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Nov. 16th, 2022 12:16 pmCleaning up the cockpit coaming. Repeated applications of tung oil, then a few coats of Epifanes spar varnish:
(Click to expand:)
Vice-Grip pliers with a head designed for gripping bolts, instead of abusing bolts with grooved jawed Vice Grips, for single-handed thru-bolt removal and installation:
Bronze chainplates. Stainless is supposed to be replaced every 10 years and I don't know how long these have been in, but it looks like the ones I just replaced are newer than than the other two side shroud chainplates (not done re-installing these either but one shroud is re-connected):
Two more side shrouds to do, then the forestay and backstay. May change backstay design and move to a split backstay. That would involve adding two new backstay chianplates instead of replacing the existing one. Those would be outboard, mounted on the sides of the transom, going over the rear rail.
Was not planning to replace the hatch and the lock:
Empty chainplate hole on the side deck, being cleaned up:
The old design of trying to stick a small metal plate with a slot in it around the chainplate and gluing that down never worked really well for keeping water away from the wooden marine ply deck, so instead clearing marine ply away from it epoxying these in place. I can come back later and grind in to the intersection of epoxy and fiberglass-marine-ply-fiberglass and add some overlapping fiberglass layup on top to discourage that from separating. In theory, the chainplates will last at least 60 years, so I believe just embedding them like that will minimize maintenance. Two part plastic resins and bronze is about all I trust at this point, and then only just barely. If I put stainless chainplates in, ten years later, I could well still be catching up on maintenance backlog and barely used chainplates would be old enough to supposed to be replaced again. The "good for 10 years (unless you sail in very hot humid tropical environments, then maybe only 3)" stainless standing rigging is already two years old. _The Rigger's Appretentice_ (I think it was) also hates on stainless standing rigging as weak and failure prone and suggests zinc galvanized steel as lasting longer and being stronger. If I go DIY there, I'll see about doing that.
(Click to expand:)
Vice-Grip pliers with a head designed for gripping bolts, instead of abusing bolts with grooved jawed Vice Grips, for single-handed thru-bolt removal and installation:
Bronze chainplates. Stainless is supposed to be replaced every 10 years and I don't know how long these have been in, but it looks like the ones I just replaced are newer than than the other two side shroud chainplates (not done re-installing these either but one shroud is re-connected):
Two more side shrouds to do, then the forestay and backstay. May change backstay design and move to a split backstay. That would involve adding two new backstay chianplates instead of replacing the existing one. Those would be outboard, mounted on the sides of the transom, going over the rear rail.
Was not planning to replace the hatch and the lock:
Empty chainplate hole on the side deck, being cleaned up:
The old design of trying to stick a small metal plate with a slot in it around the chainplate and gluing that down never worked really well for keeping water away from the wooden marine ply deck, so instead clearing marine ply away from it epoxying these in place. I can come back later and grind in to the intersection of epoxy and fiberglass-marine-ply-fiberglass and add some overlapping fiberglass layup on top to discourage that from separating. In theory, the chainplates will last at least 60 years, so I believe just embedding them like that will minimize maintenance. Two part plastic resins and bronze is about all I trust at this point, and then only just barely. If I put stainless chainplates in, ten years later, I could well still be catching up on maintenance backlog and barely used chainplates would be old enough to supposed to be replaced again. The "good for 10 years (unless you sail in very hot humid tropical environments, then maybe only 3)" stainless standing rigging is already two years old. _The Rigger's Appretentice_ (I think it was) also hates on stainless standing rigging as weak and failure prone and suggests zinc galvanized steel as lasting longer and being stronger. If I go DIY there, I'll see about doing that.
