Tuesday

Before getting too far along with the deck cosmetic work, I wanted to finalize and mark the locations of the new 24″ long working jib lead tracks on the sidedecks.  Before removing the winches last time, I’d made some marks  approximating the existing line leads (from the old bullseye fairleads) to the winch for use in determining the correct position and orientation of the new tracks, mainly to ensure a fair lead aft past the coaming and to the winch drum on the port side, where clearances were closest.

With the existing lead line struck, and representing the outermost position of the eventual track, I struck a second line further inboard, determining the line closest to the coaming as possible for reference and to help determine the theoretical innermost line the track could take (keeping, as a constant, the existing fairlead location as the aft end point of the new track).  These two lines gave me a wedge-shaped area through which I could arc the forward end of the track, any point through which could conceivably be the final position.

Aesthetically, it would be nice if the tracks lined up with something nearby, though the ultimate lead was more important than pure aesthetics.  Not really knowing for sure how the tracks should be aligned going forward, I started for now with the aft end (constant) at the existing fairlead, which meant the edge of the track was 4-3/4″ from the cabin trunk, and replicated this measurement at the forward end.  This kept the forward end of the track just on the green tape mark representing the possible fair lead aft to the winch, so this positioning would work, and also look smart.

Next, I measured from the toerail to the outboard edge of the track at the fairlead (8-3/4″), and replicated the measurement at the forward end.  This actually pushed the forward end of the track closer to the cabin trunk, calling into question the fair lead-i-ness from the first couple hole positions to the winch.  Also, this looked odd, but again, it helped establish the ultimate parameters in play.

Of course the track could also just follow the original line extended forward from the winch and bullseye, skewing the track at an oddball angle across the deck, but possibly keeping it in the right place according to the line required by the jib sheet leading from the clew.

Later, I marked the deck along the two main proposed track locations, starting with parallel to the cabin at 4.75″ (as determined by the position of the original fairlead):

And following the original lead line as established by a straight line incorporating the inner edge of the winch drum, and the original fairlead (and continued forward):

Theoretically, the track could be positioned anywhere between these two outlying positions.

Next, I continued with hardware removal, starting with the sea hood, which was easy to remove by unscrewing the dozen or so screws along the outer flange.  I’d hoped to remove the companionway slider too, but it was pinned in place by the trim surrounding the inner companionway, which I did not want to remove; in any case, I could repaint the hatch with it in place.

Next, I removed the handrails.  Inside the boat, I removed the plastic hole covers in the liner, which hid the nuts and washers from beneath.  These covers were old and brittle, and mostly broke during removal.  Once the way was clear, I used a 7/16″ nut driver to remove the nuts; fortunately, the bolts didn’t spin, since their heads were hidden beneath bungs in the rails (all except the forwardmost one on the starboard side), and I hoped to remove–and later reinstall–these rails without disturbing the bungs.  All eight nuts came off without issue, and with a bit of careful prying I removed both handrails.

That seemed to be it for hardware in the way of the deck work ahead.

After finishing up some work with another project at the shop, I turned to the scuppers, continuing my work to eventually remove the through hulls and replace the backing pads as the owner requested, and removed the old hoses; these were in fairly poor condition and required replacement regardless of the state of the seacocks.

I’d not yet hit upon the right tool combination to unscrew the mushroom fittings from outside the boat, and I thought I’d try unbolting the valves and unthreading from above.  The four fixing nuts (two per side) came off without issue, but I wasn’t able to remove the bolts–I’d hoped to hammer them out, breaking whatever putty was covering their heads on the outside, but this didn’t work.  I could see no sign of the heads from outside, so I removed some bottom paint from around the through hull, hoping to find them.  Eventually I did–the one I’d tried to bang out from within.  It was partially hidden beneath the flange of the mushroom head, which meant that hook or by crook, the through hulls would have to come out first before I could remove the valves.  I’d revisit this job sometime later when I’d worked out a way to spin out the fittings; the new step wrench I purchased didn’t engage the ears inside these particular through hulls, so wouldn’t be helpful in their removal.  My older, original step wrench had a better hope of working, but first I needed a way to increase leverage.  More on this to come.

Meanwhile, I finished up work on the toerails by paring away the excess bungs I’d installed the other day, then applying a coat of finish over the new wood to blend it with the existing coatings.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  30°, mainly clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 62°

Monday

Back on hardware duty, I started at the stem with the bow pulpit, which was secured with 12 long bolts through the foredeck.  Access was moderate, if uncomfortable, and it took several trips back and forth between setting up locking pliers from beneath, removing screws from above, resetting the pliers when they fell off before the nut was spun off, and resetting for the next set of bases, but eventually the pulpit was free.

I had to leave the shop for an appointment for several hours, but upon my return in the afternoon I continued work on the hardware, working my way down the sidedecks to remove the stanchion bases (two per side) and chainplates (three per side).  Things didn’t start out too badly in the forward cabin, where the forward set of stanchion bases and chainplates were located.  Access to the bolts was through a narrow, but accessible, opening at the side of the molded interior liner.  There wasn’t really room to work a wrench in there with any sort of efficiency, so again I fell back on my locking plier helpers, eventually removing both port and starboard bases, and port and starboard forward chainplates without too much trouble.

Continuing aft, the situation deteriorated.  There wasn’t good access to the after stanchion bases since there were long shelves installed fairly close beneath the locations, which prohibited visual access and greatly limited tool access, so eventually I decided to remove these shelves, as much to assist with the eventual reinstallation of the hardware as anything.  With the shelves out of the way, I had sufficient access to remove the after set of stanchion bases from both sides.  Note that the stanchion and pulpit removals were all complicated by the choice of round-headed, slotted fasteners that seem to be the most difficult to deal with in a removal situation, but at least the stanchion bolts weren’t an inch or more longer than necessary like the pulpit bolts had been.

I had wavered on whether or not to remove the chainplates from the getgo, or just work around them, as part of me was loathe to disturb them.  But I was lulled into a false sense of security with the forward pair, which weren’t too hard to remove even though the fixing bolts were substantially longer than necessary, meaning unwinding the bolts was near eternal.  But I did end up regretting my decision to remove them as soon as I moved on to the remaining two pair:  Access was difficult, with no direct visual access from beneath in the tight spaces, and, on the port side, another shelf that blocked all practical access to the nuts.  There were various heavy wires in the way as well:  Bonding wires connecting all the rigging attachment points (and forming the worst of the bulk that made the access more challenging), plus a wire bundle down the port side.  All these factors conspired to make the final removal of the hardware much more time-consuming than I had hoped.

On the starboard side, access was fair enough that I could remove the aft chainplate without too much trouble, but the forward chainplate was located directly in line with the bulkhead, and access to the forward bolt was too tight to allow a socket or wrench, as there was only a small space above the bulkhead, and with the bulkhead right in line with the bolt, there was insufficient room for any sort of convenient tool.  I finally prevailed after I removed entirely the after bolt (each chainplate was fixed with two 3/8″ flathead bolts), which then gave me just enough room to clamp onto the nut a small set of locking pliers, after which I could remove the bolt from above.  As simple as this all sounds when reduced to these few sentences, it must be said that this took a very long time and I wondered if I’d even be able to remove this particular bolt and chainplate.  I prevailed, but it was close.  The woven roving with the cracked/broken fibers seen in these photos serves only to secure the metal backing plate beneath the deck, though which the chainplates are bolted and by which are reinforced, and as such doesn’t appear to pose any problems, though, as I discovered it while reviewing these photos, I planned to have a more detailed look presently.

Moving over to the port side, my first task was to remove the little shelf that was in the way, which was secured with four screws through the top side.  The inner pair of screws I could reach with my right angle drill, removing them rather easily, but the outer pair had so little clearance that I was reduced to using a stubby screwdriver on one, which was bad enough, and then, for the aft screw, one of those ridiculous right-angle hand screwdriver things that every tool kit has, but one fervently hopes never need use.  It worked, a sixteenth of a full rotation at a time, and finally the shelf was out and I could attack the chainplate bolts.  Once I managed to get the mess of wires out of the way enough, I was fortunate that these four bolts came out more easily than their counterparts to starboard, aided by the fact that the sealant bedding these chainplates was strong enough to allow me to unwind the nylock nuts from beneath with a ratchet, without need to hold the bolt from spinning.  In fact, on these two final chainplates, the bond of the sealant was strong enough that my impact gun, for a while, couldn’t even turn the bolts from above once the nuts were removed, breaking two hefty slotted bits before I found one that didn’t shatter before it had managed to loosen the sealant’s bond on the remaining fasteners.

Despite the fact that it was a short day, it hardly seemed a day’s work, removing these few bits of hardware, but there you are.  I daresay I thought this was perhaps the worst of it, though.  Next time, I hoped to finish the required removals with the handrails, sea hood, and companionway hatch, which would then leave things pretty much ready for the real work to begin.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  30°, mainly clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 62°

Friday

Now that the staging and other setup was complete, I could get into the early stages of the project for real.  I began by documenting the existing condition of the decks and hardware, for my own reference later, and for posterity otherwise.  The decks were original, with the usual minor and expected cracking here and there at the corners and in the main parts of the deck.  I didn’t anticipate the need for any real repairs, though there’d be a fair bit of crack mitigation.

I wasn’t ready to crawl up in the nether regions of the bow just yet–where I normally tend to start my hardware removal–so this time I began at the stern.  The owner mentioned that the oarlock, as installed last year, didn’t allow him to properly use a sculling oar since the angle was too acute given the orientation of the mounting block and the oarlock installed.  He requested that I reinstall the block, and the oarlock itself, at an angle approximating that of the transom, to better give him the sculling orientation he needed.  So to begin, I removed the oarlock and its mounting block, setting it aside for later attention.

Next, I removed the stern pulpit, as the forward two bases were located in the part of the sidedeck I’d not worked on last time (the poop deck and environs had been part of last year’s work that included the cockpit and hull).

I hadn’t planned on getting into this just yet, but sometimes the stream of consciousness method takes hold.  My attention was drawn to a couple screws in the toerail adjacent to the stern pulpit:  Another of the small projects the owner had requested, if possible, was to deal with the various (17, as it happened) screws in the toerail that had, over the years, lost their bungs.  Since the wood was in good shape all around and given its age, repairing these screws and bungs seemed a good option versus replacing all the exterior wood.  Earlier in the project, I’d gone around the boat and marked with tape all the screws requiring attention.  I’d planned to get around to these later, but since I was in the area and staring at three such screws at the aft end of the port toerail, I thought I’d go about seeing what the prospects were.

The exposed screw heads were covered with a lot of the toerail finish, but were easy enough to engage with a screwdriver–just a hand driver, as I didn’t want to strip any screw heads–and remove.  I started with a single screw as a trial, but once it was out (and with ease), it just seemed to make sense to bang out this little project now.  So, one screw at a  time (to avoid disturbing at all the bedding of the rail with the deck), I removed the screws, cleaning out the remnants of the bunghole as needed and carefully extracting the screw.  Then, I used a 3/8″ Forstner bit to drill a deeper hole for the screw and a new bung, and reinstalled the screw after dipping it heavily in some brown sealant.  I finished each hole with a new teak bung, counting on the excess sealant I made sure was in each hole to secure the bungs.

And in such fashion I worked my way up the port rail, then down the starboard side, repairing all 17 locations.  Later, once the sealant had cured sufficiently, I’d return and pare off the bungs, and dab on and build up some finish so that annual toerail maintenance in the spring would finalize and cover all the new bungs.  Each screw typically only took about two minutes start to finish, though a few required more effort to clean out the heads, and more finesse to remove without damaging the surrounding finish or wood.

With this small job checked off, and now back on hardware detail, I continued working forward, turning next to the cockpit winch bases.  Before removing the winches, however, I used some tape to strike a line between the port winch (at the inboard side of the drum where a line would lead) and the old bullseye fairlead in the sidedeck, which up till now had served as the lead for the working jib.  The owner wanted to install short tracks in its stead, but we also had to ensure that the line leads from the various positions of the track would line up with the winch without chafing on the coaming along the way.  The tape approximated the path the line would lead between the existing bullseye (which would demark the aft end of the new tracks) and the winch, so I’d have this for reference later.  I also struck a second line of tape, this one led as far inboard as it could go while maintaining a fair lead aft, past the coaming, and to the winch drum.

Between these two marks, somewhere, was the sweet spot for the new tracks’ position, which detail I could finalize a little later; I mocked up a couple things and took some measurements that I’ll get into more in the immediate future.  For now, I had enough information on the decks to proceed with the winch removal.  (I didn’t need to repeat this process to starboard, since on that side, with the line leading to the outboard edge of the winch drum, there was sufficient clearance regardless, so I could simply replicate the final track position as determined to port).

The winch bases had a single bolt passing through the sidedeck, which was accessible from beneath at the aft ends of the quarterberths, and removal proved to be no problem.  Two additional screws secured the bases to the coamings, and after removing these both winches were out of the way.

Continuing forward with all the “easy” hardware, I removed, in turn, the bullseye fairleads, anchor hawsepipe, a little fairlead up near the bow pulpit, the bow cleat, and, finally, the mast step and wiring bases nearby, bringing me to the end of the day.

Total time billed on this job today:   4.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  Clear, 25°.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 48°

Thursday

The first step in any project is some basic setup and prep, and here I started with the cockpit, which I’d repaired and painted a year ago and wouldn’t be getting any attention now.  However, to protect it during the adjacent deck work, and the ins and outs through the companionway while I removed hardware and performed other tasks, I covered the sole and seating surfaces with protective plastic designed for the purpose.

Most of the work would be at deck height, and now I set up staging around the boat to improve access.  I had to work out some optimum spacing and use of my various horses and planks, slightly complicated by the bulk of the trailer, and ultimately found I needed to remove the loading guide supports at the aft end, as they protruded too far and prevented the staging planks from being where they needed to be–and these steel bars would also be a constant headache for snagging cords and hoses.  I made reference marks to register the guides’ positions, then removed them for now.

Afterwards, I could finish setting up the staging planks around the boat, getting everything just right for safety and to ensure the right distance from the boat in all areas for access and to avoid being too close.  I secured all the planks with little L-brackets and screws to prevent shifting.

Finally, to protect the hull during the work above, I hung plastic sheeting that I taped to the toerails all the way around.

Total time billed on this job today:  3.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  Clear, 26°.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 47°

Wednesday

With some time at the end of the day, my impatience got the better of me and I decided to remove the mast; I’d planned to wait till the bay next door was free in a few more days, at which time I could easily use the crane there to remove the spar, but after inspecting the situation and test-lifting the mast I decided it was light enough to remove safely by hand, which I did using a pair of ladders, eventually lowering the mast easily onto my rolling staging so I could move it outside and out of the way for the duration of the project.

Total time billed on this job today:   0.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  Clear, 30°.  Forecast for the day:  Mainly sunny, 5o°