Hi all,
I bought my1981 Nonsuch 30C (hull 92) last year and after a few fixes, sailed it for most of the season without any problems. At the end of the season, when I went to ready the mast to be pulled, I saw that the lag screws on the casting at the mast step had worked their way out and the casting had been moving around and was no longer fixed to the hull. It was also obvious that the holes in the floor where the lag screws had been were wet and rotted.
Here’s a picture of what I saw before removing the mast:
I’m hoping someone in our group has some experience with this. I started to clean up the mast step floor, and am concerned that I’m going to have to remove a lot of material to get down to dry, solid wood that I can build on. Here’s what the the floor looked like after a little cleaning and cutting some of the fiberglass away. It looks like the guy who did this job last time didn’t even mount the casting square. I drew a black line where the casting should have been mounted.
Does anyone know the thickness of the wood in the floor below the mast step casting? Anyone ever rebuild the floor in the mast step of a 30C? Any help would be appreciated.
Best,
Jim Mueller
Dexterity NS30C #92
Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Jim: This has been discussed before. Go to the INA site and look up the previous postings on this subject.
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
PS – Say Hello to Jack Flannery at AHYC for me
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Basically, this looks like a “grind out the whole mess until dry wood and rebuild the floor out of solid epoxy”.
However, even though his speciality is rigging, I’ll bet the grand wizard, Mike Quill, in St. Catharines, Ontario, would know a thing or three about a lot of this and could answer some questions. If you are a member of the INA, his services as a consultant are provided free of charge. To contact him, log on to www.nonsuch.org, click on the MEMBERS tab, and select MAINTENANCE. Then look for the line that reads, “New: Submit mast and rigging questions by clicking here.”
When fixed, it’ll be way stronger and better than new.
Ernie: Several years ago, I posted on this site about a 30 that was trucked down to my area from Annapolis for a new owner. The yard in Annapolis failed to disconnect the 4 set screws in the base and just kept yanking until everything including the fiberglass and wood under the base came out. It was ugly!!
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
Jim: Did anyone mention that it looks like water was ponding by the step?? This can happen if the weep holes that allow it do drain into the bilge are plugged up.
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
Ernie,
I just got off the phone with Mike Quill. He recommended getting a good boatyard to do this repair. I’m going to talk to the local boatyard and then figure out what to do.
Thanks
Glad you spoke to Mike. He’s a real font of info and experience. Yes, ideally, a good local boatyard would be perfect. Do a lot of checking and due diligence. Get references and ask around all over. IF you have second thoughts about the local guys and you start thinking about the not-so-local ones, how about a lovely motor trip (with the mast lying on top of the boat on some sort of cratch or stand, over your head), all around Long Island (or via the East River, if that’s sensible ??? I dunno the area.) to Dauntless Shipyard in Essex, Conn. ??? Looks doable in a few days, each way.
I say that because it is tough to beat a well-reputed yard that has already done this exact job (especially when, it seems, the whole world knows about it). It could be truly worth the trip.
Just a thought.
Ernie A. in Toronto
PS - Joe - I get nauseous just thinking about that poor boat being yanked up by its mast. Holy crow. But … as we know… that kind of dumb cluckery happens all the time, even in “good” yards. Duh. You need to check very carefully and, frankly, not cheap out if it’s a serious, fussy repair.
