Mast collar and Partners pics

[britinusa]

Anyone got pics of the Mast collar without the boot in place?

I'm considering Spartite (yes, read all of the posts on the subject) but want to see what the partners look like. I saw Stu's pic of the partners filled with rope and silicone but wonder if anyone has clearer pics showing views of the mast in the partners without the boot etc.

Our single piece boot is deteriorating and have no plans to pull the mast for at least a year.

TIA.

Paul

[Jim Hardesty]

Our single piece boot is deteriorating and have no plans to pull the mast for at least a year.

I've seen some good looking boot replacement using white shrink wrap and a heat gun.

Jim

[Patches]

Shoot!

I just cut off my old mast boot yesterday and replaced it with a "wrap" product.  I wish I'd known, I would have taken a photo for you.

There is definitely room for Spartite on my partners.  I use rubber "door stop" wedges between the mast and the mast collar and then used the mast boot wrap (Windblown product) which is amalgamating.  I have to say, it was a pain to wrap because I didn't completely remove the halyard blocks at the bottom which are attached to the collar. Also, the difference in circumference between the mast and mast collar made a tight wrap on the mast difficult in places--resulting in some creasing. 

I got two full wraps of the mast/collar with the Windblown product, and then finished the top with a white outdoor duct tape.  Also added some silicone to the sail track to prevent water from going down that opening.  We're in for a dry spell for the next 10 days, but I'll try to report back once we get some rain.

One more thing, I don't have a rigid vang.  Some time ago I raised the mast fitting for the vang (by drilling and tapping new holes) to allow better access to the partners area from above.  It allowed me to loosen the hose clamps and slide up the boot in order to add wedges.  This ended up being to my advantage when switching from a mast boot to a mast wrap as I was able to get a little better wrapping above the partners, but below the vang fitting.

Patches 

[Ron Hill]

Paul : The new wrap mast boot material has gotten good review. 

I was going to commend Patches on the door stop idea until I read further that he need some more to be added - I suspect that rubber  material is too soft. 
I replaced the factory teak wedges (too soft) with wedges I made out of pressure treated lumber and used 6 instead of 4!!   

A thought 

[britinusa]

Ron, we have 5 or 6 wooden wedges in place, difficult to see from below.

I was asking for pics so that I could see what the top edge of the cabin mast hole looks like and how the collar is attached, our collar has a couple of tubes of Silly cone applied by the PO.

[Patches]

Paul:

I'll try to explain it.  If you are standing on deck, looking down, the collar-through which the mast fits-- is actually raised above deck level to a height of about 1-1.25 inches and is about 3/16" wide. It is what the lower portion of the boot fits over to create the seal at the deck.

Outboard of this, the collar also has an oval shaped flange which fits over, and covers, the hole cut in the deck.  It is secured flat to the deck with screws or bolts--I'm not at the boat.  But if you see nuts arranged in an oval around the mast opening from below deck they are bolts.

IMHO, there is no reason for silicone in the space between the mast and the collar.  That space is either taken up with Spartite or wedges.  Preventing leaks down the mast should be done by taking care to (1) seal the boot or wrap around the mast, (2) seal the boot or wrap around the raised collar, and (3) seal the sail slot (the real culprit for leaks) with some silicone where the boot or wrap can't enter that slot.

For whatever reason, the prior owner of my boat did the same thing--gooping up the space around the wedges with a lot of silicone.  It doesn't work.  Especially if you ever want to use a product like Spartite and your task is to first remove all the old silicone.  Silicone is easier to completely remove from the mast vs. gelcoat.  But still a pain.  I subscribe to the idea that silicone should be used very sparingly anywhere on a deck, and as a last resort, because of how difficult it is to completely remove it when it fails.

Hope this helps.

Patches

[Oldlaxer1]

I wonder if chainsaw wedges (the hard plastic kind) would work in this situation?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-5-5-in-Smooth-Felling-Wedge-for-Chainsaw-Logging-99988801806/205180604?mtc=Shopping-B-F_D28I-B-D28I-28_32_PORTABLE-MULTI-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-BASE_SHP&cm_mmc=Shopping-B-F_D28I-B-D28I-28_32_PORTABLE-MULTI-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-BASE_SHP-71700000036990215-58700004785586054-92700045004186450&msclkid=6db09637e32e15d9f6d4c92cde38fd44&gclid=CI6Y94rW5uoCFZLjswodsG4KFA&gclsrc=ds

[britinusa]

Patches, thanks for that description.

Sillycone was a favorite tool for one of the previous boat owners, I think they had shares in the Co.

The boot is failing, we could see a pin prick size hole from inside the cabin and other patches of near daylight. From the outside it's looking very weak and would tear at the slightest touch, so we don't.