I have recently had some water come down my mast (I have in mast mainsail furling) and rather than draining to the bilge it has has formed a small puddle on the sole of the cabin. I thought I had read a posting on this very topic, but have searched the archives with no luck.
For those of you who have in mast furling have you had the same problem and what was the fix?
Thanks in advance for your help.
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Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
I have exactly the same problem Glenn. A small amount of water from time to time appears at the aft end of the mast where the mast comes through the cabin about where the turnbuckle is fitted. It runs toward the tv cabinet and drips on the cabin sole. I have spent hours trying to find the source. The mast boot is sealed. I'd also appreciate any suggestions to fix it.
Peter Taylor Melbourne Australia. Altair #2227 2005 C36 Mk11
Peter,
My leak (pardon the pun) is at the base of the mast, not at the cabin top. In my case, the water is coming in through the inside of my mast not around the boot on the cabin top. Now, having said that, we both realize the same problem. I hope there is somone out there who can advise.
I am planning on working on this project starting tomorrow.
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Our MKI (1989) has the same issue.
There is a small hole near the corner of the base of the mast (inside at sole level) that drains into the bilge. The hole is NOT in the mast, just nearby in what I would call a base plate.
The hole existed when we bought Miramar, so I assume it was either from the factory or a PO.
We notice water that leaks slowly out to the base and then heads for the hole.
I keep the hole cleaned out. If it clogs, you will have water on your sole! It is about the diameter of a pencil.
I also retro fitted the inside of the hole (going into the bilge) with a tip from a caulk tube and a straw to catch the water in a small plastic tub. It helps minimize the amount of water in the bilge.
Laura Olsen
Past Commodore
S/V Miramar
hull 938 (MKI 1989, TR,WK, M25xp)
Edgemere, MD
John Reinman wrote an extensive discussion about his solution.
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)
Stu, I have searched the forum and cannot locate John Reinman's post. Can you help me out with this please?
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Glenn
The following is a copy of a post I made a while back entitled "How to Seal the Charleston Furling Mast".
This is the main source of water into the bilge which also collectst at the base of the mast as you have described and about which there have been many posts over the years but no definitive cause or solution.
In addition I also get the drip from the top of the mast!
Included is the post from John Reimann
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[I]How to Seal the Charleston Furling Mast
The one disappointment I have with my 2005 Mk11, with a Charleston Furling mast, is the constant water in the bilge. I have read numerous theories in this forum on possible causes and solutions.
If you have a look at the cross section of the extrusion (in the Catalinas 36 Furling Mast Manual available from Charleston Spars) you will see it comprises two cavities.
A relatively small amount of water can enter the forward cavity from halyard access points however the main entry point is the aft cavity through the sail furling slot which runs the length of the mast above the furling screw.
I guess a small amout may enter at the masthead where there is a cover plate held by 6 screws.
Anyway the advice I received from Jim Kulibert at Charleston is to install a water dam in both cavities below the furling screw as follows:[/I]
"As you know there are two places for a water dam; forward and aft cavities. The easiest is to pull the mast and insert from the bottom. What you are doing is creating a water dam and drilling a limber hole just above it. We use two pieces of ¼” sheet PVC plastic about 1.5 inches apart that loosely fit the inside of the cavities and fill the center space with expanding foam. You will have to use bolts to hold them spaced apart and rigid.
If you don’t want to pull the mast, you can drill a 3/8” or ½” hole and 6 – 8 inches above the other one, push a balloon in the holes, inflate the balloons and with another hole in the center squirt the foam. A limber hole will also have to be drilled above the foam. It is sometimes difficult to know where the foam has stopped "
My comment on this approach is that it is rather difficult to do with the mast in the boat and somewhat imprecise using two balloons to act as stoppers for foam injected into holes drilled into the mast as Jim has pointred out, Needless to say I havent done this.The option of putting dams in place with the mast out of the boat seems reasonable.
I might also add here that some time back - John Reiman posted his approach to solving the the problem as follows:
"I am the one who installed a dam. To do this, you have to remove the furling drum. This is an easy operation and is pretty intuitive. One detail though: There's one part that you have to make SURE doesn't fall down when the drum is removed. I have a few photos that I'll be happy to send to anybody who feels they can use them. (Anyway, it's good to know how to remove the drum to service once a year or so.)
With the drum removed, just rough cut a piece of styrofoam and push in down below the drum. I then cut a piece of plastic to lay on top of the foam and caulked around the edges. I think a small hand-held tube of caulking would be better - easier to reach in there with. Also, put the foam in on an angle - downward slope towards wherever you plan to drill the weep hole. Then drill a little weep hole just above the lowest part of the dam.
This helped, but it didn't completely solve my problem because the channel in the front of the mast through which the wires ran also send water down into the bilge.
I just had my mast replaced and the new one comes with a dam in both parts of it. They also have a clever way of running the wire with an "s" curve to prevent water from running down the wire".
[I]As John notes and as shown in the Charleston Manual - there is a dam now installed in the newer mast sections.
PS. Can someone help me - I am not sure how to get the furling screw (drum) out of the mast. Has any one done this.[/I][/I]
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After my post above, I again contacted Charleston Spars to ask how to remove the furling drum. as its not described in the Mast Manual.
I was told the mast needed to be pulled - which is not what John described.
So I was completely confused and have put up with both sources of water since then!
Hope this makes sense.
Peter Taylor Melbourne Australia. Altair #2227 2005 C36 Mk11
Thanks Peter for the input. Interesting tips.
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B