Progress on Shoal Waters has reached the stage where I need to carefully plan the order in which the various tasks are carried out since many of the remaining tasks involve the use of Sikaflex sealant. This, as I have mentioned many times before, gets everywhere unless you are exceptionally careful.
So, the first task I elected to carry out today was to test that the top of the centerplate case used when sailing still fits the case. Now that meant putting the sides of the holder back in place and since I was going to do that I also put the sealant onto the joins between the wood and the case. Of course that immediately meant that I could not check the fit of the top until the sealant has cured.
Not to worry too much about this as the top of the top has cracked along one seam for a short length and needed to be repaired. Some wood glue and some screws later this was done and put aside for the glue to dry.
The next task is a messy one. The forward end of the bottom board on the port side of the cockpit does not have a bearer, so one had to be made and out in place. Now, the space is small so cleaning up the messy sealant is difficult, so I didn’t bother. I’ll do that once the sealant has cured with a sharp knife. However, I was able to keep the bearing surface clear of the sealant so that I can work on the bearers that run along either side of the centerplate case.
But first,
Time for a cup of tea.
The last task of the day was to construct the bearers for the starboard side of the cockpit. These required me to shape two pieces of wood to match the required slope and then to fit them in place.
This was a job that required some care since the space in which these pieces fit is not visible when the board is in place and thus you cannot see the size of any gaps. In the end, having got the aft, smaller one correct on the first try, I cut the forward one a little under size and sat it on a large glob of sealant and put the board in place and carefully pressed it down until the sat at the correct level.
This squashed the sealant such that it formed a spacer under the bearer that was exactly the correct size. The board was removed without disturbing the level of the bearer and both left to cure.
You’ll notice that I did not use any screws on these bearers. That’s because I didn’t want to put a hole through the side of the case accidentally !
Time for a cup of tea.