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Rainwater coming down the mast

Martyn

Member II
I bought my E28-200 last September and the seller warned me that after rains I needed to manually remove water that collected in the bilge below the mast. He said rain makes its way down the mast into the bilge. Is this normal or is there something I should check and maintain at the top of the mast to prevent water infiltration?
Thank you!
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I bought my E28-200 last September and the seller warned me that after rains I needed to manually remove water that collected in the bilge below the mast. He said rain makes its way down the mast into the bilge. Is this normal or is there something I should check and maintain at the top of the mast to prevent water infiltration?
Thank you!
Your model and mine have keel stepped spars. Stronger and lighter than a cabin stepped spar. Each spar system has some drawbacks, and ours does indeed allow rain water to drip down the inside of the spar section and accumulate in the adjacent bilge. We sometimes get big rain storms in western Oregon, and after several days I can remove over a quart of water from the bilge.
Note that wind driven rain will enter at every sheave and around all four of the spreader roots.
Different sort of "leak" but the one point of water entry that you DO want to keep sealed is the outside of the spar where it comes down thru the house top. Any water that sneaks in there will often flow above the inside headliner and cause multiple points of mischief.
Link to our sealing regimen: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/ubs/mast-wedges-gaiter-kenyon-o-34.940/

Some owners ignore water in their bilges that is below the pickup point for the bilge pump float. I dislike any loose water inside because it vaporizes and feeds the growth of mold/mildew. I clean the bilge out weekly with a turkey baster...... :)
 

Martyn

Member II
Super helpful Loren, thank you so much. I'm with you... the water in the bilge gives me anxiety and I keep it as dry as possible :). I'm located in Costa Rica where we have 6 months of heavy rains (on average about 6' over that period) and 6 months of completely dry weather, so I'll be doing a lot of bilge pumping these months.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Keep the mast drain open. If it clogs a column of water builds up inside the mast, as I found out.

Normal:

 
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