Wood Trunk mast stanchion/ support

Submitted by abl1111 on Sun, 07/22/2012 - 12:27
Forums: 
Maintenance, Repairs, Changes, and Upgrades

 Anyone ever build a new, mahagony trunk / mast stanchion ?Mine is OLD ! and cracked and needs to be replaced.  Anyone ' been there, done that ' ? Thx

gkrapf

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 18:52

I replaced mine on 2101 about 2 years ago.  Not a difficult job.  I cut new stantions out of mahogany stock having the same thickness as the original.  I used the original stantions as a template.

sawyerspadre

Tue, 07/24/2012 - 22:03

I had mine replaced at the factory.  It was quite reasonable.  I think the complete stanchion is under 200 dollars on the FS Inc website.  Mine was weathered and would have needed a lot of sanding and coat after coat of new varnish.  Since Harry had my boat, I think the replacement of the stanchion was only about an extra hour or labor.  They did mine with the boat upside down.  It makes it easier to fiberglass in the top, where it meets the deck.  The bottom is bolted through the CB trunk keel that extends forward.The new one looks really pretty, and at the price, buying mahogany, I am not sure I could had built it for less myself.  If you factor in the time,  it's easy to justify a new one.  The old one is still hanging around my garage.  I could sell it for $50 + shipping.

abl1111

Fri, 07/27/2012 - 22:14

 Thx for replies.  I'm either going to buy mahogany locally or buy it complete from FS.  I'd rather buy it locally, pull old one off as template as mentioned and varnish it.Just was wondering of it was a tough thing to copy / manufacture.How much, roughly for the mahagony lumber ? 

abl1111

Sun, 08/05/2012 - 12:12

 For a DIY'er, varnish before assembly of mahagony or after ? Thx

sawyerspadre

Mon, 08/06/2012 - 21:34

I would varnish after assembling, but before installing.  I think at the factory the top inch or two on the outside is left unvarnished until after the fiberglass that holds it into the deck is done.  You almost can't see that part, and the bare wood probably holds resin better.If you will be making your own, I would think you would want to glue it and use stainless screws. I think the older boats had brass.  The bolts at the bottom should be stainless.What does good mahogany sell for in your market?  I think Harry sells the stanchion for about $150 ready to go.  I bought one and spent my waxing and varnishing time on the tiller and the bottom.Keep in mind that if you build your own, you will want to support the deck, while you have old one out of the boat, and be very careful to get the right distance from deck to keel.  If you end up too long or short, it will affect rig tension, shrouds etc.Phil

abl1111

Wed, 08/08/2012 - 17:34

  Thx, All good words of wisdom. Thought about all your points.   The factory sells it for $180 - not shipped.  I might go that route, I just haven't gone to my wood supplier yet.  If I could buy wood for under $40-$50, I'll do it myself - I have the varnish, screws, epoxy - etc.  Unfortunatley, I have more time than $ ( it could be worse, I could have neither ! )I usually save buying things for stuff I cannot do or it's a very specialty item.If you saw the resto project I just did, you would understand.  One whole side of my boat was demolished against a pier in a squall - after having finished a complete resto a few years earlier ( heartbreak ! ).  About 12' long x 12" on deck and 12" on hull were basically gone.   Looks new now.   

Flyingscot64

Sun, 08/26/2012 - 21:43

My boat is a 64 , I replaced all the wood ,center board cover stantion and jib block boards all for under 100 dollars including varnish .  As said earlier use all old wood for templit ,  I bought all the wood at Menards and had to glue up ,to make the wider board ,you want to do this anyway  to prevent cuping ,I used polyurethane glue for that.

abl1111

Mon, 10/15/2012 - 20:18

 Quick question: When you say that you glues it, did you glue (2) narrow pcs to make the wide, 12 1/4" stanchion ?Do you think that if a solid 12 1/4" pc of wood was used, as opposed to (2) pcs glued, it would cup?

sawyerspadre

Mon, 10/15/2012 - 20:32

The mahogany sides of my stanchion are solid, it appears, on both the old and the new.  Neither appears to have a glue joint.  I still have the old one around if anyone wants it.  

Flyingscot64

Tue, 10/16/2012 - 12:52

When making  furniture I always glue smaller pieces  together to prevent cupping , so I treated this the same , up to 6-8 inch I would do solid ,but over that I would cut even if I had a 12 inch board in front of me. I used poly urethane glue since it is out side .  If you match the grain so it looks the same , I would even have a hard time finding the seam on mine.  The glue joint will be stronger then the wood it self .  I can send you a picture of mine if you would like.

abl1111

Wed, 01/30/2013 - 19:40

Would like to see it.  
 
 
 

Flyingscot64

Mon, 02/04/2013 - 19:34

sent you an e-mail

makcote

Tue, 07/05/2022 - 17:24

Hello:  Older post but a common issue I believe. I have found rot in the stancion on my newly purchased Scot. I was thinking of repairing it with bondo and or fiberglassing it to give it some added protection. has anyone done this? I am thinking the replacement will be a lot of extra work. May consider it in the future but may try to get the boat in the water this year.