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Old 02-07-2014, 14:09   #1
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Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

I'm in the process of shopping for a boat. Being new to sailing, I obviously don't have much experience investigating possible problems in potential ships.
The boat I'm looking at at the moment is a Bristol 29.9 on the Georgia coast. The current owner is above and beyond friendly and honest and we've seemingly gone over everything.
The one thing that truly concerns me is a leak at the mast.
This is a keel stepped mast and there seems to be some water poolage at the base. There doesn't seem to be any water running down the outside of the mast anywhere as well as no visible leaks or damage where the headliner meets the mast.
The current owner says he thinks its coming from rain getting inside the mast and trickling down inside.
I've take a few photos of the problem area and was hoping for some advice from those more experienced than myself.
Is this a common occurrence? Is this something that could be remedied, or something that should be of no concern? Or, better yet, should I run far far away from this boat?
I'll definitely have a survey before buying the boat but was just hoping for advice on whether I should even invest that money on this.
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My apologies for the lack of quality in photos, it was hard to get my digital camera in there to get the shots.

Thank you in advance for any advice!
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:35   #2
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

It's not uncommon for rainwater to come down a mast. I'd be concerned with those electrical? connections and the corrosion at the foot of the mast. There should be a shoe there that the mast sits in. Can't even see it.
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:39   #3
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

Hmmm. It was explained to me that the mast actually slides over the fitting. Like a smaller pipe sliding into a larger one.
That corrosion is definitely my concern. Should their be a shoe there that has actually corroded away?
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:44   #4
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

Yes, my Bristol 31.1 has a stainless steel shoe, resting on a raised section of fibreglass. I just had the mast out, and it seems to be in good shape.

I don't think a leak down the mast is a unusual. But I don't like seeing the mast sit in water like that, it should drain away.

I would say the worst case scenario is that you have some corrosion at the bast of the mast, which is not such a big deal if the boat is otherwise sound. It would not actually be a huge job to have the bottom 3" of mast removed, and a shoe glassed to the keel to make up the thickness.

Maybe ask the Yahoo Bristol forum for some advice?

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...oatowners/info
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:46   #5
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

Need better pics. And a lot of cleaning before taking the pics. It is an important issue
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:47   #6
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

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Hmmm. It was explained to me that the mast actually slides over the fitting. Like a smaller pipe sliding into a larger one.
That corrosion is definitely my concern. Should their be a shoe there that has actually corroded away?
Oh I see - my 31.1 has the reverse, a tube the mast sits in. That's why I can't see your's, it's inside the mast. Somewhere under that fibreglass is a plate I think. My shoe looks like a plate, with a 3" length of tube, that the mast fits it, welded to it.

If it was me, I'd leave it until the next re-rig and the mast is pulled. Worst case is fabrication of a new shoe, and shortening the mast base. No big deal. It's a common repair.
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:50   #7
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

Worst case is loss of the rig if the base of the mast comes out of the shoe.
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:55   #8
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

I'd like to see a pic of what it SHOULD look like.
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Old 02-07-2014, 14:59   #9
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

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Worst case is loss of the rig if the base of the mast comes out of the shoe.
Isn't side to side movement prevented by the deck, and the partners? Mine is held tight there by wooden wedges.

EDIT : maybe not. Well, maybe the OP had better budget for pulling the mast and inspecting the base thoroughly. To be honest, you really can't inspect mine effectively without taking the mast out.
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Old 02-07-2014, 15:09   #10
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

I would definitely love to see photos of what it should look like. Overall the boat seems to be in pretty good condition.
I've never owned or bought a boat before so I'm not completely certain about everything and am trying to research as much as possible.
Is having the boat taken to a yard and having the mast pulled and inspected necessary or is this something that a normal survey would be able to diagnose?
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Old 02-07-2014, 15:09   #11
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

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Isn't side to side movement prevented by the deck, and the partners? Mine is held tight there by wooden wedges.


If the base collapses (and if it does, it will probably be when sailing hard), the slack shrouds and stays might not hold it. You'll be lucky to have a coachroof, the partners will be the pivot point.
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Old 02-07-2014, 15:42   #12
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

Common on keel stepped masts. If too bad, you could always cut a few inches off and make a riser for the base fitting to sit on. Or weld on something. There are a lot worse issues on a potential boat... not that this wont require some work. If this is the worst issue, buy it!
An investigative surveyor should be able to prod and poke under there to see how soft the aluminum is.
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Old 02-07-2014, 16:10   #13
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

My suggestion is to ask the Bristol Yahoo Group if anyone has, or can take, a picture of theirs.
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Old 02-07-2014, 18:41   #14
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

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Originally Posted by Neutronbomb View Post
<snip>

The one thing that truly concerns me is a leak at the mast.
This is a keel stepped mast and there seems to be some water poolage at the base. There doesn't seem to be any water running down the outside of the mast anywhere as well as no visible leaks or damage where the headliner meets the mast.
The current owner says he thinks its coming from rain getting inside the mast and trickling down inside.
I've take a few photos of the problem area and was hoping for some advice from those more experienced than myself.
Whether water coming down the mast is common or not is irrelevant - I wouldn't want water coming in my boat from anywhere - although it does quite frequently - LOL.

This is a no brainer - You need to get a quote to unstep the mast, fix the step, perhaps get away with cutting the bottom bit of the mast if the corrosion has weakened it and compensate with a step modification. At the same time, source of water needs to be discovered and fixed.

Wild-ass guess? $2,000 maybe $3,000 if the disassembly reveals more drama. BTW - we had a rig failure (second for this boat) and fortunately did not lost the mast - i had a all the invoices from the previous loss - $17,000. It's a $15,000 boat... What you are looking at is a "big" deal.

If the owner is motivated and "friendly" as you say he should have no problem with you getting a pro to quote the work. After that it becomes about boat price.

BTW - Everything can be fixed - It is an exponential function of boat bucks.
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Old 02-07-2014, 20:07   #15
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Re: Bristol 29.9 with mast leak

Virtually all cruising boat masts get rainwater into them, usually via the gaps near the sheaves at the masthead and any exit points for lines. Essentially impossible to avoid.

Deck stepped masts usually have a drain hole at the base, and water simply exits there. Some keel stepped masts have some sort of dam at the deck level, and an drain hole there that serves just as the deck stepped ones do. Often this dam is either missing or ineffectual, and thus water reaches the below decks step. Sometimes (as on our boat) it is possible to drain this off to a lower bilge or, in our case, the shower sump. The amounts are usually small, and our shower sump pump, on a float switch, empties it easily as would a proper bilge pump. Nothing to worry about.

In the case of the OP's situation, it doesn't look like the foot of the mast is seriously compromised; aluminium corrosion products do make a disproportionate mess!. A good cleanup and inspection would be in order, but I don't think it would indicate an immediate need for mitigation. The amount of corrosion suggests that the spigot on the inside (the locating "pin") might be stainless, or that there is some scrap stainless lying about in there. If he should buy the boat, at a convenient time unstepping the mast and checking everything out would be a good idea, but IMO, not a pressing matter.

No one likes water inside a boat, but at least this water is usually fresh, and delivered right to the bilge area. How much nicer than deck leaks!

Cheers,

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