Galley and Plank Finished

A few days ago Paul delivered the lids of the refrigerator and icebox which he had covered with stainless steel.  He did a fine job and fit is very good.  Note that the s/s surfaces fit into a rim of wood, which I plan to sand and varnish before the end of summer.

Note the s/s barrier in front of stove

Square tube barrier between sink and fridge

I had earlier picked up the s/s barrier made by Bret Snedden of Custom Sheet Metal in Midvale, the same man who had produced the counter top sheeting.  Bret made the barrier from 20mm square tubing and the length was to within 0.5 mm length of my specification and the fit was perfect.  The barrier prevents water from running from the sink area across to the refrigerator compartment.  Two days ago I bedded the barrier onto silicone sealant and screwed it down with two s/s pan head screws.

Boarding Plank

I also tried out the new boarding plank and it has been a big success.  The beauty of the system is that it uses the aluminum boarding ladder that was made for Pachuca in Port Townsend, USA.  Whenever we are cruising and want to go over the side for either a swim or to board the inflatable tender, I'll simply undo the ropes holding the wood plank (of 18mm marine ply) to the ladder and stow it away.  I'll also remove the two bolts holding the piece of timber at the curved end of the ladder and stow that piece too. 

The photo of the plank was taken at moderately high tide, but the plank comes into its own when the 1-meter tide is low, lowering the boat to the point where even I have trouble getting on and off.  At such times the ladder will be at a steep angle of perhaps 30 degrees.

The plank will be fixed at the boat end and slide over the jetty as the boat moves around.