the mast step and it does not appear to be leaking. I can't find anything else that might be the cause. Has anyone ever dealt with this problem before? Your suggestions would be much appreciated.
We have traced the leak to the wire bundle, where it exits the mast step and enters the cabin through the plastic conduit tube. Someone years ago sealed this up with a glob of silicon. When I pulled out a piece of it the wire bundle was wet. If it rains lightly we don’t see a leak inside the cabin. But if it rains hard it leaks over the top of the inner cabin liner and down onto the nav station. My guess is, because this conduit was sealed, if it rains lightly, the conduit tube holds the water and we don’t see the leak. But, if enough rain gets into the tube it fills up and overflows onto the top of the inner cabin liner. The good news is the area around the conduit and the compression post is dry. But the leak is getting larger. Also, I’ve checked the hatch just behind the mast step and it does not appear to be leaking. I can't find anything else that might be the cause. Has anyone ever dealt with this problem before? Your suggestions would be much appreciated.
