Compression post cheat?

danm1

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Oct 5, 2013
164
Hunter 356 Mamaroneck, NY
I know this is wrong, but I am not handy and I am cheap. I just noticed a crack developing in the glass above the compression post on my Hunter 34. Is there a quick and dirty way to fasten, say, a steel pole abutting the post on one or two sides without pulling everything apart? Any other creative cheats?
 
Nov 8, 2007
1,523
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
The most likely problem is moisture and rot of the wood core in the deck under the mast. Symptoms of this are loose shrouds, and deformation of the overhead on top of the compression post.

Second most likely is the structure at the base of the compression post on the bottom of the boat. Visual inspection is the way to check.

In any case, you need to figure out the problem before coming up with a solution.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Check rigging tension. Too tight might be causing the problem.
 
Aug 10, 2015
22
Hunter 34 Charleston
"Is there a quick and dirty way..." Not really IMO. I guess you could put in a metal (or wooden) post to port of the existing post but that means the load would be off center. If you put one on either side you might as well replace the post as removing the stbd forward settee is more difficult than removing the facing on the post. I replaced the floor in my cabin so I know all about tearing those settees apart. I did inspect my compression post while doing that and it was fine. And like what the guy in the link about replacing the post said the hardest part is getting the facing off. The glued the heck out of it.
 

danm1

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Oct 5, 2013
164
Hunter 356 Mamaroneck, NY
Inspection does seem to be the first step, so I need to get the trim off. Which side do you pull, side facing v-berth or main cabin or sink? How is it fastened? Can it be removed without destroying? Do you need to jack up the mast first? Thanks.
 
Aug 10, 2015
22
Hunter 34 Charleston
Pull the aft facing off first. You have to remove the plugs that hide the screws. On my Hunter 34 there are 14 screws total (I know that because I am sitting in the cabin of the boat right now looking at it, lol).
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I (being a cheap engineer) did mine in the cheapest way I could that I figured would get the job done without taking the mast down. The real problem is that the core in the cross beam that the post bears on is fir and a small persistent water leak will rot it. My compression post was not rotted. The fiberglass cross beam is not strong enough alone to handle the compression load. In a nutshell, I loosened the rig, marked the underside of the beam where the post was bearing. I removed that piece of the beam.. I cleaned out the goo and gunk that had been fir.. I carved a block of solid aluminum to fit inside the hole and epoxied it in, replacing the fir.. The block is a bit taller (flush with the bottom of the beam) so that the post bears on the block and not the beam bottom.
There has been a lot of discussion about the various fixes.. most have great pictures.. Search "ask a hunter owner" with "compression post" and you'll find a treasure trove of info..
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...ression-post-design-flaw.171280/#post-1208014
 
Jan 22, 2008
1,654
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
Take the head door off the jamb. That's the cover for the wire chase in the post (forward facing). Pop the plugs and remove the screws. You might be able to then peek up inside to see what is going on. In my case, the transverse piece of wood compressed due to the downward force of the mast. That caused the beam to deform and eventually crack big time. Others have had rot due to water getting in around the piece of PVC pipe that extends up from the deck into the mast a few inches. That will require pulling the mast to repair. I cut a large hole (probably too big) in the beam and installed a large aluminum plate against the bottom of the deck, then filled the rest of the distance down to the top of the post with an aluminum block drilled to allow the wires to pass through. After getting a pro to re glass everything it's still perfect after 20 years.

This link will take you to my repair.

https://hunter.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=31&aid=6641&mn=34
 

danm1

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Oct 5, 2013
164
Hunter 356 Mamaroneck, NY
Okay, I appreciate the advice from Jack to remove the aft trim and Allan to remove the forward trim...but I have to confess that I still don't know which to do first. Is it me, or is the post set up differently in different 34s? (I am willing to accept that it's me, but I really need to be led by the hand if it might involve tools. I have a well documented tool allergy).
 
Jan 22, 2008
1,654
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
Okay, I appreciate the advice from Jack to remove the aft trim and Allan to remove the forward trim...but I have to confess that I still don't know which to do first. Is it me, or is the post set up differently in different 34s? (I am willing to accept that it's me, but I really need to be led by the hand if it might involve tools. I have a well documented tool allergy).
I'm pretty sure they are all set up the same way. So, it is the head door jamb you want to remove first. Here is a picture of what it looks like. Don't do what I did and take off the entire bulkhead. You will be able to look up in that slot and see if you have post rot, beam rot or beam compression. Then after you figure out what to do next based on the situation, go in small steps like Kloudie1 did.
ALLAN2.JPG
 
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Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Couple more: Door jamb off, post still in place, bulkhead in place.. Jack plate in place and 4X4 jack post.
Post out and bulkhead in place..
P2040771.JPG P2040777.JPG
 
Last edited:
Nov 26, 2012
1,653
Hunter 34 Berkeley
Not really. All H-34's have this problem eventually. Mine did and I had no wood rot. The header beam barely catches the edge of the compression post in bearing so the bearing area is way too small. Over time the wood in the header beam crushes. There are many fixes that have been posted on this website. I think mine was the cheapest. I did, however, have the mast removed first. I opened up the fiberglass to expose the wood beam. The beam has a channel cut in it for the wiring. This is part of why there is so little bearing area. I screwed a 1/4" thick x 4" x 12" long steel plate to the underside of the beam to bridge the channel and drilled a hole in the plate for the wires in the compression post to continue through to the mast. This increased the bearing area considerably. I just put the old compression post back in place. I was able to do this because all of the wood was dry and in good shape. I did not bother to repair the fiberglass. I could just cover with some teak trim.
 
Jan 22, 2008
1,654
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
As Markwbird found, the cross ways wood in the beam had been hacked out on mine as well. With the mast not being directly in-line with the compression post, a lot of load transferred to a very small section of the wood. Mine crushed down enough that it completely severed the antenna cable which follows the channel. Hunter actually fed it through a piece of water hose with a pull string. The wires for the mast lights went straight down and were not damaged. I replaced all the wires except the two that are behind that beam (AC for the starboard side outlets and the 12 Volt cabin lights circut). You can see the deformation in the wood. Again, much bigger hole than necessary. Just needs enough to cut the wood in half and shove out of the way in the beam. Try and get a solid plate up in there to spread the load. Fill the rest of the distance with a block to form a solid couple down to your post and trim with teak to hide the opening.

ALLAN3.JPG