Super-sagging side stays in E-27.......Why?

[tanksalot]

The side stays in my 1977 E-27 have gotten noticeably looser over the winter, and I'm concerned about material failure "somewhere". The boat was over-wintered in Connecticut in the water, uncovered. There is rot in the bottom of the plywood bulkhead panel between the head and the salon, but the head door closes fine and the area under the mast by the head APPEARS OK. I've also read about a "block" between the base of the compression post and the keel that might rot, but I haven't examined it closely myself (yet).

If I were building a sailboat, I'd never begin to consider using a water-sensitive material to hold up the mast, but I'm writing to find out if anyone knows exactly what holds the mast up and how to pinpoint the cause of the sagging stays. Is the compression post wood, and if so, what kind?

Thanks in advance!
Tanksalot

 

[exoduse35]

Question.... how are the fore & backstays? It stands to reason that if the mast was sinking into the deck they would also loosen. If they are still properly tensioned then I would be checking the chain plates and mounts at the mast as well as freying and pulling at the end swedges of the cable. also are all the side stays loose just the uppers, or uppers and intermidiates? Good luck, Edd

 

[sleather]

Check the side stays at deck level to see if there's any indication of movement(like a caulk line). One chainplate on my 23 is secured to a fiberglass mini bulkhead below and the other is secured to a plywood bulkhead. The chainplate leaked and rotted the ply just behind the chainplate, hidden from view. The bolt holes elongated(a lot) and the upper bolt jammed against the headliner was all that was keeping it from going any further.