| Author | Message | ||
     Scott Corder (Pastcommodore) Rating: N/A |
Jeff, The first thing that comes to mind is this: You may be well served to back-off the perimter pads on your cradle and let the boat "relax" for a couple of weeks (resting mostly on its keel). The reason for this is that a weakened mast step can allow the rig to "push" the keel down and can result in some distortion of the cabin (and the bilge). This may account for some of what you're finding. The stainless solution I have described on my boat several times allowed us to worry less about how well the mast step area was installed. The primary weight and pressure support is the stringer underneath the mast step (not the entire step). The remainder of the mast step is supplementary to that and far less structural. We built around the stringer with mahogany to complete the rectangle area under the mast plate. In your case, I'd stick with your "laminated" approach and attempt to make the stringer the strongest component of that area. As long as everything you install is impenetrable, you shouldn't have to tab it too extensively on ALL sides. There is NO way to remove the lav to work there, and I'm convinced it would never be worth it to try. Again, the most critical stress point is where the load of the mast and rigging transfers directly to the stringer (and the keel). This is clearly the stringer itself. Finally, if you let the boat relax back to its natural shape before performing these repairs, you are much more likely NOT to have problems when you get out of the cradle and get the rig all tightened back down. |
