Somehow, I managed to sheer off the little holes on the mast base of my '76 Hobie 16 that you put the mast step link through. Is there any way to replace the mast base without geting a new mast? Or is there some other workaround to keep the mast in place?
Also, I have a pretty large patch of delamination on my starbaord hull forward of the front pylon (where else?) I have read a bunch of conflicting opinions on how to go about fixing this, including one guy who used Great Stuff (spray foam) with apparently decent results. I am a moron when it comes to stuff like this, but my friend who surfs a lot reccommends that I get a syringe and fill up the gap with fiberglass resin. This apparently works for surfboards, but what about Hobies? I'm looking for the past experiences of people who have fixed similar problems, so if you've done this kind of thing before, please post!
I had the identical problem with my 76 H16 mast base. I brought it to a local welder who built the area up with aluminum weld and then ground it down to the general shape and drilled the hole through. It isn't rocket science, so just keep grinding or fileing until the step looks right. (remove the tramp before welding) Another option is to purchase a new or used base somewhere. The dolphin striker is often a problem to remove from an older mast base, so maybe someone else can advise with that. Maybe someone has a whole front crossbar that they would sell you? There is a good article about soft spots and also for installing deck ports on thebeachcats.com website. TheBeachCats.com I installed the deck ports in my H16 and was very happy with the results. Jack
Your post makes me believe it is the mast base that needs work since you talked of a new mast. Jack responded to a problem with the "mast step" The mast step is connected to the forward beam and can be a pain to remove. The mast base is riveted to the mast. It's not very hard to drill out the old rivets and replace the mast base. A new mast base is about $45 in the hobie catalogue. For more information about delamination search this forum for "soft spot". Greg H14, H15
The mast base is much easier to fix than the step. You'll need a rivet gun large enough to pull 3/16" Stainless Steel rivets. I bought mine at a auto supply house for around $40.00. If you don't have one and your boat is on a trailer, you could probably bring it to a marina (or maybe a body shop) and sweet talk them into putting them in for you. It would only take them a couple minutes. You can pick up Stainless Steel rivets at any sailboat dealer. I think you will need the 1/2" long variety. Good luck, Jack
A word of warning. If you are not experienced in drilling out rivets then do a search on the OPEN forum for----- "more rivets". Search the last six months. Greg H14, H16
you just want to drill the head off. you do not want to try to drill into the mast at all. do not remove any metal from the mast. if you do, the hole will be too large for the new rivet. once the head is off, ust a punch to push the remaining part of the rivet into the mast. once the base is off, you will be able to get the rivet parts out of the mast.
I have had mast base problems too. I sheared out the holes on the flange of the base. Seen on the right. Make sure that the holes you drill are not to close to the top of the flange.
After losing too many days of sailing with breaking/broken mast bases I formulated a hopefully permanent solution. I made the base on the left. The flange is twice as high as the original Hobie part and the flange is ½ “ thick. The increased thickness allowed for me to drill and tap the base. Now it is held in with button head cap screw instead of those pesky rivets.
The new mast base you made looks good! How did you make it? Did you make a mold of the old base, add the extra height, cast it, then pour in hot liquid aluminum? I had this same problem with my mast base in '00. I used black duct tape to hold it together that season. That fall, I cleaned the base and the inside of the mast and used epoxy to glue them together. This has held firm during two sailing seasons ('01 & '02).
Yes, I'm the guy who used a can of "Great Stuff" foam to repair an area of delamination about 1 foot wide by 2.5--3 feet long, forward of the pylon on the port hull. It still is firm after a season of sailing. The only reason I tried this was because I had planned to put in 6 inch deck ports, and I knew I would then have great access to the delaminated area after cutting the holes in the hull. If you are not going to cut holes in your hulls, I would not try it. While I would have prefered to use injected epoxy, my concern was with the weight of the epoxy needed to fill such a large area, whereas the foam is quite light. I have heard that some boat yards have foam injection equipment that need only small holes.
Glad you like the part I made. My first step was to make a replica part; I used a casting sand with a resin binder. I then took my replica part and machined off the flange. Then I made a new flange the size I wanted out of styrofoam and glued this to the base from the replica part. Again I made a sand mold, burned out the styrofoam, and then cast the piece with a standard casting aluminum. The part has worked without any problems.
All of this might be hard to accomplish without the right tools. I am a college student and had access to the casting shop on campus, which made this project take less than an afternoon. Hope this helps explain things.
You must be a brave man to trust duct tape like that.
