Over the previous two evenings, I got started on the last of the more significant projects to complete for Biscuit's restoration - the support column for the mast. Essentially, this support post transfers the load from. the mast step to the keel, and removes potential deflection of the coachroof. Often reported by owners of older Cape Dory Typhoons, eventual water ingress around the mast step leads to soft core and ultimately a sagging cabin top. So to remove this threat, the owner chose to have a better representation of, or "shippy" in appearance, support post made for Biscuit.

I selected a 1 and 5/8" diameter piece of white oak for the post, and a piece of 3/4" piece of mahogany for the cap plate. The design is for the "nub" of the post to sit in the "pocket" of the cap plate. The post is then led through a section cutout of the cabin sole, held in a firm friction fit on top of the keel, and collars on the cabin sole restrict any chance of movement. During the first of the two evenings, I confirmed the top plate dimensions, found center on the plate and then cut the pocket with a forstner bit on the bench top drill press. I set the top plate to the side, and began work on the post's nub-end. The pocket is undersized to the diameter of the post by roughly 1/4", so taking the depth of the pocket and its diameter, I set up the table saw to remove material on the post, thereby creating the nub. I installed the miter gauge on the table saw, set at 0-dregees, and spun the round piece of white oak as it rested firmly against the gauge and perpendicular to the fence of the table saw. After the cut, I used sand paper and files to finally arrive at a satisfyingly snug fit of the nub into the pocket. I would finish this first evening by easing the edges of the top plate on the router table and generally sanding through 220; I also cleaned up the surface of the white oak post.

The second of the two evenings was spent with a focus on the lower portion of the support post - primarily locating the cabin sole cut and prepping the keel with an adequate step. I began the work by selecting another piece of mahogany for the collar - this would be square in shape, have a hole cut in the center of it the same diameter of the support post, and then cut in half, so as to be removable without removing the support post. The collar will also be screwed to the cabin sole and will prevent any movement in the post. I dimensioned the collar to 6"-square, found center, and cut a hole in the center roughly the same size of the post, and then cut the collar plate in half. The hole required some additional work to arrive at a suitable fit, and once there, I then eased all edges, top and bottom, on the router table.

I took a rough measure from the existing overhead beam built into the coachroof and to the cabin sole, and then cut a proxy for the support post. With a snug fit, I maneuvered the little piece of wood around to find center and plumb. I set the collar in place, located its installation location and marked the perimeter on the cabin sole itself. I then reduced the size of the pencil marks by 1/4" on all sides so that the collar would overlap the cabin sole cutout. Using an oscillating took and a carbide blade I removed the small square of sandwiched core construction - two 1/8" fiberglass skins, with balsa core in the middle. I cleaned up the mess, and then got a good look at the top of lead keel. There was a fairly messy fiberglass lay up, containing an overall uneven surface, with pockets here and there. I wanted a clean "step" for the post to rest on, so I used a small finger sander, and cleaned up the top of the lead as well as the portion of hull just forward of the keel. A quick acetone wash after vacuuming up the sanding debris, and I was then applying epoxy to first wet the surfaces, and then thickened epoxy (using 404 hi-density from West System) to fill in some of the pockets and generally provide a nice base for three layers of small 1708 biaxial cloth patches to be installed on. I finished the step off with applying peel ply. Should complete the mast support post through the July 4th holiday weekend. Happy Birthday America!

Total Hrs: 4.5