February 2016
Although I haven’t yet finished taking all the deck fittings off I am also removing the screws which hold the deck down. This is actually very simple as the deck is pretty soft due to the time it has been leaking and un-maintained.
There is one genoa track and two cleats to remove as well as the fore-hatch before the deck can come off. Then we will see how many of the deck beams we can salvage. My expectation is that most have gone rotten along the outer ends but some seem very soft so it may be that we will have more deck beams to replace and I had hoped.
My plan is to remove all the deck beams. Cut the largest down to size and reuse those further forward towards the bow. It is the outer 150mm that seems most soft/rotten.
As we progress it becomes more clear that the boat is in serious need of timber replacement and the extent of the work grows as you would expect. Dealing with the front of the boat first will allow me to practice my skills so that I can deal with a major job of rebuilding the cabin which is seriously in need of overhaul.
The coach roof to the cabin has failed and so that needs to be replaced too.
At least with the cover on now the boat is protected from the worst of the weather and we can work in relative comfort although crawling about on one’s hands and knees is a little tedious.
Anyway my plan is to have the deck off by the end of February and be on a long way into the interior the end of March. That may be a little ambitious.
Saving Anne Marie 