1979 H 27 - The fiberglass area under our mast is slowly compressing. Is this a typical problem and what are the fixes for it? There is also some sign of the interior headliner being pushed downward,so ther could be a combimation of things happening. The outside fiberglass is noticibly sunken( it will pool water around the mast step.) I'm interested in all of your collective issues,concerns, repair ideas, and things not to do about the situation. At the end of the season we will decide among the options for repair; your advice will help us sort out the options
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
D
David Foster
Same here!
We have the same problem. Our surveyor noted it, but did not say it was a must fix. I'm waiting with you for other responses.
We have the same problem. Our surveyor noted it, but did not say it was a must fix. I'm waiting with you for other responses.
J
Jack Laird
Same here
Have same problem maybe not quite to the same degree. Hay the boat is 21 years old, think I'll live with it unless I get cracks.
Have same problem maybe not quite to the same degree. Hay the boat is 21 years old, think I'll live with it unless I get cracks.
C
Chris
Compression post
Does that year not have a compression post? If you do you could probably add a spacer to jack it up to the original height Chris
Does that year not have a compression post? If you do you could probably add a spacer to jack it up to the original height Chris
B
Bill of Sandpiper
Re Mast Support
Oh how misery loves company! Didn't know anyone else had gone through this one. For several years I watched the mast sinking on my H33 until I realized I was in denial. This is how I rebuilt the step. Have the mast pulled. Measure the height above deck of the outer edge of the pad all the way around and record your findings and keep them in a safe place till later to avoid the crap shoot I went through. Remove the metal step by removing the bolts from below. Use an angle grinder or other tool to cut out the entire mast pad. You will find about 5/16" of glass. Then remove the 1/2" of rotted, soaking plywood. Be very careful you do not damage the wiring which has probably caused the problem. Replace the plywood with marine grade or one of the newly available plastic materials. Bed it well in epoxy thickened with cabosil or in a layer of 2 oz. mat and vinylester resin. Do not use epoxy with mat. Surround it with thickened resin and wait for hardening. Then fair. Now you will need to grind the deck to a bevel a distance of 14 times the thickness of the laminate you removed.(2 1/2" per 1/4") on each side of the pad. Then build it back up using one of (a)alternating layers of 2 oz. mat and 10 oz. cloth and polyester or (b) layers of 10 oz. cloth and vinylester or epoxy or (c)my favourite, 18 oz. stitchmat and any resin. Stitchmat laminates to 1/16" per layer. When you have it built to the required height, mix resin and microballons to level the surface and get the curved edge of the step. Finish with gelcoat or paint. You may find with some epoxies that the gelcoat won't cure but WEST and EAST have worked well for me. While you're at it, run the wiring through a gooseneck inside the step and bed it really well. You don't want that water going in again. Redrill your bolt holes from the inside. Good luck! If you do a good job, nobody will ever know you had a problem. You might also put in a ss organizer at this time to avoid mounting blocks on deck.
Oh how misery loves company! Didn't know anyone else had gone through this one. For several years I watched the mast sinking on my H33 until I realized I was in denial. This is how I rebuilt the step. Have the mast pulled. Measure the height above deck of the outer edge of the pad all the way around and record your findings and keep them in a safe place till later to avoid the crap shoot I went through. Remove the metal step by removing the bolts from below. Use an angle grinder or other tool to cut out the entire mast pad. You will find about 5/16" of glass. Then remove the 1/2" of rotted, soaking plywood. Be very careful you do not damage the wiring which has probably caused the problem. Replace the plywood with marine grade or one of the newly available plastic materials. Bed it well in epoxy thickened with cabosil or in a layer of 2 oz. mat and vinylester resin. Do not use epoxy with mat. Surround it with thickened resin and wait for hardening. Then fair. Now you will need to grind the deck to a bevel a distance of 14 times the thickness of the laminate you removed.(2 1/2" per 1/4") on each side of the pad. Then build it back up using one of (a)alternating layers of 2 oz. mat and 10 oz. cloth and polyester or (b) layers of 10 oz. cloth and vinylester or epoxy or (c)my favourite, 18 oz. stitchmat and any resin. Stitchmat laminates to 1/16" per layer. When you have it built to the required height, mix resin and microballons to level the surface and get the curved edge of the step. Finish with gelcoat or paint. You may find with some epoxies that the gelcoat won't cure but WEST and EAST have worked well for me. While you're at it, run the wiring through a gooseneck inside the step and bed it really well. You don't want that water going in again. Redrill your bolt holes from the inside. Good luck! If you do a good job, nobody will ever know you had a problem. You might also put in a ss organizer at this time to avoid mounting blocks on deck.
D
David Krozier
mast step saggting
I left my H27 stored on land this season so I can make this repair. I think this will be a common problem. There must be other owners who have already been through this. But the archives on this site don't have much about this. I presume the damage on my boat was from the many previous owners who cut holes to run mast wiring around the mast step. I tried to seal the holes with epoxy but it must have been too late. Moisture must have got into the deck core material in this area. Did you also notice that the door to the head didn't close right anymore? That is what finally got me to want to fix this thing. The sagging of the mast step apparently put pressure on the beam that runs along the bulkhead. The beam sagged in the middle causing the door track to sag in the middle. The screws that held the beam to the bulkhead were angled down on the starboard side indicating that it had moved down with respect to the bulkhead. Put a straightedge along the bottom of this beam and see if it bows in the middle. The result is the door no longer closed or opened properly. I have removed the woodwork in the cabin and temporarily supported the (still standing mast) with a bottle jack and 2x4. I will request the yard unstep the mast this week. Right now it appears that the wooden compression post is solid (no rot)and the cabin floor and hull cross beam that support the bottom of the compression post at the cabin floor appears solid. The problem appears to be localized to the failure of the deck core around the mast step. The bulkhead does not appear to bear a significant part of the compression load. Its not even bonded to the deck around the top. I would think the bulkhead would have been used to spread the load over a wider area of the hull. Oddly, the compression post is not even directly under the mast. It is behind and to starboard of the mast base. My plan at this point: 1- Have yard unstep the mast. I am going to rewire and refixture the mast while it is down. I also plan to inspect and replace much of the standing rigging. 2- Examine condition and tabbing of bulkhead around bottom of hull. This is a little difficult to see. 3- Measure and diagram position of mast step on deck with respect to bulkhead, bulkhead support beam, compression post, and hull support beam. This will allow me to document where things are and analyse how best to replace them. 4 Cut and remove (and keep) the outer fiberglass skin from the area of the mast step. This will let me see what the core material is (end grain balsa? plywood?) and how extensive the damage is. 5 Route out all the damaged core material leaving the inside fiberglass skin. 6- Plan for repairs. If you are waiting for me to finish this job and report on it here please understand that I am in no hurry. I plan only to finish before the start of next season. I would be happy to hear from others who can provide more insight on this repair or the structures in this design. David 1979 H27 Renegade dave_krozier@rhk.com
I left my H27 stored on land this season so I can make this repair. I think this will be a common problem. There must be other owners who have already been through this. But the archives on this site don't have much about this. I presume the damage on my boat was from the many previous owners who cut holes to run mast wiring around the mast step. I tried to seal the holes with epoxy but it must have been too late. Moisture must have got into the deck core material in this area. Did you also notice that the door to the head didn't close right anymore? That is what finally got me to want to fix this thing. The sagging of the mast step apparently put pressure on the beam that runs along the bulkhead. The beam sagged in the middle causing the door track to sag in the middle. The screws that held the beam to the bulkhead were angled down on the starboard side indicating that it had moved down with respect to the bulkhead. Put a straightedge along the bottom of this beam and see if it bows in the middle. The result is the door no longer closed or opened properly. I have removed the woodwork in the cabin and temporarily supported the (still standing mast) with a bottle jack and 2x4. I will request the yard unstep the mast this week. Right now it appears that the wooden compression post is solid (no rot)and the cabin floor and hull cross beam that support the bottom of the compression post at the cabin floor appears solid. The problem appears to be localized to the failure of the deck core around the mast step. The bulkhead does not appear to bear a significant part of the compression load. Its not even bonded to the deck around the top. I would think the bulkhead would have been used to spread the load over a wider area of the hull. Oddly, the compression post is not even directly under the mast. It is behind and to starboard of the mast base. My plan at this point: 1- Have yard unstep the mast. I am going to rewire and refixture the mast while it is down. I also plan to inspect and replace much of the standing rigging. 2- Examine condition and tabbing of bulkhead around bottom of hull. This is a little difficult to see. 3- Measure and diagram position of mast step on deck with respect to bulkhead, bulkhead support beam, compression post, and hull support beam. This will allow me to document where things are and analyse how best to replace them. 4 Cut and remove (and keep) the outer fiberglass skin from the area of the mast step. This will let me see what the core material is (end grain balsa? plywood?) and how extensive the damage is. 5 Route out all the damaged core material leaving the inside fiberglass skin. 6- Plan for repairs. If you are waiting for me to finish this job and report on it here please understand that I am in no hurry. I plan only to finish before the start of next season. I would be happy to hear from others who can provide more insight on this repair or the structures in this design. David 1979 H27 Renegade dave_krozier@rhk.com
- Status
- Not open for further replies.