[C320-list] Mast water leak.

[Marek Fluder]

Well, I have blasted the bottom of the mast with water from the hose. Some
gunk did come out. Today a good squall line came through while I was on the
boat and some water showed up coming at the foot of the compression post in
the cabin. Until I see what the design of the mast plate is it is hard to
judge, but have a feeling it is a bit "under- designed" in this aspect. We
should not be diligently keeping  the draining passages clear to avoid some
water showing up inside the boat. When I unstep the mast at the end of the
season I will most likely put some extra drainage at the foot.
Thank you all for your contribution.
Marek
#1028
On Sep 5, 2014 8:52 AM, <wflowe3 at aim.com> wrote:

>
>  Thanks for your concern but I'm pretty confident that propane is pretty
> well secured with the both the solenoid and valve on the bottle closed.  I
> haven't used the stove or oven for a very long time. The bottle is in a
> cockpit locker that I thought (could be wrong) vented to the outside.
>
> Thanks again
> Bill
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Doug Treff <doug at treff.us>
> To: c320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
> Sent: Thu, Sep 4, 2014 3:43 pm
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Mast water leak.
>
>
> On 2014-09-04 13:03, wflowe3 at aim.com wrote:
> > My way of drying the bilge is to use a small wet/dry shop vacuum that
> > I have modified the suction end of the hose;
>
> I hate to be alarmist, but you are taking a big chance vacuuming your
> bilge with a shop vac. While it's true that diesel vapors are pretty
> hard to ignite, remember that propane is heavier than air and we all
> have propane on our C320's unless they have been refitted with another
> stove fuel source. Any propane that is leaking on the boat will settle
> in the lowest point if the bilge. EXACTLY where you're putting that
> vacuum. And shop-vacs are not spark-protected devices.
>
> And if you've got an outboard or a generator on your boat, there's
> always a small possibility that there could be gasoline fumes down there
> depending on where you store your fuel.
>
> Be VERY CAREFUL! At the very minimum, please run your engine blower for
> 10 minutes before you attempt this.
>
> I know it's messy, but you really should put on a pair of rubber gloves
> and sponge out what the bilge pump won't get. Its the safest way.
>
> ---
> Doug Treff
> doug at treff.us
>
>
>
>