WIth or without the reengineered mast support on bulkhead, decks crack thwartship just aft of the step, parralleling the hinge of the step.

Is this where your step is cracked; or all around??

Rigs racked aft just do this . . . one solution is rocker the front edges so the rig can rock forward under compression.

Cracks first issue;. water damage that will destroy the plywood core under the rig; allowing the rig to smush down even further. Lacking reengineered structure, and with water damage, this is how rigs have broken through deck and original structure.

mb

:: The early hulled boats had problems with the bulk heads
:: warpping due to compression issues. I rebuilt and
:: enforced the bulkhead on Opus (hull#2) and I know Wile
:: E. Coyote was reinforced (hull #11). I think the problem
:: was fixed around hull #35 when they extended the bulk
:: head supports below the forward v-berth flooring. I know
:: #56 had the strengthened bulkhead, and all the newer
:: numbered boats.
::
:: But never had any issues with the actual core under the
:: mast itself. Sounds like water got in there somehow.
::

:: -Jason

::
:: :: The fiberglass beneath my mast step has a few cracks and
:: :: maybe even a bit of compression from it's normal
:: :: thickness.
:: ::
:: :: Anybody else noticed this on their boats? What can be
:: :: done about it?