More than overdue an update, time has been rushing by, I have been to the USA for work, missed a further week due to jet lag, but now back on the job. I want to be running down the Solent to Yarmouth on the 24th May for Yarmouth Old Gaffers, so I have about 2 months and one week. Ahem...
Centre console was an utter mess, the top had been chopped out with a badly fitting metal dash panel, hydraulic helm unit was leaking, guages had square bezels that I hated with a passion. Here it is, needing a lot of work.
We have the keel tented off with a dehumidifier inside, we opened up today, in the vacinity of the dehum its much better, in some areas we've even got onto the scale on the moisture meter, a second dehum going in there tomorrow. Interestingly, its pulled about 2 gallons of water out of the wood so far!!
I went a bit mad in the cockpit, no stone unturned, all loose bits (everything you can see!) are to be glued back in, few bits of rot to be chopped out and replaced.
For ten years, the nuts on the rudders were mild steel, they drove me mad, no amount of paint or grease stopped them rusting, so here we have brass replacements, I couldn't find bronze, with help from Scott we worked out the threads were 3/4 BSF 12 TPI, not much of that about these days.
Crack in the port hog to be routered out and a graving piece glued in both sides, plus some coach bolts from the top down into the bottom.
Interesting pic this one, see the frame in the centre of the shot heading out from the hog to the chine? Its loose. See the bit of missing frame and filler inboard of the hog? It came off in my hand. I knew all this needed doing it seems I was right.
Otherside of the cockpit.
Other frame under the engines, ply chopped out, new one going in tomorrow, hopefully tomorrow we'll be sticking the first bit of new timber into place, 15mm BS1088 ply.
My first effort at fibgreglass, lot of filler needed but should come up ok.
More to follow.
