Ranger 29 Mast Compression

[jakehussey]

rrranch, I am having the same issues with my 74' Ranger 29. I was just curious if you could provide us with an update of how things went.

[rrranch]

It's been working great! No problems at all. It's been a while since I did that too. I check the piece of wood I put in regularly and no sign or rot or slipping. My rigging stays adjusted right where I set it too. My only suggestion would be to remove the mast. I did it with the mast in place by jacking it up and it was a pain in the butt by myself.

[ranger29]

I also have a 1974 Ranger 29 showing signs of mast compression. Water was leaking down the antenna and mast light wires through the deck, down the compression post and rotted the top of a wood stud which is glassed in behind the fiberglass bulkhead at the base of the compression post. The compression post has 8 screws through it going into the bulkhead and stud.

Using a tiny video camera bores cope I was able to get a peek at the fwd part of the bilge and I could see the 2x6 cabin sole/compression post support and it's in good condition but it's not directly under the compression post and there is about a 1/2" gap between it and the underside of the sole on the fwd 5-6" of that support. It appears to be shifted starboard away from the compression post

I'd love more information, pictures, drawings, or any support that could be shared on this subject. My plans are to slack the shrouds and jack the roof so I can check for movement of the 2x6 under the sole. I get the feeling I'll be cutting open the sole to gain access to properly align and shim the support. Removing the rotten small 2x3x12 stud inside the bulkhead will be the second task once the base is sured back up

Jason

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, jakehussey & ranger29.

[ranger29]

A look at the front of the 2x6 support under the sole

[jakehussey]

It seems to be a common problem with the ranger 29. I assumed that my block had just rotted away but now I'm thinking that it may have shifted like ranger29's and rrranch's. Can either of you instruct me on the most efficient way to look at the block in order to determine if it has just shifted? (Place to cut a hole with pictures preferably?) I was planning on cutting a large hole to replace the block but obviously a smaller hole to access, inspect and shift the block would be ideal.

[ranger29]

I'd love to see a factory drawing on how this area was engineered but all my searches for that type of information have come up with nothing. Maybe Bangor Punta destroyed all the drawings when they closed the factory.

Jason

[jakehussey]

I have the same problem on Willow that occurs on all Ranger 29 sailboats. The mast step settles and deck compression occurs. As an attempt to understand the problem I cut an access port, identical to the bilge access. It turns out that the original design had a 2x6 installed under the step; however, it does not fully support the mast compression post. It is difficult to photograph this but the beam is tapered and does not actually support the floor directly beneath the step. Please see photos and feel free to ask questions. I am currently trying to decide the best method to provide additional support to the base of the compression post.

Cheers,




Looking Aft


Looking Forward


8x16"


8x16" and 2x6 beam


Cabin Floor Layers


Floor glassed to 2x6 beam


Cabin Floor

[jakehussey]

Here is the best picture I can get for the beam under the compression post. It is easy to see that the beam is cut at an angle and only reaches the first inch of the compression post. At this point, due to the beam angle, the post is not actually supported.

Will update when I have the solution...

Cheers,

[ranger29]

Thank you for posting the pictures. How secure is the 2x6 to the keel? Can it be removed?

I intend to do this repair when I haul the boat out in a few months and step the mast. One thought I had was to pull the compression post after removing the mast and to remove a section of floor directly under the bottom of the post followed by building some type of dam between the hull and the underside of the liner I could then fill with structural epoxy and chopped glass. Then I would repair the floor under the compression post and reinstall it. The idea is to keep the hole in the cabin floor the same size as the footprint of the compression post. FYI there is a 2x4 glassed against the inside the liner/bulkhead to the port side of the lower compression post and the if you look you'll see maybe a dozen screws with plugged heads attaching the lower section of the compression post to that short bulkhead. On my boat water leaking down the antenna and lighting wiring coming out of the mast has partially rotted that piece of wood and I intend to drill and fill it with structural epoxy as well. If the lower sill/track for the door to the head can be fully supported against the bottom of the hull it would provide additional support too. My guess is that the cabin sole or liner was to cary the majority of the load of the mast but over time they flex mostly because the 2x6 support is not long enough to provide adequate support.

Jason

[jakehussey]

You nailed it Jason. I'm going to utilize the giant hole I cut to remove some or all of the 2x6 and replace it with a support that works. I will then install an access cover, similar to the bilge access, which will allow me to clean that part of the bilge and monitor the proposed compression block. My mast is down and I'm going to work on it this weekend. Pictures to come.

Jake.

[ranger29]

It appears that the 2x6 resting on the keel actually is working as a lever arm against the underside of the liner and that by pushing down on the forward end of it even though it's fully resting on the keel it's still a lever applying upward force at the aft end of the 2x6. This is made worse due to the angled cut of the forward end of the 2x6 ( see the bore scope pictures in previous posts ) . Since the floor has been removed there is nothing resisting the upward force at the aft end of the 2x6. If the 2x6 could be extended forward to provide complete support of the compression post followed by permanently attaching it into the keel at the aft end it would then not be relying on the liner to resist the downward force from the compression post. I could be totally wrong though.


Jason