May 2, 2018
Steadfast 30
Wednesday
Near the end of the main part of the project, at the owner’s request I removed the in-hull deadlights and sent them to him so he could have them refinished. Now, with some last-minute changes in his plans for transporting and launching the boat, he sent me the refinished parts so I could install them before the boat left the shop in the near future.
The existing openings still had some remnants of the old silicone sealant, so my first task was to scrape this away and prepare the openings for the new installation. Thusly prepared, I applied new sealant to the backs of the deadlight rings, and installed them in their openings, working with two units on one at a time. I used masking tape as needed to hold the frames and fasteners in place while I went inside the boat to install the trim rings and nuts. I used new stainless steel fasteners for the installation.
Once I had the bolts properly tightened, I cleaned up the excess sealant inside and out.
Port Side:
Starboard Side:
With this work complete, I prepared the boat for departure in a couple days, closed her up, and moved the masts out from their storage area to the front of the shop to await the trucking company later in the week.
Total time billed on this job today: 3.25 hours
0600 Weather Observation: 40°, clear. Forecast for the day: Sunny, 80s