While lowering the mast a few days ago the 2 back screws and the center screw popped out of the mast step. I'm sure that means the front 2 are stripped too. Haven't delved into it yet but wondered if anyone knows if the fiberglass pedestal under the mast step is solid fiberglass or if there is a wood core. If there is a core then I presume it has likely gotten damp at some point. Hopefully it is not cored but, if it is, then it will require some serious repair. I'm hoping someone has some firsthand experience they can share. Thanks in advance. Eddie C
Eddie, close inspection of the threads of the popped screws may hold the answer. Just a thought, Good luck.
Eddie - I had a conversation with Bill at precision many years ago about backing plates, cores and such. As I recall the mast step is screwed into a wood core. Same with cleats. The idea is that if the mast falls, it will rip out screws rather than chunks of fiberglass. I found that when I added cleats, I drilled into a wood core. I then coated the screws with adhesive and added a bead under the cleat. Been rock solid since 2008. As a caveat, even during sailing season my boat lives under a tarp, so it stays dry.
Addressing your situation: I would remove the mast step and open up the holes a bit to access the moisture situation and help determine the degree of rot (if any). If it is minimal I would let it dry out, fill with epoxy. It may be necessary to enlarge the holes under the top fiberglass layer to help them dry and remove bad wood.
The tabernacle mostly receives downward pressure. So drilling into the epoxy and securing with new screws should be sufficient. Hopefully you will have just minimal repair.
Thanks for the responses. The Precision is under a tarp in the off season so I'm hoping there is no rot.
I agree with Brian N. I had a similar situation with a dinghy (Lido 14) and had lots of well-meaning advice to put in a backer plate. I did not, but did exactly as he suggests with opening the holes, filling them with epoxy and redrilling. I put adhesive on the screws to keep them watertight and from working loose.
I did not use adhesive to glue the tabernacle down. Think of the screws pulling out to be like blowing a fuse in your electric panel at home. If you didn't have a fuse, a bad event would blow up the entire panel. If the tabernacle is fixed down (like say with an adhesive like 3M 5200 or even with a backer plate), and then there's a failure causing the tabernacle to need to move, it'll tear a chunk out of the deck rather than just popping the screws out.