Water in I20 mast

I just discovered that I have water in the mast. How do I drain it? I really do not wan to drill any extra holes in the mast.

Thanx
Kris

drill a small hole in the mast cap toward the front (far away from the halyard sheave area) would be my first suggestion. If you intend to find your leak and fix it, patch the hole with some fiberglass. If you intend to leave it leaky (or want the possibility to drain it in the future) tap the hole and insert a nylon screw with o-ring with a little sealant.

I've got the same after a turtling experience last week Exactly what I was going to do... We don't have to worry about the water freezing here, but in Chicago, you might want to think about that.

you might want to take the mast to a swimming pool or calm shallow water and find out where the water is getting in. Maybe it'll come out the same way. When its out, you can seal it up so it doesn't do that anymore

Actually, you may need two holes - one to vent and one to let the water out. drill a tiny one on the side of the cap about mid way up the mast profile.

I've also had pretty good luck using a small shop vac, configured to blow.

I tape the nozzle to (for example) that drain hole you guys have been discussing.

This pressurizes the mast a bit.

Then I use a bit of water with a bunch of liquid dish soap in it to "soap up" sections of the mast.

The area that is not properly sealed will "blow bubbles" for you, identifying the leak.

You also get a cleaner mast in the bargain.

I like this better than derigging the mast so I can remove it from the boat and transport it to a swimming pool.

Be very careful with even small amounts of pressure. Masts and hulls are not designed to contain pressure from the inside.

I had this same problem with my NEW N20 mast last year. My approach was a little different because I replaced the mast extrusion at the same time so I was able to attach the shop vac to the base of the mast and blow upward. Be careful not to overpressure the mast, just enough air to get some moving inside the mast. The long and short is this. The top of the mast (under the cap) is sealed with a 1/2 piece of styrofoam covered by some West 5200. My mast was sealed like crap. The foam wasn't cut well so it had a gap and the 5200 was spread so thin that it was just a big hole that let water run freely. Of course, if I wasn't so familiar with flipping, I would have never known it

My fix was to cut a new piece of foam using a heavy duty styrofoam lobster transport box (used to ship lobsters overnight from Maine) The fit was perfect and I resealed the whole mess with copious amounts of 5200. It worked like a charm with a dry mast since. Of course, I don't flip as much so....

The other fix was on my first mast. The former owner drilled a very small hole near the base of the mast inside of the halyard track. That way, it slowly drains out while you are sailing. If your leak is big (see above) this won't work, but for a pesky little leak, it seamed to do the trick.

Good luck

Ken Altman
"Kani Basami" N-20

You don't have to tape the vac hose. You can hold it in your hand, at a short distance from the hole, and it will work. It doesn't take much pressure to blow a soap bubble.

Or you could just re-silicone all the fittings, its probably coming in from the rivets.

btw- I recently used some GE silicone and it didn't set up. It continues to be slimey a month after the fact. Switched to DAP with much better results.

I had this problem with my mast and did the following:

I drilled out one of the four rivets on the mast base and replaced it with a self-tapping screw and o-ring. Once the mast was drained, I took the mast top off, replaced the internal 'dam' and used sikaflex (do not use 5200, as you will never get rid of it)....

Now, when, and if there is ever water in the mast again, I can simply remove the screw and let the mast drain overnight.

Hope this helps...

I wouldn't put the hole in the top of the mast - it's subject to the most hydrostatic pressure when you turtle - and it's the only part of the mast in the water when you're capsized. Base of the mast sees more spray, but a lot less pressure when you flip.

I had to put a drain hole in my infusion mast. I did something like what Jake said. Problem is the mast is open (for the diamonds) at the bottom and I couldn't see how the foam plug to determine where to drill a hole in the bottom.
The infusion also has a plug at the top, I learned this after drilling off the mast cap. I put the drain hole below the foam plug.

I put some marine sealant on the rivets but it came right off... what will stick better? 4200?

Uhhhh...errr.r....who was the moron who suggested drilling in the mast cap. That guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

Yes, that's right - there IS a foam plug in there under the cap (I forgot)...so that won't work.

Thanx for all info. I also asked Mark form Cathouse what should I do. His response was: “Water in the mast: take the upper cap off… drill hole thru the water dam…. Drain & reseal….. & rivet cap…”

I thought about removing mast rotating arm. There are 2 screws going through the mast and use those holes to drain it.

OR

Drill small hole in the casting – base of the mast and drain.

Thanx

Kris

100% silicon clear bathroom caulking works excellent. Wipe the surface down with acetone first. It won't go anywhere.

I use whatever brand silicone they sell at the boat store and it works well for a least a season. I like the clear stuff. A clean finger to smooth it on works best.

One thing to keep in mind...a perfectly sealed composite mast will still accumulate water inside. This happens to all composites over time due to osmosis from humidity in the air and/or condensation of vapor in the air already inside the mast. I've seen near new carbon masts on Tornado's getting drain holes put in and teams draining water out before the mast goes on the boat for the first time.

Putting in some sort of drainage hole that can be capped is a good idea. The hole should be located between the upper & lower foam blocks, at the lower end of the largest open area in the mast.

One effective way to get water out of a sealed structure like a mast or centerboard/rudder...hold the item so the water pools over the drain hole. Blow into the hole to slightly pressurize the interior, then remove the pressuring device (ie your mouth!)...water will then spray out quick effectively. Repeat until done.