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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
 Catalina 25 Specific Forum
 Mast Plate Screws		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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Cosmic Muffin
Deckhand

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USA
17 Posts
Initially Posted - 05/06/2005 :  23:57:32  Show Profile
While stepping my mast this evening my crew and I noticed the screws on the mast plate were very loose. When we continued 2 of the screws came popping out. Obviously we stopped right there. My concern is how to tighten those 2 screws back down. We tried to screw them back but they were clearly stripped. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated?
Mike Smith
Cosmic Muffin
#3689 TR/SK
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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts
Response Posted - 05/07/2005 :  00:48:19  Show Profile  Visit Leon Sisson's Homepage
Mike,

Do you mean the four 1/4" diameter lag bolts that attach your mast base/tabernacle/mast hinge/whatever-you-want-to-call-it to the deck? If so, I've heard of a couple of fixes.

You could repair the threaded holes by filling them with reinforced epoxy resin, waxing the screw threads, and reinstalling the screws while the epoxy is still liquid. (This method might work better with machine sccrew threads than with lags.)

The method I prefer, and used, is to drill and thru-bolt. Be aware that the aft two bolt holes might come through at, or very near, the aft corners of the teak compression post. I had to dig little relief pockets in the teak to make room for the washers, nuts, and wrench. Be sure to bed the bolts to avoid leaks.

-- Leon Sisson
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Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts
Response Posted - 05/07/2005 :  08:36:27  Show Profile
Hey Mike,

Leon is right on with the thru-bolt fix. Catalina changed over to the thru-bolt method in '84 or '85.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839
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Cosmic Muffin
Deckhand

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USA
17 Posts
Response Posted - 05/07/2005 :  11:06:29  Show Profile
Thanks guys. I knew you would have the answers!
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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts
Response Posted - 05/08/2005 :  08:16:56  Show Profile  Visit Frank Hopper's Homepage
And then there is my way, I bought the next size bigger SS screws, cut them so they were the same length as the old ones, put some caulk in the holes and screwed them in. Remember the only real shearing load is when you are raising the stick.
By the way, are you sure you have stripped holes and not rotted core? Rotted core is a whole different issue. Have you used a pick or something and felt around in the holes to see if the core is still hard?
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Cosmic Muffin
Deckhand

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USA
17 Posts
Response Posted - 05/09/2005 :  12:31:27  Show Profile
I don't believe it is rotten, but if it is what would you suggest?
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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1773 Posts
Response Posted - 05/09/2005 :  12:45:12  Show Profile
<font color="blue">I don't believe it is rotten, but if it is what would you suggest? - Mike</font id="blue">

Hi Mike,

It is possible that you have just a small amount of dry rot in that area ... that's what I found when I noticed a couple of the screws were loose in the mast tabernacle on my boat. I used "Git Rot," and it worked great. Just follow the directions, and the job is pretty simple.

Git Rot is like a thin epoxy. You simply drill some holes in the area underneath the mast plate (sorta' checkerboard style), and then saturate the area with the Git Rot. It is thin enough so that it wicks into the soft areas and makes it hard as a rock.

'Hope that helps ... good luck with the repair!
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Cosmic Muffin
Deckhand

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USA
17 Posts
Response Posted - 05/09/2005 :  12:52:08  Show Profile
That's great. I was worried that it would be worse than what it is. Sounds like the mast plate doesn't have alot of load baring responsiblity except when raising the stick. Would that be accurate to say?
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Bill Sloane
1st Mate

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USA
91 Posts
Response Posted - 05/09/2005 :  15:43:46  Show Profile
Correct. If you can raise the mast without pulling out the bolts, you are safe. I pulled out my bolts while raising the mast two seasons ago and I through bolted using a shaped 1"+/- wood spacer in the ceiling of the toilet compartment because in my boat there is a slight elevation change in the height of the ceiling right there.

Bill
C-25 SR/SK No. 496
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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts
Response Posted - 05/09/2005 :  16:58:06  Show Profile  Visit Frank Hopper's Homepage
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Cosmic Muffin</i>
<br />That's great. I was worried that it would be worse than what it is. Sounds like the mast plate doesn't have alot of load baring responsiblity except when raising the stick. Would that be accurate to say?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Notice I spoke of shear forces, (horizontal to the deck forces), they are the ones during mast raising. There is tremendous load on the mast support column which includes the stinger in your bilge, the mast compression column, the deck core and the tabernacle. If your core is bad it is compressible and that could lead to a catastrophic change in the mast column alignment during a high load. Confirm that your core is ok. The git rot is a fine solution for minimal issues. There are others on the forum who have dealt with more serious core issues.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.