Should the mast step be through bolted through the cabin roof ? Mine had 4 small #8 sheet metal screws?
Thanks
Bolted, no. Screws, yes. Small screws, maybe not...
Picture below is what came out of my CP-16. The thickness of the "pad" for the mast step is pretty substantial. However, in the failure situation, you want the mast to pull the screws out instead of ripping off the entire top of the cabin (which is more likely with bolts and washers/nuts). A search of the forum will discuss some mast failures, and while the base was bent, and then perhaps replaced, the cabin top remained in pretty good shape and was therefore repaired easily. I replaced these screws with a new set of stainless screws, shorter, but not necessarily by much.
HTH
-Justin
Thanks how long do you think the screws should be ? also I'm going to use #8 with a beveled head because I was worried the mast would hit a pan type head.
Thanks
Exactly what Justin said helped my 16 have relatively minor damage when dropping the mast unintendedly. The screws go barely through the thickness of the fiberglass, which is built up at that location. Don't bolt in place, it's a designed "crumple zone".