Dorade or Mast Collar Leak

[Kenneth K]

Damn! I just finished a project replacing/re-bedding all the Dorade guard-rail bases and the port and starboard dorade drain tubes. Two months later (Seattle rainy season) I have a new leak. Unless the plastic dorade unit itself is cracked (which I can't see from below), I fear the leak's source may be the mast collar, which lies only a few inches aft.


The plywood core in the vicinity of the dorade has several curving-kerfs cut into it, so the water may be following the kerf-cuts from the mast to the dorade. You can see the soaked plywood in the picture below.


Anyone else experience this? Will I have to pull the mast if it's a mast collar leak?

 

[Bolo]

Being the owner of a E32-3 myself I‘m sure you realize that quite a lot of water can enter the mast and drain in the the mast bilge during a heavy rain. Not too long ago I had my mast pulled for repair and replacement of all of the standing and running rigging which included a new rubber (or some such plastic) mast boot. The water ingress through extra holes in the mast that were plugged was greatly reduced but in a heavy down pour rain water still makes it’s way into the mast/shower bilge which is pumped out via a diaphragm pump mounted in the stern but that’s another story. That all said I can’t see how water from the mast can be entering the Dorade area. Wouldn’t it need to go up hill at that point? Also the “wetness” you point out looks like cured epoxy to my eyes. Is it truly wet to the touch? If it is then I’d say that a crack in the Dorade box is more likely and I would’t even know how to begin with repairs if that is the case.

 

[Loren Beach]

I fear the leak's source may be the mast collar, which lies only a few inches aft.

I put up some information about sealing the mast penetration in my blog. Same Kenyon rig, probably. And likely the same deck molding and ss weldment.

O34 - Mast Wedges & Gaiter, (Kenyon spar, O-34)

Back a couple decades ago, I replaced the factory hardwood wedges. They had put in four, with longer ones on each side. There were "corner" areas with no wedging/support, and it seemed like there should be more continuous support all the way...

ericsonyachts.org

No leaks around our spar.
That said, the bilge still receives a quart or two of pure rain water down the inside of the spar during any significant storm. (There are a lot of places for rain to enter the spar with a double-spreader rig with multiple internal halyards.)

 

[Kenneth K]

Thanks for the comments, guys. And Loren, those are great pictures.

It's definitely water that's soaking the plywood core. I'm catching the drips in a plastic cup hanging below. Hard to tell, but I think it's still a slight downslope, or maybe near level, from the mast going forward to the dorade.


While I do get a lot of water inside my mast, I've never seen any water running down the outside of the mast below deck level, so I've assumed my mast boot is still intact and working. Guess I better check that next time I'm at the boat. The only other culprits still seem to be the plastic dorade assembly itself, or water getting beneath the flat, square stainless steel collar that's screwed/bolted to the deck. BTW, does anyone know if those are screw or through-bolts mounting the collar to the deck?

 

[Pete the Cat]

When I bought my Ericson a few years ago there was water collecting in the bilge under the mast. I spent some time looking for it, but never could trace it directly, but I did get it to stop--I even get negligible rain down the inside now. I found one leaky portlight frame (they had recently been replaced by a local boatyard), but most of the water was actually coming from the frames on the hatches and from the forward stanchion and pulpit bases. My thought is when I find water at the base of the mast, it is a process to determine where it originated--and it could be almost any place.

 

[Kenneth K]

but most of the water was actually coming from the frames on the hatches

Hadn't considered the hatches. Thanks.

 

[Loren Beach]

BTW, does anyone know if those are screw or through-bolts mounting the collar to the deck?

On our model, that SS collar was and is thru bolted. When doing the re-fit, I over-drilled/epoxy-filled/re-drilled those holes also.
PIcture here: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/ubs/prep-for-non-skid-other-details.890/
There is a plywood backer underneath, and that has rotted on a few E-boats when the owners had not re-bedded their fastenings. (It cannot be overemphasized how vital it is to re-bed all deck penetrations after 30 years. )