Ask the Experts: Leaking Mast Step

Leaking Mast Step

The mast step on my 1992 Hunter Passage 42 leaks. The tech folks at Hunter recommend unstepping the mast and redoing it as they did when it was new. I can’t get this done right now. Any suggestions?

Allen Meador
Florissant, CO

Tom Neale: I’m assuming your mast is stepped on deck. If the mast is stepped on the deck and the deck is leaking under or around the step, you may have a dangerous structural problem that should be addressed by a qualified yard in consultation withthe manufacturer. The cause of the problem may be minor, such as a leak in the wiring passage, but this would still probably require unstepping the mast and other serious damage could have resulted from the leak. If the mast comes through the deck and is stepped on the keel, and the leak is where the mast comes through the deck, follow the manufacturer’s recommendation where you can.

Check out products such as Mast Boot Tape or Universal Mast Boot available at West Marine. Or, for a more temporary fix, try heavy-duty Rescue Tape. Be sure to follow the instructions; it’s different from the sticky tapes to which you may be accustomed.

Check out more questions from Boat US Magazine’s “Ask the Expert” here: www.boatus.com/magazine/2011/february/ask.asp

Written by: Rescue Tape Team on February 2, 2011.
Last revised by: Edwin Aceituno, our reviewer, on December 18, 2015.