water coming down inside of mast

[Nzgrant 19]

My mast is keel stepped and water comes down inside the mast, it is driving me nuts.  Has anyone tried this successfully ?

 

 

Select a point lower than your lowest halyard entry-exit point, don't worry about any cables as they can be sealed without problems.

 

Insert a balloon through the lowest halyard opening and blow it up soft enough to be able to push down inside the mast.

 

Try to get the top of the balloon about half an inch or so below the halyard opening. Mix some closed cell balloons with an epoxy resin a bit thinner than toothpaste; inject this to cover the balloon and when curing starts, mix a little more and create a slop to drain the water out of the halyard hole.

 

When cured, add a little paint or resin with pigment added to avoid UV degrading of the epoxy.

 

[mattm 98]

I have seen a couple of masts where people have tried similar ideas, with varying levels of non succsessful results. I'm not sure about the 'ignore the wires' part. They should be in a conduit, if so, you will be lucky if the bog mix seals completely around the conduit (normally an approximately 1"od alloy tube riveted to the inside of the mast). If you don't have a conduit for the wires, again you would be lucky if the bog seals around each wire, but secondly, you will be condemning yourself to pulling the mast out and removing the whole mess you you need to run a new wire in the mast. If your going to do it, consider replacing the wiring first if it's anywhere near due?

 

Couple of things to think about while you are considering your options.

[wild violet 38]

I think you would need a drain hole on top of your sealant or else salt would play merry hell with your mast my genoa pole is on the front of my mast and last time i used it it the end fitting broke off it was full of salt and corrosion from not being able to drain

[ballystick 72]

I used the Sika teak deck sealant, with a plug inserted just below the lowest halyard exit. Tip the boat using a halyard attached to a nearby fixture, this provides a sloping surface towards the exit when the sealant has set and the boat is upright. Pour the sealant through a higher exit and put some tape over the lower part of the lowest exit to guarantee there is enough sealant, remember to catch any excess flowing over the top. It works really well.

[Chewing Gum 17]

yes worked for me also

Made a plug out of closed cell foam

We still had a slight leak after the sealant was added around the wiring tube so I made some slightly thickened epoxy and pushed that around the tube - no more leaks !