This afternoon, UPS came by and delivered the bronze dinghy chalks Port Townsend Foundry cast for me. Very nice. I think they look great. For the near term I'll set them aside, but later ,when I install them, I'll cut a piece of teak or Iroko to fit into the slot and I'll shape the upper end to support the gunwale of the inverted dinghy. I won't through bolt them to the cabin top. Instead I'll drill out a larger hole, fill with epoxy and then tap them for flat head machine bolts. If we ever ship green water and, God forbid, it tears the dinghy off I don't want the cabin top to go with it. I'd rather lose just the dinghy. Also, if they are tapped into the epoxy I can remove and rebed this hardware without removing the overhead liner. Much, much, easier.
Dinghy Chalks
Chainplates
1 Nov 11 Today I drilled the holes for the chain plates. I have been waiting a long time to check that off the list. I expected it to be complicated but it turned out be simple. I drilled from the interior up through the deck where I had glassed over the holes last year when I wrapped the hull deck joint with three layers of biaxial. I did not caulk or even install nuts or washers. Just drilled the holes and dropped the old bolts through to check for alignment. I did not drill out the holes for the aft intermediates. I am considering replacing them with running back-stays. If I change my mind I can drill out the old holes pretty easily. It is great to have this done.
Its great to finally have the holes drilled for the chainplates.
Installing the Windlass
I spent some time the week before last working on the mounting system for the anchor windlass. Once I determined where the holes were to be located I drilled a one inch diameter hole in the deck with a hole saw. I did not drill through the deck just through the top layer and the balsa core. I dug out the balsa core and then filled the hole with epoxy thickened with 407 and a little 404 filler. After it cured I faired it with some 407 thickened epoxy though in the photo to the right I have not sanded it flush. I'll do that in the next couple of day. Since the bolts diameter will be much smaller than 1" diameter (3/8" bolts) the oversize epoxy filled holes will project the balsa core from any water than may get into the bolt hole. I don't need to spend much time making it perfect as I will chamfer out the holes when I drill for the bronze bolts and apply the caulk. The backing plate for the windlass is a 12"x12" 1/2" thick square of manufactured fiberglass sheet I bought from McMaster Carr. I could have used G10 but it cost about three times as much as the fiberglass and won't add anything to the equation.
Drill the holes oversize then fill with thickened epoxy.
Once the epoxy is sanded flush I can drill for the bolts. The epoxy filled oversized holes prevents the balsa core deck from being crushed and protect the blasa core from water penetration.
Deck Hatches and Lockers
19 Nov 11 Yesterday I was anxious to be doing something on the boat while waiting for warmer weather to prime the overhead panels.So, I started working on the teak frames that support the cockpit locker lids.The frames have been off the boat and disassembled for about two years . . . very groady and grimy.About a month ago I cleaned them up with some two part teak cleaner. The port side frame was not in too bad a shape so I chiseled out the old adhesive (the glue had failed) and epoxied them back together.I would have preferred to use resorcinol but the joints are not that tight, the temps are too cold for resorcinol, and because the wood is protected from direct sunlight I think epoxy will work fine.I used System Three T-88 which is the same adhesive I used to apply the vertical staving on the bulkheads . . . good stuff.
Test fitting the frame. Once I glue it up I will install wood plugs over counter-sunk fasteners.
Test fitting the locker lid on the new wood frame.
Unfortunately, the starboard side frame was not salvageable.So, I decided to rebuild it using some Iroko I had on hand.Some folks call Iroko poor man’s teak.It is not teak but it has similar properties.It took awhile to make the frame because the starboard side locker is not square. It has 5 degree bevels on one side getting wider from the aft to the forward end.Also, the frame has a rabbet cut in the bottom to drop down inside the molded opening.It seems like an odd design to me. it is hard to maintain the outside surfaces of the wood since you can't get access to them without removing the frame work. Anyway, tonight, I screwed the frame assembly together and set it in place. I am pleased with how it turned out. Tomorrow, I’ll glue it up, cut wood plugs for the counter sinks and then consider how I will protect the wood.I might just paint them since you can’t see them.
This evening, I went back out to the shop and spent about 45 minutes repairing the holes that accommodate the bolts that secure the hinges to the cockpit hatch lids. When Cape Dory installed the hinges they took no action to protect the balsa core where the bolts passed through the lid. There was core damage, though slight, around four of the 12 holes. It is a simple fix. I took a half inch drill bit and drilled an oversize hole through the bottom skin of the lid being careful not to drill into the outside skin (the proximity of the edge of the hatch lid limited the size of the hole I could drill though to be sure 1/2" was big enough). I used a scratch awl to dig out additional core material. Next, I taped up the told hole on the outside skin (the side the hinge will be secure to). These holes will serve as the guide to drill out the epoxy plug for the hinge bolts so they can be reinstalled in the same location. I used a small "acid" that I twisted through the 1/2" hole and brushed unthickend epoxy on to the surface of the remaining core around the holes. Then, I mixed up some more epoxy thickened with 406 thickener and filled the cavity to the top. Last, I cleaned up the area around the holes with acetone and called it a night. When I am ready to install the hinges I will drill the hole through the center of the epoxy plug. Any water that leaks in along the bolt (none if I do a proper job of bedding the hinges) will not gain access to the vulnerable balsa core.
Image:
A couple of days ago I finished up the cockpit locker hatch frames. For the starboard Iroko frame I installed plugs over the countersunk screws. I then used a router with a 1/4" round-over bit to radius the top horizontal edges and their associated inside corners. I also radiused the outside vertical edges to give it a much smoother more refined look. Then, I used a 2 1/2" hole saw to create a large drain hole in the frame for the small sub compartment at the forward end of the locker. Lastly, I installed teak wood plugs in the ordinal teak portside locker hatch frame.
This picture shows the dado joint and 1/4" round over of the top edge of the locker frame.
I am pleased with how the locker frame turned out.
