fixing a wooden mast step

[gail stubber]

Help,

i have a beautiful mast step of about 6ft long of Mahogany. She has been allowed to rot under the mast area.

a better picture - the wood is roughly 6ft long, about 1 1/2 ft thick at the section where the mast touches the step. the rest of it to the back of the boat graduates away.

The mast housing on the deck was left perished and so water has been getting on the step ( over ten years I think). Anyway , the port side of the step has about a hand span down of rot and about 3 inches in towards the centre of the wood.

------depth compromised-..........................................
width compromised 3inches
full depth
-------------------------------..........................................

mast sits this area graduates away


hope my sketch helps.

What I would like some help with is how to cut the wood to keep it strong for the mast - 22.3metrs

I am not taking out the whole step - just trying to find away to save as much as possible of this wonderful wood and put in some more mahogany sipo or oak.

please if anyone has some ideas.

regards
gail

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Been there.

Mine was oak. Same cause, same symptoms.

Removed the lot and replaced in teak.

I certainly advise doing the same - a patch of rot there is the very last thing you want. I had to renew two frame ends that had softened but luckily that was all.

[Woxbox]

Yes -- it's critical that you remove the entire step and examine what has or hasn't been going on underneath it. Then make a new one -- not a big deal, really -- and put her back together.