water,water everywhere

RandyonR3 · #1 11-13-2007

Got a leak around the mast on my FIRST-42.. The mast is wrapped at the base and sealed, and its not comming down through the inside... Got me puzzeled....Looking up from inside, seems the drip is comming from between the mast and ring plate...

kw_martin · #2 05-16-2012

I have a First 45 and have had to order a new table due to water damage. I have twice had to take out 15+ gallons over the winter. (I had the boat shrink wrapped). I believe the water on my boat is coming in through the air inlets directly over the table. I can't get at them on deck without ripping out a plastic cover (won't come off despite taking out screws and am afraid of breaking it), but I believe the air inlets are sitting in a "tray" that fills from around the mast and then over-flows into the inlets.

kw_martin · #3 05-16-2012

I have a First 45 and have had to order a new table due to water damage. I have twice had to take out 15+ gallons over the winter. (I had the boat shrink wrapped). I believe the water on my boat is coming in through the air inlets directly over the table. I can't get at them on deck without ripping out a plastic cover (won't come off despite taking out screws and am afraid of breaking it), but I believe the air inlets are sitting in a "tray" that fills from around the mast and then over-flows into the inlets.

svHyLyte · #4 06-18-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandyonR3

Got a leak around the mast on my FIRST-42.. The mast is wrapped at the base and sealed, and its not comming down through the inside... Got me puzzeled....Looking up from inside, seems the drip is comming from between the mast and ring plate...

Randy--

Our pals Steve and Joy on Ocean Angel have a keel stepped version of the F-42 and discovered that the foam plug in the mast had deteriorated to the point that water could make it's way below deck level and exited the mast along the undersides of the cables between the deck and the overhead, creating a persistent "drip" in wet weather. Maybe you too.

FWIW...

aquaholic · #5 02-14-2013

Sorry for being thick, is it keel or deck stepped.

Heinous · #6 02-14-2013

First 42s are keel-stepped. At least, mine is.

svHyLyte · #7 02-14-2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by aquaholic

Sorry for being thick, is it keel or deck stepped.

Randy's boat, R3 is keel stepped. The 1980's era First 42 had 3 mast options as to height--Short, 2-Spreader; Standard, 2-Spreader; and, tall 3-spreader--and 2 options as to footing--keel stepped; and, deck stepped. The keel stepped masts tend to have difficulties with leakage to the interior of the yacht although with persistence, these can be largely overcome. Some claim the keel stepped masts allow for greater tuning and hence better speed than the deck stepped sister-ships. However, our deck stepped version seems to be as fast as our neighboring sister-ship with the keel stepped version (we have the same I & P measurements) when we are both flying the same sails and we and our neighbor seem to have equal skill managing/racing the yacht. In either case, the yachts are very fast compared with yachts of similar size. We both tend to walk away from the fleet following the start of a race and are well away by the 1st mark such that we essentially raced one another. Our neighbor now has his boat in Trinidad, having sailed her down last year, so we are without competition.

FWIW...