Not Quite A Grand Reveal

Tomorrow Emma moves back in, and the cabin is pretty much ready. We still have a lot of finish-off jobs to do, most notably I have to construct the panels to go around the exhausts, but otherwise it's just bits of trim I have had to make up. It's certainly a different cabin now

More bits still being varnished. 

Next up: do the cockpit locker, and Sharon is going to start on the paint in the lower saloon. That one will be one-small-bit-at-a-time, otherwise living on board will be hell.

Bonzo The Clown Strips Paint

Pictures say enough.

Actually, we have just finished with painting. Looks great, but I will wait until we have completed the varnishing before posting.

Commence Demolition

It's started: we have booted Emma off the boat and have begun ripping her cabin apart. This cabin was always "the swamp" and the combination of the amount of work to be done along with the scary troll that lives in it meant we put it off until last.

Quick progress on stripping varnish, but there are lots of fiddly little woodwork jobs that I will need to do that are going to slow the pace. Focus is on what needs to be done to allow Emma to move back in, and I can finish off the other bits later.

One thing that needs to be done is the shelf besides the berth. When the new exhausts were run things were chopped up quite a bit, and a new shelf unit was built in under the main engine exhaust. However, in a bid to maximise storage space they built the shelf right out against the hull - the back panels were actually tacked onto the hull. Anyone with a clue knows this is a recipe for disaster, and sure enough, it created a lovely little moisture trap and the back panels have rotted out. Fortunately the hull itself is just fine. I will cut things back clear of the hull and rebuild so there is a proper air space around everything.

I also have to make new headliners, repairs to the forward bulkhead liner, and numerous other fiddly bits, but the main event will be constructing frames and liners to go over the exhaust pipes - still working out the details on that one.

Digging out the fasteners and readying for removal of the liner around the shelf. I was praying to Poseidon there would be no uglies in behind.   

Close up of the liner at the back of the shelf. after I prodded it a bit. Ick.

Liner under deck removed. Located the last leak, which we missed in our last round of caulking repairs by exactly 90mm. Needs a good clean under here...

Looking forward outboard. Going to have to make some repairs to the bulkhead liner.

Rear liners removed from shelf, exposing hull. The liners were the only things manky, everything else is good. Yay.

Cabinside after stripping with the heat-gun.

Commencing stripping.

Coming along nicely.

Cabinside stripped, new fastener plugs gluing. Once they have set will give it the big final sand.

It's good to have some varnish work in hand, I was suffering withdrawal.