For some while now I have been stripping back areas of varnish that have succumbed to damp. Some were ‘attacked’ back in the warm days enjoyed in February – a dodgy exercise – which I got away with. All other areas have now been sanded back and a gradual build up of coatings applied. More are needed before Christobel and I sand the whole of the cabin sides ready for its biannual varnishing. One of my ideas was to get the ‘heavy’ stuff done before I went into hospital and head into my radio treatment … fortunately the weather has been kind and that desire has been largely achieved.
Chaffing bar to rubbing band.
Back in January I fitted chaffing bars to the rubbing band in way of the aft fairleads. I’d done this to the forward pair many years ago, but after ‘falling over’ a length of bronze which once protected the stem of some old boat, I had the material to repeat the exercise – only taken thirty odd years! They do stop moorings from cutting into the wood though…
The ‘regular’ work began with a window which needed to come off for resealing.. The varnish does tend to degrade around the window edge as well and when one is off I tend to sand back the coatings and reapply. I have a temporary cover for the windows when panel is off. At that time I’d gone round and stripped back degraded varnish and sanded with a coarse grade, leaving open to air until ready to progress further…
Completed window resealing and varnish work. It looks patchy, but does fade in time. It’s varnished wood! note the beading breakdown…
Most of the areas of breakdown seem to happen around the beading along the bottom edge of the cabin sides, sometimes the same area year after year! The boat does have areas which have an oilier piece of iroko – beads mainly. One senses the advent of a complete strip off approaching. Another
Finesse at my club has been out for the winter. The owner has competed quite a lot of repair work and has also stripped off the cabin sides back to bare wood – the initial coats glowed with that deep iroko colour… Aboard Whimbrel, we’ve had that discussion – paint and varnish stripping … when, sometime in the future. The chap is up to six coats as I write!
Two areas of varnish stripped back and coating build up in progress…
This last weekend one of my Finesse neighbours was lifted from the water for the annual wash and brush up. The owner said to me, ‘I’m doing the three forward keel bolts…’ adding, ‘got a man coming in from J-Star Marine.’ There has been a run of information about keel bolts on a Finesse facebook site, perhaps this was a memory jogger! I have two more that I’ve never had out on Whimbrel, so it is for me too…
When I strip back these little areas I always mark up on the deck or cabin top, adjacent, the numbers of coats applied. A few are no good. eight to ten I always consider a minimum.
Finesse 24 Gypsy being lifted out at the Island YC, Canvey Island. (Picture: Alexander Ardley)
The boat’s owner has set himself a completion date some four weeks hence.
All around our club’s yard work is frantically taking place. Some have got along with things gradually, whilst, looking around, many have left to last minute: lift in season is upon them! It’ll be the same up and down the rivers and coasts. Sadly though, as has happened in recent years, some craft will continue to sit it out, awaiting the call of the sea from an owner.
One job has awaited our combined attentions. I have wanted to move the jib boom topping lift mast point down below our radar reflector. Our old one, a round edged Firdell Blipper wasn’t a problem, but a replacement Echomax causes the topping lift to catch … so, with a new fitting, the snagging problem is to be removed…
I first had to go up above the radar reflector to get the pulley block off the original mast fitting – I don’t like heights any more… ‘We’ forgot to get a picture of me up there – I wore the bosun’s chair for the operation, but decided that the harness would have been better afterwards.
Ladder ready for final part of job.
Christobel getting sorted… Note the bosun’s chair…
Jib boom topping lift on its new mast fitting … no more snagging of lines aloft!
My mate, incidentally, is so looking forward to our boat’s ‘rest’ on the club slipway to do the antifouling in a month or so too – it is creeping up. In thew mean time I will be undergoing twenty-three sessions of radiotherapy, which come to an end a little before this planned event. Will I be fit. Don’t know at present … bu there are windows down the line before ‘serious’ sailing begins.
Christobel carrying out one of her favoured activities in 2017…