After removing the mast and rigging (i.e., no compression at all), I used a small hydraulic jack and some blocks of wood to jack up the cabin roof--I used 2 x 8s on the cabin sole and at the underside of the cabin roof to spread the load/pressure of the jack. Failure to do so will likely result in your putting holes in your cabin roof and/or cabin sole. I slowly jacked up the roof--expect creaking and cracking sounds. My boat actually flexed and began to change shape inside--but it and I survived stronger than ever. After jacking up enough--I could almost slide the stainless plate under the wooden compression post--I used a flat back saw (like from a hand miter box kit) and cut the bottom of the wooden compression post a little bit at a time (the thickness of a saw blade with each cut)until I could squeeze/slide the stainless plate underneath the wooden post and into its proper final position. I drew a pencil outline around the outside of the stainless plate while it was in position and then slid the plate back out. I then taped the outside perimeter of the pencil line with duct tape to avoid any epoxy overruns/spills.

Jacked Up

Once the sole had been taped off with the duct tape, I marked and drilled holes at each point of the plates corners--I used a 1/2 drill bit and depth stop, drilling only deep enough to penetrate the TOP fiberglass skin and core material of the cabin sole. BE CAREFUL not to (i.e., DO NOT) drill through the bottom fiberglass skin of the cabin sole. Once all the 1/2 holes are drilled, use cheap dental picks, stiff wire, old screwdrivers, etc. to dig out the core material from each of the holes and in between the fiberglass skins, radiating your digging out from the hole all the way around, enlarging the cavity between the two skins by removing the core material as far out as you can dig--i.e., about 1 1/2- 2 in diameter using the drilled hole as the center point. Vacuum up/remove all the core material and dirt and dust youve dug out. Mix up some West System 101 epoxy and fast hardener and pour it in each and every hole you just dug out and cleaned. Your not trying to completely fill these holes--you just want to wet out all the newly exposed core and glass in between the skins of the cabin sole where you made the cavities. Using a cotton swab and/or cheap disposable artists paint brush might aid in the wetting out process. You can let that harden or nearly harden (about 1-2 hours, depending on your weather). Now mix up some more epoxy and this time use some thickening material--like microfibers--so you can now fill these wetted out cavities with the solid epoxy this mixture will soon become. I even used some white pigment to make my stuff look like gelcoated fiberglass. Pour your thickened mixture into each hole, filling it completely. You might need to check each hole several times as the epoxy settles and bubbles until it sets up. Overfilling slightly is O.K. but youll need to sand down the cured epoxy flush with the cabin sole.

You can see from the photo the hole my wooden compression post had driven into the cabin sole--about 1/2 deep. I filled that hole with clear, unthickend epoxy also just to seal it off from further moisture intrusion.

Filled In

Heres a closeup of the high-grade stainless plate my buddy at the machine shop gave me (it was actually a scrap!). I had him drill and countersink the holes on each point so that I could screw it down to the cabin sole--to avoid any possibly of it moving or shifting out of place. I actually drilled and tapped the holes for 1/4 long 1/4-20 stainless phillips oval head screws into the cured epoxy pucks poured in the cabin sole where those holes would be positioned once the plate was in its proper position. That baby dont move at all now!

Plate Itself

Heres a shot of the plate now in position after the epoxy pucks in the cabin sole had cured. I slid the plate in place and lowered--very slowly--the compression post down onto the new plate by releasing pressure from the jack. The hull barely flexed/creaked at all and the new plate is firmly held in place by the compression post--the stainless screws I tapped and installed into the holes on the ends of the plate are probably overkill but guarantee that plate will never move. The epoxy pucks have worked fabulously so far--6 months later I have no stress cracks or depressions under the corners of the plate and the rig has stayed properly tuned after many races/hard sailing/stress on the rig.

Nearly Done

While I had the mast down, I also decided to install a stainless halyard plate underneath the aluminum maststep. I removed the aluminum step--two wood screws and a thru-bolt in front. Upon removal, I noticed some core rot and delamination problems so I repeated the same core removal/eppoxy filling/epoxy puck treatment used for the base of the compression post inside the cabin (described in the photos before). Once I had all the holes filled and cured, I drilled and tapped the holes to make a better connection and avoid water intrusion--I filled the holes with Life Caulk before I re-installed the screws/bolt, etc.

Mast Step wide view

Heres a close-up of the aluminum maststep and the new stainless halyard plate. Notice I had my buddy at the machine shop drill a 3/4 hole and NPT pipe thread/tap it in the maststep center and the stainless plate so that I could thread a PVC pipe nipple into the maststep and plate and actually into the deck so that I could run my mast wires into the cabin with no exposure outside the mast (i.e., subject to breaks, tears, rips, etc.). I filled the holes prior to installing the pipe nipple with silicone and once I had installed the mast wires with a disconnect fitting to go up inside the butt of the mast, I filled the pipe nipple and wire running through it with silicone to avoid water seeping below into the cabin. The halyard plate cost me about $50 at rigrite.com and has worked fabulously--I ran my halyards internally and have them turned on blocks at the base of the mast (mounted on the holes of the halyard plate) so they are led aft to rope clutches on the cabin roof.

Mast Step and Plate

Heres a closer shot of the deck holes prior to my epoxy puck filling operation. Note the three holes at the corners of the taped triangle--these were holes for wires run through the deck for VHF, mastlights and something else. The thru-deck connections leaked like crazy, the wires were broken and useless and I cursed the idiot who had installed these in that fashion. I filled all three of these completely, eliminating all holes and exposed wires. I now have an eight wire insulated cable running internally inside the mast and through the center of the maststep and down into the cabin--no exposed wires or holes or connections. NO leaks, no potential for breaks and no unsightly science experiments cluttering my deck. I used the pigmented epoxy to fill all the holes and sanded the epoxy smooth and flush with the deck--looks like three little white dots now. If and when I repaint the topsides, the filled holes should virtually disappear.

Closeup of Mast Step