Are all mast boots the same?

[T37Chef]

What about this stuff?

[Paysay]

check with Rig-Rite at: Spars Main Page
They carry spars and fittings from a number of manufacturers.

[hellosailor]

Labatt, I can tell you what brands are good or bad, but would assume that there's a variation in quality, like all the other "rubber and plastic" on the market.

I know some folks that have just picked up a used tire inner tube (free) from a tire store, that's good heavy rubber. Then they cut it, wrap it, secure it with contact adhesive where it overlaps and hose clamp straps around the mast and the deck fitting, sometimes with a fancy top layer to hide the strapping. They say it works just as well and lasts just as long, after all, you're just looking for a big rubbery thing to wrap around the mast.

(I'm a big fan of used inner tubes, bicycle or car sized. They make great repair materials on pipes, and the price is right too.)

[Giulietta]

Labatt, is this what you're looking for??

[sailingdog]

They also sell a wide version of the self-fusing tape for use in making a mast boot.

[Sailormann]

If you use this stuff you can pretty well go with any mast boot ... it's the only thing that really keeps water out.

Spartite

[SimonV]

T37chef

TOILET PAPER WILL NOT WORK, I ASURE YOU.

[timebandit]

Juno
I don't know why you could not use the stuff that they glue in automobile windshield with to seal and then use anything to cover it. It is a urathane rubber.

[sailingdog]

SimonV-

I think he's showing someone using the 4" wide self-fusing tape sold for making mast boots... which works quite well... Toilet paper will definitely not work, not even the expensive two-layer stuff.

[hellosailor]

Urethane windshield sealant isn't meant for constant working motions. Rubber sheeting (self-bonding or plain) is designed for the motions so it will form a longer-lasting seal. Spartite is a different (and way more expensive, and a bit more complicated) way to go.