Hey sailors, anyone seen this on a hunter's compression post? it's a 1991 Hunter 30 I'm considering buying for my sailing school. I think the post still has plenty of support considering the entire Cylinder. Any thoughts or advice?
crack/cut in compression post H30
- Thread starter capt_paul
- Start date
Either replace it with a new one fabricated to the same specs as the existing post or possibly remove the post and have a collar or plate welded to area to isolate and strengthen the affected area. Concerned that if it is not addressed, the fracture will propagate furher.
Is it plume or is it torqued? It looks like significant corrosion damage to the inside then the post was torqued to one side causing the crack. I do not know this year of Hunter but my 78 had a failing compression post support in the bilge that allowed the compression post to torque and get out of plumb to the mast. I’d be very concerned with this issue and the price adjustment would reflect it in a big way. Mine was actually easy to fix but a lot of labor and mess.
I have a 1980 Hunter 33 and had to replace my compression post due to corrosion in the bilge. It is a doable project and not expensive. I found an exact replacement for the post at Metals Depot on line. They identified the post material as structural aluminum tubing and cut a piece to the exact length and shipped it to me in a cardboard tube. If I were you I would replace that post.
That crack is in a really bad place in the post. It really significantly reduces the ability of the post to take compression loads. That crack really compromises the structural moment of inertia (not mass moment) .. Such a compromise can cause a failure that gives no warning by gradual deformation. The best thing to do is, as Easy says, to replace the post. A piece of aluminum tube or pipe is going to be pretty cheap (around $130) and the replacement looks to be a pretty easy job. The bottom flange and top don't look too bad to replicate.
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That looks bad. I would not trust it and I agree with Kloudie1 that if it fails, it could do so suddenly. Replacing an exposed compression post like that should be a comparatively easy project though. Factor the estimated repair cost into your offer or walk away.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,160
Captain Paul...
25 ton master, owner of Sail Monterey
I would be uncomfortable as your insurance agent if boats with the damage in the image were being leased to clients of Sail Monterey.
I suspect you know the answer. Perhaps a welder can make it serviceable. Perhaps a new compresssion post is needed. In nearby Watsonville you have a spar builder who could address the issue.
ballengerspars.com
25 ton master, owner of Sail Monterey
I would be uncomfortable as your insurance agent if boats with the damage in the image were being leased to clients of Sail Monterey.
I suspect you know the answer. Perhaps a welder can make it serviceable. Perhaps a new compresssion post is needed. In nearby Watsonville you have a spar builder who could address the issue.
Custom aluminum and Carbon Masts and Booms | Ballenger Spar Systems
Ballenger Spar Systems, Inc. has been producing the highest quality racing and cruising spars for thirty five years. We carry an extensive inventory of extrusion and spar parts for sailboats from eight to eighty feet.
hey JSSailem, have we met? I agree with you, the boat pictured is not mine but a prospective purchase. I have worked with ballenger in the past but in this instance, I should be able to source a structural compression post on my own to replace this one with just like RoyS mentioned in his reply. I'm glad I got the insight from this group before I made an offer on the boat.
I will say, I've never seen anything like this in an aluminum post. what I was most curious about was if this was done on purpose to fit the sleeve for the table/bed. it looks less like a crack and more like a wedge that was cut in on purpose.
I will say, I've never seen anything like this in an aluminum post. what I was most curious about was if this was done on purpose to fit the sleeve for the table/bed. it looks less like a crack and more like a wedge that was cut in on purpose.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,160
Owners do strange things.
I do not know if we met. I lived in the East Bay for 10 years (Pleasanton). Worked in the milk industry with Berkeley Farms. Fort Ord Commissary was one of my clients, so I was down in your neck of the woods a lot.
I used Ballenger when I needed to replace the rotted spruce spreaders on my Cal35C. They replicated them in Aluminum.
Back in the 90's I refereed some of the matches in Watsonville It was an interesting venue. The players were always testing the referee's patience. Most were ok. But, when they started to talk about my mother in Spanish, while not a native speaker I knew enough to pull a red card and end it. They would suddenly not know what the gringo knew. It was pretty funny.
I think you got a handle on the compression post. It struck me as a question you knew the answer.
Makes me wonder if it was intentionally cut, Why?
I do not know if we met. I lived in the East Bay for 10 years (Pleasanton). Worked in the milk industry with Berkeley Farms. Fort Ord Commissary was one of my clients, so I was down in your neck of the woods a lot.
I used Ballenger when I needed to replace the rotted spruce spreaders on my Cal35C. They replicated them in Aluminum.
Back in the 90's I refereed some of the matches in Watsonville It was an interesting venue. The players were always testing the referee's patience. Most were ok. But, when they started to talk about my mother in Spanish, while not a native speaker I knew enough to pull a red card and end it. They would suddenly not know what the gringo knew. It was pretty funny.
I think you got a handle on the compression post. It struck me as a question you knew the answer.
Makes me wonder if it was intentionally cut, Why?