[Public-List] [Fwd: Fwd: Public-List Digest, Vol 1394, Issue 1]

[George Dinwiddie]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Fwd: [Public-List] Public-List Digest, Vol 1394, Issue 1
Date: 	Mon, 3 Nov 2008 14:41:47 +0000 (UTC)
From: 	crufone at comcast.net
To: 	gdinwiddie at alberg30.org

Hi Geroge,

Would you please post this to the Public List?  It has bounced as being
too long and I was not able to snip off the original message.   Thanks,

Michael
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: crufone at comcast.net
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
Sent: Monday, November 3, 2008 9:23:35 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Public-List Digest, Vol 1394, Issue 1

Jeff,



I have hull #133.  I have not removed the lower mast step plate, but
this is my understanding of how it is assembled.  Both the port and
starboard bolts of the middle (fore and aft) pair pass thru into the
wooden mast beam.  The nuts for these you will find under the bungs on
the lower surface of the wooden mast beam. The fore and aft pairs of
bolts are only threaded into the upper glass surface of the coach roof.
To me this is the chicken or the egg scenario.  I suspect that the thru
bolting to the mast beam was just a production procedure used to help
install and properly locate the mast beam.  Because of this thru
bolting, the remaining two pairs of bolts are used mainly to position
the base plate and help keep it from rotating, thus they only need to
penetrate into the glass some 1/2".



In theory the mast beam functions as an 'I' beam.  The strength of an
'I' beam is created by the web that holds the two horizontal surfaces of
the 'I' in alignment.   Bolting the lower mast step plate directly thru
the center-line (fore and aft) as well as close to center-line (port to
starboard) of this wooden mast beam would, in my book, severely weaken
this 'web' and the beams function as a weight bearing 'I' beam.



In the future I plan to completely remove my mast beam and relaminate
it, returning it to the boat in its original form.  I will consider
somehow filling in the thru holes on the center pair of mast plate bolts
to increase the strength of the

wooden beam.  It is my thinking that the thru botls provide the
possibility of yet another leak into the interior and may NOT be
necessary to hold the lower mast plate in location.  I may come up with
a solution that has this pair of bolts go into the mast beam but not
thru it.  With the additional two pairs of bolts into the glass of the
coach roof and something like 4200 sealant or bedding compound I don't
think the mast plate will rotate or slide around from its intended location.



Hope this helps you some with your project.



Michael
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeffrey" <alberg30nh at gmail.com>
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
Sent: Monday, November 3, 2008 7:47:10 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Public-List Digest, Vol 1394, Issue 1

On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 5:46 PM, <Wcwinslow at aol.com> wrote:

  > The standard way to keep  bolts and screws from leaking into a core
is  to
  > drill a large hole then the bolt or  screw, fill it with epoxy and then
  >  drill
  > the hole in the epoxy.
  >
  > Bill Winslow



Thanks Bill. That's my intention.  This spring before the paint went on, I
removed every bit of hardware, overdrilled, epoxy filled and re-drilled. The
mast step is the last opening I have that's a threat to the core.

I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I start though.  No older boat
owners reading the list remove the mast step??

-Jeff
1965 Alberg 30 #116
http://picasaweb.google.com/fongemie