I was out in fairly heavy seas with winds in 25 knot range. I am noticing that the is a very loud banging coming from inside the mast at the base. The base looks well connected to the hull, all bolts intact, all wedges in place. Is there something inside the mast that would be causing this? It’s a metal on metal sound.
John Waldhausen
Northern Star
Bainbridge Island
My boat is a 36 foot Nonsuch, built 1987
John Waldhausen
I figured it out. It’s the mast shifting in the collar that holds it to the hull at the bottom of the boat. Now my question is whether that sort of shift is normal. Ive never heard it before. The mast has about .5 cm of play in the metal collar at the hull.
John -
To be clear, the mast sits in a MAST SHOE, the cast thing in the bottom of the boat. It, then, goes up through the deck at “the partners” or the mast collar. You are saying that it is shifting right down at the bottom in the mast shoe, correct ?
Are there not bolts with locknuts that hold the mast rigidly in position in the mast shoe ? And, (I may be mistaken on this), isn’t there a tab at the bottom of the mast that fits into a notch in the mast shoe and has a locking pin that sits over the tab ? And, there is a hold-down steel cable with a turnbuckle that that holds the mast down into the mast shoe.
These features SHOULD, I believe, keep the mast from shifting, even a bit, in the shoe. It should not be allowed to shift in the shoe. I know that some owners use wedges made from thin plastic (milk bottles, water bottles, etc.), etc. at the mast shoe, to really hold that mast in place. Normally, "mast wedges’ are used only at the collar, to wedge the mast tight before sliding the cover down onto the deck.
What is missing here ?
Ernie A. in Toronto
John I have experienced the same banging in my previously owned Good News .
I found it to be the locknuts on the two mast bolts at the base had become loose . Resulting in the bolts becoming loose . I found the best method to tighten the bolts was when underway and then tack and repeat .
Caution in tightening is required to prevent stripping threads.
Bob Jenkins
Aurora, Ontario.
Yes, its shifting in the mast shoe. Ill look at it again and see if any of the nuts that should keep it from shifting are loose or missing. When my son was looking when we were getting towed and hitting large waves head on (engine failure today) he noticed that one of the bolts seems to have punctured the mast and maybe that is the issue.
John Waldhausen
John: Be careful with those set bolts as they are SS in aluminum. Always ease the locknut first then turn the bolt. If, after easing the nut, you have trouble turning the bolt, soak it with penetrant, tap with a hammer straight on the bolt head and try again. Do this until they turn. It may take a day or to. Do not force them!! If you find they are corroded after removal, buy a starting tap to match the bolt and carefully run it through the hole. This will clean the threads. Replace the bolts and locknuts with new SS ones using Tufnell on the bolt threads.
PS – Its better to sign off with your info like most of us do.
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
Joe
I’m afraid I don’t know what SS is. Could you tell me?
John Waldhausen
Northern Star
Bainbridge Island
SS = Stainless Stell
—Willi
— Toronto Islands
— Brigadoon X
— NS 324 #109
Besides the Shoe and the Collar there is also a Foot. This foot is a casting that is bolted to the base of the mast and sits in the shoe. The bolts should bear on the foot not the mast.
Maybe you have a carbon mast?? In which case this may be all wrong.
A photo of your shoe/foot would be good if you have not figured out this problem already.
Tom
26C 28
Penetang
Lathering the bolts, nuts and holes with something like Super Lub will prevent nasty things happening. As Joe mentioned Al and SS are a receipt for corrosion. Tread lightly when dealing with these fittings.
Thank you all for your help. I was able to tighten the bolts as suggested and also placed wedges to fill up any space. Will see how it goes next time out.
John Waldhausen
Northern Star
It’s the original mast.
John Waldhausen
Northern Star
Bainbridge Island, WA
I am curious whether any fellow N260 owners (or anyone with a carbon mast) have experienced this issue and have any comments which differ from the suggestions above?
I am having the same issue on my N260. So far, I have only noticed the occasional (but unsettlingly loud) banging when running downwind. It appears to be coming from the shoe and/or collar area(s).
In order to access the shoe, it appears that I will have to unscrew a number of boards comprising the raised bunk-deck (there is probably a nautical term…) of the forepeak. Haven’t got that far yet.
Anyone deal with this issue on a carbon-masted boat?
Mike Readshaw
Whimsey N260 #8
Vancouver
Tom
I just saw your email. My mast sits in a shoe (collar) but there is no foot or anything else bolted to the mast. I have screws directly from the shoe ( or collar) with bolts running directly to the mast. Am I missing an important piece of equipment?
John Waldhausen
Northern Star
Bainbridge Island, WA
Hi John
My apologies.
I’m no expert on the 36 for sure, having never seen an aluminum mast for a 36 out of the boat. So once again I went off and just assumed there was a foot(heel) bolted to the mast like the other Nonsuches.
The 36 manual, 1983, shows the mast foot/shoe (heel/step) is definitely different. The manual calls it a mast heel casting and step casting. Where it is different is that the heel casting appears to be the same shape and diameter as the mast tube.
One thing there must be, if there is a heel, is a ring of bolts just above the heel through the mast tube. The heel casting fits inside the mast tube a couple inches. These bolts hold the heel in the tube and keep it from turning. These bolts are not shown in any of the Nonsuch manual drawings. On my mast there are 8 equally spaced SS bolts tapped into the heel. Do you have a ring of bolts around the base of the mast?
Hinterhoeller did make changes so your 1987 boat could easily be different.
Tom
26C 28
Penetang