The original mast step I made for Golightly was a pair of aluminum angle bars that were drilled for a bolt that was to go through a tongue at the bottom of the mast:
The big idea was to be able to cant the mast forward or aft to get the balance right. The big problem with it (aside from what just happened) was getting the bolt through those holes where visibility is extremely limited.
This is why it came apart:
The bottom piece should look like the top piece, with wood from the bottom plank stuck to the whole length of it—but the epoxy obviously didn't stick to more than half of it. I forgot to sand the epoxy into the metal. That bottom piece is the piece that came off with a crack. The top piece I chiseled off.
It's just as well that it came apart, because it was way too much hassle getting the mast set up, and I didn't see a reason to cant the mast, since the balance seems to be just fine. Maybe it would be an issue with a larger triangular sail?
Anyway, I made a sleeve and stuck it to a piece of fibreglass, which I then epoxied to the bottom of the boat:
The dirt on the right is mud from Oak Bay at low tide. Smelly stuff! It's washed off now. The sleeve is too large (John's fault), so I put a bump around the bottom of the mast to make it a snug fit.
She needs paint!
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