| 1975 Dufour 27
Refit | Monday, September 22, 2008 I got started on the project by removing deck hardware. In my habitual way, I began at the stem and worked my way aft. Almost immediately, the project came to a temporary halt when I discovered that the nuts securing the bow pulpit bolts were glassed and gelcoated over from within, apparently at the factory. On one side, it appeared that someone had attempted to chip away the fiberglass overlay, or perhaps it broke loose over the years. (Top photos) I hoped that this meant that the nuts would be fully secured and encapsulated, perhaps in a clever attempt to provide a convenient and wrench-free means of removing the hardware. Alas, all the nuts spun when I tried to unscrew from above, so I had no choice but to sharpen up my old hard-duty chisels and go to work on the fiberglass covering the nuts, eventually exposing them so I could get a wrench on and remove the bolts from above. I removed the pulpit, mooring cleats, water tank fill plate (no hose attached), and a series of small eye straps along the sides of the deck that had been used, apparently, to secure netting to the forward lifelines. |
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After meeting with the owner to discuss the direction and scope of the project, I continued to work my way aft, removing a solar vent in the head, a skylight, and the mast wiring connections through the deck. I left the mast step in place, as there was no access to the underside of this area because of the cabin liner. Throughout the remainder of the day, I continued aft, removing all the hardware that I could access: cleats, winches, sea hood, companionway hatch and tracks, stern pulpits, cockpit locker hatches, and so forth. I removed the diesel fill plate and covered the open hose with tape for the duration. All that remained, hardware-wise, at the end of the day's work were the various installations within the cockpit well itself--bilge pump, engine controls, and other miscellany, which I'd take care of shortly. |
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