twisting mast step, cat22

[jeff]

has anyone else had a problem with the mast step twisting in place? i was out the other day and noticed my sail track was canted to starboard. when i came in, i was able to twist the mast/step thru about 22.5 deg of motion, the arc in the slots where it screws down to the coach top, yet the exposed screw doesnt seem loose. think i may have some mush under the glass. anyone else have this dilema? thanks, jeff.

 

[Keith K.]

Rotten support beam

The only thing I had to repair on my C22, the Vesta, was the lag bolt that runs through the mast step into the support beam in the cabin. Either the wood was stripped or it was rotten (or both) and my attempts to tighten that bolt failed.So what I did was get a longer lag bolt and sink it further into the support beam. 3 months of sailing and it held just fine. Just make sure it's not TOO much longer or you will risk cracking the support beam.Keith K.S/V Vesta#6348

 

[Dick of Sylvan]

Epoxy Filler

I agree with Keith that you probably have an enlarged hole in the support beam. Or maybe your screw or lag bolt has broken. My 74 Cat had a slightly loose step that I fixed by removing the lag bolt, filled the hole with epoxy filler (made sure it filled completly by pushing a coat hanger wire in hole to displace air as it filled with epoxy, let set, redrilled to proper size and reset step. If your bolt broke and you can't remove it you may have to drill a new hold nearby. I think a tungsten drill works best in that case, to get thru the stainless of the step. Be sure you hit the support beam! Good luck.

 

[jeff]

thanks

thank you. i found that the shrouds were too loose, i tighted them and it seems to have temporarily stopped the problem. when i haul her in a couple of weeks, i will look deeper. jeff. is it spring yet?