Two of the four displays had been removed, leaving two holes that would have to be covered over. There were also plenty of drill holes reflecting a long history of service. There was another problem: the panel was fixed to the fiberglass housing with six screws directly into the fiberglass. Over time some of the holes had stripped, requiring larger diameter screws, which was untenable in the long run. I needed to be able to screw the panel into wood behind the fiberlgass.
I checked the Club Cruceros web site and saw the names of 4 carpenters, but there are carpenters and there are carpenters. I needed on who could do good finishing work. I visited Dave who suggested two persons, both of whom spoke good English because they are American. I had the contact details of only one, Reggie Brillant, so I gave him a call. I introduced myself and asked him if he could do a small job for me. "How long will you be here?" he asked. "Until November" was my reply. He like that answer and asked about the job. When I told him that I was at Marina de La Paz he said that so was he, on a job. I told him that I was in slip 317 and as luck would have it he was on a large boat at the end of the jetty.
 |
| New Teak Instrument Panel, With Old Above It |
I took the old panel, the fiberglass housing, and a sketch to him. I told him that it would have to be pretty good wood to stand up to the elements and he replied that only teak would do. He suggested thicker wood for the panel, cut for a snugger fit on the housing. We discussed the instrument hole measurements and I wound up giving him one of the Raymarine displays. He said that he'd try to do it that night.
When I arrived at the boat today at 7.45 AM there it was: a beautifully finished teak panel cut to perfection. I visited Reggie at the boat and soon settled the account with him: $60 USD for the teak and $60 USD for 1.5 hours of labor.
From the time I started looking for a carpenter until I had the finished product spanned less than 20 hours. Ya gotta win a few.
 |
| More Redundant Wiring Bites the Dust. |
I spotted a small plastic cleat at the shop and fitted it at the nav station desk so that now I can easily lash the lid down to ensure that it cannot fly open in a rollover.
 |
| Screwdriver Points to Area of Water Seepage |
We also did more cabin leak work. Our water test indicated that we had indeed stopped the leak into the port side of the cabin. Unfortunately Jak spotted a few drops of water peeping out of the starboard side of the main ceiling panel. We dropped the panel and the analysis was not good. Water seems to be finding its way into a fiberglass channel containing an arch of wood passing from one side of the cabin to the other. We discussed remedial action and it the end we both agreed that the proper way is to fix the problem on the outside, to prevent the water from getting in, rather than from the inside. In order to do this I need access to that large cavity between the vents in which I had poured epoxy the previous day. I've come up with the idea of cutting access slots or holes into this part of the deck so that I can assess the situation and make the necessary repairs. After the repair the access ports would be either fiberglassed as before or covered with screw-down sheets of fiberglass or Starboard for easy removal in the future.
I don't want to do that sort of work in La Paz. A project like that can lead you down a big mine, and I want to tackle it in my home port of Fremantle where I'll have access to skills, advice, materials, tools, etc.
 |
| Screwdriver on Section Requiring Access |
Having said that, I am extremely satisfied with the leaks situation. Thanks to the very productive work with Jak I think that I have a very good insight into the dynamics of the leaks through the chain locker, the cabin, and the lazarette. Insight is the precursor to workarounds in the short term and proper fixes in the long term.
No comments:
Post a Comment