| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Roy New member Username: Jeffr Post Number: 108 Registered: 03-2001 Rating: N/A |
There is one aluminum plate under the partner in my boat that goest 3/4 of the way around the mast. You have to remove the tie rod to get it out. You have to remove the mast step to get the tie rod out.... Also, this season I am NOT using the red gasket and am switching to spartite. | ||
| John Stefancik New member Username: Jstef Post Number: 27 Registered: 01-2001 Rating: N/A |
I think this is a probably a long shot, but I need to replicate the backing plates which are inside the cabin at the mast partners. Does anyone have their mast down and feel like faxing/emailing me an outline of the plates? (Also would like to know the depth of the plates.) My boat has never had them, and I really think they should be there. I just finished repairing the fiberglass/gelcoat underneath the mast collar and am doing whatever possible to avoid any future compression in this area. Also I just bought the red rubber gasket from the factory and think I need the plates to properly hold it in place. Let me know and I will call or email you. Thanks! John Stefancik "Hurricane Kelley" (hull #5) | ||
| Deborah Davenport New member Username: Ddavenport Post Number: 30 Registered: 04-2001 Rating: N/A |
Good news. The Tiara/S2 factory has located some mast partner gasket material. I don't know how much they have. They still prefer contact by fax or email, per the general instructions posted on this site. | ||
| Brad Stone New member Username: Bstone Post Number: 7 Registered: 06-2004 Rating: N/A |
I'm wondering if anyone ever found a replacement source for the original partner gasket? I called the factory and there's no more to be had at this point. I could go with Spartite, but I'd like to go with the original seal set-up. Thanks in advance. | ||
| Loren Thompson Rating: N/A |
Just a FYI. Both Kahuna and Entopy had to replace their mast gasket and did it with Spartite (http://spartite.com/). It was easy to install and is stopping the leaking. Kahuna could not use the original gasket because the partner rebuild had the mast opening a little forward of its original location and reqiured more material in front and less in the back of the mast. | ||
| Bob Netkowicz Rating: N/A |
Thanks for all the responses. At the same time that I posted the question I sent a request to the factory. They responded 10/24! As Deborah (Glory Days) offered below, the rubber partner is still available. It's $25/ft. and you will likely need about 20", therefore $50 (plus shipping). I have placed an order for it so I'll be ready for spring '02 | ||
| Deborah Davenport (Ddavenport) Rating: N/A |
The S2 part number for the mast partner is 542007 - cost in Spring of 2001 was $50. There is a source from which they are acquiring the material - the vendor part number #A-58 is on the paperwork - but I don't know who the vendor is. Deborah Davenport Glory Days #115 | ||
| Russ Fender (Commodore) Rating: N/A |
HA..HA...HA! Good Job Deborah, That was my first thought also, to check with S2 factory. That's why I ended my lengthy response with the question if anyone had checked with them. Click on the following link to access our website S2 Factory Contact Page It's always good to check with S2 for original parts or sources to obtain them. If anyone has success, it's helpful to other members if they post their information on our board. Good Luck Russ Fender Sails Call Hull #18 | ||
| Deborah Davenport (Ddavenport) Rating: N/A |
Is all of this discussion based on S2 parts not having the mast partner / gasket? If no one has checked recently, I'd suggest it. We got this item from them in May of 2001 (beginning of this season). Deborah Davenport Glory Days #115 | ||
| Russ Fender (Commodore) Rating: N/A |
Having spent 24 years in the conveyor belting business and working with a wide range of compounds and polymers both rubberized and synthetics let me weigh in on what the original red/orange material is. 100% for sure, it is a cast Silicone material. And that’s my final answer. The characteristics of Silicone that lends its self as a great material for selection by the engineers of S2 are: 1) It has a low durometer (that means it is soft and compressible). This would accommodate the irregularities in the opening area that is cut out by hand to allow the mast to pass through the deck, which may differ from boat to boat. In addition to being compressible it is also resilient. This means after it is compressed under load it will recover to nearly its original shape. 2) It has excellent UV (Ultra Violet Light) resistance. UV comes from the sun and deteriorates, changing the properties of many materials over time. Other material less UV resistant can become brittle, hard, crack and even crumble. This takes many-many years to occur with silicone. 3) Excellent temperature resistance. Silicone will take in excess of +500 deg. F and go well below –50 deg. F without any significant change in properties. This makes it a superior product for boats that maybe stored outside in extreme winter conditions. 4) High coefficient of friction. (This means it is grippe) Silicone when dragged across other materials it has what could be described as a grippe feel. Some might call this tacky or sticky feel, although tacky or sticky does not also have the following characteristic. (This is why in other areas of our board members have suggested using a product like Vaseline to allow the mast to easily pass through the gasket.) Although once it is in place and set, it won't want to slip out of position. 5) Excellent release properties. (Things won’t stick to it.) While products like silicone caulk can be applied around the gasket and the mast to seal up any leaks that may occur, due to stepping and re-stepping the mast, or improper seating of the gasket, the caulk is easily removed. 6) Good overall chemical resistance. This means silicone will not deteriorate and see a change in its composition when exposed to various things like cleaners, soaps, waxes etc. Having listed why it was a good choice by S2, how can a new gasket be had? I would suggest looking in your Yellow Pages under “Rubber” and find an “Industrial Rubber Distributor” that carries silicone sheet stock and see if they will sell you a chunk. If your lucky maybe they could machine it for you to the dimensions you need. If you have a section of the old gasket that will help them. Its not a very easy product to machine so unless you have the proper tools and understand feed rates I wouldn’t try this at home kids. Otherwise you might just purchase a solid block piece with the overall width x thickness x length you need. I haven’t had to replace mine so I don’t know the size of it. One thing about silicone is that it also cuts very easily. If your experience with a good sharp utility knife and have a good straight edge, you could more than likely cut the block to resemble the factory gasket. (Be very careful, silicon cuts very easy and its possible you can over cut it.) If the distributor is unable to machine the silicone, possibly you could talk them into cutting if for you. I know this may sound stupid, but has anyone tried contacting the factory to see if they have any extra gaskets around. Good Luck Russ Fender Class Commodore Sails Call Hull #18 | ||
| Scott Corder (Pastcommodore) Rating: N/A |
I would reiterate the notion that 5200 is rather bulletproof stuff that is VERY difficult to remove, especially if the plan is to pull the mast every season (which I also do). I am not convinced 5200 is as flexible as is required in this application anyway. Am I the only guy who tweaks (very slightly, but it still moves a little) his mast rake as the season (prevailing wind condition) progresses? While I do not have any specific experience I could offer regarding various gasket materials, it seems to me that a replacement gasket could be created "in place" by simply coating the collar and mast with vaseline (or some other releasing agent) and pouring in a suitable material that, when cured, would be removable? I agree that silicon isn't great, but it does hold its shape somewhat well in thick applications... am I being silly to think that there must be some, perhaps even better material that would hold the "shape" of the gasket and be re-usable (once made)? I recognize that the process of using the mast and the collar as the mold could get a little messy, but it sure seems better than trying to scrape 5200 out of the collar every Spring. Here's a thought - I pull my mast every year and my rubber gasket is "out" all winter. I'd consider offering it as a die (if I can be assured it won't get destroyed in the process). As in other cases where parts are no longer available, there might be enough owners who need gaskets that several could be created at once (economy of scale?). God knows I already have alot of spare parts, but I'd even consider having an extra gasket laying around just in case... | ||
| John Stefancik (Jstef) Rating: N/A |
Jeff, You jogged my memory a little. I did use Life Seal, not Silicone. The first company who repaired the deck around the partners (done in conjunction with a repair of the mast step) actually used Spartite. However, it didn't cure correctly, and I think it was because the size of the hole was made too small when it was rebuilt. Because of this I don't think the person preparing the hole for the Spartite left enough room for the product and it never set correctly. But, as I said the 5200 seems to work well. Good Luck. | ||
| jroy Rating: N/A |
Wow, I am really surprised 5200 was easy to remove. Everytime I have had to remove something bedded with that stuff it was a war. Consider yourself lucky! I have all the signs of the plate corrosion around the mast partners (documented by another owner in a different thread) and will probably be redoing that part of the boat this spring. When the yard put my mast in this past spring they used the gasket and then followed up with 3M 101 sealant, which is a polysulfide. Silicon is a poor choice for most boat sealing jobs because it has no to very poor adhesion charateristics. Urethanes like 5200 have outstanding adhesion, almost to a fault. Polysulfides offer decent adhesion without being so tough to remove. I have also had good luck with Life Seal, which is a hybrid of silicon and urethane (not Life Cualk which is polysulfide). I am ocnsidering abandoning the whole gasket idea completely. I know a lot of people who have boats with more traditional mast partner set ups that have had great success with Spartite. This stuff is some form of epoxy and creates a custom partner. If installed correctly the spartite stays on the mast and only a small type of sealant is needed. I haven't made up my mind exactly how I am going to repair this yet. I plan to open it up to see what I am dealing with and then look at all my options before committing to rebuild it as it was originally. I plan to unstep my mast every season so I can have the boat trucked home for winter storage. | ||
| John Stefancik (Jstef) Rating: N/A |
I had to pull my mast and re-step twice and both times the service company suggested then used 5200 to create a gasket. Before this the company who was servicing the boat when I bought it (1996) removed the orange gasket and through it away! So, silicone and other sealants were used but always leaked because the mast moves fore and aft. Also, the size of the hole in the deck was a little smaller than normal because of a previous repair to the cabin top. At any rate, the gasket made from 5200 was successfully set in 2000, then removed in early 2001 and reset this past April with no problems and no leaks. John Stefancik "Hurricane Kelley" hull #5 | ||
| Scott Corder (Pastcommodore) Rating: N/A |
I do not know of any readily available resources for the rubber gasket. I seem to recall phone conversations with a few members on this matter, but don't remember any clear answers resulting. I do recall talk of using other materials to create a similar gasket. One thing I do know: you need to be able to remove the gasket (or whatever you use/create instead) whenever you remove the mast. It is basically impossible to pull the mast without removing the gasket (one Class member actually tried and succeeded - but with very painful effort and questionable results). Good luck and let us know what you figure out! | ||
| Bob Netkowicz Rating: N/A |
Has anyone ever responded to this question? I also find myself in need of replacing the red rubber mast partner. Does anyone know if its available from any source? | ||
| Larry Teachworth Rating: N/A |
Does anyone know of a source for a replacement of the red rubber mast partner? Larry Teachworth Hull #105 |
