Mast Step Musing

Finally got some weather that was reasonably warm, so I set forth in the hope that my epoxy will cure and started addressing my mast base.

I've been on a mission to plug any and all spots where water was intruding into the boat. One of these was where the Compression post pushed up against the beam which runs across the cabin beneath the mast. In old S22's the mast exerts a crushing pressure on the beam crushing both the beam and cabin. At some point this process began on hull 466, but a compression post was put in place to stop it. Still there is a dinner plate size depression about 3/8th's on an inch deep. Water would collect in this a there was obviously some kind of deck penetration allowing water to dribble in.

With the rig down, I filled all the deck penetrations and have epoxied a piece of Starboard into the depression. This will be the where the mast sits. Not pretty, but what about my boat is "pretty".

I spoke with my new slip neighbor who gave me some good ideas on a better fix. I am thinking it over and may give it a whirl at a later date. His suggestion was to come up through the beam and build a plug that sits atop the post and comes up beneath the mast base.