[Rhodes22-list] Mast Mount Issue

[Stephen Staum]

& I am using the stern crutch as well.

S

On Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 6:24 PM Stephen Staum <snstaum at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks Roger. Good to have you back. I think I filled the holes with
> plastic wood a few years ago & it worked for a while. I did drill out the
> rotten material before filling with epoxy. I think I have a solid base to
> attach to now. I’ll let it cure  until Wednesday then drill & remount the
> base.
>
> Pray for a safe mast raising.
>
> Stephen
>
> On Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 6:03 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <Roger_Pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Stephan,
>>
>>
>>
>> Besides the pivoting winch & ginpole on the foredeck, are you also using
>> Stan’s mast crutch at the stern to raise the mast as high as possible prior
>> to the start of the lift?  Without going into the nasty mathematical
>> details, mast raising is a vector force problem.  From the point of view of
>> shearing force at the mast mount/cabin roof joint, the critical time is
>> right at the beginning of the lift.  As the lift proceeds and the mast
>> angle gets steeper, more and more of the weight of the mast is directed
>> down into the cabin roof, where the load is taken up by the mast
>> compression post and there is less and less shear force on the mast
>> mount/cabin roof joint.  The more you can lift the mast up from the stern
>> at the start of the lift, the lower will be the initial shear force on the
>> mast mount/cabin roof joint.  Obviously, pushing near the bottom of the
>> mast during the lift also adds to the shearing force while contributing
>> little to the lift; but, you already knew that!
>>
>>
>>
>> Now that you’ve already stripped out the screw holes, I would rebuild
>> them using epoxy thickened with fumed silica.  Be sure you drill out any
>> rotten wood, caulk, etc before you fill the holes.  To assure a good bond
>> to the cabin roof, first paint the inside of the holes with unthickened
>> epoxy.  Let it soak into the sides of the holes and let the epoxy kick off;
>> but, don’t let it completely cure.  Depending on temperature, 15-25 minutes
>> is the appropriate time to wait.  Then, fill the holes with thickened epoxy
>> and let it completely cure, say overnight.  You want the epoxy thickened to
>> the consistency of peanut butter.  By not letting the unthickened epoxy
>> completely cure before adding the thickened epoxy, you will achieve a much
>> stronger, waterproof bond with the cabin roof.  It’s also cheap insurance
>> against any future water intrusion into that critical joint.
>>
>>
>>
>> Hopefully this helps.  Good luck!
>>
>>
>>
>> Roger Pihlaja
>>
>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>> Windows 10
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of
>> Stephen Staum <snstaum at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Monday, June 10, 2019 5:29:54 PM
>> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Mast Mount Issue
>>
>> Yes.  I have Stan's mast system.  I did not epoxy the mount in place, but
>> I
>> did rebuild the worn screw holes with epoxy.
>> Pray for a safe mast raising.
>>
>>
>> *Stephen Staum*
>>
>> *s/v Carol Lee 2*
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 11:16 AM Lowe, Rob <rlowe at vt.edu> wrote:
>>
>> > Stephen,
>> > You do not want to epoxy the mast step to the cabin top.  The mast step
>> is
>> > designed to break loose, likes yours did.  Are you using the mast crutch
>> > and the mast raising system? - rob
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> On Behalf Of
>> > Stephen Staum
>> > Sent: Sunday, June 9, 2019 10:43 AM
>> > To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Mast Mount Issue
>> >
>> > Thanks Graham. I will head out to the mooring shortly - epoxy in hand.
>> >
>> > Stephen
>> >
>> > On Sun, Jun 9, 2019 at 9:04 AM Graham Stewart <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > Stephen:
>> > > I would definitely use epoxy rather than plastic wood. You really
>> > > don't want water to work its way into the cabin top and I would not
>> > > trust plastic wood even with sealant.
>> > >
>> > > I know that there has been discussion about not bolting the mast step
>> > > to the cabin top, for the reason you mention, but filling damaged
>> > > screw holes with epoxy should not be a problem.
>> > >
>> > > The fact that the screws came out so easily would make me want to
>> > > check the condition of the core in the area just to make sure the
>> > > core, if wood, is still solid.
>> > >
>> > > Graham
>> > >
>> > > -----Original Message-----
>> > > From: Rhodes22-list [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On
>> > > Behalf Of Stephen Staum
>> > > Sent: Sunday, June 9, 2019 8:04 AM
>> > > To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
>> > > Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Mast Mount Issue
>> > >
>> > > Dear All,
>> > >
>> > > I am having a problem with my mast mount attachment to the cabin top.
>> > > When launching last Sunday, a well meaning friend pushed up from the
>> > > cockpit intending to help the winch to lift the mast but instead
>> > > popped the mount off the cabin top. I attempted to reseat it using
>> > > ribbed metal strips that grip the holes and the screws.  The screws
>> > > all seemed to be tight but when raising the mast yesterday the mount
>> > > popped off again just at the mast left the stern crutch.  Nothing
>> > > broke and nobody got hurt but I am back to square one.
>> > >
>> > > I remember past discussions about not using epoxy for the repair as it
>> > > is supposed to give rather than tear out the cabin top if anything
>> > > goes wrong.  I am planning to fill the holes with plastic wood, drill
>> > > pilot holes and rebed the mount.  I am also considering 1/2" longer
>> > > screws for more bearing surface.
>> > >
>> > > Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome and appreciated.  I could not
>> > > find the past discussions on nabble.
>> > >
>> > > Thanks,
>> > >
>> > > *Stephen Staum*
>> > > *s/v Carol Lee 2*
>> > >
>> > > *Needham, MA*
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > Stephen Staum
>> > Pariser Industries, Inc.
>> >
>>
> --
> Stephen Staum
> Pariser Industries, Inc.
>
-- 
Stephen Staum
Pariser Industries, Inc.