I did much the same as Dennis on my 30-1. I used some very strong plastic stuff (3/4” sheet, doubled for the three crossmembers) from McMaster-Carr to replace the stringers which spanned the gap in the bilge. I filled the rest with epoxy so that water would not sit in the lowest part of the bilge, which was right under the mast. Now, I can empty the bilge or sponge it out with ease. After the year of sailing every week, no change in the rig.
Good luck, the worst part is the sawdust/fiberglass dust which comes from the cleanup process, the rest is relatively easy. Good mask and good vacuum. Gary 30-1 Maryland, out of the water yesterday. From: CnC-List <cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com> On Behalf Of Dennis C. via CnC-List Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2018 8:13 PM To: CnClist <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Dennis C. <capt...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: Stus-List Mast step repair Jim, The most critical thing is to measure everything before you start. Granted, the step has subsided so you need to account for that. Measure against a known reference point. Next, make sure you understand and make accommodation for drainage from the fore section of the boat. This may be as simple as laying a short piece of PVC pipe in the bilge before you start the job. Also consider any cable runs under the step, if any. Consider where you are going to transmit the load. The "shoulders" of the bilge should be fairly strong. The shoulders are where the hull turns downward to the bilge. Other than those two considerations, wing it! You may be able to use a car jack and 2x4's to lift the cabin roof and remove the compression post will you do the work. When I rebuilt Touche's mast step in 2000, Here's the steps I took. * Cleaned out all the old rotted wood from the original step * Sanded the shoulders to reveal clean fiberglass * Cut a piece of cardboard for the floor leaving a nice gap for drainage and cables * Formed more cardboard for the fore and aft ends * Laid in multiple layers of epoxy glass spanning between the shoulders of the bilge until it reached the proper elevation Here's pics: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WK_x9fw5BbqbNJN1UoduAQ68AJ2UuUcu https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sxolf_U_8EDzVeLUUYghorYhe4h_nLaP Note the marks denoting locations. The top of the epoxy glass block can be seen between the step box and the lip of the sole. Pretty much a brute force solution. That block of epoxy glass will last millenia. Dennis C. Touche' 35-1 #83 Mandeville, LA On Wed, Nov 21, 2018 at 6:25 PM James Hesketh via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: Thanks for the reply Neil My 26 is a bit more complicated -- the mast itself is stepped on the cabin top with a king post extending down to the support in the bilge, It's the support that has failed. I'm referring to that support as the mast step in this case as it is where the load is concentrated. Due to the warping of the "step" the cabin top and bulkheads have deformed by a half-inch or so and will need to be reshaped. As you say, the cabin sole covers the outboard sections of the that spans over the keel at the turn of the bilge. I'm planing on cutting out those sections of the sole for access and room to glass in the new support. Guess I'll figure it out as I go. Thanks again, Jim Hesketh '78 C&C 26 Coconut Grove, FL
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