Mast Boot

[rappareems]

Can anyone tell me what size mast boot to get for my C34 Tall rig?

[Ron Hill]

Mark : If you're going to pull the mast, I'd call Catalina parts and order one from them.
If you're  not going to pull the mast, I'd get "Spartite" from West Marine (pg 1022) and use that.  It's great and you'll never have to worry about wedges or a mast boot ever again.

[rappareems]

Ron,

I went with Spartite three years ago and this is the first problem since.  I have yet to pull the boot off to investigate, tomorrow.

[Tom Soko]

Mark,
If you already have Spartite, then the mastboot is only to keep the UV rays off the Spartite, and you could use anything.  Does not have to be waterproof.  You could easily use one of those wrap-around boots that seals loosly with tape, or even a layer of Sunbrella.

[karista]

I respectfully disagree with the previous response. Most of us do not have spartite, only wedges, thus without  a correct mast boot we would be leaking when-ever it rains. I would recommend that you order the correct mast boot from Catalina and if you are planing to pull your mast install it when you put the mast back on. If you are not going to pull the mast you will need to carefully , with a razor blade cut a opening, then install it and seal it with caulking. Also put caulking at the base and top then tighten the clamps. Installed mine in 1998 had not a leak since.
B. Mueller
Karista
Hull 1022

[Philip Imhof]

Instead of wedges,we we use 5/8" Nylon twisted 3 strand rope circled around the mast 2 or 3 times. Works great. Keeps the rain out too. When I think about it, the Nylon might have been 3/4"

[Tom Soko]

B. Mueller,
I agree with you completely about the importance of a properly fitting mast boot, BUT if you read Mark's entry from 8/15 at 3:35 PM he states that he has already installed Spartite. I was simply offering advice regarding a mast boot for the Spartite.

[Ron Hill]

If more guys had read and made a Sunbrella mast boot cover like I recommend in a Mainsheet article (well over 12? years ago) their mast boot wouldn't get UV damage - turn brittle and crack!!  
That cover of the same size, also fits a C36 as well as a C34!!!  

[Stu Jackson]

One of the very first things we did for Aquavite when we bought her in 1998, back when I was a neophyte, was to make and install Ron's sunbrella cover for the mast boot.  We read about it in the written material, which consisted of all the Mainsheets from 1987 that our PO had saved and given to us, and the available 1998 website information, which, BTW, didn't have a search engine back then.  The mast boot sunbrella cover is still there and works fine.  You can't go back to cover your old deteriorated boot, but why not make one now, and then do some more reading of the older material and come across more of these helpful gems?

[rappareems]

Gentlemen,

I have successfully stoped any leakage (just had 3+ inches of rain in Western New York from Katrina).  Took off the mast boot, ran a bead of silicone around the spartite reattached the boot and tightened the clamps better than they were.