December 23, 2021

Arietta Phase 2-35

Thursday

I’d held back on one last item on the owner’s to-do list till I worked through all the top-priority projects.  Now, with the rest of the list expunged, I felt I could address the last item, which was to replace the cabin sole.  The existing sole, original by all appearances, had deteriorated over time and the veneer was in poor condition in several areas.

The sole fit into a molded recess in the fiberglass cabin liner, and I thought (hoped) removal would be straightforward.  I’d investigated the installation a few times earlier in the project to get a sense of how it was put together.  There were 12 or 15 screws, hidden beneath bungs, that appeared to hold it in place, and I just hoped there wasn’t any adhesive as well.    Fortunately, once I removed the screws I could easily remove the sole, which was 1/2″ teak cabin sole-veneer plywood.  There was some sealant around the edges from the original installation, but this wasn’t a permanent adhesive and didn’t impede removal.

Once I had the old plywood out, which had been my main goal for the day so I could (firstly) know that removal was possible and (secondly) to assess the replacement options, I scraped up most of the old sealant from around the edges of the fiberglass recess.  This area would require a bit more cleaning and minor surface prep before I installed the replacement sole.  The owner and I discussed a few options for the new sole, and I planned to start the new construction after the holiday weekend.

Total time billed on this job today:  1.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  19°, clear, windy.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, windy, 24°