My Post 42 (Kinda Long...Sorry)

Thanks Hattsoff. I prefer the look of no railings and I even like the look of no bow platform and the anchor tucked away in a locker out of sight. But with the way I use the boat and the fishing I do a railing would give some added security in working the bow. In our part of the Gulf of Mexico we do a lot of bottom fishing for snapper and grouper and the best tactic is often to anchor up near a wreck or structure and chum up the fish. The Gulf is so shallow here we can run out 25 miles and be in no more than 60 feet of water (!). Asking someone (usually me) to go out on the bow and take off the safety cable to lower the anchor and then cleat off the rope after the scope has been let out can be daunting in anything more than a flat calm with no railing to hang on to. So I plan to sacrifice form for function and put a new railing on when the budget allows. I also need new handrails on the house to hang onto when going forward on the narrow side decks. I removed the old ones because I didn't like the looks of them but something is needed there.

There was a bow railing when I bought the boat, a stainless steel one with clunky "T" fittings and socket bases that looked rather shabby. And the bow platform was enormous. You can see from the photos I still have a pretty long platform jutting off the bow and that's after I cut off approx. 3 feet of platform! The original platform was so long there were supports under the platform running back to the stem on both port and starboard with a cross brace between them. They are all gone now and I am happy with the end result. I tapered the platform sides to add an aesthetic touch and the anchor roller is working well.

Holy Cow! That's a great photo! I had no idea those old swordfish boats had bowsprits THAT long!

Thanks for sharing!

I don't want to wear out the forum with my boat but here are a few "before" photos to accompany the "after" photos already posted.

If you spend much time looking at broker's listings of old Posts you see very few engine room photos. I think this is why.......

G'day Kafue - Thanks for the comment. It wasn't courage, more like hopeless optimism followed by dogged determination. I was looking for a project boat back in 2005 and found this one. I convinced myself I could have her refitted in 2 years. Well....it's been over 4 years and I still have things left to complete. The hardest part was the time when she was torn apart and inoperable but once back up and running the ability to use her has made it easier. Sort of a "light at the end of the tunnel" kinda thing.

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." (Alexander Pope)

P.S. Fish have flopped on the deck and blood and bait have hit there too - and I hope for more to come!

Thanks geriksen. I'm about 4 1/2 years into my project and I'm hoping to reach "completion" (do you ever really reach completion? seems like there's always something with a boat!) by the end of this year.

I plan to put an aluminum railing on the bow for safety. I like the clean look without it but it's a bit spooky working the foredeck in any seas without a railing to grab hold of. I also need an aft railing on the flybridge and I'd like a new ladder too. And some handrails on the side of the shroud so you have something to grab as you walk forward. Maybe I should take a welding class and buy a TIG welder! (ha ha)

I would love to hear more about your Bertram project.

geriksen - I think you're right - the older sportfish boats often have a more muscular look, at least the "Jersey" boats anyway (Jersey, Post, Egg Harbor, Viking, etc.) and the railings look just fine on them. A friend of mine has a drop-dead gorgeous 47 Buddy Davis (late 80s) and his Carolina hull looks great with no bowrail and a varnished toe rail.

Muscle car...muscle boat - good analogy. Both are fun to restore, drive and are worth the effort!

Beau - Yup - the aluminum railings will all be custom work ($$) and I do like the way your rails sweep along the side window lines. I happened to do some work today on a Hinckley Picnic Boat and as I walked along the docks lo and behold I came across the local Post dealer's inventory 42. (Picture attached.) Notice the same sweeping handrails and a good looking bow rail. Nice hard top and enclosure too. And ladder. Pretty hull color. Nice looking boat. It's advertised as a new boat (never titled I guess) and is a 2008 hull. They're asking $800K and it looks turnkey ready. (I have no financial interests or relationship with this dealer or this boat. Just throwing it out there.)

Ricochet - I'm afraid I'm not much help on your windows. I would assume the expansion and contraction is challenging your bedding material. I've had good luck with Dow Corning 795 on my deck hatches and the rear glass on the port aft bulkhead. This is a commercial glazing sealant that is advertised to tolerate "+/- 50% joint movement". Perhaps it's time to remove the glass, repair and seal your frames with epoxy and re-bed with something like this product. (Gee - that makes it sound almost easy...) That's a big job but at some point will have to be done. Or glass in the front of the house, a more expensive but a permanent solution.

I'm not familiar with Weathermax-80. My tops are Stamoid as is my aft drop to shade the cockpit and the helm covers. Good fabric. I have a 3-sided enclosure for the flybridge that is Sunbrella and a little cover for the electronics box front panel that is also Sunbrella. I have to watch the Sunbrella and fight mildew on it but the Stamoid doesn't have those problems and looks great. I should mention that the 3-sided enclosure is for use at the dock only. There are no vinyl panels at all. The purpose is just to keep the sun and rain out at the dock. Where you are you probably need a real enclosure.

Hey - here's a radical idea - How about a lower inside helm station? You could be the most "retro boat" out there for less than the cost of a FG hard top. Attached is a photo from a 1978 Post 42 that's for sale in Michigan. On those cold wet days it must be pretty nice sitting inside all nice, warm and dry. Wait - not too "dry" - note the bottle of booze in the photo close at hand for the skipper....

Hi About Time - I share your concerns about the tanks flexing from walking on them. There needs to be another deck supported above the tank with the load transferred to the stringers. I've thought about blocking up a 2" X 2" X 1/4" aluminum angle off the stringers, running fore and aft, and high enough to support a deck made from 3/4" ply. It wouldn't have to completely cover the tank just the "working area" and clear the tank by an inch or so. I think access would be OK for the engines, filters, etc. and the deck pieces would be easily removable if need be.

I've had too many other priorities to address this yet but it needs to be done. Have you had any ideas on this?

Hi NGO - I remember Boat Haven well. Kept a small boat there for a couple of years. All gone now as you probably know.

Looking back I should have taken more photos while in the midst of doing things. But since I was the guy doing the things I just wanted to get it done. I believe you are correct about the steel tanks but one advantage of the unusual Post tank placement (centerline fore and aft) is the replacement can be done without cutting open the cockpit or even removing the salon door. It wasn't fun and it was a mess but it wasn't all that complicated.

You can see my spray rails in the attached photo. Mine are made of teak and as they sweep aft they grow larger. I have a reasonably dry ride so I assume the rails are doing their job. Comments from others indicate they are needed on these hulls.

About Time - Your idea would be the easiest to execute but the loads would still be on the tank itself. Do you think it's OK to load the baffles and tank sides? My tanks are .250 and not just .125 but I still would rather get the load off them altogether if I can. I like starboard and use it for lots of stuff but I don't think I would use here. It's VERY heavy and expensive. My preference is plywood that has been glassed on both sides in 6oz cloth & epoxy. It would be much lighter and much less expensive.

I was looking at this again yesterday and had an idea that I may try. Give me a week or two and I'll let you know how it turns out. (I started to explaing it but it would be long and wordy.)

I'm a big believer in uncoated tanks and good air flow all around them. I used the "David Pascoe Method" of installation on the new tanks where they are literally "glued" in place with no straps, cribbing, etc. How did you install yours?