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Rain water coming down the mast needs an exit point, otherwise it will build up to the point of overflowing into the main cabin via the small plastic conduit that is used for wires from the mast that route into the main cabin. This conduit needs to extend up inside the mast by about four inches.

The other route for the rain water to exit is through a weep hole molded into the cast aluminum mast step plate. This weep hole located in the very center of the leading edge of the plate, as seen here in this photo, needs to be cleaned out periodically with a long fine thin brush, a long ear swab or single long plastic broom bristle; something that is stiff and long enough to augur any debris that might clog the hole.

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When we purchased Belle-Vie in 2002 there was a rain water leak that the PO had attempted but failed to stop by applying Silicon II to the inside around this piece of conduit. Later when we had the mast unstepped I made it a point to replace that piece of conduit that had begun to deteriorate.

The new conduit was about five inches long, four of which extended above the deck to create a dam to prevent water from entering the main cabin. A liberal amount of 3M-4200 was used as a sealant to secure and seal the conduit to the deck. A drip loop was made in the mast wires before entering the conduit.

Except for one time when the weep hole became plugged and rain water overflowed into the main cabin, no water has leaked through that repair.