Now that there is light in the cabin I can continue the removal of the starboard side of the centreplate case and, as the title of this post suggests, I have yet to locate the bottom of the plywood side.
I widened the cut through the base of the case and cut down to a point just above the part that I know is the top of the keel. At this point the plywood is still visible on the inside of the case but it is not securely attached to the keel. Using a flat-bladed screwdriver I was able to prise the plywood of away from the keel and break it off. It is still damp, although not wet any more, and quite easily snapped.
Looking down the slot I can see that the plywood does not go right down to the bottom of the keel, which makes sense since this would make the edge of the plywood touch the water and that would in turn soak up the water, something to be avoided at all costs. So the builders of the hull cut a long and deep recess into the sides of the slot leaving about 6mm of the keel timber intact to form a barrier. Presumably it also forms an edge to locate the case properly.
So, I now have the top of the keel timber and I have the bottom of the side of the case. This means that I can cut away large chunks of the side knowing that I’m not cutting into parts of the boat that I should be leaving intact.
Mind, you, there are screws holding the side of the case down to the keep, so I’ll need to try and avoid cutting those. They appear to be stainless steel and my multi-tool won’t cut through that.
These are the piece of the plywood I removed from inside the keel timber. You can also see from this photo just how effective the cabin light is now that it is installed. This work would have been difficult without it.
The downside of the work is that Charles used something he called Mendix or Mendex spread liberally to cover any gaps in his ‘Clodhopper Carpentry’. I’ve not been able to find out what this substance is, but I can tell you that it is very tough and when cut produces a fine, choking power so I have to wear a breathing mask to avoid breathing this fine dust into my lungs. That means that I need to take regular breaks in the cutting work as this restricts your breathing. Besides that the dust gets everywhere and a break every now and then is needed to brush the dust of and clear up the mess in the cabin.
I usually make a cup of tea (no surprise there) and then resume work once I’ve finished the cup.
Some time later…
This represents about an hour’s work, about all I can do in one stretch. I’m just not used to crouching down into a small ball and then working on something sideways. I need to take a break after an hour. So I need to find some small tasks that take about an hour to carry out in a standing position and do those between hour long sessions cutting away the case side.
So that’s it for today.
Time for a cup of tea.