# Proper way to wedge mast at deck penitration



## Stillraining (Jan 11, 2008)

I have recently re-steped my mast, which is keel stepped...I want to know what the proper way to wedge this area between deck and mast is...I have seen rubber wedges...wood wedges and a combination of wood and neoprene used... 

Also is there a better boot then the vinal ones most riggers use...Mine was wraped with neopreen when I purchesed the boat and I wonder if the PO just made it himself or was it a retail product..I have not been very successful in my searches..?


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## Plumper (Nov 21, 2007)

The previous owner of my boat seems to have done a great job in this area. I have owned the boat for more than 3 years and the mast is still standing and no water comes through the point where it penetates the cabin. He told me how he did it. he cut a piece of inner tube rubber so it is shaped like a tube (open at both ends) and slipped it up over the mast from the bottom so it was above the deck when he installed the mast. Once the mast was in place he wedged it using a combination of wood and rubber wedges, nothing special about that, so it was vertical. He then put a long hose clamp around the top of the inner tube sleeve to seal it and hold it in place. The sleeve then was stretched around all the wedges and rim on the hole and another long hose clamp was put around there. The entire business is then covered with a piece of sunbrella that matches all the rest of the fabric on the upper deck. It looks very neat and tidy and is dry.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Raining...
I've posted ths before but it is cheap and works great and lasts for years! Even better...I did this on MY Irwin44. 
 Buy THICK 3 strand nylon line that is thicker than the gap between your mast and the deck hole (mast partner). It should be long enough to wrap around the mast 3-4 times...usually around 10' is plenty.
Get a couple of tubes of marine silicone.
wrap once around the mast with the line then pound it down with a mallet and dull chisel into the space between mast and partner.
Layer in a good thicklayer of silicone on top of this.
repeat this step until you have at least three layers and have completely filled the vertical space in the partners. More wraps are better.
Put the mast boot on and you are done for the next few years!
Hint...sometimes you need a little help getting the line wedged in as you work around the mast hole. A "come-along" line around the mast and run to a winch can help pull the mast in the right direction to make getting the line in easier. 
It works great and has give so it holds up over time.
__________________
As far as boots go..these Universal Mast Boots work just fine and are easy to install.


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## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

Cam- I like the sound of your system. Sounds like it would be a good way to make sure all stays dry. How do you get all the silicone and line back out later? It also requires that you mast be nearly verticle, at the partners, which would prevent you from adjusting the mast rake. 

The guidelines for installation of mast partner wedges for my boat, from Tartan, require different thickness' of rubber wedges fore and aft for proper positioning. I have a copy of the original Tartan installation proceedures, but not sure how to post it. (PDF file)


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

T34C-

E-mail it to me, and I can post it to my website and leave a link here.  PM me and I'll shoot you my e-mail addy.


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## CharlieCobra (May 23, 2006)

Ya know, I have no idea what was used on Oh Joy cause I've never had the boot off to look. I know that it never leaks. I'm gonna have to check that out because I'm planning to pull the sticks for strip and varnish this year.


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## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

Here is how the Tartan instructions read in a cut/paste from the original manual.

_CHOCKING THE MAINMAST:
After the mast is in the boat, rig a line from the mast up to a snatch block held in the stemhead. Lead the line either to a halyard winch or a cockpit winch and pull the mast as far ahead in the partners as possible. Insert the thick piece of rubber provided, centered in the aft portion of the space between the partners and the mast. Ease off on the line pulling mast ahead in order to hold the rubber in position. Now rig a line extending around the forward part of the mast to snatch blocks attached in genoa cars, and to the cockpit winches. Have two strong people grind both cockpit winches simultaneously in
order to pull the mast aft and compress the rubber chock on the aft side of the mast. Lubricate chocking material with water. From belowdecks, slide the chocking material into the forward space between the partners and the mast. It will be a tight fit. Release the line holding the spar aft._

Not quite as detailed as the other instruction page, but it's close.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

T34... in my system the mast is positioned in the mast step and the rig is adjusted prior to wrapping the rope. It is never an exact centering at the partners so the line needs to be thick enough to fill any gaps but you DO need the masts normal position to be *reasonably* centered in te partner hole so that a little shimmying with the come-along line can get the line in snug all around. The fact that the 3 strand nylon is easily compressed helps with this (as does a dull chisel and a mallet!). So...I guess this will not work for some boats whose partners have significantly wider gaps on one side of the mast than the other when properly tuned...but it should work with the vast majority of boats. It sounds like your mast is pretty well centered and that the pulling forward and back is exactly what I do with the mast to fit in the rope rather than your rubber wedges. 
As to removal...I frankly don't know as I've never needed to do it but I don't see it as being difficult since it is only silicone and the rope will pull out easily with the aid of a come-along on the mast.
After setting the partners remain both flexible and watertight and so minor leaks that get by the mast boot, don't find their way below.


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## ysabelsdad (Mar 17, 2007)

Has anybody tried spartite? Spartite. It is expensive. Is it worth it?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I've used in on friend's boats, where they had keel-stepped masts. It's quite good, if a bit expensive.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have used spartite a few times and apart from the cost, thought it was the best method.

Also I use rubber pipe flashing boots from the hardware store to seal between the mast and deck.

Cheers

Ian


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

We have a Spartite (or Spartite-like) rubber seal at our partners, and have had a couple of issues with it. It did not adhere to the mast or the deck cutout collar, (probably a good thing for the future) but as a result it leaked a bit, and in rough going it actually shifted and I had to reseat it.

I solved the second problem by drilling a couple of holes in the collar and "pinning" the seal in place. Solved the second by adding a boot. I fashioned a boot out of layers of gaffers tape, which has done well for the last 2 seasons. (and actually looks fairly tidy too)

In the past we had great success with a tailored sunbrella boot, on a boat that had a typical oval mast section inside a dead square partner/collar. This was a difficult transition to seal up, but once we made the pattern and sewed it up out of sunbrella (matching, as did a previous poster) it looked good and kept the water out. It was sealed to the mast with tape.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Faster-

I'd think that Gaffers tape would make a lousy boot, considering that its isn't really waterproof and has fairly weak adhesive properties.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

sailingdog said:


> Faster-
> 
> I'd think that Gaffers tape would make a lousy boot, considering that its isn't really waterproof and has fairly weak adhesive properties.


I don't disagree on principle, but boot has not leaked or broken down, as I said, in two seasons.. the top edge is sealed with a more adhesive tape.


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

I have a solid rubber bung holding and sealing my mast in place.


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