Mast

[Bill1565]

I'm going to pull the mast on my recently purchased H 37c. Never had a boat with deck partners like this. What do I use to carve the goop out ? not enuff room to get the blade vertical on a sawzall or even a jig saw. I looked at rotozips at HD but they seem to large in diameter. A Dremel will reach in an inch or so, but I don't know if that's enuff.

 

[Steve Dion]

Bill:

It appears that you have a mess there. I think your best best is to try this and then try that. You have a task on your hand from whoever did that to you.

When you redo it you need to look at Spartite. It is a much better/professional solution.

 

[Allan12210]

Dry Ice?

If you can get it cold enough, it may chip out easier. Otherwise, how about the multi tool sold at Harbor Freight. You just want to make a perimeter cut then clean the hole and mast after it is pulled out. In fact, can the mast just be pulled and the bond will come up and you can cut it horizontally with a utility knife?

 

[Don12364]

Dig away at one point with a pointed piece of bent rod until you get right through. Then elongate the hole until you can get a hacksaw blade through. Then one person below and one above work the saw blade all the way round without trying to remove the packing/sealant.
Pull the mast and deal with mast and hole in deck separately.
Just a suggestion!

Or - Just pull it as it is, the crane will be man enough.

 

[sail_4_me]

Check before you dig!

My 37c has a rubber mast collar, about a 1/2" wide and 1 inch deep, running all the way around the mast. It would be just below all that white sealant. What do you see from below, more white stuff?

If the collar is there, your job should be easier, just dig out the top 1/4" or so and pull the collar out. If the entire thing is sealed up, I think the hacksaw idea may work, but I would use a tool like this:

You should have 1/2" all the way around so as long as your carefull you should be able to cut a line, then pull.

 

[Bill1565]

Thanks Sail 4. More white stuff below. I have a "keyhole saw" similar to what you showed me. It will save me from Having to put the admiral at the other end of a hacksaw blade.

 

[Mathurin]

A question for all of you, do all of your H37c have a bolt going throught at the level of the deck partners, I've heard of it before, but it's the first time I see it. My partner is made to have a through bolt, but the mast was never drilled (maybe the factory forgot, my boat was made in 1981). What is the role of that through bolt ? Should I add one ?

 

[kloudie1]

Ya might try a pvc pipe saw, the kind that is a flex wire with thumb loops on the ends.. if you can get one hole through big enough to push the thumb loop thru, do that and put someone inside and someone outside and saw and pull the wire around to cut it..Ya should be able to push the loop through with a small long standard screwdriver with the loop in a small notch in the blade. The guys who remove windshields on cars use this technique. If ya can't get the loop through, cut the loop off and push the wire through a small hole..(ya may have to solder/tin the saw wire before you cut it to keep the strands together.. Catch it on the other side with vice grips and then saw away.. Good luck

 

[sail_4_me]

re bolt through the mast

Yes I have one too. Mine looks similar to the picture, except I have a marine plywood ring on top of the steel mast collar. The included picture was from last years launch. The hole is covered but you can see that its raised up 1 inch from the deck.

When I raised the mast, the marina crew spent 30 minutes trying to put that bolt in. I finally suggested they tighten the stays. Then it slipped in easy 8^)

I wanted to put a better mast collar on, you know, with holes for pulleys etc. But I was just thinking that you could put something on either side of the bolt to do the same thing, and you wouldnt need to modify whats already there.

 

[Seattle Scott]

A question for all of you, do all of your H37c have a bolt going throught at the level of the deck partners, I've heard of it before, but it's the first time I see it. My partner is made to have a through bolt, but the mast was never drilled (maybe the factory forgot, my boat was made in 1981). What is the role of that through bolt ? Should I add one ?

My vang bale is attached to the thru bolt, or the bolt goes through the vang bale on each side of the mast.