broken mast foot.

hi everybody,I need a little help again as I get my Hawkeye ready for the spring.I have already got a couple of the jobs done,even with the wet weather and dark nights. I have also managed to sort out a new cabin door, my oldest son is a fibrous plasterer who has also worked with GRP, so will make a mold and cast me the door, a real result as using wood is not that easy with the shape of the top of the door.The thing I need to get now is a new foot for my mast as the old one has broken and not really repairable, although I could get something made, locating the original would be a quicker fix. Many thanks if you have read this and even more thanks if you can help. Regards peter.

Hi Peter,

I might be able to help, but it will take me a while to confirm things.

I'm in temporary accommodation at the moment and everything from furniture to boat bits is in boxes piled high in the garage, so I can't get at anything until the move into our new permanent home - hopefully in a few weeks time.

However, here is a photo of my original mast step taken shortly after I bought the boat in 2004 before it was replaced with a tabernacle:



It comes from my boat, #267. I believe that yours is earlier than #154 and probably earlier than that at I believe at least some of your rigging is of the original black anodised type seen in the early brochures. I don't know if your mast was supplied by the same manufacturer or whether it will fit your mast.

If your's looks similar then do post a few measurements and when I unpack after the next house move I'll check if mine is a match. I'll never re-fit the original so it would be good to see it put to good use.

Do get your son to keep the mould when he builds your door. Spare parts for SeaHawks are sometimes requested, and it would be useful to know where one could be obtained.

hi gregg, firstly let me thank you for your fast response to my cry for help. it is a pity that your old step is not the same as my broken one. i have taken some photo's of my one, which might be something you or someone else has seen before. i don't know if i put it in my introduction but i am only slightly better with a computer than i am at sailing and i am a total novice at sailing,so it is hit or miss whether i will ever be able to work out how to get the photos from my phone to an e-mail but her go's. also if the hatch door works i will keep the mold, fingers crossed. many thanks and a happy new year to all who read this peter.

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Peter,
The photo shows the mast step on my Pedro. The fitting is made by Holt. It’s a channel section about 23mm wide with pins to stop the heal of the mast moving fore and aft.

Hi Mike,

To make it easier to view your image I have reposted it set to 750px width. (I just used the option on the "Insert Image" dialogue.)

Hi Mikeviney, thanks for the photo but it not the same as mine, although reading your note with it I now think what I am looking for is a heel, which I presume is the part fixed to the bottom of the mast. You probably have noticed that I have a lot to learn about sailing and that includes the names of all the bits and pieces. Anyway thanks for your help and keep watching my site as I'm sure that there will be many more questions to come. Regards Peter.

Years ago I had a Lysander, designed for the home build market my example had many ‘cost effective adaptations’ the mast heal was a block of wood (although neatly finished) in a aluminium mast. This could be an option. The boat was built many years before I had it so it may have been common practice to have wooden parts on metal spars?

Hi Mike, I know its a while since I last was in touch, but just to let you know that I drilled out the rivets holding my broken heel to the bottom of the mast and got an old friend of mine to make me a new one out of a bit of ali bar on his lathe and with a bit of work with a file here and there it has turned out perfect. The only thing different was that I re-fixed it with marine grade self tappers. Thanks for your previous help,Regards Pete.