mast separated from hull

Jul 17, 2018
1
Oday 222 Barnegat Light
When taking our '82 DS out of the water for the season this weekend (in NJ), the mast popped up/out from the hull. Two large screws now dangle from the base of the mast. The good news is my husband and I are still speaking to each other but the bad news is my husband thinks we should walk away from this boat. Would love some advice.
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Welcome to the forum!!

Ouch!! A photo of the damaged ares would be helpful. If it was my boat I would get one or more boatyard esimates to make the repair before I decided to part with it.
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,885
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
The step/tabernacle really only takes side loads when stepping/unstepping. If the core under the screws (wood between the outer and inner skins) is not rotted, and the screws just pulled out after a few(?) years then you can use bigger screws in the fiberglass or use through bolts to reattach the step. If the core is rotted, the DIY to get it usable is not too bad. That can be done from the underside after removing the compression post.
 
Mar 2, 2019
433
Oday 25 Milwaukee
I've also experienced a similar situation . Not that big of a deal actually . As long as you learned what not to do ,it's all good .
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,923
Oday Day Sailer Wareham, MA
On the 1982 DS II the mast is hinged on a fitting attached to the "stump" of the mast, which is then inserted through a hole in the top of the cuddy and attached to a standard mast-step fitting in the "floor" of the cuddy. That mast-step is held to the cuddy floor by 2 sheet-metal screws whicg are threaded into a 3/4" plywood plate under the fiberglass floor of the cuddy. Unfortunately, if any water has stayed i nthe bilge, the dampness wil l eventually rot out/delaminate that plywood. My 1979 model had the same setup originally, but without the hinge, it was one-piece from that step up to the top of mast. The plywood had rotted out mostly by the time that I bought hte boat in 1996 and the first winter after I bought the boat I ended up cutting an access panel in the cuddy floor to be able to replace that plywood. I did a better job later including totally coating the new plywood in epoxy resin to waterproof it. I would not give up on the boat yet! This is fixable, and not hard if you are OK with a bit of interesting repair or OK with bringing boat to a repair shop. It is not the end of the world, this is fixable! I can find some pictures of my completed repair for reference, but I actually had more to repair since there is a plastic pipe under that cuddy floor that transfers the downward force of the mast to the boat bottom, and mine was located just slightly forward of the actual mast-step causing the floor to crack, so I had a bit more rebuilding than I suspect you have (I HOPE!). But anyway, to start with, there should be a pin or bolt (maybe a couple of screws or rivets?) that hold the lower mast-step to the bottom of the mast, removing them will give access to the screws that should hold the step to the cuddy floor, if you are lucky, you may be able to carefully fill the holes with thickened epoxy resin, then redrill the holes after the resin cures and carefully screw the step back in place, I would then place a hose-clamp around the mast just below the inside of the cuddy top to better lock the mast stump into the boat. Realistically, I'd want to replace that plywood under the cuddy floor (could use Starboard or PVC instead?)piece needs to be at least 8" square, centered under the step and will need to be fitted either around that plastic pipe that I mentioned, or maybe it will fit between the top of pipe and underside of cuddy floor. The blocks (pulleys) that are part of the CB raising tackle are also screwed into that plywood piece under the cuddy floor, I actually added a 1/8" thick aluminum plate under my maststep (on top of the cuddy floor) it is "possible" that doing so might take the place of the plywood under the floor although it may affect vertical position of mast, causing standing rigging to be a little too long not sure. My big project last Spring, was to convert my mast to basically the same setup that the 1982 models had, I now have a hinge just above the top of the cuddy.
 

Attachments