Hi all, I'd like to solicit the experts for some advice. I've attached some pictures of damage to the cabin overhead below the mast step that I just found today when I was getting the boat ready for spring sailing. It looks as if there's a leak around the step which has deposited some crud into the light dome, and I found a few drops of dried rusty water on the V berth directly underneath. In the past I have sometimes found a little water in the well below the compression post next to the battery, but thought it came through the post along the wire bundle coming from the mast. I don't quite understand how the fittings around the step are attached to the compression post, nor how the weight is distributed. My questions are: Is the boat safe to sail? How serious is the apparent damage? How can I assess it in more detail? How can I find out if there's water in the balsa core? There doesn't seem to be any sponginess yet. I've never done fiberglass work myself, so I'd need a yard if this is going to involve major reconstruction. Does any one know a yard in the DC - Annapolis area they'd recommend for this type of work? Sure would appreciate any advice and help I can get. Thanks, Rick M17 #633 Lynne L
Rick There is no balsa core under the mast step. Only hardwood. I am guessing you have to re bed and re caulk some hardware which will require removal ( unbolting the bolts) and if you call me I will instruct you the procedure. You can do this yourself. Call me Bob Sent from my iPad
On Mar 23, 2014, at 12:02 PM, "Rick Davies" <jdavies104@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to solicit the experts for some advice. I've attached some pictures of damage to the cabin overhead below the mast step that I just found today when I was getting the boat ready for spring sailing. It looks as if there's a leak around the step which has deposited some crud into the light dome, and I found a few drops of dried rusty water on the V berth directly underneath. In the past I have sometimes found a little water in the well below the compression post next to the battery, but thought it came through the post along the wire bundle coming from the mast. I don't quite understand how the fittings around the step are attached to the compression post, nor how the weight is distributed.
My questions are:
Is the boat safe to sail?
How serious is the apparent damage? How can I assess it in more detail?
How can I find out if there's water in the balsa core? There doesn't seem to be any sponginess yet.
I've never done fiberglass work myself, so I'd need a yard if this is going to involve major reconstruction. Does any one know a yard in the DC - Annapolis area they'd recommend for this type of work?
Sure would appreciate any advice and help I can get.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L <photo 1.JPG> <photo 2.JPG> <photo(3).JPG>
Rick, when I got my boat last year, I had a lot of water coming in the same spot, where the electric wires came through. Figuring this will always be a problem because when you pull on the wires that are caulked in it will create leaks. So I closed the hole and ran my electric and coaxial wires out the front of the mast and into mounted sockets. Pictures attached. Ron McNeil M17 #675 Jackpot. On Sunday, March 23, 2014 12:34 PM, Bob Eeg <montgomeryboats@hotmail.com> wrote: Rick There is no balsa core under the mast step. Only hardwood. I am guessing you have to re bed and re caulk some hardware which will require removal ( unbolting the bolts) and if you call me I will instruct you the procedure. You can do this yourself. Call me Bob Sent from my iPad
On Mar 23, 2014, at 12:02 PM, "Rick Davies" <jdavies104@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to solicit the experts for some advice. I've attached some pictures of damage to the cabin overhead below the mast step that I just found today when I was getting the boat ready for spring sailing. It looks as if there's a leak around the step which has deposited some crud into the light dome, and I found a few drops of dried rusty water on the V berth directly underneath. In the past I have sometimes found a little water in the well below the compression post next to the battery, but thought it came through the post along the wire bundle coming from the mast. I don't quite understand how the fittings around the step are attached to the compression post, nor how the weight is distributed.
My questions are:
Is the boat safe to sail?
How serious is the apparent damage? How can I assess it in more detail?
How can I find out if there's water in the balsa core? There doesn't seem to be any sponginess yet.
I've never done fiberglass work myself, so I'd need a yard if this is going to involve major reconstruction. Does any one know a yard in the DC - Annapolis area they'd recommend for this type of work?
Sure would appreciate any advice and help I can get.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L <photo 1.JPG> <photo 2.JPG> <photo(3).JPG>
Ron, Nice looking job. Where did you get your thru deck fittings for the wires? The ones that came with my boat need replacement. Thanks, Tom B, M17, #258, 1978 On Sun, Mar 23, 2014 at 2:58 PM, Ronald McNeil <ronaldwmcneil@yahoo.com>wrote:
Rick, when I got my boat last year, I had a lot of water coming in the same spot, where the electric wires came through. Figuring this will always be a problem because when you pull on the wires that are caulked in it will create leaks. So I closed the hole and ran my electric and coaxial wires out the front of the mast and into mounted sockets. Pictures attached.
Ron McNeil M17 #675 Jackpot.
On Sunday, March 23, 2014 12:34 PM, Bob Eeg <montgomeryboats@hotmail.com> wrote:
Rick
There is no balsa core under the mast step. Only hardwood.
I am guessing you have to re bed and re caulk some hardware which will require removal ( unbolting the bolts) and if you call me I will instruct you the procedure.
You can do this yourself.
Call me
Bob
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 23, 2014, at 12:02 PM, "Rick Davies" <jdavies104@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to solicit the experts for some advice. I've attached some pictures of damage to the cabin overhead below the mast step that I just found today when I was getting the boat ready for spring sailing. It looks as if there's a leak around the step which has deposited some crud into the light dome, and I found a few drops of dried rusty water on the V berth directly underneath. In the past I have sometimes found a little water in the well below the compression post next to the battery, but thought it came through the post along the wire bundle coming from the mast. I don't quite understand how the fittings around the step are attached to the compression post, nor how the weight is distributed.
My questions are:
Is the boat safe to sail?
How serious is the apparent damage? How can I assess it in more detail?
How can I find out if there's water in the balsa core? There doesn't seem to be any sponginess yet.
I've never done fiberglass work myself, so I'd need a yard if this is going to involve major reconstruction. Does any one know a yard in the DC - Annapolis area they'd recommend for this type of work?
Sure would appreciate any advice and help I can get.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L <photo 1.JPG> <photo 2.JPG> <photo(3).JPG>
Tom, the thru hole for the electric is a pretty common 4 wire sold at West Marine. The challenge with it is that it can't support large gage wires and the size of the screws to hold the wires are hard to work with. I don't think the wires should be larger than 14 gage. I think I have 12 gage and I had to drill out the end of the fitting. I actually changed out the coaxial fitting since this picture. The original in the picture was a pass through of the coaxial with a pressure fitting. Shortly after installing it I found what I was really looking for, which was a hard fixed mount. I got it at Defender and it's called "Glomex RA105 Coax Deck Fitting Kit". I think it's a female end on both sides. I could not figure out how to mount an antenna on top so I attach mine to the front of the mast and fed the wire through the same hole as the electric for the deck light(see attachment). It has been working really well for my needs. I tested it up to about 2 miles away with the boat facing away from the signal. The only issue is that I found the halyard hung up on it a couple times when taking the boat out. Regards, Ron McNeil M17 #675 Jackpot On Monday, March 24, 2014 4:35 AM, Thomas Buzzi <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> wrote: Ron, Nice looking job. Where did you get your thru deck fittings for the wires? The ones that came with my boat need replacement. Thanks, Tom B, M17, #258, 1978 On Sun, Mar 23, 2014 at 2:58 PM, Ronald McNeil <ronaldwmcneil@yahoo.com> wrote: Rick, when I got my boat last year, I had a lot of water coming in the same spot, where the electric wires came through. Figuring this will always be a problem because when you pull on the wires that are caulked in it will create leaks. So I closed the hole and ran my electric and coaxial wires out the front of the mast and into mounted sockets. Pictures attached.
Ron McNeil M17 #675 Jackpot.
On Sunday, March 23, 2014 12:34 PM, Bob Eeg <montgomeryboats@hotmail.com> wrote:
Rick
There is no balsa core under the mast step. Only hardwood.
I am guessing you have to re bed and re caulk some hardware which will require removal ( unbolting the bolts) and if you call me I will instruct you the procedure.
You can do this yourself.
Call me
Bob
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 23, 2014, at 12:02 PM, "Rick Davies" <jdavies104@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to solicit the experts for some advice. I've attached some pictures of damage to the cabin overhead below the mast step that I just found today when I was getting the boat ready for spring sailing. It looks as if there's a leak around the step which has deposited some crud into the light dome, and I found a few drops of dried rusty water on the V berth directly underneath. In the past I have sometimes found a little water in the well below the compression post next to the battery, but thought it came through the post along the wire bundle coming from the mast. I don't quite understand how the fittings around the step are attached to the compression post, nor how the weight is distributed.
My questions are:
Is the boat safe to sail?
How serious is the apparent damage? How can I assess it in more detail?
How can I find out if there's water in the balsa core? There doesn't seem to be any sponginess yet.
I've never done fiberglass work myself, so I'd need a yard if this is going to involve major reconstruction. Does any one know a yard in the DC - Annapolis area they'd recommend for this type of work?
Sure would appreciate any advice and help I can get.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L <photo 1.JPG> <photo 2.JPG> <photo(3).JPG>
Hi Rick, I am no boat building expert but I have a similar problem with my M-23. In my case I have been told that there is balsa under my tabernacle. My tabernacle area has been leaking for some time and I did not realize that was where the leak was until last summer. In my case the ceiling is more collapsed but similar kind of damage (hole in ceiling liner where the mast loads have punched through the support board). I am not sailing my boat until this is repaired as it is not structurally sound. I have the boat over at Herrington Harbor North and the composite shop there took a moisture meter and measured the extent of the saturation to see how much of the deck will need to be opened up and rebuilt. You could have someone do this as well to figure out how much of the deck will need to be replaced. There are a lot of really good books on doing this your self but I am opting to have one of the yard shops work on this as my time is too limited. The shop I am using is Osprey Composites in Deal MD but that is because they are on site where my boat is. They have not started the project yet (and you know why if you live around here). For DIY, Sail boat hull and deck repair by Don Casey covers it and there is some instruction stuff online as well http://www.westsystem.com/ss/fiberglass-deck-repair-part-1-replacing-damaged.... Based on what I have read this is a pretty extensive repair including rebuilding the deck with fiberglass and then putting the gel coat back in place if you want it to match the rest of the deck. In my case, I am going to roll on new non skid so I am not having the shop replace the gel coat. But having sprayed gel coat I would not consider it very easy. Sorry you have this issue and let me know if you have more questions or anything I can help with. Thanks Robbin On 3/23/2014 3:00 PM, Rick Davies wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to solicit the experts for some advice. I've attached some pictures of damage to the cabin overhead below the mast step that I just found today when I was getting the boat ready for spring sailing. It looks as if there's a leak around the step which has deposited some crud into the light dome, and I found a few drops of dried rusty water on the V berth directly underneath. In the past I have sometimes found a little water in the well below the compression post next to the battery, but thought it came through the post along the wire bundle coming from the mast. I don't quite understand how the fittings around the step are attached to the compression post, nor how the weight is distributed.
My questions are:
Is the boat safe to sail?
How serious is the apparent damage? How can I assess it in more detail?
How can I find out if there's water in the balsa core? There doesn't seem to be any sponginess yet.
I've never done fiberglass work myself, so I'd need a yard if this is going to involve major reconstruction. Does any one know a yard in the DC - Annapolis area they'd recommend for this type of work?
Sure would appreciate any advice and help I can get.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L
participants (5)
-
Bob Eeg -
Rick Davies -
Robbin Roddewig -
Ronald McNeil -
Thomas Buzzi