Lackey Sailing | tim lackey

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Monday

Over the weekend, I continued the buildup of gloss varnish base coats on the cabin sole, one coat per day.

Saturday (3rd coat):

Sunday (4th coat):

With sufficient base varnish in place, after sanding and cleaning once more, I switched to a satin varnish for the final coats. I’d hoped one coat would finish up the job, as it sometimes does, but it looked like I’d need another coat to wrap things up.

Meanwhile, I worked on the bench to strip and sand the various loose hatches, including cabin sole hatches and the companionway swashboards. With a heat gun and scraper, I removed the old finish from the pieces, and sanded them smooth and clean before solvent-washing the bare wood and applying a sealer coat of varnish, the first of many.

Total time billed on this job today: 6.75 hours

0600 Weather Report:
10°, clear. Forecast for the day: sunny, highs around 32.

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Sunday

The starboard panel in the main cabin/pilothouse was badly water-damaged, and would require replacement. I hoped and expected this would be the only interior panel requiring replacement.

To remove the panel, I first needed to remove the large window, so I started by removing the interior trim pieces (aluminum, and fastened through to the structural window frame with screws). This was easy enough, but I found one screw at the aft side was inaccessible thanks to a little teak rack installed on the bulkhead, so I had to remove that too. With that out of the way, I could remove the rest of the trim ring, the only thing (other than sealant) holding the window in place.

Also holding the panel in place were two pieces of solid teak trim, one on each end corner. I drilled out the bungs covering the screws and removed the trim. At this point, I also removed the helm console, which was pinning the panel in place at the forward corner, and also generally in the way and poorly designed to boot. I removed the console in one piece, with its remaining installations (helm, compass) still intact. There was much I didn’t care for about the console (especially that compass installation, yuck) and I suppose only time would tell whether I tried to work with it as is, or rebuilt it in my own image.

Outside the boat, I carefully pried the window away from the superstructure. It was well-stuck with sealant, even though apparently the sealant had not been doing its job well given the extensive damage to the interior panel. At the bottom edge of the window, the sealant was stuck so well that it actually damaged the exterior skin laminate, pulling it away from the foam core in ragged bits. The outer skin was extremely thin–about layer of mat , enough to support gelcoat–so there was zero structural strength to it in terms of resisting the sealant removal. On this boat, the inner skin was actually heavier than the outer, with at least some roving in the laminate. This was a frustrating setback, and by the time this problem presented itself the window was 90% free, and it was all I could do to complete the removal while minimizing (there was no preventing) the damage and outer laminate tearing, I managed to keep most of the visible damage within the footprint of the window’s flange, which was important as I didn’t want to get into a major cosmetic restoration of the area. I finally succeeded and set the window aside, bits of the boat still stuck in those two places.

As a final step, I removed the fasteners from a cleat mounted on the outside of the superstructure and bolted through the plywood panel. It became immediately clear that the cleat was installed with the same tenacious sealant as the window, so I left the cleat right where it was on the gelcoat rather than try to pry it off.

With all the obstructions now out of the way, I proceeded to remove the plywood interior panel, which seemed to be only secured with some non-adhesive adhesive and a few little screws. The damage to the wood was so extensive that it literally disintegrated into powdery splinters along the after side and adjacent top edge, which made removal easy although I’d hoped to have enough of the panel intact to use as a pattern (though making a new pattern would be no problem). The original panel actually passed through the head and into the aft cabin, a full eight feet, but fortunately it was so badly damaged where it met the transverse head bulkhead aft of the helm that it was easy to remove the forward portion without damaging the remainder.

Meanwhile, I decided to assess the restoration possibilities on the other panels, all of which were water-stained and had very little finish on them–and what was there was in poor condition. However, I hoped (expected) that the underlying veneer would be salvageable, appearance-wise. I found there was so little finish in place that scraping and heat didn’t have much effect, but I stripped a small test section beneath the port pilothouse window, then sanded it clean with sandpaper to expose good-looking teak veneer. I wet the bare wood with solvent to sample how it would look once refinished. I was pleased with the result, and this project loomed large on my project horizon.

Total time billed on this job today: 1.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
10°, clear and breezy. Forecast for the day: Sunny, 27°

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Friday

Preparing ahead for another coat of varnish later in the day, I began the day by lightly sanding the cabin sole, then vacuumed and cleaned it. Afterwards, amongst some miscellany and sundry tasks, I worked in the cockpit well and around the cockpit locker gutters to clean up and polish the remaining gelcoat there, which I’d not done during my earlier polishing stage.

I had a meeting on the boat with the owner, and we discussed the new windlass possibilities and other upcoming tasks. Later, I used a template of the chosen windlass (Maxwell RC10-8 with capstan) to work out some of the layout details on the bow. Even this relatively small (footprint-wise) windlass created some challenges with the proximity of the staysail boom and inner forestay hardware, which limited where any windlass could be mounted on this boat.

To help with the layout, I reinstalled the anchor roller on the starboard side of the bow platform (I had only three new bolts of the right length on hand, but that was enough for now and I’d install the final one later). With a length of line, this gave me the ideal line on which the windlass should be aligned. However, the nearby hardware prohibited the windlass from mounting in the ideal location: the hardware forced it further outboard to starboard, so the direct line to the anchor roller ended up more inboard than it would be in a perfect situation. That little narrow tail on the right side of the paper template represents the desired patch of the anchor chain and line entering the gypsy.

By angling the windlass template slightly towards the centerline, with a corresponding redirection of the anchor line from the roller, I could make the alignment work. This didn’t move the anchor line/chain far enough towards the side of the roller to create any clearance or other issues, and the windlass itself could essentially be angled in any direction as long as it aligned properly with the chain. So despite the unexpectedly tight installation area, it looked like the windlass would work just fine here, but without a lot of wiggle room in its installation. The new windlass footprint would completely hide the stained and damaged area on the wooden platform where the original windlass had been, and I’d build a new extension to starboard to support the new windlass as needed, while also dealing with the old holes and deck area beneath the old windlass’s footprint.

The new angle–as well as the updated function of the windlass–did mean that an existing anchor pin, which I’d removed from the platform for varnishing, would not work, as the design of that particular piece of hardware would not allow the chain to run through it. With a combination chain/rope rode, all that would be needed was some way to secure the anchor when in the stored position, while still allowing the rode to pass through freely on its new trajectory, and this hardware was readily available.

At the end of the day, after final preparations, I applied a second coat of varnish to the cabin sole.

Total time billed on this job today: 6.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
0°, clear. Forecast for the day: Sunny, 27°

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Thursday

I began the day with the waste vent, first removing the old fitting, which fortunately came off without too much difficulty as the access was tough. Since the boat’s name was being changed as part of this project, I went ahead and removed one of the old letters that would interfere with the new vent’s installation (I’d remove the remaining letters a little later).

With the old vent out and the area cleaned up, I installed the new vent fitting in a bed of sealant, protecting the polished bronze finish with tape during installation. Inside, I connected the existing hose with a new clamp, completing the job after I reinstalled the cowl vent on deck.

Next, I returned to the cabin sole project, and after getting set up with tools and breathing equipment, I sanded the newly-stripped surface to smooth it and prepare for new varnish.

This job went more quickly than I’d anticipated, a happy thing as it allowed me ample time to clean up from the sanding, mask off the sole, solvent wash, and apply a sealer coat of varnish. I’d not expected to be varnishing this day, so I was pleased with the advance. To help give me somewhere to stand as I varnished myself into the aft corners, I installed a temporary plywood hatch over the bilge access in the galley (the actual hatches were down in the shop awaiting stripping and their own varnish).

Total time billed on this job today: 7 hours

0600 Weather Report:
10°, clear. Forecast for the day: Sunny, 28°

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Wednesday

With several factors affecting the decision on the windlass–whether to replace or postpone–I wanted to look more closely at the existing power cable runs to ensure that the wires were worthy of being reused. Finding the unkempt and disconnected ends in the port cockpit locker a while back had made it seem prudent to inspect the entire length before committing to using them, or determining whether they should be replaced. Regardless of the condition of the main runs, the aft end would require some attention and extensions, and the existing ends in the chainlocker, while generally serviceable, were limited in length and whether they’d be able to properly reach a new windlass configuration remained up in the air for the moment.

During earlier portions of the project, I’d already removed some trim and cover panels in the forward cabin and head, which gave me access to the wiring in those spaces. Now I removed the cover panels along the port side of the saloon to expose the final length of the cables for inspection. I didn’t see any issues with the cabling through these runs.

Checking the cable in a short span that ran through a locker at the aft end of the port settee, I discovered–unexpectedly–the solenoid control switch for the old windlass. I suppose it was mounted here with the idea that it was a safe, dry spot for the unit, though typically one finds them mounted near the windlass motor to limit wire runs from the solenoid to the control switches. Any new windlass would require a different solenoid control anyway, and the access to this unit would be challenging thanks to the tightness of the locker and especially because of the protruding electrical box that blocked direct access–visual and otherwise–to the solenoid. But all that was something that could be dealt with as required.

So the core wiring looked acceptable, though not without caveats. The ends would require work, and the cable would need to be conjoined in the center where the solenoid currently was.

Meanwhile, I removed another access panel on the starboard side, this time to give me access to the underside of the toerails. The reason I needed this was to add extra lengths of genoa track to the toerail above, to extend the existing tracks forward. The owner reported that the position of the existing tracks was too far aft to properly lead the headsail he was using–I think the position of the tracks envisioned a very high-clew yankee-type sail–so in the near future I’d be adding lengths and bolting them through the toerail. I’d extend the tracks up to just aft of the mid-rail chocks, which would give nearly five extra feet of length for better sail control. I had the tracks on hand but would wait to give the new varnish work plenty of cure time before installing them.

I spent the bulk of the day removing the masking tape from the exterior brightwork, which I was calling complete with my habitual six base coats. I thought it was a vast improvement over the initial appearance.

With the largest single project now behind me, I could start focusing on the laundry list of other tasks planned for this boat, most of which I’d been thinking about and considering behind the scenes throughout the past days. The new genoa tracks were one of these projects, and another was to inspect–and, if necessary, deal with–the deck around a bronze inspection port over the rudder post in the cockpit. There were a few cracks running through the deck emanating from the inspection port, and the owner wanted me to check whether there were any issues within.

I didn’t have a tool on hand to fit the holes in the deck plate (there was probably one on board the boat), but I had no trouble opening the nicely-greased bronze threads with a pair of Philips screwdrivers. My initial inspection didn’t find anything of particular concern–the core seemed OK where accessible, and the deck sound– but if needed or desired I could remove the deck plate for core-edge protection and rebedding.

An old bronze vent on the transom, servicing the waste tank, was heavily corroded, and the owner requested replacement. To gain better access, I removed one of the cowl vents on the poop deck, and with a new vent already on hand I’d take care of the replacement presently.

Total time billed on this job today: 5.75 hours

0600 Weather Report:
20°, clear. Forecast for the day: Sunny and windy, highs in the 20s

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Tuesday

With a relatively short day available, I focused on the exterior varnish work once more, going through my normal routine before applying the sixth coat to all areas.

Total time billed on this job today: 5.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
Clear, windy, 8°. Forecast for the day: Sun and clouds, windy, high in the mid teens.

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Monday

During the day, I went through the now-habitual routine of sanding, cleaning, and varnishing the exterior teak, this the fifth coat on all surfaces.

I spent some time looking into options for the anchor windlass, an ongoing process with various choices available. The limited deck space on the bow, thanks to the hardware for the inner forestay and staysail boom, and I quickly eliminated horizontal windlasses as being too large to fit in the available space, so I concentrated on various vertical windlass offerings, educating myself to the (too many) models available. The decision on the new windlass might be tabled for now, but in any event it was important to learn about the options now. More on this topic to come soon.

Total time billed on this job today: 6.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
20°, cloudy, snow shower. Forecast for the day: Occasional snow snowers and light snow, up to an inch or so, high in the 20s

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Friday

After my usual round of light sanding, vacuuming, and cleaning the exterior woodwork, I turned to the final section of the cabin sole, at the aft end in the galley. Reserving the small hatches (along with several other small pieces from other parts of the cabin) for later attention down on the bench, I stripped the old varnish from this last section, completing the raw stripping task. The next step would be to sand the surface, but I’d await that till I completed the exterior varnish work.

Afterwards, I applied the fourth coat of varnish to the exterior teak, which was now starting to look pretty good.

Total time billed on this job today: 5.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
-2°, Clear. Forecast for the day: Sun, then becoming cloudy, highs near 30

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Thursday

As usual, I began the day by sanding the brightwork with 320 grit paper, then cleaned up the wood and surrounding decks to prepare for the next coat of varnish later in the day.

Meanwhile, I continued work on the cabin sole. This time, I stripped the largest section, located in the main cabin.

Afterwards, I applied the third coat of varnish to the exterior brightwork.

Total time billed on this job today: 6.75 hours

0600 Weather Report;
Partly cloudy. Forecast for the day: Partly sunny, highs in the 20s

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Wednesday

After cleaning up some overnight snow, I got to work on the brightwork, and sanded all the new varnish lightly to prepare for the next coat. Afterwards, I vacuumed and solvent-washed as needed.

This all took a little longer than I’d hoped, and with the need to set aside a couple hours at the end of the day for the next coat of varnish, my time for other tasks on board was limited. I decided to work on the cabin sole, dividing the work up over the next few days as time allowed. The existing sole was heavily varnished, and in several places the varnish had lifted, creating a yellowish appearance. The remaining areas were in fair condition but well worn, and it was time to strip the sole and start fresh.

Starting in the forward cabin, I used a heat gun and scraper to remove the old finish from the sole. The finish itself wasn’t that difficult to remove, but access was tight in this area. I removed the folding doors to allow better access to the aft corner of the space.

I’d continue with the cabin sole work as time allowed over the next few days, but now it was time to start the next coat of varnish on the exterior teak, which wrapped up the day’s work.