It occurred to me that as the boat was on her side, all I would have to do to extract the plate was to undo the pivot bolt and slide the plate out of the box, not through the top, but the bottom. Hence, there would be no need to unscrew the wood that seals the top of the box.
On examining the centreplate I discovered that the rust I
had previously observed was not as bad as I had thought. I cleaned the plate
with a rotary sander; then I took it to a local galvaniser. He was away having
lunch, but a friend who has a business nearby said it would cost £40.00 and it would
be ready for collection on Friday 31st. He took my details and I left the plate
with him.
Back at home I tipped the boat onto her port side ready for
making good the surface where the old boot topping had been painted. I had to
scrape off areas of flaky paint, and the best tool for doing it was my
penknife. I also sanded underneath the starboard rubbing strip and the adjacent
fibreglass edging. I was amazed how thick the fibreglass was, at least a ¼ of
an inch and where they overlapped at the join, ½ inch. I varnished the bare
wood and the corresponding fibreglass edges. Finally, I gave the side of the
boat below the waterline a coat of white Toplac.
If I have an opportunity tomorrow between the showers that have
been forecast I shall apply a second coat of Toplac over the area painted
today.
The more I see of the boat, the more I become aware of what must be
done to make her ready for the water. I’ve noticed that six bolts retaining the
bow fairleads are severely rusted. Despite this, they are sufficiently strong
for keeping the fairleads in place. However, I don’t like the thought of them being
there, but I may let them be until I have more time to play around replacing
them.
I’m certain I shall be painting the sides of the boat, but
the type of paint and the colour I have yet to decide.
No comments:
Post a Comment