110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
Before moving on to hull work, there were a few last details on deck to complete, beginning with the forward hatch coaming, where I'd applied some spot filler last time. As needed, I sanded this smooth, wrapping up the work on the coaming for now.
I spent some time moving the visual port templates around to three different locations (for the large after ports), to check the aesthetics and fit and better document the options. I saw no need to change the position of the forward ports from their general location centered over the original, now-filled, openings. The horizontal centerlines of all four openings were aligned on a common line more or less dividing the height of the cabin trunk in half from aft to forward, though when the time came for final positioning and hole-cutting I'd fine-tune the positions as needed.
These photos show the after ports aligned with their vertical centers over the centers of the original openings:
These photos show the after ports aligned with the after ends of the original openings, with the additional length extending forward in each case:
These photos show the after ports aligned with the forward ends of the original openings, with the additional length extending aft in each case:
To my eye, the alignment as shown in the final three photos was the most attractive and practical.
The photo below shows how the new ports' size related to the original opening. The overall height of the new opening was virtually identical to the original, while the length was greater by 2-3 inches. This photo shows the aftermost port on the port side, above the nav station, with the forward (right) end of the template opening aligned with the forward end of the original opening.
After resetting the staging to hull height, I went around the boat with a small grinding disc and opened up any small cracks, gouges, chips, and so forth that required filling, then applied a first coat of fairing filler to these areas, as well as other areas, including those previously repaired under some former ownership, as required. The newer material is the darker reddish color.
Total Time on This Job Today: 5.75 hours
