Nuf' Said

Making lots of progress, thanks to some uninterrupted weekend time in between holiday parties.

Repairing Keel Damage

The photos below show the progress on the break in the keel.    My suspicion is that the issue occurred through the following chain of events.

1. The keel was not properly dried before it went into the boat
2. Therefore is started to check
3. Water got in under a few of the bungs through these checks
4. the screws into the centerboard trunk began to rust
5. Rot/Iron Sickness developed in the area around the rusted screws
6. The keel weakened sufficiently around the worst are that it cracked

Below you can see the before and in process for the keel repairs.  I chiseled out most of the bad wood and then filled the area with West System Epoxy with microfiber.   Because the majority of the strength in this area is provided by the centerboard trunk, strength should not be an issue.  Also filled a section in the centerboard that was a continuation of the iron sickness that was around some of the rib bracket screws (the lower section in the photo on the right)

Varnishing the interior begins

I've started applying varnish to the interior for the areas that are stripped and need no repair.   I will re-varnish the entire interior before all the planks go back on.   so far, it looks pretty good, a vast improvement over the dark muddled color from the old varnish

Port Chine Log Complete

The port side chine log is on.    took some time to ensure that all of the ribs would be able to take the screws to hold it in place, and had to replace 2 ribs, Dutchman a patch in another, and refasten 3 of the ribs to the keelson.  have a few more screw holes to plug and then it will be ready to accept the refastened planks.

You can see below the volume of the screws that have been removed... .Man is this fun! 

Bought the Fuller countersink and plug cutter set.  It is fantastic.  by only issue was that most of the screws in the boat are #10 with 3/8" countersink and bungs.   This set comes with the Fuller #10 with a 1/2" countersink.  Luckily, they also make a #10 3/8" countersink (C913), which I bought from Jamestown Distributors.   Great service and selection.    I recommend them.

Random shot of toolbox with caulkers hammers

Rib Brackets

The boat has brackets to attach the main ribs to the centerboard trunk.  They looked pretty rough, and I thought they might have just been cut sheet metal.  I took some time to research replacements in brass or stainless and didn't find much.  So I decided to look closer at what I already had.

They were ragged, rough cut and with sharp corners, and covered with a lot of varnish and some random paint.   Here is an example of how bad they were

A pass under the magnet showed they weren't steel. So a little heat gun and scraping, then some steel wool revealed brass.   Some filing and more sandpaper and they are now actually pleasant to look at, with smooth rounded corners.  A little more work and this one will be ready to go back into its original home... No replacement required.