water leak at mast base?

[alsantini]

Hi everyone.  I pulled the Eclipse out of the water yesterday.  We have had 3 days of almost continuous rain.  The boat has always been very dry but this time I had water running down the mast inside the cabin.  Soaked some items plus the cushions in the aft part of the V berth (where the cushion goes around the mast)  I did not have time to investigate totally, but I assume there is just caulk under the collar at the base where the mast goes through the cabin roof.  Is this correct?  Is there a boot?  Any reason why I need to open up the inside the cabin end of the mast (another collar) Any words of wisdom as to an effective repair?  Thanks  Al
Had coffee with Bryan (Vectordirector) on Wed.  He heads down to Punta Gorda for the beginning of the next adventure towing his Eclipse.  We had a nice conversation and I am looking forward to sailing together in Florida.  Great to meet other Eclipse owners.

[Vectordirector]

Hi Al, 
Thanks for the kind words.  I had a great time as well.  Sorry I was late, but you know how traffic on the Tollway can be.  Sorry to hear of your water intrusion.  I'm sure a man of your vast experience will have little trouble finding  the source and fixing the leak.

I lowered the mast and towed the boat home yesterday afternoon.  I didn't notice any water in the cabin and I hadn't moved the boat at all since sailing it 3 weeks ago.  The boat is incredibly dirty after sitting outside all summer.  I need to figure out a cover of some sort.  I don't think I'll clean it up until after the trip though.  Jib is stuffed in the cabin and I have some shrink wrap left from the move so I'll shrink wrap the main and leave it on the boom.  I was all set to install the new tires and wheels today when I realized that the cheap floor jack I bought wasn't able to get high enough to even touch the trailer, let alone lift it up.  Hopefully my gearhead neighbour has one big enough.  And a grease gun to reload the bearing buddies.  Plan to bug out of here Monday afternoon.  Wish me luck.

Vectordirector

[Craig]

Al, Mast leaks around the mast base on Mastender boats is common.On both the Suncat and HC I have found that plain ol' rope caulk (for sealing around windows) from the hardware store is very effective. It is very sticky,non-hardening, weatherproof  and flexible. Just clean the area well and press the rope caulk around the mast to make a nice fillet to shed the water. That mast area "works" a lot and the rope caulk will flex with it without loosing  the seal. Give it a try! The rope caulk is also good to keep on the boat to use as a quick repair for any other leaks. 

[alsantini]

So I assume that after I remove the collar, I will find a caulk type seal between the mast the cabin roof?  It is no wonder then why it eventually leaks.  Probably a good spot for periodic maintenance.  I found that on my Precision 21, there was a similar "common" leak - the anchor locker drain which ran through the fore-peak.  It would leak about every other year.  Your rope caulk idea is a good one because it will remain flexible for a long time.  I wonder if self leveling caulk, like the type used in RV roofs might also do the trick.  It remains relatively flexible too.  Thanks.  Al

[Craig]

Al,   I like the rope caulk because it can be easily removed and replaced if/when needed. I did not remove the collar but made sure that the sail track was well caulked, then put the rope caulk fillet on in addition to the regular caulk.

[SMITH]

The deck surrounding the mast collar is probably cored sandwich construction, think:

   fiberglass
   end grain balsa wood or plywood
   fiberglass

Tap around the area both above and below deck with a small hammer or some such, and listen to the result.  A sharp sound generally indicates solid material, a dull sound can indicate delamination, or rotten core.  Rotten, or poorly laminated cores can carry water from good distances, generally from uphill, or weep water for significant periods after rain or wet sailing.  If you find a soft deck, report in.  My new/old SunCat leaked there, solved it with a thorough acetone scrub and double fillets of 3M 5200 (between deck and collar, and between collar and mast.  Don't forget to clean and caulk inside the mast track.  Sometimes deck leaks can originate a good distance away.  See if you can borrow a moisture meter, or an infrared camera.  Those leaks are often easy to track.
SMITH

[alsantini]

Well, I took it apart today in the blazing sun.  The bottom seal from inside the cabin still looks good but I could see where water was dripping through the mast slug slot and a bit around it.  When I took off the top, outside collar, I could see where water had run along side the mast.  Probably loosens as it works back and forth.  I cleaned it up and put a generous bead of boat caulk all around the mast base where it goes through the cabin roof.  Moved the collar down and snugged up the 4 screws.  I am letting it sit until tomorrow and then will run the screws the rest of the way down.  This looks like a job that will need to be done maybe every 4 years or so.  There was no intrusion into the wood around the mast so that is OK.  Perhaps in the Spring I will pull the mast stub completely out and seal the end grain with epoxy so water intrusion is impossible.

Good sailing here in SW Florida so far.

[alsantini]

Rained 1.5 inches two days ago and no water through the mast base.  I did have some drips on the port side where the cabin liner ends.  Wet cushion.  I suspect that the base of the turn pulleys is leaking slightly into the space between cabin roof and liner.  Next project will be to completely remove anything suspect on the port side and re-bed it.  Had a great sail yesterday in the Gulf.  Heading home for Thanksgiving and then back after Christmas for more sailing.  Happy Thanksgiving to all my Eclipse comrades. 

[Vectordirector]

Safe travels.  See you when I get back in January.

Vectordirector

[Craig]

I believe Compac uses foam core not balsa. A good thing!