2/2002

Description of Old-New Compression Post Project + Wood Mast Coating

Compression Post:
One day Ellen noticed that our compression post was bent....what a bummer!!     

At closer inspection we saw that it was nearly 1/2' bent from true straight.  We decided to replace the post w/beefier 
materials;  ;  the original post was 3" OD and under 1/8" wall thickness vs the new post is 4" OD and 3/16" wall thickness.  
The top plate was 1/4" vs the new 3/8" thick.  The new post is 316 SS Seamless Tubing.
The tube was not 'finished/polished'.   When we first started looking for places to get it finished, we were getting
quotes between $400 - $600.  We  found the answer was a shop w/a  'Centerless Grinder'.  Cost us $105. for a 
grinded/polished finish......kool! :)

Now that the project is done, I would say that the bent post was a result of a combination of different factors;
- The initial post material may never have been straight in the first place.
- The way the post was secured to bilge (encapsulated in fiberglass) was a bad design as water  
   was able to get trapped down into the area.
- Bad welded angle of bottom plate to post.
- Wood shim under post.
- Maybe the initial size of post/materials were not sufficient.....though if this were the case it seems like there 
  would be more reports of bent posts?
- Perhaps previous over tightening of rig contributed to the problem.

These are some thoughts that come to mind.

I'm sure that there are more Tayana owners out there w/bent compression posts that don't even realize it!  
To check your post;  have someone hold a string tight against the top of post (or tie/tape it) and pull it taught down
to post bottom.  It should pretty-much lie flush against post.  Checking port/starboard should be sufficient.    

 
Cost for Compression post project:
Materials -  316 SS  Seamless Tubing, top & bottom plates.   Aprx...........$300.
Grinding/Polish for Tube ....................................................105.
Welding etc. - electric wire slots top/bottom, top/bottom gusset material, 
welding of post to top/bottom plate, welding of gussets top/bottom...........600.
My time -  .............................................................priceless
Fiberglass Block / fabrication ..............................................100.
TOTAL .....................................................................$1105.
(Not counting; yard fee, all new standing rigging, Staloks, backstay insulators, 
open barrel turnbuckles, & misc fiberglass / epoxy materials)                                                                                     

Mast:
We decided to pull the wood mast for this project.  Two years prior, we pulled the mast and removed all hardware and
stripped it down to raw wood.  We applied several coats of Smiths Penetrating Epoxy  CPES, followed by 15 or so coats of 
MC2000, a clear one part polyurethane by Armada.   After two years ,  the mast coating was in very good condition.  The
boat was in the harsh conditions of the Gulf Coast  - Texas.
 
Prior to pulling mast for compression post project, we did research to see if there was another product we could coat mast 
with to increase longevity between maintenance sessions.   Our research led us to  Clear Awlcraft 2000 by US Paints.  This 
product is essentially the same as Clear Awlgrip but more flexible.   While the mast was off we went ahead and 
coated/sprayed it w/8 coats of Awlcraft 2000 as recommended, estimating 5-8 years with annual inspection...time will tell. 
Alcraft 2000 is for spraying while, Awlbrite Plus is for brushing, both Awlgrip products from US Paints.   We did some 
brush - 'touch up' w/this product  where the mast sat on the horses and it seemed to work well.  At the time of this writing
we are considering applying it to our exterior brightwork  (Schooner Varnish)........still thinking on this one. 

Hope there is something in these photos that will help others that may have a similar problem or may help stimulate ideas.......

SOLTARA 
T37 #170