srm wrote:
Couple thoughts (note I've never worked on a 21SC, but have worked on a fair share of other Hobies)...
First, how did you get the post out of the retainer to begin with?
Next, does the post move freely in the crossbar? I would assume that the DS post is seized to the compression sleeve inside the crossbar, meaning it won't move up or down. On other Hobies, the setup is that the hole in the top of the crossbar is the same diameter as the OD of the compression sleeve and the hole in the bottom of the crossbar is the diameter of the stirker post. This means that the sleeve (and post if it's seized to the sleeve) can only be removed from the top of the crossbar. This means you would need to remove the mast step casting AND cut off the hex nut on the striker post to remove the post. This may be your only option.
I would start by trying to carefully jack the crossbar up and see if you can get it to deflect enough to allow the post to pop into the retainer. That crossbar section is pretty hefty though, so not sure this would work. Unbolting the striker strap from the ends of the crossbar could open a whole can of worms because you would need to remove the crossbar from the hulls and that could just be a corroded mess.
The other thought would be to remove the mast step and cut off the hex nut to take out the striker post as described above. Then replace the Hobie striker post with a piece of stainless steel threaded rod/all thread. Since the all thread has threads its full length, this would allow you to install the new post in from the top of the crossbar, spinning the hex nut on as you go and allowing the rod to drop into the receiver. The post might look a little funny since there would be thread exposed the full length, but you could overcome this by cutting a piece of tubing to slip over the all thread which is the same length as the distance between the bottom of the hex nut and the top of the receiver. I imagine a piece of PVC pipe would even work. I believe the striker post is 5/8" diameter and the ID of 1/2 sch 40 PVC pipe is 0.62, so it might be a nearly perfect fit.
sm
Thanks for the ideas. I don't want to admit how I got the post out of the retainer. What happened was we had a line attached to the dolphin striker, pulled too hard and snapped the post. The retainer snapped along with the post. I've replaced the post and compression tube and am awaiting the retainer.
Everything moves freely. The issue is that the striker post isn't threaded far enough down to allow the nut to go down to allow the post to go up enough. Yes, it is 5/8" diameter. I'm wondering if I can take the rod to a machine shop and have them cut threads an inch further or just mill down an inch to allow the nut to slide down past the threads?