Compression Post Blues

[lavery]

Thank you Brion, Rick, Douglas and John for your valuable comments.

Now that I know more, it is time to update this thread.

Brion,
I appreciate your comments regarding conjecture. The survey indicates that the cabin top, mast, and post "as accessible appear sound," then suggests that "the condition may have existed since manufacture." Then there is some rambling about how the forward rake when corrected may "relieves stress sufficient to allow a return to a fair shape."

On the other hand, when I delivered the boat to a good fiberglass guy in another town it took him about...oh...3 seconds to recognize the signs of rotten core in the cabin-top. Repairs are now underway.

By the way, I have a pdf file of the page of my survey that deals with the mast support area of the cabin-top if you are interested. Please tell me how to get it to you.

Rick,
Yes a specialist could have helped. The small Alaskan town in which I bought the boat had no fiberglass specialist. Besides, finding problems could kill the sale. This would be counterproductive for the surveyor and the used boat dealer who recommended him (that's my conjecture and I am sticking to it).

Douglas,
You are right on target. The surveyor did not go up the mast, did recommend replacing rigging on the basis of time-in-use, and did not raise any serious concerns around "areas not now visible."

John,
Yes my compression post appears sound. Also, the head door frame to which the compression post is attached is still square. If there is a common structural vulnerability in the cabin top, it might be as Brion suggests that over time the core collapses and ultimately cracks the fiberglass. A quirk of the SC31 mast support system is that the mast is not directly over the compression post, but is instead somewhat cantilevered. The original core was plywood. If the original engineering was sound, then consider the result of punching holes in the cabin-top for mast electricals and hardware, and leaving the boat out in the rain for 30 years without proper sealants.

All,
So I would leave you with the following 2 questions:

1.) Do I have any legal recourse in the case of a survey that really did not do the job?

2.) I pulled my chainplates and found some cracks. I have opted to replace all 8. Is 316 stainless steel the best material for chainplate duty, or should I call for a different specification?

Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise.

Jim Lavery
s/v Hoku Ke'a
Southern Cross 31