Mast Step

[plumbtex]

Howdy all,
I've just been the lucky recipient of a 1980 cp23. A woman who's husband passed away some years ago had been paying slip fees ever since. She had no luck in either selling or donating it without a trailer. Through a friend of a friend I got word that there was some kind of boat in Austin and if I could haul it out I could have it. I almost passed on the deal as I've already got my share of projects and am inherently skeptical of freebies. Against my better judgement I went for a look, Wow, am I ever glad I did. The boat is in really great condition considering the years of neglect. For the most part it just needs cleaning, dewasping and bottom paint with some blister repair.
One of the few areas of concern is the mast step; there is a bit of a depression with accompanying cracks in the gelcoat. What I would like to know is if there is wood under the glass here or not. If there is I will likely cut it out and rebuild the step. If not I will likely just fair and seal the area and proceed with  my plans of a raised tabernacle to ease the stepping of the mast.

I will have many more questions as I go and will post them as I find them, Thanks in advance,
                    Chris

[Bob23]

Hey Chris:
   I have a 1985 23/2 but have no depression at all at the mast step. I'm assuming that the wood bulkheads are still in your boat. That's how the load is transfered down to the keel.
   I'm not sure of the actual construction under the mast step.
   You have a wonderful boat at an unbelievable price!
   Bob23 in NJ

[plumbtex]

The depression is slight, maybe 3/16 to1/4 inch in the center if you were to hold a straightedge fore and aft, and only on the upper surface. The wood bulkheads are in place and in excellent condition. There is no sign of movement  when viewed from below. Tapping and pressing in the area, it seems solid. If there is not wood here I'm not worried.
Thanks for responding, Chris

[Paul]

Chris,
Congrats on your good fortune!

I am the owner of a CP-16.  As far as I know, all the mast steps are built the same way.  The deck itself is not cored, but the raised area of the mast step is cored.  Likely with plywood.  The raised area at the bow cleat is also.  In addition, the backing plate of the bow eye is plywood loaded with polysulfide.  If you suspect moisture intrusion, I would recommend you investigate that sooner rather than later.  The tabernacle can be removed easily enough.  Upon removal, you should be able to verify that wood is indeed under the gelcoat.  Poke with the tip of a screwdriver to test for rot.  If all is well, then clean and replace caulk (likely polysulfide, not 5200) and replace tabernacle.

FWIW, the CP-16 has another hole under the tabernacle filled with what appears to be silcone caulk.    Under this caulk is the wood screw that holds the upper end of the compression post in place.  Your bulkhead has a different configuration on the CP-23.  So, you likely don't have to fiddle with this.

Worst case senario, you have a rotten plywood core.  This can be cut out and replaced.  If you are concerned about your "replacement skills," then get as much labor done on your own and have a yard finish the job.  The major cost of yard work is labor, so save yourself as much of it as possible.

Good luck.  Or should I say, continue with good luck!   And let us know how it turns out.

Paul

[dawntreader]

Plumbtex,

I have a 1983 C-23 that I purchased used.  The gelcoat under the mast step was a different color so I consulted my a Compac dealer.  His explanation was that the earlier C-23's were cored with plywood that was not shaped to account for the slight camber (rounding) of the deck.  Over time there was compression.  This was a problem that was taken care of by Hutchins (back then) and my mismatched gelcoat was evidence of the past repair. 

Hope this helps.  Contact Compac, and they may have input on this one.

mike

[plumbtex]

 Thank you all for the input.
I don't know why I didn't think to pull screws and check. I'll be doing that as soon as I finish the bottom.
   Chris

[Craig Weis]

I can only talk about the mast Tabernacle on one older Com-Pac 19, That be Wind Rover owned by my friend and dock mate Steve.

This year we went to step the mast and BLAM!! Out pops the Tabernacle. On close inspection I notice several non factory things.

1~The Tabernacle is only screwed in with 3/4 inch long wood screws. Not any good and not factory!

2~No finishing washers, nor regular flat washers. With washers, the idea is to spread out the weight. No washers? This is not any good and not factory!

The cure: Run to Yacht Works in town and select some original oval head machine screws, finishing washers and flat washers and nuts with the plastic collar and caps plus a tube of 3-M 5200 as a sealer not to hold the Tabernacle.

The operation: Drill four holes clean through the cabin top. The back two penetrated the mounting plate of the cabin light. That's OK as the nuts will be hidden by the lamp's lens. The front two screws just missed the compression post landing on either side of the post. That's OK can still start the nut.

Next we gooped up the holes, under the tabernackle, put the finishing washers under the head of the screws and screwed down the machine screws till Steve could work with these and put on the flat washers and plastic collars and nuts. I tightened them up, squeezing some brown water out of the plywood reinforcing under the cabin top, so we had a little rot and or accumulation of water. It will dry out.

Steve does not cover his boat nor does he store it inside, so any chance that water can find a crack and enter it will! Then it will freeze and expand, opening that crack up, resulting in brown water being squeezed out. I cover and store inside. But un heated.

The stick went up a few minutes later. All is well. skip.

[curtisv]

Chris,

Larry Bracken just did this repair on his CP23.  I think his was about the same year.  The gory details are on the yahoo Com-pac owners forum.  Briefly, he removed the gelcoat and top layer of fiberglass, removed the soggy wood, replaced it (not with wood I think, but I dont remember with what), and glassed over the whole thing.  I don't remember what he did for finish (gelcoat or topside paint over the glass would do).

You might be able to recover the fiberglass and gelcoat but if it is deformed there might not be incentive to do so.

The newer compacs use a structural foam that doesn't absorb water.  I drilled through mine when routing the mast wires.

I don't think this would be hugely costly to have done professionally if you are too busy.  Of course DIY is always less expensive.

Curtis