[Rhodes22-list] Sacrificial Toothpicks

[Lowe, Rob]

Mike,
Bill's note caused me to re-read your previous post.  I most certainly agree with Bill's  advice not to through bolt the mast step.  It is designed to break away should your mast come down.  As one that has lost a mast during the stepping process, I can testify that you want your mast step to pop off during such a situation.  Follow Bill's advice. When mine came off I just used longer screws and sealed around the step to protect the core. - rob


-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Wickman, William E
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2013 9:31 AM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Sacrificial Toothpicks

Mike,
I would strongly advise to NOT through bolt the mast step fitting.  It is really only there to assist in mast raising and lowering.  Once up, it is the shrouds that keep the mast in place.  If through bolted, you will tear a big hole in your cabin top if the mast ever comes down (in an uncontrolled fashion); and the forces if that were to occur would tear out even a through bolt.

That said, I too had a couple of the screws that hold the mast step get a bit stripped out.  What I did was to fill the hole with MarineTex; re-drill a pilot hole; and re-screwed the screw.  MarineTex seems to be a bit softer epoxy and is easily drilled.

Bill W.
s/v Fina Lee


-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Mike Hellyar
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2013 9:06 AM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Cc: Steve Congdon; mdh007 at wowway.com
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Sacrificial Toothpicks

We are re-attaching the mast step fitting. The holes were left uncovered for years. We are going to through bolt. Yes, we know Stan's theory. We used a simple process described in West System Boat Maintenance. Cured epoxy can be hard on drill bits so Steve came up with the idea to slobber match sticks with some paste wax use clear tape over the filled holed and stick the match sticks into the epoxy to create a pilot small starter pilot. Tape hold the matchsticks vertical. And it worked like a charm. And the epoxy wicked quite a bit to repair any core damage in the area. By taping the hole opening in the cabin we prevented in leakage. Given the strength of epoxy we could just as well have re-drilled and screwed into the epoxy. 

Mike Hellyar
Steve Congdon, Rhodesmaster I
sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

> From: sjcclu <sjcclu at msn.com>
> Date: June 19, 2013, 7:49:17 AM EDT
> To: Mike Hellyar <mdh007 at wowway.com>, Mike Hellyar 
> <mhellyar22 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: <No Subject>
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