samson post rot

[brookesmith]

The 1978 36' we are looking at to purchase has a rotted samson post and the surrounding deck is compromised . Has anyone DIY replaced a samson post? How about repairing the surrounding deck? This is the worst area of this neglected boat.

Brooke & Susan Smith

[jleonard]

Just remember the cardinal rule of thumb....you will only see the TIP of the iceberg.
There is more rot than you'll find on an inspection.
Past that I would use a standard 4x4 as a post. Mine is a teak 4x4 with a stainless cap and a large cleat mounted at the base. Some I've seen are sanded to a contour and have a "dowel pin" thru the post to secure the lines.
Either should be easy to make.
The deck I would replace and fiberglass, not reinstall the teak planking. Will be a great time to re do the anchor rode locker into something more user friendly.
I wpersonally would not be afraid of the project. I've done a lot on previous boats with figerglass. You can make it stronger than original without too much work.
Good luck.

[happytimes]

I had to replace mine a few years back. It turned out to be a much bigger job then i expected. If I remember it extends about 8-10 inches below the anchor locker. It was encased in fiber glass. I had to take off some of the forward teak panels to access it. I used an oak 4 by 4 to replace it. The hardest part was getting to the bottom of the post. When I replaced it I made the access to the locker larger with a teak hatch. It was a job getting the post out of the fiber glass. Had to use a saw all. If you have any other questions let me know... good luck
Bob