SEALING THE MAST

[twodzusfittings]

Currently my '83 O'day 30 CB is on the hard. There is fresh water accumulating in the bilge and following the stains, I believe there is water coming down the mast, maybe inside but definitely outside. I see my mast has multiple grooves for and aft. Not sure why. Previous owner at some point caulked the grooves and then wrapped a boot mast tape around. There is a large jubilee clip on the upper part of the boot and one on the lower section. Its old but not cracked. My assumption is the caulking is failing. So to my question: What have you Oday owners with a similar mast , done? Anyone use the spartite product? Does it resolve the issue? Any other options?

 

[Barnacle Phil]

Thanks for asking this question. I have the '82 O'day 30 FK (Full Keel) version with the same problem.

 

[rschuss]

There is movement in the mast step due to stretching of the shrouds and hull movement and if you stress the backstay. For me, the thru hardware was leaking water. I lifted the mast step, chamfered the bolt holes and filled with Butyl and remounted the step.

 

[sail sfbay]

Have you considered a mast collar or tape Deck Collars / Mast Collars (rigrite.com) to help prevent water leakage where the mast goes through the deck?

 

[Parsons]

Lots of advice on keel-stepped masts on this forum - happy searching. I fought this battle on my Catalina, and largely won. Spartite is a good start, but it is not a sealant. I got help from someone who did it before, and that is advisable. Preparation is critical or you have a huge mess which is (semi-)permanent, but the results are nice. After Spartite, you need to seal the joints between mast and partners and Spartite with Lifecaulk to seal.