Spartite

[Bolo]

After all of the recent rain, cause leaks around our mast, and a note from my marine surveyor that our E-32 III needs mast wedges I found the product Spartite. I've tried to access their web site but it appears to be down. So, has anyone ever used this product or other similar products to cure mast leaking? Also, I'm taking about leaking around the outside of the mast and not necessarily through it. I've seen posts on this site about those sorts of leaks and that is not the problem I'm having with mine.

Bob
Vesper
E32-3 Hull 722
Annapolis

 

[wurzner]

Bob,

I have not used it, but am planning on doing so over the next month or so. From everyone I spoken with, it is the best way to go. I'll monitor the thread to see what others say but believe this is the best option.
shaun

 

[u079721]

YMMV, but the Spartite ring around my mast did NOT keep the water out.
It's still a great product, and worth doing - I just don't think it will solve both problems.

BUT, our Spartite ring had to be moved every year (up and down a few inches) as we pulled the stick each season. Putting the stick in involved first stepping the mast on the keel, then pounding the ring down around the mast into the deck. If you cast it in place, and then never distube it, I can well imagine that it could keep the water out.

 

[CaptnNero]

it don't mean a thing if you don't seal that ring ?

...If you cast it in place, and then never distube it, I can well imagine that it could keep the water out.

This reminds me of something a rigger told me today while we were sitting at the rail during a race. He said that often when pulling the rig they have problems with Spartite that was installed without using a releasing agent. So when they go to the pull the rig the Spartite ring stays in place on the stick. Some boats have a separate collar bedded to the cabintop that they have to remove with the Spartite and mast. Then the collar has to be rebedded when the stick is stepped.

When the Spartite ring is moved on the mast and re-used maybe one could apply some 3M 4200 bedding at the interfaces to re-establish the disturbed seal.

 

[u079721]

I would be interested to hear how other folks with Spartite rings deal with the ring when they pull their masts.

I would actually have expected the ring to stay in place on the mast, which is what always happened with ours. Part of the spring launch checklist was to spread Vaseline over the inside collar of the mast step to make it easier to pound the Spartite ring down in place once the mast was resting on the keel. I had the hammer and a punch ready to go the moment the mast was in place, since this had to be done BEFORE you put any of the stays in place. I learned the hard way that any tension on any of the stays would keep the ring from sliding down the mast and seating properly.

In my case the only way I found to seal the mast from leaks was to put a bead of silicone underneath the PVC mast collar each time I stepped the mast. I would put the bead right where the top of the collar would rest once it was firmly in place, then slide the collar down over the silicone. Most of the silicone just squished down the mast out of the way, but enough got inside the semi rigid PVC collar to do the job. I would then finish up with many wraps of self amalgamating tape over the top edge of the mast collar, and that was it.

 

[Nigel Barron]

I have used Spartite quite a few times. Couple things. Spartite is not designed to stop mast leaks. Spartite was made for carbon masts. With an aluminium mast, you can use mast wedges, whereas a carbon mast really hates point loads, hence the Spartite.

When Spartite does leak, it is usually water dripping down the groove in the mast for the main to slide into. We have found an effective way to stop this is the fill the grove where you are going to spartite with plexus or some other fast curing epoxy, and then spartite around it. It makes sure that the groove is filled with something first and you don't have to worry if spartite got in the grove. It is also a great way to make sure your clay dam is not going to leak spartite down the mast into the boat from that area.

 

[dcoyle]

I had spartite intalled by a rigger at the end of season 2 years ago, cost around $300-400. Heard stories about dam leaking and epoxy migrating to places it shoudnt be or the liquid epoxy burping and making small messes on deck so I paid the man. I like the product better than the wedges used before. The epoxy ring does need to be pounded back into place when the mast is stepped, and this year plan on pounding it out before the crane starts pulling to unstep as last year the mast moved before the spartite ring was free and some cables were sheared off where they exit the mast. I still use rubber from a tire inner tube along with hose clamps and a tube of clear silicon to seal the mast-partner. That joint has never leaked, however the mast partner was leaking when the boat was purchased, rebbedding solved that problem. The rigger told me at install not to count on a water tight seal just from spartite.

 

[Sailsteve]

I've used spartite on my J-24 and my E36RH and really like it. If you do it according to the instructions it all works like a charm and makes a decent seal with the mast at the partners. When set it should adhere to the mast and not the boat, and it can be removed easily. It does not seem to degrade in sunlight and keeps the boat drive.

I have a couple of tips...
1) when getting ready to pour the mixed parts make very sure you have a tightly sealed base for the stuff to set in. Before it sets it has the consistency of motor oil and will find any unplugged leak and drip down into the boat. It hardens within twenty minutes of mixing, but those first few moments after you pour you don't want to have anything leaking.

2) Make sure the mast is in the proper postion in the partners. After the Spartite sets it will never move again.

3) Make sure that you follow the instructions about lubricating the boat properly. If you do that the mast will come in and out without any trouble.

4) Try to avoid making the Spartite pour lower or flush with the deck area around it. If you do that water will inevitably puddle there and find a way to drip into the boat. Before pouring I built up a edge ridge of masking tape around deck step hole. When the stuff sets you have a higher than flush cap over the seam between the boat and the mast.

This is really great stuff.

Steve Schwartz
E-36RH GLORY DAYS
J/24 ALIAS

 

[vbenn]

The PO installed Spartite on my 380. It does not stop mast leaks due to having been moved several times when the mast was stepped over the years. This past spring, the yard re-stepped the mast, applied plenty of silicone sealand around the top of the mast collar, then installed a rubber mast collar boot. During heavy rains, water leaked like a faucet onto the salon table and cabin sole. We eventually traced the leak to the sail track. A few applications of the penetrating silicone sealant found in most auto parts stores solved the problem. At this point, the Spartite serves only to center the mast and act as a buffer between the mast and the deck opening.

Vince Benn
Wild Blue

 

[Loren Beach]

Keep in mind that Spartite exists to do one thing really well: replace your old mast wedges. Keeping water out is way down the "secondary benefit" list, although it *can* reduce the flow considerably due to very small space that water can still get through.

A good mast boot is still your first line of defense.

Silicone around the Spartite seam is good, too. At least you can razor blade out the silicone when it is time to pull the spar again.

Loren

 

[Bolo]

Not using Spartite

Finally was able to get to my boat today (work keeps getting in the way ) after I ordered Spartite through West Marine. But after I took the wood trim peice down, on the mast inside the cabin, and pulled the old boot off I saw that there were plenty of mast wedges in place. We just bought our 32 a few months ago and the surveyor said that there were no mast wedges. Strange for a guy who has years of experiance. I don't know how he missed them but then again I only saw them after opening the area up.

My original intent was to put some sort of wedging material in there and maybe at the same time stop the mast from leaking. But after seeing that the wedges were indeed in place and that there was a hole in the mast that a cable went through, and this was smack in the middle of the area I'd have to pour the Spartite into, I decided to just check the wedges and put a new boot on. The Spartite would have leaked into the mast around the wires and when I need to pull the mast someday the cable would be incased in the Spartite.

I was able to return the Spartite to my local West Marine for a full refund, and like Martha says, that was a good thing.

Bob

 

[Loren Beach]

My '88 Kenyon spar was wedged with teak and my mast wiring also came out of a drilled hole that was just above the interior head liner. What with the teak "collar" around the mast on the inside it was all quite tidy.

OTOH, my spar had only four wedges, one per side. I used the Dremel tool to carve some more small ones to fill in all the gaps, about a years after we bought her.

I was also, at one time, interested in going with Spartite, but after measuring the clearance around the spar and talking it over with one of their technitions, they told me that there really was not enough room for their system to function well.

Interesting how similar our boats are at the cabin top/mast area.

Loren in PDX
Olson 34 #8

 

[Mike Loft]

Wedges?

If you were going to describe the wedges to someone who might make a new "set," how would you describe them? After my mast was lifted I saw what was left of the "wedges," but the pieces were so small and almost randomly shaped that I really don't know how many wedges are needed or how they are supposed to be shaped. Thanks, Mike.