Anyone know where to find a replacement for this?

[SailingAdrift]

Hi all! I'm refitting my 72 nauticat 38 and I need to replace my mast heel? Foot?

Nothing I've seen online looks anywhere close to this piece, and this is taken right off the bottom of the mast. If anyone has any idea what style of bass this is, or any insight on where to go to find out, I'd be greatly appreciative!

[SailingAdrift]

Originally Posted by SailingAdrift

Hi all! I'm refitting my 72 nauticat 38 and I need to replace my mast heel? Foot?

Nothing I've seen online looks anywhere close to this piece, and this is taken right off the bottom of the mast. If anyone has any idea what style of bass this is, or any insight on where to go to find out, I'd be greatly appreciative!

Pictures!

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by SailingAdrift

Hi all! I'm refitting my 72 nauticat 38 and I need to replace my mast heel? Foot?

I guess that what you are showing is a mast step. Called by some a mast shoe.

Why do you imagine it needs be replaced?

Why not just clean it up, perhaps with sand blasting, and then powder coat it? Or other alternative coatings and treatments?

[SailingAdrift]

I was hoping to be able to, but there is a bolt hole that connects it to the deck that is broken out, and it's only held in place with two!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by SailingAdrift

I was hoping to be able to, but there is a bolt hole that connects it to the deck that is broken out, and it's only held in place with two!Attachment 169280

That could be welded up and redrilled fairly easily. And most of the load on the step is downward... usually enough to hold it in place several times over!

IMO, not a hard restoration job.

Jim

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

That could be welded up and redrilled fairly easily. And most of the load on the step is downward... usually enough to hold it in place several times over!

IMO, not a hard restoration job.

Jim

Agree, get it repaired. Busted mast step on my Hobie 33 last year (boat wake while stepping mast). Local shop welded it up and reinforced too, better than new.

[SailingAdrift]

Well all of this is great news. I had a rigger come out and tell me it was a 50-50 whether or not I should get a new stick or *stick* with the one I had. And he pointed to a bunch of the standing rigging that he called scary. Scary indeed! The idea of having to buy a new mast was extremely scary.
I've inspected the thing from the top to bottom and seen no cracking, no major trauma, and the little bit of corrosion found looked nowhere near as bad as on some other masts I've seen.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by SailingAdrift

And he pointed to a bunch of the standing rigging that he called scary.

That's only natural. A rigger's functions in society include (1) to generate business for herself/himself (and the people upstream of her); and (2) to make generic hand-waving gestures about your safety, with the aim of protecting the rigger from any claims of negligence against the rigger.

Let's put the standing rigging aside for the moment (while noting that it's always good to renew standing rigging).

Let's call the object in post #2 the mast step. It would be expensive to make. I'd suggest examining it carefully to see if it was anodised. If the mast step was not originally anodised, I'd suggest finding a competent person who could blast it with garnet sand, on the basis of cleaning the surface in preparation for powder coating. Then powder coat. Choose an appealing colour.

Let's call the object in post #4 the deck strut, which locks the mast step in place. Of what metal is it made? It's structurally simple enough for you to either have a new one made or have the current damage repaired. If you judge that the original design was skimpy, in the sense that the bolt hole was too close to the edge of the strut and that the skimpy design caused the problem, you could fabricate a new one slightly larger so there's more metal around the hole. And of course pay attention to metals, protecting your investment from galvanic corrosion etc.

Document what you do, both with the mast, mast step, and deck strut. Log entries and other records. That allows you to show any future purchaser/owner, govt authority, rigger, or whatever that you inspected and took action appropriately.

Same with the standing rigging. You do not compromise on safety. But you also do not throw money into the drink.

[Don C L]

Shoe. Send pictures to Ballenger Spars in Hollister CA, they will either know, or know who to get you in touch with. Great folks.

[Richard5]

Dollars to donuts that is a LaFiell mast. To add to Don's suggestion, I suggest giving them a call. Missile The link is to LaFiell, including their 800 phone number.

[sailcrazy]

when we redid out mast in 2011, the bottom end of the keel-stepped mast and shoe had some serious corrosion issues. I had a local machine shop-with experience with aluminum-came out, looked at it, and showed me a way to refurbish both. He did that,, then we had the yard strip and refinish the mast, I reattached all the hardware, and had new standing rigging installed. We restepped the mast, and have had no issues since. A quality machine shop/metal worker can work wonders-I would not rule that option out.

[Chris777]

Try Selden. Swedish company with factories in the US very possible you have their rigging on your Finnish boat.

Seldén Mast AB

Good luck

[stnick]

I have seen masts all corroded by sitting in water The Mast shoe . I have seen them cut 6 inches off the mast bottom and make a shoe build up same height as the cut off piece. !Mounted to the keel !
Is yours deck stepped ? or keel stepped ? Im only talking about keel stepped.

[Rorzech]

The weld on aluminum its the weakest link. The weld on steel is the strongest link ! Just sayin'

[Cheechako]

Just have that shoe remade new. It's not a complicated piece to fabricate. No you dont need a new mast. Get it rebuilt while you are at it.