Water in the mast

[Lawrence B. Lee]

The Admiral and I have spent the last several months identifying the source of leaks and fixing them on our 1988 E32. We have fixed leaking stanchions fore and aft, leaking port holes and portlights. Hatches and compass pylons are in our win column as are several hoses in the head. We did a nice job on the boot at the bottom of the mast but we are now stymied because the mast still leaks like a screen door. We have sprayed the new boot with intensive hose spray and it does not leak from outdoors. So we have to assume that most of the water is coming down the inside of the mast and it appears that water coming down the mast is following the anchor and steaming light wires along with the VHF cable and the steaming light wire out of the mast and into the head liner where it can go anywhere.
Has anyone else had this problem. We really don't want to tear the headliner out but that or pulling the mast seems to be the only options.
Any thoughts?

Stymied in Savannah

 

[Glyn Judson]

Water in the head.

Lawrence, Can I assume that you have a deck stepped mast? If so, might I also assume that you have a 1" diameter, 5-6" tall aluminum riser inside the mast welded to your mast base? If all the above are true, try try to create a service loop in all the incoming wires by pushing up from the bundle as it enters the head in order to cause them to loop down below the riser before entering it. That way water will run onto the base instead of down the riser and into the head. Two things additional should eventually be done. 1. Carefully drill 1/4" holes at a 45 degree angle from inside, bottom of the lip of the base (mast off) at either side and even at the rear of the base and out to the deck without drilling into the deck itself. They will act as little scuppers to guide any potentially trapped water in the mast, safely out. 2. With the mast still off, splice added lengths of color coded wire to the existing ones in the mast long enough to form a serious service loop and lead them into the head to a terminal strip making sure to seal the crimps with heat shrink tubing or Liquid 'Lectric Tape, both available at any West Marine or your favorite chandler. You might not be able to do that with the coax so form that one as best you can into a loop too. Actually even if your mast is keel stepped you might be able to push the wire bundle up enough to get it to loop up in there. Then the water will harmlessly (relative term) flow into the bilge. Good luck and keep us all posted. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[Mindscape]

Seemed to help

Lawrence,
I feel your pain! We are also faced with this problem on our '85 E32. Although Mindscape has not had many leaks, the mast continues to be a problem. One thing we did that has helped was to fill the channel below the sail track with silicone. This channel (on the back of the mast) is covered on our boat with an aluminum cover below the entrance for the sail slugs. I removed the boom and then the goose neck. Drilled three holes in the aluminum cover (where they would be coverd when I reinstalled the goose neck) in a triangle pattern, two holes at the top and one centered below them. In the bottom hole I used a caulk gun and silicon to fill the void until silicon came out the two top holes. This seemed to help a lot with water coming down that track. We still get some water and I'm going to rebuild the mast boot. I believe there will still be a little water that will come down the interior of the mast but I'm hopeful that this will be a limited amount. Keep us posted if you come up with any other ideas!

 

[Mort Fligelman]

Water in the mast.....how revolting

This is a very timely subject for me.....I am in Illinois and my boat an E35-3 is in Florida....and although we have had torrential rains over the last week end in Illinois, I am certain that it is miniscule compared to a "Light" thunderstorm in Florida.

I had noticed while on the boat in a very miner drizzle that there was water running into the bilge that was coming through the bottom of the mast where it meets the metal plate.....but I really paid it no heed as the bilge pump cleared it out...it was fresh water.....no problem.......then week before last came "GUSTAV"....

My friend on whose dock my boat resides called me with a very disturbing observation.......There was water in the bilge higher than he had seen before..there was water running out from around the teak surround where the mast joins the headliner......and that the headliner was filled with water, and when he opened a zipper in the headliner to examine same he was drenched......

As nearly as I can figure it......the water entered the mast through the openings in the top at the crane, and through the slots for the halyards, and of course there is a hole in the mast....under the headliner where the wires for the mast lights, and the coax cable for the radio antenna come out and go through the headliner to thier respective places in the electrical panel....

As close as I can figure the water entered the mast faster than it can drain out the bottom and filled up to the hole for the wires, thus filling the headliner and thus the resulting flood....

As soon as I get back in mid October I intend to drill a 1/4 or 5/16 hole about an inch off of the mast plate in both the front and rear of the mast, along with one at the same height in each side......I think this is more or less what Glyn Judson had in mind....

Any thought on this method of cure would be appreciated......FWIW

 

[Cory B]

Mast collar

Mort (& maybe others?) -

Water in the headliner where the mast runs through the deck may have nothing to do with the mast. In our case, and in a friends 38, it turns out the sealant around the bolts for the mast collar quit sealing. Pulling the collar and rebedding took care of it. You can fix this without pulling the mast.

 

[Lawrence B. Lee]

Thanks for all the replies. Glyn as you probably figured out the E-32 mast goes all the way to the keel. We will look at all these suggestons very carefully. Thanks.

 

[JMCronan]

Mort is right on the money

I dealt with the same issue. I kept thinking that some how the mast boot was not sealing correctly. However, when I tested the boot with a hose no water came down the outside of the mast after it entered the boat.
The problem would only present itself while it was raining. So, I finally watched as it rained and the leak was coming from the exit hole for the wiring at the partners.
It can be corrected without upstepping the mast. The boot and shim must be removed so that you can access the wiring exit and resealt it.
Good luck!