Whitby 42 Brewer Sail Boats

Hello,

What is the best way to block the main mast at the collar through the deck? Wood blocks? Is there any preferred wood? Should I fill the space with Eurethane foam? Should the space around the mast be even all around the mast?

Roland,

I have just stepped the main-mast on Star Shadow after bringing the boat up the canel system to Canada last summer. The mast went for twenty years with no blocking at the mast partners and suffered some chafe over the years.

I fashioned hardwood wedges, I used oak, shaped with a cap on the top, shaped something like a 7. I centered the mast in the collar as any rake will be induced above the deck.

Another method possible is to use a product like Spar-tite that is mixed and poured to fill the cavity at the partners. The problem comes when you wish to step the mast, sometimes the spar-tite is indeed tight and plenty of lift has to be applied to the mast to free the mast. Care in the pouring by ensuring a good release agent is used to ensure it does not stick to the mast collar is very important if you use this method.

Hope this helps.

Larry Donaldson

S/V Star Shadow
Whitby 42 #333

Free N Clear came with large flat chunks of rubber that are wedged from the salon up through the opening in the deck for the mast. Remember to remove whatever you use to ''center'' the mast (from the salon) because the deck opening is slightly angled.

To seal the opening we use ''plumber's putty'' which creates a seal from water entering the boat. Then we placed a boot made from our cockpit bimini material around the base for aesthetic purposes. One complaint about the plumbers putty is that the oils leech into the boot and dis-color it. It does remain pliable though.

Roland, sorry to be tardy in jumping in but I agree with Starshadow and Free'n'Clear. Very good answers! The puddy and spartite are the best in my opinion too! Douglas

I don't believe that all of Roland's questions got answered, and I have one of the same questions: is the gap around the mast partner supposed to be even, more or less, all the way around? On our boat, hull #324, the mast is sitting all the way forward in the partner, with over a two-inch gap at the aft end. I can see a fair amount of rake in the mast as I look aloft. However, we have a triatic stay, and the mizzen backstay appears to be about as tight as I could make it. I've tried to read the post about rigging tension that appears in the "most popular recent posts" but all I get is a blank white page. And the owner's manual doesn't help--not only have I never seen an owner's manual and doubt that they exist, but I did find a sheet about rigging tension that just says stuff like 'taut' or 'very taut'. That's not good information for engineers. I know I can calculate good working tensions based on percentages of maximum strength, but if someone has already figured out the tensions I'd sure love to know about it.

Thanks to all,
Dave Shaddock
Gypsy, #324, Arapahoe, NC

I would suggest that the mast be centered, thus the mast would seat evenly (and centered) on its mount, and any stress would be absorbed initially by the wood/rubber wedges, not the deckhouse.