AloHA ... Hunter34 Lost Compression Post

[FlyingAloha]

Whats up gang. Thank you ahead of time for the knowledge. Much appreciated.
Long story short. My brother cant use his 34. I now inherited what she needs addressed.
Compression Post gone. Entire sole had to be ripped out. Some how toilet was left open at dock, were hooked up to the water. Filled the boat with about 2" of water.
Have all ready some great posts. Some who suggest Mast step , then others who say just piston jack it up slowly.
What I DID not seem to see anyone notice anyone thing i read about adjusting the Turnbuckles if the chosen way of fixing was not stepping mast and using the floor jack method. Heck. Not sure if its necessary ? I was told so by an old Goat who seemed pretty Salty and full of Knowledge.
And Im assuming thats where the water is getting in threw when it rains. lol
Again Cheers to all. Stoked for any type of help or direction.

 

[FastOlson]

Having your "soul" ripped out would be quite an existential crisis. Yikes.
OTOH, having the support post rot out on an 80's Hunter is not that unusual. You need to repair the leak at the mast step that has allowed the water to enter the cabin top in the first place. That post can be replaced with any strong straight grain timber -- friend of mine put an oak post back into his H-31.
When you jack up the cabin top, you might want to back off the turn buckles.
And, be careful of advice from Old Goats... there are a lot us lurking around docks (& on the internet) and much of the advice is contradictory to boot !

 

[FlyingAloha]

Having your "soul" ripped out would be quite an existential crisis. Yikes.
OTOH, having the support post rot out on an 80's Hunter is not that unusual. You need to repair the leak at the mast step that has allowed the water to enter the cabin top in the first place. That post can be replaced with any strong straight grain timber -- friend of mine put an oak post back into his H-31.
When you jack up the cabin top, you might want to back off the turn buckles.
And, be careful of advice from Old Goats... there are a lot us lurking around docks (& on the internet) and much of the advice is contradictory to boot !

I tend to listen to Goats. In the Surf , Mountains , Sea , etc. I learn from you Goats. And thank you for the "soul"

 

[kloudie1]

Yup.. Loosen the turnbuckles a bit before jacking.. The wood inside the cross beam is rotted out and compressed if the post itself is rotted, so plan on opening the beam and putting in something to support the mast base .. Best of luck! .. Welcome to the group! I am one of the old goats who's done the job !..

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

Ditto for me as old goats go. Did mine back in 06 and still going strong. Here is something for you to look at. Way over-engineered but not 1 problem in the 12 years and 20 000 miles sailed since ! I had the mast down but it can be done with mast up if turnbuckles are loose enough. Good luck

 

[Pizzazz]

Depending on how much of your compression post has rotted and your tolerance to risk, you may need to loosen up the turnbuckles multiple times. When I was doing the repair, I would jack up a little (you can hear the strain in the bulkhead) then loosen the buckles a bit, then repeat 5-6 times until the compression post releases and falls in your hands. I found it very difficult to separate the teak trim from the support wood in the compression post, so I just cleared 1-2" of rot from the top and the bottom and carved similar pieces from a 4x4 beam. The key to doing this repair once (I did it twice) is to open up the top bulkhead a bit and make sure that the beam supports both the mast base directly and the (cabin) inside of the fiberglass bulkhead.

If you just support the mast base, you lose some of the structural rigidity of the bulkhead. If you only support the bulkhead, it will compress eventually, especially on the H34 where the mast base is offset from the compression post. Basically make sure that you have enough wood support inserted in the bulkhead top. I hope it is clear but once you open it up, it will be evident.

SV Pizzazz

 

[markwbird]

I have done the job myself as well. In my case there was no rot, just bad design causing wood the cross beam above the post to compress over time. In your case in sounds like you need to replace the post entirely. I recommend addressing the cross beam issue as well since this is an inherent design flaw with the boat. There is much info on how folks have gone about this on this site.

 

[DJAY]

I did mine this past winter, thanks to all who posted their processes. Only thing I found different in my '85 was NO wood in the cross beam. It was a 'structural foam' that of course had compressed over the years. I removed that and replaced with a block of 1/2' aluminum. Post was replaced with fir after the old, rotten one was cut out with many passes on a table saw. Loosen the rig, jack it up, post falls out. Not nearly as imposing as it appears at first.

 

[FlyingAloha]

Ditto for me as old goats go. Did mine back in 06 and still going strong. Here is something for you to look at. Way over-engineered but not 1 problem in the 12 years and 20 000 miles sailed since ! I had the mast down but it can be done with mast up if turnbuckles are loose enough. Good luck

Claude your Documentation and PDF was what I had originally found on this forum threw a web search. I knew then. I found my means of knowledge and resource. BUT i do not have access to a crane , So I need to go about this using the Piston Jack I assume ?
This is my 1st Mono Hull. Been aggressively sailing Hobie16's for 20yrs. So all this is new. Im up for the task.
Im still a little into the wind on how I stop the leaking from the compression area with out pulling the mast. Im Green but ready to learn and get this boat in the water by my July 1st bday.
Any leak pointers ?
And again much thanks for everyones Help.
Cheers

 

[FlyingAloha]

Depending on how much of your compression post has rotted and your tolerance to risk, you may need to loosen up the turnbuckles multiple times. When I was doing the repair, I would jack up a little (you can hear the strain in the bulkhead) then loosen the buckles a bit, then repeat 5-6 times until the compression post releases and falls in your hands. I found it very difficult to separate the teak trim from the support wood in the compression post, so I just cleared 1-2" of rot from the top and the bottom and carved similar pieces from a 4x4 beam. The key to doing this repair once (I did it twice) is to open up the top bulkhead a bit and make sure that the beam supports both the mast base directly and the (cabin) inside of the fiberglass bulkhead.

If you just support the mast base, you lose some of the structural rigidity of the bulkhead. If you only support the bulkhead, it will compress eventually, especially on the H34 where the mast base is offset from the compression post. Basically make sure that you have enough wood support inserted in the bulkhead top. I hope it is clear but once you open it up, it will be evident.

SV Pizzazz

Pizzazz thanks man. Im as green as they come with Mono Hulls , so im all ears. Do i just cut into the bulkhead with a Dremel ? Im still trying to figure out how to get pics on here. You did your repair with out stepping the mast im assuming ?

 

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[FlyingAloha]

still trying trying to figure out pics on here.

 

[FlyingAloha]

Any HELP much appreciated.

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

You only need a crane if you take the mast down. The rest is done using a piston jack. I totally agree with pizzazz that it would be best to work in increments at loosening the turnbuckles. You only have to jack up enough to get clearance for the post, i.e. not more than around 1/4". You definitely do not want to have the mast foot clear off the mast step !!! Would help to also remove the holding tank as it would give you more room to work.

 

[kloudie1]

No need to cut bulkhead unless you are replacing it. Loosen the top screws so that when you jack the beam, the bulkhead/beam can go where it is supposed to..

 

[FlyingAloha]

No need to cut bulkhead unless you are replacing it. Loosen the top screws so that when you jack the beam, the bulkhead/beam can go where it is supposed to..
View attachment 151478

theres a good deal of water getting threw the bulkhead some how ? So i thought i would need to cut bulkhead to replace rot and some how stop water from coming in ???

 

[FlyingAloha]

You only need a crane if you take the mast down. The rest is done using a piston jack. I totally agree with pizzazz that it would be best to work in increments at loosening the turnbuckles. You only have to jack up enough to get clearance for the post, i.e. not more than around 1/4". You definitely do not want to have the mast foot clear off the mast step !!! Would help to also remove the holding tank as it would give you more room to work.

What about stopping the water leak that gets in threw the bulkhead some how ?

 

[Pizzazz]

Oh boy, it looks you have a major water leak problem. It could be coming from the base of the mast or from elsewhere. I would definitely address the water leak issue first. Check the deck around the mast base with a soft hammer to confirm that your deck is not soft or compromised. If it is leaking from the mast base then you have to take the mast down to rebed the base. Then you need to dry all this wet wood (dehumidifier for a few days). With respect to the compression post, you can either cut out the bulkhead and use a strong aluminium profile or you can cut a small opening and stuff the bulkhead space with wooden blocks. In both cases you will need a strong stainless steel plate to support the beam and take care of the mast offset (actually, support beam offset since I am pretty sure the mast is centered on the boat).

Good luck, you have some work ahead of you.

 

[Ilanortho]

A while back I had to replace my H 34 on this. Replaced with a stainless steel post and more importantly put in wire glands that prevent influx of leaking water that prompted the rot. Believe I posted pictures of this on this forum.

 

[FlyingAloha]

Oh boy, it looks you have a major water leak problem. It could be coming from the base of the mast or from elsewhere. I would definitely address the water leak issue first. Check the deck around the mast base with a soft hammer to confirm that your deck is not soft or compromised. If it is leaking from the mast base then you have to take the mast down to rebed the base. Then you need to dry all this wet wood (dehumidifier for a few days). With respect to the compression post, you can either cut out the bulkhead and use a strong aluminium profile or you can cut a small opening and stuff the bulkhead space with wooden blocks. In both cases you will need a strong stainless steel plate to support the beam and take care of the mast offset (actually, support beam offset since I am pretty sure the mast is centered on the boat).

Good luck, you have some work ahead of you.

Im feeling a little worried. I need to find where and how the water is getting in. It has to run down and funnel out of the threw hole thats facing aft on the lower cross section of bulkhead. Where the wires from the bilge run heading up front. The water comes into the forward center compartment. (picture)
I then noticed there a major crack in the bottom bulk head. (picture) Im lost on this. What to do, on top of all the other major issues going on. Then noticed a nice crack in the bottom , goes threw some layers. Kind of un nerving. (picture) Im tackling all of this by myself.
Its not my boat. My younger brother is sick. Hes not well enough to sail her let alone tackle these major repairs. Im helping out my mother and brother. Plan is to get her back in shape , in the water by July and for him to be well enough to enjoy his boat. So its tuff.
Rotted wood is out. That big piece of wood is dry thats under the cross beam. It just looks wet. I cant move the shitter tank because he left it full when he had to leave the boat off. Boat yard said I have to have it in the water to pump it. wtf ?
Its all good. All i can do is try. Hopefully I get it done.
****its not letting me post pics im trying to attach ? I will try again tomorrow. Thanks again for everyones input.