February 12, 2018
Jasmine 49
Monday
I prepared the bolt holes for the five pieces of poop deck hardware by drilling and tapping for 1/4″ machine screws, after which I installed the hardware with new fasteners and backing plates.
On the coachroof, I dry-fit the sea hood so I could predrill and bevel the fastener holes before installation; I’d pre-marked these hole locations earlier, and the decks were already prepared for the new fasteners.
After cleanup, I applied a heavy bead of sealant to the deck, covering all the fastener holes, and installed the seahood with new fasteners.
Next, I turned to the opening ports. I prepared the work area by spreading some plastic sheeting over the deck for protection, and laying out all the tools and pieces I’d need.
For each of the four units, I followed the same basic installation, starting with a dry fit and reaming out the bolt holes in the cabin side as needed. To install the port, I applied a bead of sealant at the juncture between the spigot and the port body flange–but not on the flange itself. Then, still working from outside, pulled the port into position, holding it in place while I applied additional sealant inside and around the spigot and hole and over the cabin trunk in way of the bolt holes and trim ring mounting area, ensuring ample coverage everywhere.
Finally, I installed the trim ring from outside, clamping it and the port body in place temporarily while I installed the bolts. I could reach through the open port and install the nuts for 8 of the 12 fasteners from outside, but I had to install the four along the top edge from inside. I reused the original machine screws and nuts, replacing them each in the same position from which I’d removed them some weeks earlier.
I repeated this process with each of the remaining three units.
I finished up the day’s work with the two round deadlights in the forward cabin. I found I could stand through the forward hatch and do both sides of the task as necessary, and with only a minor issue on the first unit aligning the trim ring from within, I soon completed both installations without additional trouble.
Total time billed on this job today: 7.5 hours
0600 Weather Observation: 32°, partly cloudy. Forecast for the day: Sunny, highs in the upper 30s