Plugging The Leaks...

[backcreeksailor]

Among the plethora of other things I'm sorting out before splash is the issue of the bilge ending up with a good 2-3 gallons of new rain water in it every time there's been a heavy rain.

So I went into today with my trusty flashlight while a steady downpour of rain was soaking the boat. I found some minor leaks at the common culprit locations like at the port lights, some minor leaking at the cockpit hatches, and a trickle or two down the outside of the mast. But what I found was that my main culprit seems to be INSIDE the mast...

I noticed a steady dripping stream of water that was traveling down the mast wiring from above, which is riding along the mast wiring until it exits the mast through an access hole near the mast step. From there, the wire bends upward and at the bottom of the bend, drip... drip... drip...

I've never really seen the top of a mast and how the wiring for the gear up there enters. So is there a cap on the top and are the wiring entry points supposed to be sealed ?

What other methods of entry would be likely culprits for funneling so much water down inside the mast ?

[padean]

Likely a small hole in the top of the mast. Not uncommon. I have a couple of openings, but my mast is deck stepped with good drainage so I don't have to worry about it.

If you haven't gone up the mast, it is a good experience and usually fun (afterwards). Take a ride up and see what you are dealing with.

That said, it seems like "2-3 gallons" in the bilge is probably not all from a small mast opening. It could be that several sources add up, unless you have a completely open masthead or another source of water entry. With that much water, it seems possible that water is being funneled into the boat from a deck source.

[sailingdog]

That's the problem with keel stepped masts.. There are a lot of ways water can come down the mast... one thing that a lot of people have done is added an internal dam to the mast, that blocks most of the water coming down the mast and lets it drain out on deck. This is often done by adding a foam or epoxy dam inside the mast and angling it so that no water will collect inside the mast.

If you have internal halyards, the halyard exit slots are a good source of water getting in the mast. The main sail track is often another source of water getting down below.

Originally Posted by backcreeksailor

Among the plethora of other things I'm sorting out before splash is the issue of the bilge ending up with a good 2-3 gallons of new rain water in it every time there's been a heavy rain.

So I went into today with my trusty flashlight while a steady downpour of rain was soaking the boat. I found some minor leaks at the common culprit locations like at the port lights, some minor leaking at the cockpit hatches, and a trickle or two down the outside of the mast. But what I found was that my main culprit seems to be INSIDE the mast...

I noticed a steady dripping stream of water that was traveling down the mast wiring from above, which is riding along the mast wiring until it exits the mast through an access hole near the mast step. From there, the wire bends upward and at the bottom of the bend, drip... drip... drip...

I've never really seen the top of a mast and how the wiring for the gear up there enters. So is there a cap on the top and are the wiring entry points supposed to be sealed ?

What other methods of entry would be likely culprits for funneling so much water down inside the mast ?