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Mizzen Mast Socket

Summary
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The mizzen mast socket had worn through all of the gelcoat and most of the fiberglass in two areas. The first was at the bottom where the edge of the aluminum mast was twisting like a knife into the glass. The second was up top at the back edge where all of the pressure of the sail and sheet was pulling it.

In addition to replacing the teak front panels with starboard, I wanted to put something in to stop the "eating" of the fiberglass.

For the top edge, I put the mizzen mast in and determined that I had about 1/16" all the way around, give or take, inside the sleeve. I used the bandsaw and cut the thinnest piece of Starboard that it would allow. It was still a bit thick, but the belt sander with 40 grit paper fixed that. Then I bent the piece over some PVC and used the heat gun to shape it to the mizzed socket radius.

I cut it exaclty wide enough so that the front edges of the "sleeve" hit the new front piece and that keeps it all pressed back in place. The mast is a pretty snug fit right now, but I think it will wear and get more loose over time (if not, it's back to the 40 grit!). You can't see it here, but I also cut a 1/2" thick piece of Starboard that sits all the way down at the bottom and protects the fiberglass from the bottom of the mast. The front face keeps that in as well. Here is the sleeve inserted into the socket.

Lessons Learned

Sanding Starboard with 40 grit paper on a belt sander makes a HUGE mess!!