Looking at buying a mid 70's E29, but it has a lot of cracks around the mast step. They may just be the gel coat, not sure how deep they are. Is this a major issue? It looks bad but is not spongy when I step in the area. It also has a leak under the windows, just above the shelves in a very heavy rain, current owner thinks it is from the grab rails on the deck, so that water is leaking through the mounting holes and comes out where it looks like the hull and deck seam meet.
E29 cracks by mast step.
- Thread starter jgkelly
- Start date
exoduse35
Sustaining Member
Cracks around the mast step is definitely not a good sign. Have it looked at by a pro to see how bad it is. It can be repaired as can the leaks, but it is a mater of how much the damage and how much the cost is below what you can see. Both could incur major $$$urgery if they have been neglected a while. While the deck may still feel solid water trapped inside will rot the core in time, so you need to find some answers before you own a problem you do not want.
mherrcat
Contributing Partner
I believe the mast on that model is deck-stepped, so the cracks may be just gel coat cracks. I have some gel coat cracks at the base of my mast as well. (Also on the side decks around the chain plate U-bolts.) The window leak is more likely the window itself considering the age of the boat. I had the same problem with my windows and ended up replacing all of them; the only way to know for sure is to remove them to see how badly they may be corroded or if the sealant (bedding) is deteriorated. Many people who encounter leaking windows just squirt silicone sealant wherever they can and this just doesn't work.
Also regarding the mast, it is my opinion that as these boats age, flex, etc. there is a certain amount of settling or deformation that can occur in stressed areas. There is a slight depression in the cabin top at the base of my mast. Over the years I think it has caused binding of the head door and the folding door that separates the V-berth from the saloon. I can see where previous owners have shaved the top of the head door and the top of the folding door to try to eliminate the binding. The depression does not seem to have affected the integrity of the cabin top as I have not noticed any water leaking in that area.
With boats of this age you can pretty much count on having to do a certain amount of maintenance/repair that has been deferred by previous owners...there are things on my boat that I still want to fix but haven't gotten to yet...
Also regarding the mast, it is my opinion that as these boats age, flex, etc. there is a certain amount of settling or deformation that can occur in stressed areas. There is a slight depression in the cabin top at the base of my mast. Over the years I think it has caused binding of the head door and the folding door that separates the V-berth from the saloon. I can see where previous owners have shaved the top of the head door and the top of the folding door to try to eliminate the binding. The depression does not seem to have affected the integrity of the cabin top as I have not noticed any water leaking in that area.
With boats of this age you can pretty much count on having to do a certain amount of maintenance/repair that has been deferred by previous owners...there are things on my boat that I still want to fix but haven't gotten to yet...
Last edited:
Look really closely for any signs of sinking of an edge, and even without sinking, be sure they really are gelcoat cracks - I think you'll find they could be deeper than you might suspect. Here's a link I wrote up regarding recoring the mast step on my 31:
http://home.comcast.net/~independence31/core/looksbad.html
http://home.comcast.net/~independence31/core/looksbad.html
Nice pictorial David. I think the difference with the E29 is that the top piece of plywood in your sandwich is missing. Anyway, I'll be taking off the shoe on mine this weekend because it has no wiring chase. (Whoever installed the mast just removed one of the 4 screws and crammed a wire through the screw hole.) And will check it out some more.
Regarding the PO, I should think that the compression post deserves close scrutiny. Although the actual ends are really hard to find, buried in the liner. It may take a focused light and a mirror to see it.
On a boat this age, I just assume that there will definitely be some deck re-coring in the future, but as nothing seems spongy on mine, I'm re-bedding all of the hardware and letting it go for another year. There are some suspicious cracks all along the joint where the plywood (under the mast step) meets the balsa, so one or the other has swollen or shrunk.
That's gonna be a fun job.
Regarding the PO, I should think that the compression post deserves close scrutiny. Although the actual ends are really hard to find, buried in the liner. It may take a focused light and a mirror to see it.
On a boat this age, I just assume that there will definitely be some deck re-coring in the future, but as nothing seems spongy on mine, I'm re-bedding all of the hardware and letting it go for another year. There are some suspicious cracks all along the joint where the plywood (under the mast step) meets the balsa, so one or the other has swollen or shrunk.
That's gonna be a fun job.