Cal 25 Mast Support

I recently purchased a 1976 Cal 25. I am in the process of fixing a few things before I put the boat in the water. The mast is down. The mast support beam appears to have dropped very slightly, although there is still some arch to it. It is solid below the mast step. I have pulled the the fore and aft trim pieces off of the mast support beam. The underside of the deck does not touch the top of the beam between the bulkheads and it appears that it never did as there are bits of what appear to be some kind of filler on the forward edge of the beam which are hard and not compressed while there is an eighth of an inch or so of clearance between the underside of the deck and the beam. The clearance of the aft side of the beam is less, perhaps a sixteenth of an inch. In trying to put a thin blade from fore to aft through the clearance, I am only able to go all the way through in a couple of places. I think I may have hit a screw from the mast step in one place. Is it possible that the screws holding the mast step go all the way from the step into the beam and are holding the deck below the mast step up off of the beam? I had planned to pull the mast step off and rebed it, but I'm concerned that the deck may move up or down from where it is now in relation to the beam if I take the screws out and I won't be able to get it back to the configuration that has worked for 30 years. The step, deck, and beam don't appear to have been disturbed since the boat was built, but I can't be sure. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Craig Blackstock

Go ahead and remove the screws. If they are long enough to go through the deck and hit the beam, then you should use shorter screws. It might not be a bad idea to fill the old screw holes completely with epoxy and redrill the holes to the appropriate depth for the shorter screws. Remember to THOROUGHLY bed the screws with a good marine sealant. Water infiltrating the mast pedestal can lead to a great many problems. Don't be concerned with minor relational difference between the beam and the deck as the screws are removed. This should pose no problem at all. Scott S. Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable Annapolis, MD >From: "budblack2002" <bu… [at] swbell.net> >Reply-To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com >To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com >Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 25 Mast Support >Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 18:17:59 -0000 > >I recently purchased a 1976 Cal 25. I am in the process of fixing a >few things before I put the boat in the water. The mast is down. The >mast support beam appears to have dropped very slightly, although >there is still some arch to it. It is solid below the mast step. I >have pulled the the fore and aft trim pieces off of the mast support >beam. The underside of the deck does not touch the top of the beam >between the bulkheads and it appears that it never did as there are >bits of what appear to be some kind of filler on the forward edge of >the beam which are hard and not compressed while there is an eighth of >an inch or so of clearance between the underside of the deck and the >beam. The clearance of the aft side of the beam is less, perhaps a >sixteenth of an inch. In trying to put a thin blade from fore to aft >through the clearance, I am only able to go all the way through in a >couple of places. I think I may have hit a screw from the mast step >in one place. Is it possible that the screws holding the mast step go >all the way from the step into the beam and are holding the deck below >the mast step up off of the beam? I had planned to pull the mast step >off and rebed it, but I'm concerned that the deck may move up or down >from where it is now in relation to the beam if I take the screws out >and I won't be able to get it back to the configuration that has >worked for 30 years. The step, deck, and beam don't appear to have >been disturbed since the boat was built, but I can't be sure. I'd >appreciate your thoughts. > >Craig Blackstock > > > >

Thanks for the reply. Do I need to be concerned that the underside of the deck does not rest on the top of the beam below the mast step? Or do you think the deck will come down and rest on the beam when the mast goes up? From the hard bits of stuff that now span the space in a few places between the deck and the beam which would have been crushed if the deck came down to rest on the beam, I'd say the deck wasn't resting on the beam when the rig was up. I'm loving this old boat, but it's things like this that keep me awake at night. Craig Blackstock --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Scott Sauvageot" <rxnumbercruncher@...> wrote: > > Go ahead and remove the screws. If they are long enough to go through the > deck and hit the beam, then you should use shorter screws. It might not be > a bad idea to fill the old screw holes completely with epoxy and redrill the > holes to the appropriate depth for the shorter screws. Remember to > THOROUGHLY bed the screws with a good marine sealant. Water infiltrating > the mast pedestal can lead to a great many problems. Don't be concerned with > minor relational difference between the beam and the deck as the screws are > removed. This should pose no problem at all. > > Scott S. > Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable > Annapolis, MD > > > >From: "budblack2002" budblack@... > >Reply-To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > >To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > >Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 25 Mast Support > >Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 18:17:59 -0000 > > > >I recently purchased a 1976 Cal 25. I am in the process of fixing a > >few things before I put the boat in the water. The mast is down. The > >mast support beam appears to have dropped very slightly, although > >there is still some arch to it. It is solid below the mast step. I > >have pulled the the fore and aft trim pieces off of the mast support > >beam. The underside of the deck does not touch the top of the beam > >between the bulkheads and it appears that it never did as there are > >bits of what appear to be some kind of filler on the forward edge of > >the beam which are hard and not compressed while there is an eighth of > >an inch or so of clearance between the underside of the deck and the > >beam. The clearance of the aft side of the beam is less, perhaps a > >sixteenth of an inch. In trying to put a thin blade from fore to aft > >through the clearance, I am only able to go all the way through in a > >couple of places. I think I may have hit a screw from the mast step > >in one place. Is it possible that the screws holding the mast step go > >all the way from the step into the beam and are holding the deck below > >the mast step up off of the beam? I had planned to pull the mast step > >off and rebed it, but I'm concerned that the deck may move up or down > >from where it is now in relation to the beam if I take the screws out > >and I won't be able to get it back to the configuration that has > >worked for 30 years. The step, deck, and beam don't appear to have > >been disturbed since the boat was built, but I can't be sure. I'd > >appreciate your thoughts. > > > >Craig Blackstock > > > > > > > > >

Hi again Craig! Where do you keep your boat? I didn't catch what part of the country you hail from. What is your sail number? So long as the deck core is solid (not soggy or rotten) and the beam is solid (again not soggy or rotten) then there shouldn't be a problem. How much space are we talking about? Also, another thing to consider doing is to take a 2x4 and a bottle jack, and gradually jacking the deck up about 1/4" so it lifts off the beam just a little further, allowing you to remove anything that has been wedged between the deck and beam. You would be amazed how small stuff can really separate the two. I really don't think this is a major concern. the mast pedestal and the beam are spreading the load out to the bulkheads. That is the most critical thing, that the load is distributed. A minute gap between deck and beam in the center shouldn't cause any worries. You mentioned that your beam has slightly settled in the center (ie no longer perfectly arched). As long as this is still solid (and not sagging in the middle) you should be fine. Another thing to remember about the Cal 25 rig is that the shrouds should not be guitar-string tight. When close hauled in a stiff breeze, the leeward shrouds should have a little bit of sag to them. This reduce stress on the deck/beam from reduced downward force exterted by the shrouds. When I purchased my 25, the shrouds were so tight that the mast pedestal was actually cracked and sinking into the deck. Charlie Husar (and most of the Annapolis fleet) tend to race with slightly loosened shrouds. I'm a lucky guy because I get to replace my deck core/beam this summer. I'm looking forward to the challenge. Cheers, Scott Sauvageot Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable Back Creek (Annapolis) MD ----- Original Message ----- From: budblack2002 To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 7:34 PM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Cal 25 Mast Support Thanks for the reply. Do I need to be concerned that the underside of the deck does not rest on the top of the beam below the mast step? Or do you think the deck will come down and rest on the beam when the mast goes up? From the hard bits of stuff that now span the space in a few places between the deck and the beam which would have been crushed if the deck came down to rest on the beam, I'd say the deck wasn't resting on the beam when the rig was up. I'm loving this old boat, but it's things like this that keep me awake at night. Craig Blackstock --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Scott Sauvageot" <rxnumbercruncher@...> wrote: > > Go ahead and remove the screws. If they are long enough to go through the > deck and hit the beam, then you should use shorter screws. It might not be > a bad idea to fill the old screw holes completely with epoxy and redrill the > holes to the appropriate depth for the shorter screws. Remember to > THOROUGHLY bed the screws with a good marine sealant. Water infiltrating > the mast pedestal can lead to a great many problems. Don't be concerned with > minor relational difference between the beam and the deck as the screws are > removed. This should pose no problem at all. > > Scott S. > Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable > Annapolis, MD > > > >From: "budblack2002" budblack@... > >Reply-To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > >To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > >Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 25 Mast Support > >Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 18:17:59 -0000 > > > >I recently purchased a 1976 Cal 25. I am in the process of fixing a > >few things before I put the boat in the water. The mast is down. The > >mast support beam appears to have dropped very slightly, although > >there is still some arch to it. It is solid below the mast step. I > >have pulled the the fore and aft trim pieces off of the mast support > >beam. The underside of the deck does not touch the top of the beam > >between the bulkheads and it appears that it never did as there are > >bits of what appear to be some kind of filler on the forward edge of > >the beam which are hard and not compressed while there is an eighth of > >an inch or so of clearance between the underside of the deck and the > >beam. The clearance of the aft side of the beam is less, perhaps a > >sixteenth of an inch. In trying to put a thin blade from fore to aft > >through the clearance, I am only able to go all the way through in a > >couple of places. I think I may have hit a screw from the mast step > >in one place. Is it possible that the screws holding the mast step go > >all the way from the step into the beam and are holding the deck below > >the mast step up off of the beam? I had planned to pull the mast step > >off and rebed it, but I'm concerned that the deck may move up or down > >from where it is now in relation to the beam if I take the screws out > >and I won't be able to get it back to the configuration that has > >worked for 30 years. The step, deck, and beam don't appear to have > >been disturbed since the boat was built, but I can't be sure. I'd > >appreciate your thoughts. > > > >Craig Blackstock > > > > > > > > > SPONSORED LINKS Boating sailing Sailing boat Sailing Boating ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS a.. Visit your group "Cal_Boats" on the web. b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks again, Scott. I'm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the boat will be on Keystone Lake, about twenty miles west of Tulsa. The boat's sail number is 1841. I bought the boat from a fellow in New Bern, North Carolina, bought a trailer in Columbus, George, drove to Georgia, picked up the trailer, drove to North Carolina to get the boat, and trailered it out here. The fellow who sold me the boat had previously lived near Annapolis where the boat was kept from 1976 until four or five years ago. The beam is solid except for the outer eight or nine inches on each side where it has rot. The deck is fine except for an area on the starboard side around the chainplate where tapping on the underside of the deck tells you that there is rot in the deck core in an area from the edge of the deck in about ten inches and about ten inches both fore and aft of the chain plate. The top side of the deck in that area is not soft. There is also rot in the very outboard edges of the bulkheads on both sides. The bulkheads both seem to be solid otherwise. I'm satisfied that the bulkheads will hold the chainplates adequately once they are fortified with some Git-Rot. I've stopped the leaks around the chainplates. I've read extensively on the Internet about the problems with the deck and beam on Cal 25's. Some bozo siliconed, puttied, and painted all over the beam ends in the hope, and I'll be charitable, that it wouldn't get any worse. I've removed the trim and a bunch of putty from around the beam and bulkhead sides. Unless somebody smarter than I (which is most everybody) tells me that I'm doing the wrong thing, I plan on injecting Git-Rot into the beam ends and the area on the deck where I've found rot. I can't see replacing the entire beam because of the rot in the ends and I the idea of trying to replace the rotted area of the plywood in the deck, which spans the starboard nine inches of the end of the beam seems overkill for the problem. If I have to replace the deck and the beam later, I suspect a Sawsall and 50 grit sandpaper on a power sander will take care of the parts epoxied to the deck. May have to have new chainplates made in that event. On the subject of repairs, I have water from rain leaking into the boat from under the fiberglass tape over the hull to deck joint on the interior of the hull on the side of the boat near the stern. I've not seen that problem mentioned before. Also, any advice on how to tighten up the fit of the rudder shaft in the rudder shaft housing? After 30 years, there is more play there than I think I want. I appreciate all of the advice I can get on all of these things. I've sailed for years and fixed up old boats in the past, but each one has its unique problems and solutions for those problems. The Cal 25 is uniquely suited for what I want today in a sailboat, and the price is not the cost of a new sailboat, but a few repairs. Sorry for the length of all this. Regards, Craig Blackstock Cal 25 #1841 --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Scott Sauvageot" <rxnumbercruncher@...> wrote: > > Hi again Craig! > > Where do you keep your boat? I didn't catch what part of the country you hail from. What is your sail number? > > So long as the deck core is solid (not soggy or rotten) and the beam is solid (again not soggy or rotten) then there shouldn't be a problem. How much space are we talking about? Also, another thing to consider doing is to take a 2x4 and a bottle jack, and gradually jacking the deck up about 1/4" so it lifts off the beam just a little further, allowing you to remove anything that has been wedged between the deck and beam. You would be amazed how small stuff can really separate the two. > > I really don't think this is a major concern. the mast pedestal and the beam are spreading the load out to the bulkheads. That is the most critical thing, that the load is distributed. A minute gap between deck and beam in the center shouldn't cause any worries. > > You mentioned that your beam has slightly settled in the center (ie no longer perfectly arched). As long as this is still solid (and not sagging in the middle) you should be fine. > > Another thing to remember about the Cal 25 rig is that the shrouds should not be guitar-string tight. When close hauled in a stiff breeze, the leeward shrouds should have a little bit of sag to them. This reduce stress on the deck/beam from reduced downward force exterted by the shrouds. When I purchased my 25, the shrouds were so tight that the mast pedestal was actually cracked and sinking into the deck. Charlie Husar (and most of the Annapolis fleet) tend to race with slightly loosened shrouds. > > I'm a lucky guy because I get to replace my deck core/beam this summer. I'm looking forward to the challenge. > > Cheers, > Scott Sauvageot > Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable > Back Creek (Annapolis) MD > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: budblack2002 > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 7:34 PM > Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Cal 25 Mast Support > > > Thanks for the reply. Do I need to be concerned that the underside of > the deck does not rest on the top of the beam below the mast step? Or > do you think the deck will come down and rest on the beam when the mast > goes up? From the hard bits of stuff that now span the space in a few > places between the deck and the beam which would have been crushed if > the deck came down to rest on the beam, I'd say the deck wasn't resting > on the beam when the rig was up. I'm loving this old boat, but it's > things like this that keep me awake at night. > > Craig Blackstock > > --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Scott Sauvageot" > rxnumbercruncher@ wrote: > > > > Go ahead and remove the screws. If they are long enough to go through > the > > deck and hit the beam, then you should use shorter screws. It might > not be > > a bad idea to fill the old screw holes completely with epoxy and > redrill the > > holes to the appropriate depth for the shorter screws. Remember to > > THOROUGHLY bed the screws with a good marine sealant. Water > infiltrating > > the mast pedestal can lead to a great many problems. Don't be > concerned with > > minor relational difference between the beam and the deck as the > screws are > > removed. This should pose no problem at all. > > > > Scott S. > > Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable > > Annapolis, MD > > > > > > >From: "budblack2002" budblack@ > > >Reply-To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > > >To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > > >Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 25 Mast Support > > >Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 18:17:59 -0000 > > > > > >I recently purchased a 1976 Cal 25. I am in the process of fixing a > > >few things before I put the boat in the water. The mast is down. > The > > >mast support beam appears to have dropped very slightly, although > > >there is still some arch to it. It is solid below the mast step. I > > >have pulled the the fore and aft trim pieces off of the mast support > > >beam. The underside of the deck does not touch the top of the beam > > >between the bulkheads and it appears that it never did as there are > > >bits of what appear to be some kind of filler on the forward edge of > > >the beam which are hard and not compressed while there is an eighth > of > > >an inch or so of clearance between the underside of the deck and the > > >beam. The clearance of the aft side of the beam is less, perhaps a > > >sixteenth of an inch. In trying to put a thin blade from fore to aft > > >through the clearance, I am only able to go all the way through in a > > >couple of places. I think I may have hit a screw from the mast step > > >in one place. Is it possible that the screws holding the mast step > go > > >all the way from the step into the beam and are holding the deck > below > > >the mast step up off of the beam? I had planned to pull the mast > step > > >off and rebed it, but I'm concerned that the deck may move up or down > > >from where it is now in relation to the beam if I take the screws out > > >and I won't be able to get it back to the configuration that has > > >worked for 30 years. The step, deck, and beam don't appear to have > > >been disturbed since the boat was built, but I can't be sure. I'd > > >appreciate your thoughts. > > > > > >Craig Blackstock > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > SPONSORED LINKS Boating sailing Sailing boat Sailing > Boating > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------\ ------ > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS > > a.. Visit your group "Cal_Boats" on the web. > > b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > > c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------\ ------ >

I've always been leery of "Git Rot" and similar products. "Practical Sailor" performed tests a few years ago and found that penetrating epoxies weren't as good at fixing rot problems as the ads claim. For limited localized areas, using this product is better than doing nothing, but it probably isn't a solution to last the life of the boat. Rog, do you agree with my assessment, or do you know of a product (Git Rot) or similar that would help "stiffen" small areas of rotten deck core or beam on a Cal 25? Cheers, Scott ----- Original Message ----- From: budblack2002 To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 7:00 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Cal 25 Mast Support Thanks again, Scott. I'm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the boat will be on Keystone Lake, about twenty miles west of Tulsa. The boat's sail number is 1841. I bought the boat from a fellow in New Bern, North Carolina, bought a trailer in Columbus, George, drove to Georgia, picked up the trailer, drove to North Carolina to get the boat, and trailered it out here. The fellow who sold me the boat had previously lived near Annapolis where the boat was kept from 1976 until four or five years ago. The beam is solid except for the outer eight or nine inches on each side where it has rot. The deck is fine except for an area on the starboard side around the chainplate where tapping on the underside of the deck tells you that there is rot in the deck core in an area from the edge of the deck in about ten inches and about ten inches both fore and aft of the chain plate. The top side of the deck in that area is not soft. There is also rot in the very outboard edges of the bulkheads on both sides. The bulkheads both seem to be solid otherwise. I'm satisfied that the bulkheads will hold the chainplates adequately once they are fortified with some Git-Rot. I've stopped the leaks around the chainplates. I've read extensively on the Internet about the problems with the deck and beam on Cal 25's. Some bozo siliconed, puttied, and painted all over the beam ends in the hope, and I'll be charitable, that it wouldn't get any worse. I've removed the trim and a bunch of putty from around the beam and bulkhead sides. Unless somebody smarter than I (which is most everybody) tells me that I'm doing the wrong thing, I plan on injecting Git-Rot into the beam ends and the area on the deck where I've found rot. I can't see replacing the entire beam because of the rot in the ends and I the idea of trying to replace the rotted area of the plywood in the deck, which spans the starboard nine inches of the end of the beam seems overkill for the problem. If I have to replace the deck and the beam later, I suspect a Sawsall and 50 grit sandpaper on a power sander will take care of the parts epoxied to the deck. May have to have new chainplates made in that event. On the subject of repairs, I have water from rain leaking into the boat from under the fiberglass tape over the hull to deck joint on the interior of the hull on the side of the boat near the stern. I've not seen that problem mentioned before. Also, any advice on how to tighten up the fit of the rudder shaft in the rudder shaft housing? After 30 years, there is more play there than I think I want. I appreciate all of the advice I can get on all of these things. I've sailed for years and fixed up old boats in the past, but each one has its unique problems and solutions for those problems. The Cal 25 is uniquely suited for what I want today in a sailboat, and the price is not the cost of a new sailboat, but a few repairs. Sorry for the length of all this. Regards, Craig Blackstock Cal 25 #1841 --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Scott Sauvageot" <rxnumbercruncher@...> wrote: > > Hi again Craig! > > Where do you keep your boat? I didn't catch what part of the country you hail from. What is your sail number? > > So long as the deck core is solid (not soggy or rotten) and the beam is solid (again not soggy or rotten) then there shouldn't be a problem. How much space are we talking about? Also, another thing to consider doing is to take a 2x4 and a bottle jack, and gradually jacking the deck up about 1/4" so it lifts off the beam just a little further, allowing you to remove anything that has been wedged between the deck and beam. You would be amazed how small stuff can really separate the two. > > I really don't think this is a major concern. the mast pedestal and the beam are spreading the load out to the bulkheads. That is the most critical thing, that the load is distributed. A minute gap between deck and beam in the center shouldn't cause any worries. > > You mentioned that your beam has slightly settled in the center (ie no longer perfectly arched). As long as this is still solid (and not sagging in the middle) you should be fine. > > Another thing to remember about the Cal 25 rig is that the shrouds should not be guitar-string tight. When close hauled in a stiff breeze, the leeward shrouds should have a little bit of sag to them. This reduce stress on the deck/beam from reduced downward force exterted by the shrouds. When I purchased my 25, the shrouds were so tight that the mast pedestal was actually cracked and sinking into the deck. Charlie Husar (and most of the Annapolis fleet) tend to race with slightly loosened shrouds. > > I'm a lucky guy because I get to replace my deck core/beam this summer. I'm looking forward to the challenge. > > Cheers, > Scott Sauvageot > Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable > Back Creek (Annapolis) MD > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: budblack2002 > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 7:34 PM > Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Cal 25 Mast Support > > > Thanks for the reply. Do I need to be concerned that the underside of > the deck does not rest on the top of the beam below the mast step? Or > do you think the deck will come down and rest on the beam when the mast > goes up? From the hard bits of stuff that now span the space in a few > places between the deck and the beam which would have been crushed if > the deck came down to rest on the beam, I'd say the deck wasn't resting > on the beam when the rig was up. I'm loving this old boat, but it's > things like this that keep me awake at night. > > Craig Blackstock > > --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Scott Sauvageot" > rxnumbercruncher@ wrote: > > > > Go ahead and remove the screws. If they are long enough to go through > the > > deck and hit the beam, then you should use shorter screws. It might > not be > > a bad idea to fill the old screw holes completely with epoxy and > redrill the > > holes to the appropriate depth for the shorter screws. Remember to > > THOROUGHLY bed the screws with a good marine sealant. Water > infiltrating > > the mast pedestal can lead to a great many problems. Don't be > concerned with > > minor relational difference between the beam and the deck as the > screws are > > removed. This should pose no problem at all. > > > > Scott S. > > Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable > > Annapolis, MD > > > > > > >From: "budblack2002" budblack@ > > >Reply-To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > > >To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > > >Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 25 Mast Support > > >Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 18:17:59 -0000 > > > > > >I recently purchased a 1976 Cal 25. I am in the process of fixing a > > >few things before I put the boat in the water. The mast is down. > The > > >mast support beam appears to have dropped very slightly, although > > >there is still some arch to it. It is solid below the mast step. I > > >have pulled the the fore and aft trim pieces off of the mast support > > >beam. The underside of the deck does not touch the top of the beam > > >between the bulkheads and it appears that it never did as there are > > >bits of what appear to be some kind of filler on the forward edge of > > >the beam which are hard and not compressed while there is an eighth > of > > >an inch or so of clearance between the underside of the deck and the > > >beam. The clearance of the aft side of the beam is less, perhaps a > > >sixteenth of an inch. In trying to put a thin blade from fore to aft > > >through the clearance, I am only able to go all the way through in a > > >couple of places. I think I may have hit a screw from the mast step > > >in one place. Is it possible that the screws holding the mast step > go > > >all the way from the step into the beam and are holding the deck > below > > >the mast step up off of the beam? I had planned to pull the mast > step > > >off and rebed it, but I'm concerned that the deck may move up or down > > >from where it is now in relation to the beam if I take the screws out > > >and I won't be able to get it back to the configuration that has > > >worked for 30 years. The step, deck, and beam don't appear to have > > >been disturbed since the boat was built, but I can't be sure. I'd > > >appreciate your thoughts. > > > > > >Craig Blackstock > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > SPONSORED LINKS Boating sailing Sailing boat Sailing > Boating > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------\ ------ > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS > > a.. Visit your group "Cal_Boats" on the web. > > b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > > c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------\ ------ > SPONSORED LINKS Boating sailing Sailing boat Sailing Boating ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS a.. Visit your group "Cal_Boats" on the web. b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------