Broken piece in mast step

[wenqiangwang]

Hi everyone,

I am a fresh new Triton owner of hull # 364. Has been following Triton for quite a while and finally bought one. There is a long list items need fix, and on top is a broken piece near mast step. It is not the step itself and not the mast either. It is a piece of aluminum in the middle. I asked around and people don't have unified name for it. Do you know where I can get a replacement for the part?

Thanks!

[atomvoyager]

We can call that the mast base shoe or plug. I don't think you'll find any aluminum off-the-shelf replacement. Other than taking your parts and mast pattern to a metal fab shop to see what they can custom make, it's possible to build your own plug. Once you have the mast down I'd cut the bottom 3/4" - 1" off the mast if needed to get to clean metal and to remove the broken plug that may have welded itself to the mast wall from corrosion. You'll recover the lost height by replacing the corroded base and adding to its height or the new plug can be thicker. Then cut the shape of the mast section I.D. from multiple pieces of G10 or make your own epoxy/fiberglass board that goes up inside the mast about 1.5" similar to what the guy linked below did to fix his Vega.

http://americanvagrant.com/sailboat-mast-base-repair/

Yours is different than his though so you could make the bottom layer of G10 2" longer and wider than the mast section and glue/bolt that to the upper layers of G10 that penetrate the mast. That way you recovered the lost metal you cut off the mast and can add four bolts in the corners of the shoe that go down into the deck-mounted base. If you don't do that then you need to come up with a way to replace the mortise and tenon-type joint you may currently have. I wouldn't just glue a mortise together because it might crack under load and let the mast move. You need it bolted as well as glued or you'd have to have a solid fiberglass plug with the glass cloth fibers running vertically to take resist sheering. Probably better to do the larger flange as described above.

[wenqiangwang]

Hi James,

Thanks for your quick response. That sounds a good plan. Please let me confirm my understanding: Have a larger piece of fiberglass pad under tha mask to support its weight; on top of the larger piece, put a smaller piece of fiberglass pad which goes inside of the mast tube; then bolt and glue the two pieces together on to the mast step. Is that correct? If so, how to bolt into the aluminum mast step? Do I need to drill holes in it and make the threads myself?

It sounds like a challenging project. So before diving to it, do you think it is a critical that must be fixed? When I look at the plug, I noticed that plug still has the mortise and tenon part in there. Please see attached photo.

[atomvoyager]

Yes the wider piece supports the weight but also gives you a flange to use for the four bolts that secure it to the step. Those bolts can be through bolted where you have clearance underneath around the beam or you tap say 5/16" threads into the base. The trickiest part may be tapping the threads because if not careful you can break a tap and then you're screwed. Also, using the fiberglass flange instead of replacing with aluminum means you also have to be careful when stepping not to put too much load on the flange when the mast is still at an angle to the step and has a point load trying to crack it. That's why it needs to be at least a 1/2" thick and well secured. If the assembly looks strong enough to you then keep using it as is and monitor the base of the mast for cracks or movement. When it gets worse, which could take years, you can replace it then.

[wenqiangwang]

Got that. Thanks. I will take off the mast and look at the base to determine if need to fix it.