Mast boot leak

[Juan]

Hi everybody:

I noticed that rain water is coming inside the boat through the mast. I can see the water marks along the mast when I stand inside the boat. Somebody told me something about the mast boot? do I have to replace this thing? or can I just fix it with something? How do I decide what is the appropriate thing to do?

Thanks for the advice.

Best,

Juan

[sailaway]

Check the sail tract or groove in the mast. I had a leak, looked every where put in a new boot. Still leaked small amount of caulk in the sail tract right  on top of the boot. Fix my problem Charlie

[pablosgirl]

We fixed our mast boot leak using the buytal tape that Mainsail recommends.  Put a band around the mast where the top of the boot meets the mast and a big wad in the sail track.  We still get rain water coming down the inside of the mast, but that just flows into the bilge and the pump take care of that.

[Dave Spencer]

Check the clamps on the mast boot and do as Pablosgirl and sailaway have recommended.  The mast boot will eventually degrade and become brittle in the sun.  I think Ron Hill has a post on a sunbrella fabric cover he made that looks great and protects the mast boot too.  Good Old Boat magazine also has an article in a past edition on how to make a good looking mast boot cover.

[Steve W10]

One year I used butyle because I delayed my normal procedure and was away from home and stuck with what was on the boat.

For us who haul-out every year butyle is a huge pain to get off, it sticks a little too well for that application.

My normal is plumber's putty, works great, super cheap, and easy to get off every year.  I'd never use it anywhere else on the boat but it's great for that.

S

[Stu Jackson]

My normal is plumber's putty, works great, super cheap, and easy to get off every year.  I'd never use it anywhere else on the boat but it's great for that.

Steve, great idea!  I bought some for my galley sink drain upgrade (see Mainsheet Tech Notes Spring 2014) and have been wondering where else it could get used.

I just really like those dual purpose things!   

[Phil Spicer]

You could try silicone tape. Once or two times around the top of the mast boot, a drop of silicone in the track and you are good to go. Don't know how the tape holds up for the long hall because I pull the mast each fall.

[stevewitt1]

I step every year, until we get our club's travel lift to open up on the end.  Anyhow, the fall before last when I stepped the mast I didn't realize how brittle the boot had become over the years (it's a 1989 and I don't know when the last time it was stepped.)

Note:  Check the lower ring that your boom vang attaches to.  When my boat was rigged, that was riveted into the sail track.  This year I will drill out the rivets and tap holes to secure it.  With it in place as now, there is no way to slide the boot up on the mast at all prior to stepping.  Also, most important, no way to install the wedges from the top.  They must have been precisely fit from the bottom when I bought the boat, because last year it was a battle to keep them secured as they would work out and fall.  I was constantly pounding them back up in.

This year, NEW boot waiting to be installed.  Then I plan on sewing a sunbrella boot to protect it.

I also like the Plumbers putty idea!!!  Thanks to all

Steve

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