compression post 3 questions

[BlueTequila]

QUESTION #1:

I have a 1989 Hunter 33.5 that needs its compression post replaced...these are some of my options:

carbon fiber - don't much about this

pvc plumbing pipe, building one inside another or fill it with fiberglass resin

plastic wood 2x4

railroad tie, but does the odor ever go away

hollow steel post, primed & painted

solid steel post, primed & painted

hollow stainless steel post, could be pricey

solid stainless steel post, could be very pricey

hollow alumium post

solid alumium post

Ideally, I am looking for something that does not corrode & is very solid...

QUESTION #2

The current compression has been badly replaced and not sure of the exact length or any other dimensions...

does anyone know where I could get the specs for my compression post...?

Question #3

Does anyone know where I could get the factory way of replacing the compression post


Would appreciate any advice...Thanks, Rob

 

[rgranger]

Have you contacted Hunter?

They should be able to give you some help.

 

[Captmayhem]

the cabin height will tell you pretty much all you need
Don't over think this, it's just a post that needs to stand solid, myself, I'd go with a turned 4x4, but I have a lathe

 

[Allan12210]

Look at Lowe's.com for an adjustable Jack post. Good for up to 12000 pounds. I've heard of one owner that used one of these clad in teak. They installed it with the pipe portion up and drilled a hole in the plate for the wires. Make sure it bears on something that spreads the load under the deck.

 

[CloudDiver]

Rob, pictures would help greatly. I just looked at several pics of 1988 to 1991 Hunter 33.5's and I don't see that any of them have a compression post, they all have a full bulkhead between the saloon and fwd V-berth/head area which supports mast compression.
To answer your question briefly, stainless steel tube would be your best option and it is not as expensive as you may imagine. You can buy it in various diameters, but a 2 inch tube with .120 wall would be very strong. It also comes fully polished, so after welding on plates to the top and bottom those would be the only areas that need polishing. I built a new c-post for my C-22 this way, it only cost me about $50 in material, but I am a welder so I did not have pay anyone else to do the work.
I would only use wood if that is what was originally used and you trying to return it to original condition and finish. Beware, this can get out of hand quickly if you hire a 'professional', see this post from another forum, same boat: compression post replaced with laminated white oak and recovered with teak cost him $10K! And he was happy about that! OMG!
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f116/hunter-89-33-5-sailboat-compression-post-159480.html

 

[Hunter Ad Bot]

 

[justsomeguy]

see this post from another forum, same boat:

Same OP, too.

 

[CloudDiver]

Same OP, too.

LOL, didn't notice that... so I guess this problem has been going on for a year since the Cruiser Forum thread was started in Jan 16... The post I was mentioning in the last one where poster DSQR talks about the same job having cost him $10K, yikes!

 

[BigEasy]

Rob,
I had the same problem with my 1988 Hunter 33.5; rotted compression post from water leaking thru the wiring deck thruhole under the mast step. The problem surfaced about 12 years after manufacture. There is indeed a compression post there; unfortunately is was fabricated from two 2x4's that were wrapped in teak. After removing the teak covering, I could grab chunks of rotten wood by hand. Obviously I was getting more support from the bulkhead than the rotten post. This is the way I dealt with it. I had the yard remove the mast. We removed the rotten post in entirety and inspected the plywood core inside the cabin under the deck as well as the fiberglass beam on which the post was supported, under the cabin sole.
In some cases the deck core and core inside the beam is rotten also and that will require repair also; in my case both were ok.
The yard fabricated an aluminum I beam for me with welded plates on top and bottom as well as some tabs to facilitate replacement of the teak covering. The width of the I beam was approximately the same dimension of the sandwiched 2x4s, again, to facilitate the replacement of the teak covering to conceal the post. We used a screw jack to jack up the deck very slightly to allow placement of the aluminum post and to level the deck. The post was bolted into place and the same teak was reattached to conceal the post. I thought that the yard did a great job and the cost was only 1200; however, this was about 15 years ago. This job is definitely doable, just have the yard remove & replace the mast for you. Get the length measurement from under the deck to the top of the lower beam. Check to make sure that the deck isn't sagging slightly from lack of support from the damaged post and add to your length measurement accordingly. It is important that you jack the deck and get a good tight fit with the post because you want the post to support the mast load. I would definitely use metal so you wont have to worry about a wooden post rotting again. Another thing to consider is glassing the wiring thru hole under the mast step and have the mast wiring exit the mast a few inches above the deck; use clamshell fittings with rubber grommets to run the mast wiring thru the deck. In the future, when leaks occur again, at least you can address the leak without removing the mast. If you opt to leave as is, seal the hole thoroughly with something like 4200 and be sure to leave a big drip loop in the wires so that the water dripping off the wires wont have a direct shot into the hole. The water dripping down the length of the wires will instead hit the deck and hopefully drain out thru the holes in the cast aluminum mast step. It is important to keep these holes clean ed out to facilitate drainage. Check the archives for more information; there should be a lot of information as well as photos for similar repairs. This is a very common problem with Hunter 34s and 33.5s and possibly 30s also; pretty much all of them developed a problem at some point. I believe that Hunter converted to a round exposed aluminum post not wrapped in teak around 1990. Good luck with the repair and if you decide to get a yard to do it, just get a few estimates.

 

[Ken Cross]

I believe that Hunter converted to a round exposed aluminum post not wrapped in teak around 1990. Good luck with the repair and if you decide to get a yard to do it, just get a few estimates.

Our 1989 Hunter 30 has the round aluminum post. So far so good.

Ken

 

[BigEasy]

Had a round about way of discovering the failed compression post on my Hunter. Every time it rained, there was water in the bilge. Couldn't find the source of the leak after turning the cabin inside out! About 2 years after I bought the new to me boat, the teak frame under the mast started to discolor. After carefully removing the teak, I discovered the compression post was completely rotted--just a mass of decomposed 2x4s. Needless to say, after the compression post was replaced and the deck hole for the mast wires was resealed, the leak issue was solved.
We treated the surface of the teak that was in contact with the rotted post with a product called "get rot" and sealed the surface completely. The visible surfaces were sanded and stained to mask out the discoloration and finally sealed. We were able to salvage the teak covering completely; it looked fine when the job was completed.

 

[BlueTequila]

many thanks to all for your comments...

 

[BlueTequila]

could I use this in place of a regular ss post..?