Base of Compression Post 1984 H31

[MY first one]

I have found all these posts very informative and it has helped me begin the repairs on my compression post my 1984 H31. I have all the symptoms of the well documented failures of the compression post. Mine was rotted out through-out and very wet. Funny enough, the top beam is completely dry and not rotted. So here is my issue, what I found was that the top beam is dry and not rotted, water infiltration from passthru cable tube and compression post rotted but what I have found on my boat is the block of wood below the the post was soaked and rotted, I suspect that this partly gave way and the post dropped. I have not found any repair/replacement for this issue. I would require help and suggestions. The block of wood is placed so the grain of the wood is vertical and it is encased in some sort "basket" made from fiberglass (i'm guessing to keep it dry from the water from the head on it's way to the bilge). Has anyone done this repair also? I have attached some pictures.

Michael

 

[Will Gilmore]

What do you mean by

The block of wood is placed so the grain of the wood is vertical

?
Wood is strongest, in compression, along the grain. It, of course, does not prevent rot because of orientation. You might consider picking out a pressure treated piece of wood from a box store. The 4x4s are usually made of yellow pine which are hard and resistant to rot. The other p.t. woods commonly used are fir and spruce. Yellow pine will be a lot heavier. Be sure to dry it out thoroughly and track down the water source. I suggest looking at the mast step first. You will want to rebed the step and be sure not to over tighten your rig when you tune it.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[MikeHoncho]

I would be concerned using pressure treated as it shrinks as it dries out. Although more width than length, it will still shrink. Now I'm only familiar to DougFir PT so pine might be slightly different.

 

[SailormanDan]

Do a search on this site, this has been covered before. I think most folks have used an aluminum I-beam and stayed away from wood.

 

[SFS]

If I had been unfortunate enough to have to do this on our H31, I would definitely have used aluminum at the base. Take care of that problem for my lifetime.

 

[splax]

I used a square aluminum tube to replace the compression post and square end caps for the top and bottom.