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medic54023 · Joined: 08 Aug 2008 Posts: 1

Hello all I am a new member to the world of Endeavour ownership
I have just bought a beautiful Endeavour 35 that my wife (Dianne) myself (Rob) and our yellow lab (Schooner) sail out of Upper Canada Village
On the St. Lawrence River Just East of the 1000 islands and Kingston Ontario. I have heard of issues with the mast step on these boats because of electrolisis and the combination of different metals and salt water. Mine is in very good shape with some spalling. just incase I have been intouch with a "Master mold maker" in the marine industry and he has suggested a fix that is very interesting I have heard a simillar fix used before by filling the bildge with concrete? or epoxie? and putting a rubber hose down first to allow water to pass from bow to stern his estimate on the repair is $1200 Canadian and uses neither epoxie or concrete but a special compound used in the molding industry that is amazingly strong
and durable. He showed me a piece of the stuff that had been outside and half submerged in the ground for 5 Canadian winters and showed no deteriation or weakening at all. I am thinking that it might be a good idea to go ahead with the process as an insurance policy now just to have the peice of mind and to head off any future problems that might arise in that area
what do you guys think Pro Con

Can't wait for spring
Take care
Rob

endvr32 · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:33 pm Post subject:

Sounds like a very interesting solution but, if it isn't broke, why fix it?
_________________
Paul Uhl
Endeavour Owners Forum
www.endeavourowners.com

Captjd · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:48 pm Post subject: mast step

I agree with Phil. Why go to that expensive if it is strong and in good condition. Save your $$$. There will be lots of opportunity to spend money soon.

John D. DeGroot
S/V Distant Voyager
Northport Michigan

Dick Caswell · Joined: 29 Jul 2007 Posts: 2 Location: League City, Texas

I owned an E35 for ten years and never had any issues with the mast step. I also heard this would be a problem but I kept the bildge clean and dry and checked the area regularly with no corrosion ever found.

I agree that you will have plenty of opportunities to spend money, this may not be one to chase.

Dick Caswell
S/V Island Time
E42

rjhld · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 6

Hi Rob,
As a fellow 35 owner I do have a mast step problem. I just bought the boat back in August and the two problems that came up at survey was a wet hull now being fixed with a peel and vinyl ester reasin and a also the caroded mast step. I would be very interested in knowing your contact and what piece he can fabricate for the step. I believe Rig-Rite is the company that has taken stock of the mast and boom company Kenyon that has gone out of business. They may also have a solution for the step. I have not contacted them as yet. The mast removal, painting boom and mast is next years project for me.
Best.
Bob

JMadden · Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Kirkland, WA

Hi Rob,

Welcome as a new owner of an E35.

Your idea of doing some modification to the mast step is a good idea if: you're doing some other work on the mast and rigging which will require pulling the mast or if you are considering doing some extended cruising that requires a rig that is of known condition. Having said that...

I have an E35 that had a mast step that was submerged from water entering by the mast and the chain pipe. There wasn't any way to keep it dry. So, two years ago I had my mast pulled with several things being done to the boat. At that time I had the area under the mast step raised by 1 1/2". The material of choice was West System Epoxy with high density filler. The characteristic of interest is the compression strength and the WS epoxy is approximately 10000 psi. We used a 1" pvc pipe to make a new limber hole transition from the mast step down to the bilge area. A gutter was cut into the epoxy filler under the mast step to make a connecting drain. The entire bilge area around the mast step was painted out with epoxy barrier coat to seal out water. If you raise the mast step you must remember by how much, and cut off the base of the mast to compensate or your rigging will not match.

There are a couple of thoughts on cutting off the mast. It must be square and not tilt or rock on the step. This will will aid during rig tuning. If you're performance minded then the bottom of the mast can be cut with a slight curve fore to aft to allow for raking the mast. This of course is more complicated matter.

By adding the job of raising the mast step to the other tasks I added $333(us) to the total. If I had done the job seperately it would have been around $900(us)

This system has worked well in keeping the mast step dry. Any water that drains to the mast step is channeled into the bilge. Without any standing water the area drys quickly.

FYI the day that the boat yard pulled the mast out the crane lifted the boat 10" out of the water before the mast released from the mast step. The corrosion may have glued the mast and mast step, but the mast step integrty and strength was just fine. The mast step was still usable after sand blasting and got the same epoxy barrier coating.

This was my situation with my E35 and I had other issues that called for pulling the mast. If the step is dry and has been dry most of its life there is little need to go further than an inspection.

Jim

_________________
Jim
Blessing; E-35 #115; Kirkland, WA