Mast joint issues / chipping

Hi all - two questions

1) I took my mast down at the end of last season and discovered delamination / chipping of the glass section right where it makes contact with the lower aluminum section. Anyone else had this? Is it normal? Seems like the top section was articulating too much at the joint.

2) I took the sections apart to make sure the interior glass section had no structural cracking - it didn't appear to. I want to put it back together - so do I use epoxy or a sealant? Looks like a sealant was used originally which might have been the problem.

Thanks for any insight.

JC

I have this too. I have heard it is very common. I will post some pictures of mine tomorrow when it is light.

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2007 Getaway

Mine looks like that too, the plastic extension must move around a little under sail, especially when the wind comes up. I think the two parts kind of grind away at each other which causing the chipping we see. I'm sure any getaway more than a couple of years old would show signs of this. Every year I look at it and try and decide if there is something I should do with it but I never did.

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06 getaway -- always remember, man with both feet in mouth have no leg to stand on.

The CompTip is designed to be glued into the aluminum extrusion. That could be the problem if not glued, or a softer glue was used when assembled... or the fit was tight and the fiberglass is pressed up against the aluminum when the mast bends.

All of this can be corrected. This is a cosmetic issue, not structural.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I sure am glad to see that other people have this same issue. Mine is not quite as bad as the photo above, but it's close. I asked my dealer about it when I first noticed it - which was after only a couple of sails on the brand new boat. Dealer said it was ok and not to worry about it, but I've never been quite convinced. And, like Roy, I've always felt like I should do *something* about it. I feel better about it now, though. (Thanks, Matt!)
For the record, my dealer did not use the epoxy that comes with the boat but used a regular, off-the-shelf sealant from Home Depot. He said he never uses the epoxy because it makes it virtually impossible to remove the comptip from the aluminum. Makes sense to me...I don't want to have to buy a whole new mast if the comptip ever needs to be replaced.
I do notice a lot of flex at the joint, though. I guess that's the downside...

Matt what is the proper glue for this (or is it epoxy)? My dealer clearly used sealant.

Thanks

JC

Hi, I glued mine together after first season with it, i got
it used, and comp tip was loose, sand and clean well,
80 grit, acetone, i used west system brushed on straight,
then mixed up micro fibers, silica, or filletting blend. put
together and align so stays strait, may have to clamp both
parts to something as may try to ooze apart, clean off excess.
use heatlamp if weather is colder or you are in a rush, doug

We ship the boats with a two part epoxy.

I always used Automotive Bondo for CompTip installations with good success. It is Hard and impact resistant. Creates a tight shim fit / bond.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt,

The bondo idea is intriguing. Using the bondo, would it be possible to remove the comptip if I ever needed to in the future? That was my dealer's argument about the original epoxy...it was just simply impossible to separate the two pieces if you ever needed to.
Also, I'm a trailer sailor - we very frequently trailer our Getaway 275 miles to our sailing destination. Would the bondo hold up to that punishment, or would it be too hard and end up cracking apart?

Yes heat and pulling pressure will break any epoxy bond. We use to use a vehical and a solid object to tie the mast ends to. Then pull.

The bondo holds up nicely. It is fiber filled and hard as a rock. Thats why it is used in body work... it does not shatter easily. I would sugget removal of the mast float for long distance travel, but yes it holds up.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Thanks a million, Matt!

Yes - thanks for your input Matt.

Fixed it. Advice to anyone doing this -I wouldn't recommend Long Strand Bondo. It is quite viscous which results in it all coming out when you join the top and bottom sections. I chose it because it's supposedly stronger than plain Bondo. I ended up using West Six10 epoxy. It's easy to use (though $$$) and the joint seems rock solid.

JC

Thanks for the tip! Glad you got it all fixed up.