March 14, 2025

Miss Helen 5

Friday

First thing, I lightly sanded the window trim, then applied another coat of varnish to all pieces.  These trim pieces would be ready for reinstallation after the weekend.

I installed a new gasket on the forward hatch, keeping it continuous at the corners with a small relief cut on the inside edge to allow the bend.  The new self-adhesive gasket material was 5/8″ x 3/8″, with a hollow center that allowed for ample compression.  I made the seam in the gasket at the center of the aft edge of the hatch.

Next, I cut and installed new gasket material in the opening ports.  The new rubber material was 5/16″ in both dimensions, with a slightly rounded top edge, and fit well in the gasket groove.  The gasket featured a hollow center to allow for compression, and seemed to offer good resistance and sealing when I closed the port, with gasket material visible from the outside when the port was dogged down.

Total time billed on this job today: 1.25 hours