Saturday, August 28, 2010

Someone put FOAM in my mast....and I'ld like to BEAT THEM SENSLESS!!!!


Had planned on running internal halyards, but didn't expect to find large chunks of closed cell foam all the way up and down the inside of the mast. They simply would not have provided a great deal of flotation, and they weren't fit tight enough to keep water out.....they were just some idiots bright idea....probably some hack home builder......




So I spent the ENTIRE day creating ways to extract the crap.

Thought one: pour in solvent to melt it.....but every thing I tried (including walking around the hardware store openning every type of nasty chemical I could lay my hands on and dripping some over a sample) proved that this is PETRIFIED foam.




Thought two: stand the mast up with something in the top end and bounce the mast to push the foam out. I started with smaller items and eventually had a section of lead pipe, probably 20 pounds worth of concentrated battering ram....and got nowhere.




Thought three: use long sections of 2x2 to insert and pound it out....again, no luck.




Thought 1.5 (forgot this one already)....shop vac on one end and compressor on the other.....you can guess how that worked.




Finally I created a 15' long drill bit using conduit, expansion bolts, cotter pins and an agressive wire brush on the end, and slowly drilled the foam out.




Here is the contraption:












And the mess:







BUT VICTORY WAS MINE!!!!! I can now run my halyards THROUGH the mast.



I also received my latest package(s) of goodies. Really cool web tie sheaves for the forestay adjustment, the GREEN and black fiberglass sleeve material for the prod and my $50 headstay bolt....long story on why one bolt cost so much....but let's just say it is EXACTLY what I needed, and they are hard to find.






Still putting together metal bits and pieces, but hopefully I am close to assembling the mast.

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