Rubbery stuff under the mast collar

[crieders]

So here I am in NY thinking about putting the mast back in the boat. I managed to to put a new topping lift on (not very hard) and new blocks in the boom for the outhaul (a little more difficult). In cleaning the mast up, I noticed a rubbery stuff around the mast at the point where it met the cabin top under the mast collar. I got a new mast collar from Catalina but what was underneath it that formed that nice reliable water seal? Thanks to all.

[Stu Jackson]

Cliff, it was black it is Spar-Tite a material that used to seal the partners and eliminate the use of (wood) blocks.  Google "spartite" - I don't remember too much discussion about it here on our 'board, but you could try a search here, too, since there are a number of discussions about it.

[Ron Hill]

 Cliff : It may sound like SparTight, but I'm not to sure how "rubbery" their epoxy really is?? 
Why not ask the PO .     

[crieders]

It was not black in color but rather a beige or white and its just like rubber only whats left of it is stuck to the mast. I still have to use shims or small pieces of wood; not blocks really. Sounds like an antique set up.
What do others use who have keel stepped masts under the collar?

[Rick Johnson]

Copied from another website, but this is one of my next projects.

Spartite Replacement Material

The following information concerning a Spartitie equivalent was obtained from the
Valiant Mailing List. I have not tried the product however Valiant Owners have used the
product. The cost is about $35. The product does not come in a kit form with mixing
sticks, putty, etc. According to a chemist on the Valiant list the material has the same
specs as spartite.

The Spartite equivalent in McMaster Carr catalog – Item Number 8644k18 -- McMaster
Catalog web site is www.mcmaster.com

[Jon Schneider]

Cliff, it sounds like you're talking about some kind of caulking that sits between the mast collar and the deck, right?  If so, and if it oozed out to meet the mast, I would think that this caulking was done by a PO while the mast was in place (i.e., lifting the mast collar and sloppily over-applying the caulking material so that it also hit the mast).  I think what you want to do is clean up the surface of the deck really well, and apply your favorite marine caulking between the collar and the deck.  I would use Boat Life's Life Calk, which is a slightly less tenacious caulk than, say, 3M 4200 because it is combination of silicone and polysulfide.  If you wanted something that would be really easy to remove in the future (but how many times does one need to remove the mast collar?), I would use Boat Life's Life Seal (they're really confusing in their product naming), which is more tenacious than silicone, but similar in all other characteristics.  Since you have to travel to your boat, apply the caulk on a Saturday morning and let the mast collar just sit on top of it without applying any pressure overnight.  Before you leave the next day (in this weather, you should probably wait even longer, depending on the sealant), tighten the collar down.  Once you've got the boat back in the water and the rig tuned, then I would highly recommend a Spartite application.  Really great stuff; true the stick once and never again fiddle around with wedges.

[Stu Jackson]

Mast Partner Sealant with FLIX  (mast boot)

Many years ago Jim Brener of Fleet 12 posted a Tech Note about sealing the mast partner with silicone after installing a ring of properly sized surplus line (rope).

We'd been having leaks for years, so I finally got around to that this year.  After following his directions, I also sealed the between the mast and the inside of the mast boot under the top hose clamp.  We cover the mast collar/boot with a sunbrella piece we made as one of our first projects.

Leaks are gone.  Used silicone sealant.  The price was just right!

Bottom photo is with the line installed, sealant in top photo.