06 April 2009

Galley has arrived

The aft cabin has seen a little action, I removed the aft chainplate the other day. Just a bit of dry rot, so glad to be rid of it. We will add split backstays which will enable 2 radio aerials as well as allowing us to have a gate in the middle of the pushpit.

The poorly glassed over area on top of the shaft log got opened up and smoothed out. I cut grooves in the top with a grinder and then chiselled the rubbish out with a scewdriver. As we have come to expect, there were numerous holes and the overall standard of glassing was extremely poor. I poured thinned epoxy done the holes first, followed by several layers of thinned out microballoons. Bill is now building this area up so any water drains forward, and so we can glass over the top to create a nice clean finish.

The rudder post is becoming more and more real, I sourced a lump of 2" prop shaft off a friend and passed that to a machinist. They will mill a 32mm square on the top and ensure the finish off the shaft is good enough so the 2 lip seals on the rudder tube will work, without letting water in. I will be disappointed if this area leaks, to put it mildly.

So, the galley arrived! Bill has spent two days so far fitting it into the boat, as the manufacturer left excess on certain edges so we can soak up the exact shape of the space. I spent all weekend sealing with thin epoxy and varnish.

This shot is looking forward from the companionway and shows a little of the final finish. It is all solid wood (except panels which are ply) and has a very professional look to it. Worth the money I hope, the Chief has given her stamp of approval and specified stainless steel for the benchtops. The finished product will be good to use.