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Tom:
I have heard similar stories about spartite, even when there was no lip on the "mast partner."
At present we are using an old piece of boat shrink-wrap, I fished out of the dumpster. I wrapped it about the mast and "mast partner" then wrapped rigging tape around the mast to make a water tight seal where the plastic joined the mast. This "temporary" mast boot was fitted July 2001 and has not leaked yet.
Rod
S/V IDUNA
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To any of us that have a Spartite mast plug (it’s wonderful,
cabin is absolutely dry): I discovered to my horror that there is a 3/4"
X .025" return on the inside at to top of the Forespar mast collar. I
sail the Great Lakes and haul out each fall. The return on the collar
was enough to keep the mast from coming out…thought for awhile
that we were going to lift the whole boat!. I had to cut through the
Spartite on both sides of the mast with a sawzall to create enough relief
for the plug to pop out.
Otherwise, I like the performance of Spartite. Luckily, I have
the winter to grind off the return…didn’t want to freshen my
varnish any way…T
Tom Harrer
S/V Whitewings III
As an economical, dry and perhaps more trouble free alternative, I
will tell you what I have. Got her with custom cut wood wedges and
just a canvas cover for waterproofing. It wasn’t. I kept the wedges
and made a boot of 1/2" foam neoprene sheet, clamped top and bottom
with hose clamps, overlapped several inches and glued with contact
cement. It is covered (neoprene has no UV resistance) with a new
Sunbrella collar which is taped at the top, and tied at the bottom,
well overlapped. Did not leak at all cross the Atlantic despite ample
opportunity. It was a bit of a challenge getting the pieces shaped
properly, but the prior owner had made a model of the mast/collar
which made it easier.
John Churchill
I have apparently picked up some stray bull-dog genes somewhere
along the way. I plan to grind the lip off my mast partner this winter and
try again this spring. There are a number of Spartite plugs on boats in
the local yard and they all pop out as advertised. Conversations with
Spartite tech reps suggest that it doesn’t take much of an imperfection in
the collar to prevent easy removal. I plan to be certain that the OD is
larger at the top than at the bottom of my partner.
I am also printing out all of your good solutions just in
case! I’ll post the results next October. Thank you
all…Tom
At 10:41 PM 11/23/2002 +0000, you wrote:
As an economical, dry and perhaps more trouble free alternative, I
will tell you what I have. Got her with custom cut wood wedges and
just a canvas cover for waterproofing. It wasn’t. I kept the wedges
and made a boot of 1/2" foam neoprene sheet, clamped top and bottom
with hose clamps, overlapped several inches and glued with contact
cement. It is covered (neoprene has no UV resistance) with a new
Sunbrella collar which is taped at the top, and tied at the bottom,
well overlapped. Did not leak at all cross the Atlantic despite ample
opportunity. It was a bit of a challenge getting the pieces shaped
properly, but the prior owner had made a model of the mast/collar
which made it easier.
John Churchill
Tom Harrer
S/V Whitewings III