Hello fellow CAL Owners and Sailors!
Recently acquired a 1980 CAL 39 and have been going through a long list of repairs and preventative maintenance. One item that I am anxious to review in detail is the area that the mast is stepped on. I read a post on Cruiser and Sailing forum in which one respondent mentioned that the aluminum mast is actually stepped on a galvanized steel post of sorts which is prone to corrosion Unfortunately, the CAL 39 (at least mine anyway) has a mast step that is encased in fiberglass plus the mast step area is fully enclosed ( why would anyone do that?). As a result there is no way for me to simply check the state of the material below the mast. I’m preparing to go offshore in a couple of years and really need to know it’s condition. From what I understand the process just to check the state of what’s below there would entail removal of the mast which I understand would be a nightmare, requiring extremely costly dismantling of the interior.
Given the above I would like to hear from experienced CAL owners what they know about this process from experience or experience of others that they know.
Please share with me the facts (good or bad) with as much detail as possible. Thanks in advance!
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