Lackey Sailing | tim lackey

Thursday

In a short day, I finished up the brightwork maintenance by reassembling, then reinstalling, the companionway hatch and doors on the boat. Jason was also at the shop for a quick test-fit of the winter cover, which fit well but he’d left some of the grommets uninstalled as he’d wanted to be sure of their placement first, so after confirming the fit, he returned to his shop with the cover to finish these final details, and would be back the next day for the final installation.

Total time billed on this job today: 1.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation: Clear, 26°. Forecast for the day: Sunny, 46°

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°

Wednesday

I began the day with some minor reassembly on the boat, beginning with the anchor roller and chain stopper on the anchor platform; the grabrails on the windshield; and the forward bow for the bimini top. I did not reinstall any of the snaps along the edge of the windshield, since the canvas guy said he planned to replace all these when installing the new canvas later. I also reinstalled some of the loose trim, including the cockpit edge trim and access panels, that were now complete.

The companionway hatches and doors required a second maintenance coat on their main sides, so after the usual prep and cleaning I applied the varnish.

Next, I needed to install the framework for the winter cover so that Jason could come back the next day and properly fit the cover he’d built about a year ago, but which had never been installed. Even though I’d have to remove parts of the framework to make room for the mechanical work that would happen a few days hence, it was important for Jason to have the opportunity to install the cover in the controlled conditions of the shop. Though I’d conceived and built the framework myself the previous year, this was the first time I’d installed it on its own, and, following some instructions I’d put together after the original construction, I was pleased with its simplicity and modular construction, and that the installation was straightforward and logical. The frame took an hour to install start to finish. Afterwards, I removed both sections of the bimini frame, since the cover required they be out of the way–but the support they provided during the installation of the frame was invaluable and a key part of the installation simplicity.

Total time billed on this job today: 5 hours

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

Tuesday

Pleased with the second planned maintenance coat of varnish on the windshield, handrails, engine box, companionway trim, and other areas on the boat, I removed the masking tape and cleaned up the inevitable small varnish boo-boos on some of the adjacent surfaces. I planned to leave things as is for another day before thinking about any reassembly or reinstallation of hardware, to give the fresh varnish ample cure time.

The first side of the two-sided hatches from the companionway were complete and had had enough cure time so that I could turn them over and finalize the prep work on the opposite (in this case the “money side”, or most exposed side in the finished product) before applying the first of the two planned maintenance coats of varnish here.

The end of this project was quickly approaching, and to prepare for my needs over the next couple days, I pulled the new winter cover frame I’d built a year ago from storage, and prepared the pieces for assembly next time, once I felt the varnish had cured to a safe stage. This would allow Jason, the canvas guy, to return shortly thereafter with the custom cover he’d patterned and built a year ago, for its first actual fitting before the boat was ready to head outside. This would be a temporary installation, since the owner’s mechanic would need access to the boat a few days hence to perform his own annual maintenance and winterizing chores, at which time the boat would move outdoors and I could finish up the cover installation permanently.

Total time billed on this job today: 4.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation: Fair, 35°. Forecast for the day: Mainly sunny, 51°

Monday

Starting early, I lightly sanded the first coat of varnish on the windshield, handrails, forward hatch, bow platform, and other trim on the boat, preparing it for the second coat ahead. Afterwards, I vacuumed and solvent-washed the prepared surfaces and nearby to remove dust.

I had to leave the shop for an appointment, but upon my return I tacked off the wood I’d sanded earlier, then spent the remainder of the day applying the second coat of maintenance varnish to all the on-board trim. I didn’t have time to continue with the doors, hatches, and other trim that I’d been working on at the bench, but would resume work there next time.

Total time billed on this job today: 3.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation: Fair, 46°. Forecast for the day: Mainly sunny, 53°

Wednesday

Having sewed together a blank of cover material roughly 30′ x 13′, Jason returned to perform the initial templating for the new winter cover. This process looks awkward, but works out in the end with a cover that fits the boat tightly and accurately.

We began by repositioning the mast a bit further aft, which gave better extension beyond the transom to improve the cover’s coverage and create better lines for the aft termination. This mast position would be crucial in the future, as the fitment of the cover would require the same mast position each time. Fortunately, this was straightforward: The mast was positioned so the halyard cleats at the base were tightly against the forward mast support on the trailer.

Now, with the blank centered and draped over the boat, Jason used a few temporary grommets and lines to pull the centerline tight, and also secure the blank amidships at the widest point of the boat. From there, he let the blank tell him what it wanted (the Tarp Whisperer), and in this case the cover did fairly settle right into its desired contours, at least once the magic happened back at Jason’s shop. With temporary darts stapled in place (and duly marked), and key points marked on the blank itself (e.g. the edge of the rubrail, stem and stern, etc.), the process in situ went swimmingly and rather quickly. The stapled darts would ultimately become tight seams, and the ends would eventually become trimmed and neat terminations with simple lacing.

We won’t likely see the finished result till the end of the project in some weeks’ time. With this step out of the way, now I could think about removing the mast and getting to work for real.

Total time billed on this job today: 1 hour

0600 Weather Observation: 43°, clear, windy. Forecast for the day: Partly sunny, 53°

Thursday

With the existing brightwork sanded and cleaned, my next step was to mask off around the wood as needed, on the windshield, helm area, engine box, around the handrails, forward hatch, and anchor platform.

After final preparations and tacking off, I applied a coat of varnish to all these areas on the boat, as well as to the loose hatches and trim pieces down in the shop.

Total time billed on this job today: 5.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation: 43°, clear, windy. Forecast for the day: Partly sunny, 53°

Wednesday

Jason was on hand during the morning to pattern the new top for the canvas enclosure. After examining the old canvas, then making some minor adjustments to bring the existing frame back into symmetry, and set up properly for the new work, he prepared a new pattern from plastic material in the usual way, working forward to aft in sections to make an accurate pattern that, while so much gibberish to the uninitiated, would make sense to him back at his shop. He preferred to do the side panels only after the top itself was built, so for now he focused only on the top.

The old top had a problem where the bimini ended and the side curtains zipped on, in that the inherent tension in the top, and the position of the break, caused the top to curl when the side panels were removed (as they often were). The owner requested that we try and address this issue, so to that end Jason roughed out a new line, shown here in a black dash mark, where the new top should end, just below the curves of the frame and less affected by the design and tension of the top, while not so low as to look strange.

Meanwhile, I continued with my own tasks with the brightwork, beginning by disassembling as needed the companionway doors and hatch, then sanding all the loose pieces to prepare them for maintenance coats. The existing coating was in good condition on all these parts. I cleaned and, as needed, masked the parts and set them aside to await delivery of my new varnish supply.

Once Jason was finished with the pattern, I could get back to work on the windshield and other on-board brightwork, removing the remaining hardware and sanding and cleaning all the woodwork. Most of the existing coating was in good condition, but the windshield, as usual, had a few places near the seams where the varnish had lifted in small areas, and the trim atop the engine box had suffered when the box was moved around repeatedly during some engine work over the past year. These areas required a bit more prep, and would require additional varnish to rebuild. By the end of the day, all the wood was prepared, vacuumed, and solvent-washed, and ready next for masking and the first of the maintenance coats.

Total time billed on this job today: 6.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation: Cloudy, windy, showers, 46°. Forecast for the day: Rain, windy, 51°

Tuesday

Arietta was back for another round of work, this time focused mainly on completing the remainder of the deck refinishing, after completing the cockpit and hull phase last year. After clearing space in the shop following summer break, I moved her indoors and prepared to get to work.

The first order of business this season was to get the preliminary work done on a new winter cover, which Jason, my canvas subcontractor, would be taking care of. The new cover would use the mast as a ridgepole, and until the initial fitting was done, the mast had to stay in place on deck. After an initial consultation and some basic measuring, Jason had the information he needed to build a rough blank for the cover, and now I’d wait till that was complete and patterned before I could get into the bulk of the deck work.

In the meantime, however, I planned to pick away at the work list and get done whatever I could in advance, so I started by removing the lifelines and stanchions, which needed to be out of the way for the cover in any case. I also removed and secured some rigging that had arrived still attached to the chainplates, preparing not only for the new cover work, but, afterwards, for the removal of the mast during the bulk of the project.

Next on my list of early projects was to remove the bronze port trim rings in advance of the deck preparations and painting. These were secured with bronze screws from outside, and removal was straightforward. The trim rings had been bedded in abundant silicone, which I’d later have to remove. The trim rings were in good condition and would require minimal cleaning, since the bulk of the old sealant had remained on the gelcoat.

Next, I removed the teak eyebrow trim from both sides of the cabin. All the screw heads were exposed (but buried beneath a substantial coating of finish) except for one I found on the port side that still had the last vestiges of a bung, suggesting that at one time all the screw holes had been bunged. This trim was easy to remove, and other than the inevitable damage to the gummy coating as the screws came out, remained intact. However, I planned to mill new trim here, since it would be quicker and easier than attempting to save and restore the old trim; this would also allow bunging the screw holes during installation.

With a bit of time later in the day, I began to assess another one of the projects on the list: Replace the backing pads beneath the scupper seacocks. The original pads of plywood, while still generally sound, were beginning to deteriorate after years of moisture and condensation.

This would require removal of the hoses, valves, and through hulls. I hoped to be able to unthread the through hull mushrooms from the valves from outside, after which I could unbolt the valves and replace the pads as needed. However, the through hull installation wrench I had, and which works well for new installations, wasn’t suitable for removing these fittings, as I found I couldn’t apply enough leverage to break free the threads. After a fruitless attempt, I ordered what I hoped would be a better tool for the job, one to which I could apply a wrench, and set this project aside for the time being till the new tool arrived.