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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 5:17 am 
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mmiller wrote:
Engineering is looking at the idea of drilling in the luff track and would be above the plug in the bottom of the mast. They have not yet provided the details.


Just bought a used Wave (2016), both mast sections in good condition, but, yep, I hear about 3 cups of water sloshing back and forth inside the long section.

Live in New England, and plan to break mast apart and store horizontally in my unheated garage.

Following this thread closely, and like a few others, willing to drill small weep hole at base of main mast somewhere just above the caulked plug, but with my luck, I'll drill it too low in the mast, and I'll end up drilling a second and third hole until I get above but since Matt is checking with his engineers for exact drilling location, I'll wait for exact measurement.

I may do the less intrusive bandaid fix at some point as suggested in this thread of using a long drill bit to drill a hole down into the long recessed area into the top plug material, drain from there, and then, the tricky part, somehow being able to reseal with some 3m marine sealant (my hand is too large to get inside there with a tube of caulking, so unsure best method to prevent myself from smearing too much caulking which might prevent the top part of mast from seating into the mast later.

If I have a chance, I'll post a clear close-up picture of the bottom couple of feet of my 2016 mast with a large yellow tape measure with visible markings on the tape measure aligned up that bottom section of the mast so we can use that as a reference to the starting point of measuring x number of inches up the "mast." I am guessing we have to find the location just above the bottom internal "plug" material.

Thanks to Matt as always for his guidance and checking with his engineering folks for a definitive weep hole base mast location for us all.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:27 am 
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Asking the factory again.

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:25 am 
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mmiller wrote:
Asking the factory again.


If it helps, for common reference, since there has been considerable confusion/speculation/guessing/discussion on this, I'm going to attempt to attach an image address of a picture of the base of my Hobie Wave Mast with a tape measure strapped up the mast to be used for us to discuss in subsequent posts exactly how far up from the bottom of the mast would be the optimal location for drilling a tiny weep hole in the track/slot for water drainage.

Hopefully this embedded image address of the Wave mast with the tape measure is operational:

Image

For common reference, the tape measure in the pictures starts from bottom portion of the mast on the track side of the mast bottom, not from the scalloped lower portion of the mast where the ball rides on. (That lower scalloped partial mast extension portion that rides on the ball is another 1-3/4" lower than where the tape measure in the photo shows). The photo starts the tape measure at the bottom of the track mast base since it seems to be the more logical starting point when referring to the "bottom" of the mast.

There is a youtube video of a Hobie Getaway which demonstrates the water flowing out of the weep hole that the owner drilled into the track of the Getaway entitled "Hobie Getaway - Water in the Mast - Where to Drill to Drain It". In that video, the owner admits that he took a guess at where to drill the weep hole, and as he says in the video, he got lucky, and the location where he drilled seemed right on. Looks like he drilled his weep hole on the Getaway roughly across from or slightly below the main halyard mast cleat in the track, though the Wave and Getaway may be different.

Matt is checking with his engineers (thanks again, Matt), and the attached photo may help if the determination is ( for those who wish to drill a tiny weep hole) that the optimal Hobie Wave weep hole location is "x.x" inches from the "bottom" of the mast in the track. Then we'd know with more confidence that we would not have to drill multiple test holes in the mast and can base the location on the attached photo.

Hope this helps in the discussion, if not, open to other suggestions, or experiences from others who have drilled a successful and non-destructive mast weep hole.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:42 am 
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Last winter, I poked a hole in the upper foam plug and drained the water. I then sealed the foam plug with the 3m material that is suggested. I have the same issue again at the end of the season(less water in the mast but still some present). Would be interested in reading the recommendation for the location of drilling the weep holes in the mast.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2021 4:29 pm 
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Finally... Drill is a #20 (approx. 11/64ths or 5/32nds) I would use 3/16"

The hole should be 4 1/2" above the extrusion edge to get above the plug. In the luff track.

Looking at the tape measure image starting at the casting, that would be at about 5".

New masts will be drilled at the base 1" up from the edge of the extrusion and the plug is not going to be installed.

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Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 9:35 am 
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mmiller wrote:
Finally... Drill is a #20 (approx. 11/64ths or 5/32nds) I would use 3/16"

The hole should be 4 1/2" above the extrusion edge to get above the plug. In the luff track.

Looking at the tape measure image starting at the casting, that would be at about 5".

New masts will be drilled at the base 1" up from the edge of the extrusion and the plug is not going to be installed.


Thanks, as always, Matt, for the follow-through on that question. I'll give it a try on my older 2016 Hobie Wave mast before I put it away for the season to drain my water, and I'll store the mast in a horizontal position in my garage over the winter.


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PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 10:05 am 
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Wouldn't you want to tap some threads ...like a 10-32 and install a small bolt with a rubber/ bond washer. The wall thicken is very thin so use a fine thread.

Put that stainless bolt in while sailing and remove while it is sitting on land with the mast up.

I did this to my boat 20 years ago.

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 10:16 am 
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I know this post is about the mast, but has anyone found a way to empty all of the water that accumulates in the cross bars? I see that Hobie has weighed in about drilling inside the track.

Thanks in advance.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:27 am 
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Longshore wrote:
mmiller wrote:
Finally... Drill is a #20 (approx. 11/64ths or 5/32nds) I would use 3/16"

The hole should be 4 1/2" above the extrusion edge to get above the plug. In the luff track.

Looking at the tape measure image starting at the casting, that would be at about 5".

New masts will be drilled at the base 1" up from the edge of the extrusion and the plug is not going to be installed.


Thanks, as always, Matt, for the follow-through on that question. I'll give it a try on my older 2016 Hobie Wave mast before I put it away for the season to drain my water, and I'll store the mast in a horizontal position in my garage over the winter.


Update 10/25/2021: I took my boat out of the water for the season, and drilled a weep hole in the main part of my 2016 Hobie Wave mast per Matt Miller's information from the engineers in this thread (see my reference picture earlier in the thread of how far up from the bottom of the mast the engineers suggested drilling a weep hole in the track: 5" up if you include the casing of the mast bottom; 4-1/2" up if you do not consider the casing as part of the mast bottom, but see the picture in the thread that I posted), and the water all came out, so it worked.

After drilling the tiny weep hole, I stood the mast up on lawn with weep hole at bottom of the elevation, and I expected the cup or so of water (probably condensation since the boat is 5 years old) that I heard sloshing inside the mast to pour continuously out of the weep hole. Some initially came out, and then slowed to a trickle, but I heard more in there when I tilted the mast. So I took coat hanger wire, and probed inside the hole, and it felt clear behind the hole (no plug material being hit), and also clear above the hole toward top of mast. I thought there might be some debris from the plug material slowing the draining, but did not feel any. So I got all of the water finally out of the weep hole I drilled by simply sloshing the remaining water back and forth toward the weep hole, and within a few minutes, all the water did eventually come out of that drilled weep hole. Perhaps the slow flow out is due to somewhat equalized pressure due to lack of air allowed into the top of the mast, but tilting it back and forth did get it all out after doing that for 2-3 minutes. (Science majors can confirm my guess of the principal behind that.) I'm not too concerned about too much water getting into that weep hole next season since the Hobie Bob float at top of mast would keep mast base above water in capsize. Although I suppose I could tap and thread the hole as others have said, to seal it up, and screw in a seasonal set screw, but I'll see how that goes next season since my expertise in tapping threads for small bolts for other projects in the past has not been entirely successful. Anyway, the weep hole location recommended by Matt and the engineers worked great. No more water in the mast, and no risk now of the water settling in one place inside the mast and freezing and then splitting the aluminum mast as has happened to others. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread!


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