For those of you that have read my posts on “H27 Mast Step” and “H27 Compression Post”, here is a project update… After determining that the mast step must be rebuilt and the compression post must be replaced, I decided to dig a little deeper. This was prompted by the fiberglass floor being crushed around the base of the compression post. I drilled a few holes in the sole in the head area and found that the core was wet. I cut that out to replace it and took a look at the support structure underneath. For those of you that prefer to live in blissful ignorance… stop reading now… do not look at the attached “picture”… You will not sleep well at night The attached drawing shows the support beam under the compression post. The whole thing is supported by a blob of filler of some kind on the hull. The beam was laminated in the liner. The floor was ½” plywood (soaking wet). Sandwiched between layers of fiberglass. The beam itself was about 2 /12 feet long, 3 ½’ wide, and a maximum of 3” thick, but tapered at each end. In the center, there was a 3” x 4” notch cut out of the aft portion and a 2+” notch cut out of the bottom portion…. That left a section of the beam that was about ½” x ¾” total…. Needless to say it broke in half at that point from its own weight when I picked it up…. I take comfort in the fact that I cannot dig any deeper, at least in this part of the boat. I start putting her back together this weekend. Splash time seems very far away…. I will update as necessary. Chuck Petty S/V Following Sea 1984 H27 PS I did get a survey and it was noted as “slight softness in the floor”. PPS Keep your boat dry. Go after any leak with a vengeance.
