I have my boat at home doing some winter maintenance, and have discovered that the mast support post has about six inches of wood rotted away. It looks to be a Douglas Fir 2x4, wrapped by 3/8" Teak boards. The Teak is ok, but the top part of the 2x4 (about 6") is gone, (I dug it out). I will now treat the wood to kill the decay spores, but my question is, what would you guys do to re-fill the open cavity? 1. wood plug w/resin. 2. Fiberglas/resin w/fillers. 3. Resin w/course sawdust. etc.. I am considering using a piece of 1x2 redwood, w/liquuid resin, w/West system fillers. What do you experts think. Thanks.
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Remove the entire post
and replace it with stainless steel or aluminum. I guess if you're on a budget you could replace it with wood, maybe pressure treated, Be sure to seal up the whole where the wires enters because the water leak is what caused it to rot, Lots of information and pictures on this subject in the archives
and replace it with stainless steel or aluminum. I guess if you're on a budget you could replace it with wood, maybe pressure treated, Be sure to seal up the whole where the wires enters because the water leak is what caused it to rot, Lots of information and pictures on this subject in the archives
R
Roger
structurally unsound
Structurally, I would replace the whole 2x4 mast support. For linear strength I would go back to fir, or try sitka spruce, although a piece of straight grain fir may be easier to find. You can reface the new board with your old teak if you wish. Filling the gap only, would not be structurally wise, from an engineering prespective. Aesthetically, it would look ok, but I wouldn't trust the inner strength. You will be putting a compression load on a joint essetially, and any weakness there will want to make it buckle at that point. Refacing it, will compound the issue by hiding any partial failure such as continued rot, failure of epoxy to bind or anything else that make take the compression load 'out of column' so to say. Depending on the interior decor of your boat, a turned stair column or spindle (4x4) may be a nice alternative, but still, I would stick to woods that have good compression resistance capabilities, such as long celled, tight grained, linear cuts of sitka, fir, or oak and ash, although these latter two tend to have their own problems when exposed to humidity unless epoxy encased.
Structurally, I would replace the whole 2x4 mast support. For linear strength I would go back to fir, or try sitka spruce, although a piece of straight grain fir may be easier to find. You can reface the new board with your old teak if you wish. Filling the gap only, would not be structurally wise, from an engineering prespective. Aesthetically, it would look ok, but I wouldn't trust the inner strength. You will be putting a compression load on a joint essetially, and any weakness there will want to make it buckle at that point. Refacing it, will compound the issue by hiding any partial failure such as continued rot, failure of epoxy to bind or anything else that make take the compression load 'out of column' so to say. Depending on the interior decor of your boat, a turned stair column or spindle (4x4) may be a nice alternative, but still, I would stick to woods that have good compression resistance capabilities, such as long celled, tight grained, linear cuts of sitka, fir, or oak and ash, although these latter two tend to have their own problems when exposed to humidity unless epoxy encased.
D
Dave Busby
Daryl, Rodger ....Thanks for your
input, ideas, and suggestions. I have just learned something, even at age 61....I want to keep the teak post(boards wraped around the 2x4) because it is part of the v-birth/salon bulkhead. I think I will just use a radial arm saw to remove the 2x4, and replace it with a hardwood from one of the shops here in Memphis. We have woods from all over the world. Thanks again.
input, ideas, and suggestions. I have just learned something, even at age 61....I want to keep the teak post(boards wraped around the 2x4) because it is part of the v-birth/salon bulkhead. I think I will just use a radial arm saw to remove the 2x4, and replace it with a hardwood from one of the shops here in Memphis. We have woods from all over the world. Thanks again.
R
Russell
Seal the end grain!
Two things. Make sure to9 seal the end grain to prevent water from wicking up into the wood. Choose your wood carefully. You need to worry about strength and rot resistance, not weight. Sitka spruce $$$ and hard to find inland, is great for spars because of its strenght to weight ratio. How about white oak (most definatly not red oak, ot will rot out in no time). This may be a good question for wooden boat builders. WWW.woodenboat.com has an interesting forum Russell
Two things. Make sure to9 seal the end grain to prevent water from wicking up into the wood. Choose your wood carefully. You need to worry about strength and rot resistance, not weight. Sitka spruce $$$ and hard to find inland, is great for spars because of its strenght to weight ratio. How about white oak (most definatly not red oak, ot will rot out in no time). This may be a good question for wooden boat builders. WWW.woodenboat.com has an interesting forum Russell
Penetrating Epoxy for sealing wood
Penetrating Epoxy is best for sealing wood (mixes a bit thinner than regular (laminating) epoxy to soak into the wood. I get my supplies at Fiberglass Coatings in St Pete. There is probably someone near you.
Penetrating Epoxy is best for sealing wood (mixes a bit thinner than regular (laminating) epoxy to soak into the wood. I get my supplies at Fiberglass Coatings in St Pete. There is probably someone near you.
R
R.W.Landau
Replace it in teak
Dave, Your compression post is already compromised. Remove it. Carefully measure the height of the ceiling and the post before you remove it. Then after you remove it measure it again..( to see how much dead load is there with out the mast.) Best way to measure.... Pick a place on the cabin sole(floor) that will not change. Put the end of your tape on that point.Measure up the compression post to a whole number like 40". Mark the old post. Then turn your tape upside down and measure from the point that the post supports (the ceiling)back to your 40" mark. Then add them together. If the existing look in the cabin is teak, replace the post in teak. It is hard to buy a small piece of teak so sping for it and buy one that will be a solid post. My guess $130.00 When you try to sell your boat you will be glad you did it right. Good luck on your project r.w.landau
Dave, Your compression post is already compromised. Remove it. Carefully measure the height of the ceiling and the post before you remove it. Then after you remove it measure it again..( to see how much dead load is there with out the mast.) Best way to measure.... Pick a place on the cabin sole(floor) that will not change. Put the end of your tape on that point.Measure up the compression post to a whole number like 40". Mark the old post. Then turn your tape upside down and measure from the point that the post supports (the ceiling)back to your 40" mark. Then add them together. If the existing look in the cabin is teak, replace the post in teak. It is hard to buy a small piece of teak so sping for it and buy one that will be a solid post. My guess $130.00 When you try to sell your boat you will be glad you did it right. Good luck on your project r.w.landau
Replace the entire support!
Dave: I agree, replace the entire post. Once you have opened the column, you just need to jack up the deck and replace the entire unit. We did ours with stainless, but you could also use wood again. It is not worth all of the effort to not fix it correctly.
Dave: I agree, replace the entire post. Once you have opened the column, you just need to jack up the deck and replace the entire unit. We did ours with stainless, but you could also use wood again. It is not worth all of the effort to not fix it correctly.
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