Mast Collar Cavity/Corrosion

[Suijin]

80% of cracks in gelcoat have cracks down into the glass. Not a good idea to leave them unaddressed for too long if possible.

I have one of those stepped vinyl mast boots that you cut to fit and glue, sealed to the mast and held in place with a large hose clamp. Keeps it dry and they last a long time, even longer if you put a sunbrella cover on it.

Acetone is a good start to remove silicone residue but your best bet is wet sanding, particularly if the silicone was on unsealed and dull gelcoat. Acetone won't get it out of the open pores.

[theway]

Just an update... the silicone cleaned up pretty well with acetone and bar keepers. And upon further reading I see that GE silicone II cures with ammonia, not acetic acid, so I'm feeling a lot better about having applied it in the first place. I've read that in a couple of places now. Does anybody have any different info?