Good morning to all.
We have a NS260 which has, by design, a carbon fiber mast. We brought it here to Lopez Island from Lake Coeur d’Alene two years ago; we just retired and finally can sail. While uncovering it for the summer, I noticed this crack. The boat was inspected before putting it back in after the move and nothing was mentioned then. What do you think? By the way, even though we are in the San Juans, help with sailboats is not close and we are not made of money, so we hope for the best.
Also, where would I find which anodes should be replaced and where’ the local yard will only give me an hour or so to pull out and replace, so I want to be ready.
Thanks for the help.
Certainly something that should be checked out. Might just be a crack in the gel coat. Perhaps get someone to do an ultrasonic inspection to make sure the underlying carbon fiber is sound.
Mike
BIANKA
1986 30U
Long Island
Hi,
Carbon fiber masts are way above my pay grade… hopefully someone with experience will point you in the right direction. There are a couple posts on this forum about spar failures where insurance covered repair, I don’t recall particulars of the situation.
I have two external anodes on my boat :
- A shaft anode. Which is easy to have on hand if you know the diameter of your shaft.
- A hull anode, which I’ve been told is uncommon for fiberglass sailboats. I suppose you could determine if you have one by following your bonding wires from the inside. In my case there are two metal studs visible from the inside with the bonding wire attached to one of them. The anode you need for replacing will have holes that line up with the bolt spacing. Picture for clarity… showing depleted shaft and hull anodes on my boat before I replaced them.
- Internal anodes for things that have seawater flowing through them like heat exchangers.
Both hull and shaft anodes are replaceable without pulling the boat. A diver might not charge as much as a yard would charge for a short haul.
The short haul usually comes with a quick power washing which is always nice.
Good luck and smooth sailing.
Rob Cohen
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Westport, CT
Hi,
Its fairly common practice to put two anodes on the shaft in case one falls off or you’re docked in a particularly bad area for electrolysis. Shaft anodes are much cheaper than propellers.
And depending on the type of propeller you have, it may have its own anode on the hub.
My boat also has a round 3" disk anode on the strut. Less common, but it came that way.
You can always get a diver to install the anodes too.
Cheers
Don
Also don’t forget that Mike Quill is available to INA members to consult on Nonsuch issues, including masts. That’s only if you are a INA member of course.
Don
Regarding the mast – in addition to taking advantage of the INA having Mike Quill on retainer for advising members, it’s very likely that the mast was built by Composite Engineering / Van Dusen Racing Boats, https://composite-eng.com/, so you might want to send the pictures to them and ask for advice. I share Mike’s hope that this is merely a crack in the gel coat covering the carbon fiber.
Regarding anodes – the most essential anodes on the boat are the 1" zinc shaft collars, which can be readily obtained for $12-15 USD and can generally be replaced in the water. The location of others will vary – my previous N26C had a plate bolted through the hull under the starboard quarterberth connected to a lead attached to the engine block, while my current N26U has none.
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233
Richard,
It’s hard to tell from my phone, but it looks more like a scratch than a crack from the photos. I presume it may look more like a crack in person? I have a N260 with a carbon mast and, while I’ll have to double-check, I believe we have many similar scratches. I’ve never thought anything of them as they seem very superficial, but I’m no expert on carbon fiber.
Good idea to reach out to Mike Quill - particularly if you think it actually looks like a crack. You might try providing some more detailed photos? I’d be very interested to know what he says if you’re inclined to post an update or send me a DM after.
Re: anodes, I keep two 1" oval zinc anodes on the prop shaft (replace each year). We also have a zinc pad that is affixed to the hull much like the photos posted by others. I think that one is tied into the bonding wire system. It doesn’t seem to degrade much year-to-year. I think the shaft zincs may take the brunt. However, re: the pad, it’s important to make sure your wiring is all connected properly (although even if it isn’t, you should be fine as long as you stay on top of the shaft anodes). When you apply the shaft anodes, remember to hammer them on so the pins make firm contact with the shaft. I’ve found it seems to help to paint the screws/seam line with bottom paint, but who knows how much that makes a difference.
Mike Readshaw
WHIMSEY
1995 N260
Vancouver, BC
The use of zincs with through-hull bolting looks wrong. First, it is causing hull resistance; 2nd the setup can fail and sink the boat; 3rd, I have not seen any of the Nonsuchs’ in the Connecticut River valley/LI Sound with such a setup.
Joe Carroll, Madaket, Nonsuch 30 #56.
Hi Joe,
SOAVE was purchased in Oct 2023 on LIS with this setup. I guess she flew under your radar.
I agree a hull anode is unusual and has some drawbacks… I suppose every boat has a few things that others would consider to be done wrong. I see this as room for improvement, but OK for now.
This year when I replaced it I mounted an aluminum replacement anode flush with a rubber pad between the anode and hull. Slightly less drag and less interaction with my bottom paint. The likelihood of failure that would sink the boat is actually pretty remote compared to my other thru-hull fittings. I also have a grounding plate that needs to go… it is unlikely I’ll use SSB radio now that we have SATCOMs.
I don’t know who installed the hull anode or why but I have a few theories. I suspect it was installed to address unusually rapid corrosion… a better approach may have been to identify the root cause of the rapid corrosion and address it directly.
Maybe the moral of this story will be to add an isolation transformer or galvanic isolator before you add a hull anode. This might be food for thought for other owners.
Once I get a handle on why I’m seeing rapid anode depletion… ( i.e. install galvanic isolator ). I’ll remove the hull anode and repair the holes.
Thanks for flagging the unusual anode treatment.
Rob Cohen
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Westport, CT