Gulf Coast 18 Mast Step and Gooseneck

[M.B. Naegle]

Hello all,

I'm just getting into a project and could use some help. It's a Gulf Coast 18 that was abandoned on a property with several other small sailboats. I have what I THINK is a workable mast and boom for it (separated from boat on property), but I'm missing part of the mast step or hinge and the gooseneck between the mast and the boom. The mast and boom are the same aluminum extrusion as the support inside the boat, and a piece of the step/hinge is still attached to the house top, but the bottom of the mast is open and missing the other half of the hinge. My online searches for this boat have yielded little info, so if someone has pictures of these pieces or knows where to find some literature it would REALLY help. If I know what I'm looking for, I can check back with the gentleman who I bought the boat from.

When I picked out the mast and boom, there were several there and I picked a pair that matched the aluminum extrusion, had the most hardware, and were long enough to cut down if needed. If the right mast and boom isn't available or new parts aren't available, I'm confident I can fabricate pieces for the ones I have, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel or make a completely bastard boat if I don't have to. Other than the bottom of the mast and the gooseneck, I'll need new sails, new rope, and some other small hardware, but I'll get to that latter.

I'll also add that the boom was made by Proctor Masts if that matters.

(Sorry, I'll add pictures of what I have once I figure out how to do it on this forum.)

Thanks!

[M.B. Naegle]

Here are some initial pics. I plan to pressure wash the boat this week and start stripping hardware from it, and I'll get some better pictures.

[M.B. Naegle]

OK, I talked to the guy I bought the boat from and he's happy to let me dig through his pile some more, but it'll be a few weeks before I can get back out there.

I did some math this morning and I'm 99% sure I have the right mast. It's a little sketchy, but I printed out the original side profile drawing from saildata.com and measured the hull, mast, and boom lengths on the drawing. I know the hull is 18', so I converted the other two lengths and determined that the mast should be 23' long and the boom 10' long. My mast is the right length while my boom is a foot longer than needed. If I can't find a shorter boom, I'll cut it down, but I'd rather keep it intact for someone who can use it.

[Spot]

I would make a cardboard cutout of the base of the mast and see if it sets over what is already on the boat. It may have not been hinged from the factory. There are some old ads on sailingtexas.com for those and they look sort of plain at the mast base.

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by Spot

I would make a cardboard cutout of the base of the mast and see if it sets over what is already on the boat. It may have not been hinged from the factory. There are some old ads on sailingtexas.com for those and they look sort of plain at the mast base.

I think you're right. Looking at it today, I think the pin attached to the house-top bracket would slide into the smaller hole in the bottom of the mast and provide a hinge point when the mast is pulled up, and there's a protrusion to fit into the bigger hole in the mast. The pin is too big, but perhaps it's the wrong pin?

[johnn33]

Selden bought Proctor perhaps 25 years ago.
They will have a gooseneck and other items for you
current items may fit but I would think they will find something
https://support.seldenmast.com/en/pr..._brackets.html
John

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

I think you're right. Looking at it today, I think the pin attached to the house-top bracket would slide into the smaller hole in the bottom of the mast and provide a hinge point when the mast is pulled up, and there's a protrusion to fit into the bigger hole in the mast. The pin is too big, but perhaps it's the wrong pin?

Based on those pictures, is it possible that the mast simply sits on that plate, and any hinging action comes from the flat section of the mast bottom...? Otherwise, I'd expect to see some sort of casting that goes into the mast bottom, and that casting has a hole which receives the raised portion of the house plate.

If it's not a piece riveted to the mast, your gooseneck will probably be something that is fastened into the boom end, with a shoe that slides into the mast slot. That's what ours it.

[Spot]

It looks like the mast needs to be set vertically onto that mast plate, I do not see a way to hinge with what is there for hardware and holes. There would need to be a horizontal pin at the axis of rotation and matching holes in the mast and holes or slots in the step. On my boat the slots open to the stern, on an older Catalina 22 they are open to the sky. The newer Catalinas use a fancier Selden combination.

[M.B. Naegle]

OK, so I'll see if there's a shoe of sorts when I go back to dig in the pile some more. There is a "30" cast into the base plate if that means anything? If I can't find the piece, I was hoping something would be commercially available to do the job, but worst case I'm confident I can design and machine a piece to do it. It'll take a little time but we have the software and machinery to do it.

As far as the gooseneck goes, after looking at what I have, I actually have what's needed, it's just smaller than I expected. There's a hinged triangular bit on the end of the boom that fits into the open track and slides in it with a cable and blocks to raise and lower it. I was expecting something that would clamp or slide around the mast. I'm pretty sure there are shorter booms in the pile so if there is I'll likely put this longer one up for sale/trade on here.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

I'm pretty sure there are shorter booms in the pile so if there is I'll likely put this longer one up for sale/trade on here.

Your boom is supposed to be longer than the foot of your largest mainsail. If your current boom seems to fit the boat, I'd use it for a bit, till you see how much excess boom you really have, when the foot is pulled taut. It's not that hard to cut a bit off the boom, if you later confirm that it's too long.

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Your boom is supposed to be longer than the foot of your largest mainsail. If your current boom seems to fit the boat, I'd use it for a bit, till you see how much excess boom you really have, when the foot is pulled taut. It's not that hard to cut a bit off the boom, if you later confirm that it's too long.

That makes sense. I don't have any sails currently but got a quote from sailrite and their OEM main foot measurement is 8.83, which matchs what I've measured on drawings that the boom would be 10', while this one's 11'. Cutting it would be easy if needed.

As a side note, I'd really like to have red sails, but got a quote for white as well and it was about $400 more for red. I totally understand that they're probably not as common, but now I've got to decide if I REALLY want red sails, lol.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

As a side note, I'd really like to have red sails, but got a quote for white as well and it was about $400 more for red. I totally understand that they're probably not as common, but now I've got to decide if I REALLY want red sails, lol.

After going a few seasons with the original sails, we got a deal on a new set from the boat maker who had excess inventory. Single best purchase we've made for the boat. They amped up the control, pointing and the wind range.

[M.B. Naegle]

I've been going over the remaining blocks and hardware on the boat and most all will need to be replaced as the shelves are sun-rotted and frozen, but so far it's been stuff made by "Racelite", so not too expensive to replace.

A couple of the mast stay mounting plates up on the mast have "W.C.M iInc. with a cartoonist whale logo, and I'm not finding them online. Dunno if finding them would help find the mast step piece.

[M.B. Naegle]

Been awhile, but I went back to look at the previous owners remaining masts and booms, and nothing there fit with what I need, so I plan to cut the boom I have to the correct length and make a wood and fiberglass cap to plug the end. The gooseneck I have should work fine.

With the mast step, I found that the original owners brochure (available online) mentions a hinging mast. I tried a couple times to lift it into place and I don't think it can be done without something holding and hinging the base. Given the wear pattern between the base plate and the mast, I don't think much is missing so I'm going to machine something simple to do the job. (Pictures incoming as I make progress)

[Spot]

On my bigger boat, the cap at the end of the boom has a couple holes in it to facilitate a topping lift and an outhaul for the maintain and a strap that may hook to something else as well. On the kid's boat we cast a new masthead from aluminum since the old one was broken and for a half-wire halyard.