Delighted its not a big boat!

Another day dawns with bright blue sky and a blustery wind. Unfortunately the wonderful world of work requires me to spend half of the day sitting in traffic and the other half producing a presentation for a client. Still the mortgage has to be paid and I want to begin assembling the necessary tools for the project that I don't already have so need some readies. One tool that I have invested in is a DeWalt random orbital sander that can be attached to a vacuum cleaner. It's still sitting in its box at the moment and as work on the GRP isn't planned until after the structural stuff it can stay there. However I will report back on how well it works when I do start to use it.

Given the lack of space inside the cabin, sorting out the internal woodwork is going to be a challenge for someone 6'3” tall. It's also going to be dusty so some of my first purchases are going to be a Tyvek suit, safety goggles and a respirator. Having worked with glass fibre many years ago I know how itchy it can be, have no wish to risk breathing in the fibres and with only one good eye need to protect it! A trip to Screwfix looks on the cards (other hardware outlets are available!).

One of the challenges I've already found is that the remaining fittings on her (shroud fixing, mast step etc.) are fixed with screws and nuts, with the latter on the inside. Given that my better half has other things to do I need to find a way of securing the nuts to allow the screws to be removed. The wood that the nuts are buried in is soft so it's a tough job and I don't particularly want to resort to cutting them off.

Quick update, I've managed to undo all the screws on one shroud fixing and have removed it but there's one stubborn nut on the port side. Still, this stubborn nut will solve it one way or the other. I've also chipped away all the rotton ply that acted as a pad inside on both fixings and the mast step pad - approximately 300mm square of wooden mush. As this clearly wasn't sitting in water I assume it is the effect of years of condensation and a lack of suitable wood treatment.

At least somethings not rotten!

I've also managed to put her up onto some blocks to level her out and be able to put the car back on the drive. I certainly couldn't have done that on my own with anything much bigger. The fact that she is virtually flat underneath also makes it easy - no need to make a V-shaped chock - but I have treated her to some carpet as you can see below.

Up on blocks and vaguely level - I must invest in a better cover though

I've also taken a closer look at some of the old filling patches. I think they're all going to need removing and replacing with a little chopped strand and epoxy rather than the tatty polyester that I suspect was originally used. So that's another couple of tools on the list - a Dremel (though I may be able to use the one at work) and maybe a grinder.

How not to fill cracks in the gelcoat

Finally I have to work out how to draw up that cross member that needs replacing. There's probably enough left to be able to do a rough drawing and I think I'm going to set up a batten across the top of its remains from where I can make regular drop measurements. Then I'll be able to do a full scale drawing onto a piece of suitable ply. Once I've done that I can set about removing the rotten timber - oh joy - and set about playing with glass fibre and epoxy.