E29 Compression Post

[RockawayChris]

I've looked at a prospective 1977 E29 twice now and on the the second inspection, I noticed a crack in the liner around the compression post. I was surprised I didn't notice it the first time around as I usually go over the bulkhead pretty thoroughly. The door to the head is also sticking, and the owner said its never done that. The boat is on the hard with the mast still up. I was getting ready to make an offer and have it surveyed, but don't want to waste the time or money if this is something I should walk away from. This is my first 'big' boat and the asking price is 10k, maybe I'm being overly cautious. Attached is a photo. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Afrakes]

Crack

On a 39 year old boat you have to expect some movement and resultant cracking. The extent of that cracking should be your focus. There should be an inspection port in the cabin sole just a foot or so from the location of the compression post. See if you can use a light and mirror to get a good look at what is under the compression post. Hulls do flex. When my 87' 28 is on the trailer the head door does rub a bit. Once in the water for a week or two no more rub. You can certainly tell how long the rubbing of the head door has been going on by the amount of wear in that area. I don't think that you should walk away. Take a more detailed look.

 

[RockawayChris]

Compression post

Thanks Al, great response. There wasn't a lot of wear on the door jam, and other things like the wood cutting board cover on the stove also stuck. We really like the E29 and don't wanna walk away. But after looking at a tutorial on how this problem would need to be fixed it was a little daunting.