Leaking through the mast

[rbh1515]

Not sure how all the other CP masts are, but mine goes through the deck, and I get a fair amount of water coming through when it rains.  The water leaks into a sealed off compartment in the forward part of the cabin, so it does not go to the bilge.  I am getting a lot of water.  See the pics below to see how much water I get after one storm (before and after sponging water out).  Seems excessive to me.  Is this what others get.
Rob

[capt_nemo]

Wow, that sure is a lot of water leaking into that forward compartment.

I had a little leak on my Sun Cat and found that when I stuck my head well into the forward compartment and looked up I saw daylight coming in through the mast sail slide groove where the mast passed through the cabin top. A generous application of caulking closed the opening and stopped the leak. Check all round the mast base while you are at it and don't skimp on caulk.

If your mast is stored resting on the boom gallows there is a LARGE opening at the hinge that can let a lot of water in during a good rain storm. Devise a waterproof cap that is easily secured and removed when necessary to seal this opening.

Let us know how you solve the problem.

capt_nemo

[Craig]

I had a similar problem with both the Suncat and the HC. My solution was to make sure the sail track was sealed at the deck level and to make a caulk/fillet around the mast where it goes through the deck using "rope caulk", a non hardening caulking product used to seal around house windows. It is available at Ace & other hardware stores. Look in the section where they have home sealing products, plastic storm windows, etc. Work it in well and make a fillet that will shed water away from the mast. Since it does not harden, it can flex as the mast "works". I keep a coil on the boat at all times. Has other uses too....temporary adhesive, emergency caulk, etc. I put a dab under my handheld charger base to keep it from sliding around the galley counter.Worked well on both boats. Don's suggestion about a mast stub cap is critical if you store the boat with the mast down!

[Dogboy]

Sailboat company DIY1:

DIY 1: All Com-Pac Cat Boats need a mast plug.

http://www.sailboatrichlands.com/diyproj1.html

Its at the bottom of this page.  I didn't do this because I had the nav lights and would have had to figure out how to route the wires through the plug.  I also stored my cat-boat inside so it didn't matter.

[steve brown]

I made a waterproof cap by cutting off the botton of a Gold Bond powder container. It is a perfect fit over the open tabernacle. The upper part of the can is a plug for the mast end.  I secure it with a small bungy cord. Steve /"Nunki"

[Galnorth]

I believe I did a post on this a few years ago but I had a similar problem with my Suncat.  Evidently it had been going on for some time before I bought the boat and there was significant water damage from leakage under the mast step.  Since that time I've been careful to keep the joint between the mast and deck caulked (including the slot for the sail!) and not leave the mast sub exposed to the elements when the mast isn't up.  So far the area has stayed dry for me but I pay atttention to it.