Question:
I'm going to be rigging my homebuilt 20' sailboat and would appreciate
some advice on the correct fasteners to my aluminum mast and boom. Is
stainless correct and should I bed the screws with something?
Answer:
Hobie Cats use stainless mast hounds, fastened with stainless rivets. Old
Hobies get soft hulls, but I haven't heard of any masts coming undone at the
mast hound.
Bedding (caulking) seems only to keep water from filling the mast, but that
never works perfectly. I've filled my mast with foam spray, and those pool
toy "noodles".
