DECEMBER 2018
Getting the boat ready for the upcoming fiberglass works that we will start as soon as weather starts to warm up! We have removed the storage lockers on either side to give us access the the hull and chain plates. The cabin floor has been cut away and the water tank removed for inspection, (more on that in another section).
The storage area in the main cabin had quite a bit of rotten wood in the frame and panels, which may have come from deck leaks or chain plate leaks. The toilet floor was cut away (it too was rotten), so that we could get to the mast base and bulkhead support in the bilge.
Up in the bow, the water floor and storage lockers were removed to give access to the bilge and water tank. So that the hull could be properly examined, we removed the water tank and have now cleaned off all the interior surface of the hull. The chain locker has been cleaned and sanded so that we can start on the bow repairs once the weather warms up. In the interim, we are making templates for the plywood panels that will be needed inside the chain locker.
JULY 2019
November 2019. Here’s a quick update on the interior status. Both cabin berths have been removed, the galley has been opened up, the nav station has been opened up, the head been stripped back to the hull and the battery area cleaned out. Take a look,
October 2019. – Cabin interior view, looking aft.
The port berth has been opened up, the galley bulkhead repaired and starboard side berth still in place.
Both berths opened up, galley and nav station opened up and head stripped out. A temporary floor has been added and the diesel tank replaced in the bilge.
The head stripped out showing the bulkheads and original chain plate knees. For more information on this, see the section on the head.
View looking forward past the head position and into the v-berth. The new port side chain plate knees are on seen on the left and a new bulkhead has been dry fitted into the head corner post support.
March 2020 – Covid-19 Update.
As you can appreciate, both Carlos and I are now confined inside our own homes to minimize the risk of catching the Coronavirus. This has meant that all progress on the boat has stopped until we can get back outside and suppliers re-open. Carlos is teleworking from home whilst I had to return from New Zealand early to avoid the shutdown. We’ll be back at it soon!
September 2020 – Status update.
Over the summer months of 2020, whilst it seemed like very little was being posted on this blog, in actual fact quite a lot was getting done. The major event was the fabrication of the two new freshwater tanks for the front cabin and the improvements needed before they could be fitted. The tank construction is detailed in a separate post but here I will describe the background processes that have been going on over the past months. We decided to press on with the tank fabrication and fitting now that the main bulkheads are out and we have access to move the tanks into the forward cabin. But before they can be set in place, the bilge needs an over-layer of fiberglass in order to seal any errant cracks. After that, it needs to be be painted.
But, before the painting can commence, the front cabin floor supports need to be reformed, (they were cut out when the floor was removed to gain access to the tanks and bilge). Just to complicate things, the original tabbing that supported the floor was ground away and we are now left with a curving hull wall and virtually no original reference marks. So, what we have done is to use the original support still attached to the port main bulkhead, shoot a line to the original support bar on the front bulkhead and then join these with one inch plastic pipe that can follow the curves of the hull. By using levels to establish a datum and tape to hold the pipe in place, we were able to tab the pipe to the hull and form a ridge.
As a cross-check, the original half floor section was brought in and set back in place on the new rail in order to check fit. A new floor panel will be made using the original as a template since the existing floor was cut out around the edges when it was removed.
So, to set the new tanks in place, we have to; seal the bilge, form cabin floor supports, sand the new glass, vacuum and clean, paint the bilge, paint the tanks, then drop them into the bilge and hope they fit! If all that goes to plan, then we will add a temporary floor panel to protect the tanks before moving on with the next bulkhead replacement. All of this front cabin work was carried out during a typical hot, humid summer in Georgia. With just a fan to push the air around inside the cabin, working hours were short.
The floor support rails are finished and the lower hull / bilge of the front cabin
has been painted.
Before the tanks are set in place, we have decided to add an additional layer of plywood to the front bulkhead to strengthen this area. With the original bulkhead stripped of its laminate finish, it is relatively easy at this stage. The extra tabbing to the hull will strengthen the bow region as well as providing a secure base for the bowsprit and the bow repairs to come. The extra layer has been cut from half inch marine ply and has been bonded to the existing chain locker bulkhead, as shown in the picture below.
The new chain locker bulkhead is bonded to the old.
Note the temporary floor in place using the new support rails.
The chain locker opening was cut a little undersize since we may decide on a smaller opening as part of the final fit. After the lower section was in place, it was tabbed in to the hull.
The front cabin and main cabin bilge has been re-glassed and given a new coat of paint. The door post of the head is temporarily tacked to the main post to maintain alignment.
Working with laminate sheet inside the cramped, bare cabin was challenging to say the least. With almost no flat surfaces and obstacles everywhere, it took a careful series of steps to get it done. Details of the construction and fabrication of the new bulkheads for the head can be found in the page ‘The Head Gets a Makeover‘.