Sabrina's Sail Loft - Mast Boot Cover

We got our mast boot repaired.  Actually, beefed up.  What is the mast boot?  Oh, sorry.  It's a wrap  around the bottom of the mast where it meets the deck.  This special "boot" helps keep water from running down along the mast into the cabin.  When Tom asked Gary our rigger about it and made mention of perhaps putting a new "mast boot kit on", Gary said "Nah.  Save the money.  We will just use an old inter tube."  Sure enough.  Gary showed up with an old inter tube off one of the boatyard travel lifts - think big farm machinery size tire and they fitted that over our existing mast boot, put on a new clamp, heat sealed it shut and boom - new mast boot.

Our new mast boot cover

I was sharing all that with dock neighbor Bruce, while sewing day 2 on the staysail conversion when he said "Of course being made of an old inter tube, you will want/need to make a cover to protect it from UV rays."  To which I said  "Shit Bruce.  Did you just create a new project for me to sew?"  He grinned, nodded and then dashed off to the laundry.

While a cover around the base of the mast might seem like an easy project to sew, I have found nothing on a boat is easy to sew.  There are usually no patterns and everything is irregular shaped.  Luckily, I was over on s/v Casa Blanca (Sister Caliber 40 ship) and they already had a mast boot cover.  Woo hoo - pattern.  I borrowed theirs, made adjustments in size for our new, beefy mast boot and sewed a new one up for us.  Thank you s/v Casa Blanca.