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Hi everyone
When I went to check on the coppercoat antifouling on the hull whilst on the hard I spotted a slight hairline crack under where the hardwood mast support attached to the bulkhead joins the hull.
Doom and gloom I thought , what on earth caused it and how on earth could I repair it. After asking a surveyor to examine it and him having no idea what caused it I started thinking.
There was no indication of mast movement and compression on the deck so it is or was a puzzle. What I think now happened is that a small pocket of moisture crept into the base of the wood and froze during the very cold spell. It has blown out a small piece of the hull about the size of a small saucer and caused a slight fracture.
Does anybody know how the hard wood interfaces with the hull. Is there another block underneath it ? Its a Seaforth 1980
I’m trying to get a picture of it so as to help the guy decide how to repair it. I really don’t want to take the mast down or have him grind away inside the boat but it all depends on how it is all fixed together. I think moisture has ingressed into the interface due to a drain tube from the anchor locker to the bilge which runs alongside. He has ground it back and drilled a few small holes on it and a fair amount of water and soft wood spilled out
Has anyone come across this before?.
I’m trying to avoid an insurance claim which I expect would rule out the rest of the season.Hi Paul, it’s easier to have our discussion via text on this one. I’ve sent you a picture of Seabirds set up.
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If it’s what you think it is, there is no easy way of tackling this.
Our son, who is a yacht surveyor, advises: From the limited photo and description it looks as though the mast will have to come off to relieve the pressure from the compression post. The compression post will have to have to come out. The compression post support block, which is bonded to the hull, will have to be ground back to reveal the extent of the moisture damage to the wooden inner support of the compression block. This will then have to be cleaned away and dried which should reveal the view of the internal crack. This crack, both internally and externally, can then be repaired and a new wooden mast support block bonded into place. The mast support can then be re-fitted and the mast stepped once again. Again, this advice is given without doing a visual inspection and with limited knowledge of the area in question.
Chris Nixon – Technical Officer
A way of solving such a problem in the future (water ingress from the anchor locker) is to create a drainage outlet through the hull from the anchor locker.
Thanks Mike and Chris
I had intended to fit a drain to the anchor locker and I’m so cross with myself that I hadn’t done it earlier.
I did expect the mast to come down although hoping it wouldn’t have to.
With the information gathered I will contact the surveyor again and discuss it with him.
The problem is getting people to work on it. All the riggers are busy until late June so Ill just have to wait. I’m paying marina fees as well as yard fees so its getting expensive.
I haven’t thought about an insurance claim. Would this be something that they would consider ?
Hopefully I can at least get a month or two on the water before summer goes
Ill let you know how it goes.
Its an interesting one !
Thanks again
Paul
I feel your pain trying to get someone to work on it. The yard lead time on my insurance repair was 8 months during the warmest summer in years. 😕
Finally after 12 months or more out of the water and in the yard the hull has now been repaired. It has been a long drawn out process involving more than one specialist shipwright at least two surveyors and a very obdurate insurance claims assessor. I hope to have it back in the water in the next few weeks. The lesson learnt is whenever ashore on the hard drain every single drop of water out from every single nook and cranny and at the first sign of frost put a heater in.
The quote for the work was ridiculously high when I mentioned that I may go through the insurance. When the insurance company refused to accept the claim amazingly the quote became more realistic. Anyway to cut a long story short they agreed to pay out 25% of the repair as they maintained that sub zero damage was only one of a possible four reasons for it.
Be persistent with any claim if you feel you have a good case as the insurance company hope that you will run out of steam and drop the case. You will get something back.
Anyway with a big hole in my pocket its now time to move on.
When the mast was removed and the support post cut back it was a surprise to find how flimsy and small the support plate was at the inside hull surface. Its certainly something to be aware of. It now has a thick plate of hardwood that should last .
Another thing to look out for which may also have been a contributing factor was the shower tray which had obviously leaked at the bulkhead and also at the drain. This dripped down to the base of the mast support. I would make sure that its well sealed where it is close to the bulkhead and replace the drain and any hoses at the first sign of a leak.
Mike Hotard very kindly sent me a photo of his mast support when he was having his repair done. It is a different setup to mine which is a Trident boat and the Macwester built version actually appears more robust. Any Trident built owners out there it may be worth a routine inspection.
Hopefully now I can return to the water and start to contribute to the forum . Any body who has any issues with their Seaforth I can relate to and may even be able to help. I still love the boat.
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