Tom,
many C&C 36 and 38 from around that year have had similar problems. I
have the same model and year of boat as you have, and I am relatively new to it
as well.
Part of what your are experiencing is just the "natural" reshaping and relaxing
of the hull and deck in response to stress over time. When in the water, the
weight of the keel and the load of the rig tension pushes the mast step and the
hull surrounding the keel down relative to the rest of the boat. The mast
straps, (which are occasionally and erroneously referred to as the partners),
are attached to the deck and pull it down to the extent that the mast step
moves down relative to the rest of the boat. When the boat is out of the water
these forces are either relieved (rig tension) or reversed (keel weight) and
the boat will take a few days to settle in again once back in the water. These
effects need to be taken into account before considering any remedial or
restorative action. Jacking up the mast a little bit to get the bolts in may be
the best solution if it is not too far. A small amount of load on the deck may
not be a bad thing. On my boat I think it is a bit too far since the deck
appears to be depressed around the mast collar by more than 1/2 an inch.
I can not see anything wrong with the transverse wood and fibreglass supports
immediately ahead of and behind the mast step box. What I have been told is
that sometimes the space under the box was filled with more or less random bits
of wood. fibreglass, and resin to build up a support platform, and that the
sinking mast syndrome in that case is due to that wood rotting and probably not
structural in any sense other than the loss of a shim under the mast. I have
not decided what to do with mine yet, but there is a 1978 C&C 38 at our club
which had a piece of aluminum plate cut to fit inside the step box, and it has
worked fine for a couple of decades now. That will be my solution unless I find
a good reason not to do it.
I too would welcome further information or experience from others who have
dealt with the same problem on the same or very similar boats.
Steve Thomas
1980 C&C36
Merritt Island, Fl
----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Alessi via CnC-List
To: [email protected]
Cc: Tom Alessi
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2016 12:30
Subject: Stus-List mast collar straps
Hi,
This is my first season sailing after a season on the hard doing repairs.
When the yard re-stepped the mast the holes on the metal straps that bolt
through the mast no longer align. The holes on the mast are lower by 3/8". As
part of the rehab I had removed the mast collar. so I initially thought that I
used too much caulking in the installation. I removed the collar and scrapped
away all the caulking but the holes are still off. I wasn't there when the yard
had originally took out the mast so I'm not sure if there was anything under
the mast causing it to be slightly higher. I'm relunctant to drill a new set of
holes.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thx
Tom Alessi
S/V ANDIAMO
C&C 36, 1980
Rockaway Bch, NY
646-283-1580
[email protected]
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