i have a 16' prindle...the former owner had pop riveted the mast base that sits on the mast cradle to the mast at the base..overtime the elements must have gotten to the former base because it cracked in two last year while trying to put the mast up..i was fortunate enough to find a new one and glued it in place with gorilla glue...when trying to lift the mast up this year the base popped out....so now i'm left with a mast i can't get in place because the base pops out when under pressure in the lifting phase. so i found some marine aluminum epoxy putty that you can knead and activate that i'm thinking might bond the base when i insert it in the base of the mast..but won't have a chance to do that until next week so I thought I would put this out there for anyone that might have some suggestions!! HELP ;)
ThanQ
Jefff

I am not 100% sure what you are talking about but glue nor epoxy are the correct way to secure a mast base to a beam nor a mast base to a mast

you need to rivet (or bolt) these items together, and even then, these areas will need attention with time and use



Edited by MN3 on Jul 05, 2017 - 08:27 AM.

Quote

you need to rivet (or bolt) these items together, and even then, these areas will need attention with time and use

I Agree! The most scary and dangerous situation I ever experienced was related to that:
My first boat was a project cat and the mast base casting wasn't properly riveted to the mast extrusion (not exactly the same but very similar). One day I was pushing the boat to the water, stupidly and without noticing I pushed from the mast, right above the mast base. The mast base rotated over the ball and popped out of the mast. Fortunately the mast dropped vertically to the tramp without cutting through it and it didn't fall instantly. I quickly got help from people around me and managed to lower it. The beach was full of people, I could have killed someone easily.

The mast base on most beachcats is riveted to the mast....



just as mast step (cradle) is riveted to front crossbeam...



Over time, the elements and electrolysis (the chemical reaction between 2 dissimilar elements/metals) erode the connection and requires attention as in 1st pic above. Please do NOT use any type of glue, rather, look through 'Catamaran Technical Tips' under the Photo Albums tab up top for ways to repair your current problem, tons of good advice.