Anyone out there know how the Morgan 34 mast step is engineered? Our sole has essentially rotted away around the step, which seems to be in good repair, but there are chunks of what appears to be iron that have also rusted away. Again, the step seems solid, but what, I wonder, is the step bolted to? The poured encapsulated lead keel? We have a young rigger here who doesn't know how it all goes together. He just knows he's looking at decades of decay and doesn't want the rig to come down on me, which I think is considerate of him.
Morgan 34 Mast Step
- Thread starter Paul Koestner
- Start date
For those of us who don't know about Morgans, is the mast deck stepped or keel stepped? In other words does the mast go through the deck into the bilge or is the deck supported by a compression post.
I assume it's keel stepped because few boats of the vintage of the Morgans and at 34 ' are deck stepped.
Pictures would help.
I assume it's keel stepped because few boats of the vintage of the Morgans and at 34 ' are deck stepped.
Pictures would help.
This is a keel-stepped boat, but while I generally understand the term, I don't know exactly the build. This old boat (1970) has got some creative elements to her innards, and at this point about anyone involved with the original design is no longer with us, nor can I find specs that address my question. The boat does have an encapsulated keel ballast.
As a side note, I thought I just posted this for Morgan owners, so I hope I'm not bothering the general boating public. Shamefully, I show up here only when I have a problem myself.
Finally, a shout out to you, Andrew, down there in Jensen Beach, where my mother-in-law resides. It's possible I've said hi before, so sorry for that as well.
As a side note, I thought I just posted this for Morgan owners, so I hope I'm not bothering the general boating public. Shamefully, I show up here only when I have a problem myself.
Finally, a shout out to you, Andrew, down there in Jensen Beach, where my mother-in-law resides. It's possible I've said hi before, so sorry for that as well.
I had a Ranger 29 which had an encapsulated keel - early 70's. The mast was deck stepped but there was a compression post which laid on a step of unknown material. I got the notion to improve the arrangement. After chipping away at it for an hour and getting nowhere, I decided that the unknown material was dense enough and solid enough to leave as is. I think the PO had replaced a likely rotted wooden step with something made of epoxy filled with something. I moved on to other improvements.
