2022: Renovating the spars
Renovation of the hull began in March with the filling in of the old through-hulls that were no longer needed (old depth sounder/speedos, removal of a washbasin in the aft cabin).
On my intuition and after confirmation, I made conical pins which will be glued from the outside. This way, in the event of heeling, they will never be pushed towards the inside of the boat, avoiding the unlikely possibility of water ingress.
The next subject is the transom: as the wood dries, gaps have appeared between the planks and I've decided to enlarge them to insert flipots that will help strengthen this part of the hull.
The grooves are made using a router, but only on part of the thickness, guided by a batten nailed to the transom. The flipots are then placed, glued and held in place in these grooves. Once planed and sanded, the result is a beautiful surface.
With the hull now ready to be painted, a few tests were carried out: green, light green, blue, light blue and then a blue-green-white mix, the colour finally chosen.
The planking had also dried, but not to the point of being able to see through the hull, so I was advised to apply a greasy coating (COMUS type), which provides a support for the paint, but doesn't prevent the wood from swelling once it's in the water. To be checked after a few days in the water!
The hull is then sanded, coated and sanded again, and finally ready to be painted in blue-green.
The slightly fantastic image above was taken on a cold morning, due to the temperature difference between 2 materials:
- the wooden hull
- the metal rivets in the planking
The metal rivets are at that moment colder than the surrounding wood and hidden under the surface of the hull, they cause local condensation. I found this image very captivating, I hope you enjoy it!
The keel had been grinded in 2020, probably not enough as the rust had continued to proliferate and the surface wasn't uniform.
So I decided to take advantage of the antifouling change to treat the keel thoroughly:
- removal of the rusty outer layer of cast iron with a chisel + sanding with a grinder to obtain a relatively even surface
- protection with epoxy primer
Then the hard work:
- remove the old antifouling (Silic One - too fragile during crane handling) with a sanding disc mounted on a grinder, to return to the fibreglass lining and protecting the wood on the exposed areas
- epoxy filler on any holes
- applying the new coppercoat antifouling: the 4 coats must be applied in succession, before hardening. Thanks to Hélène and Michel for their help that Sunday: 1 mixer to keep the mix fresh + 2 applicators
A quick note on Coppercoat: it's an epoxy in which fine copper is mixed to provide long-lasting protection. So there's no more annual painting chore, and above all, maintenance is reduced to a minimum: just a quick wipe down with a sponge or high-pressure washer from time to time to remove any film that forms.
The end result is astonishing: the coating is hard and brown in colour, which goes well with the varnished cap rails.
As coppercoat is not compatible with metal, I applied Silic One to the propeller and the various fittings.
2022-2023: Renovating the portholes
The portholes were no longer watertight:
- some of the aluminium frames had oxidised to the point where they let water through
- the seals around the glass were in very poor condition
- the 2 pivoting front portholes had porous seals
- and the paintwork on the roofs needed repainting
So I dismantled all the portholes and took them apart (in 2 parts) to remove the glass. The porthole on the helmsman's side was fitted with a motorised revolving glass (which kept the water out, but created magnetic disturbances to the compas), so I opted to remove this device and put in a solid pane of glass.
After cleaning and drying, I was able to put the glasses back in, secured with small pieces of rubber and Tikalflex PCW14 glass-to-frame sealant. I then put the windows back in place, glued them with Tikalflex contact 12 sealant (which can be painted over, unlike the equivalent Sika product) and screwed them down as before.
For the 2 pivoting front windows, I had to find a replacement seal. I had to order samples from 2 suppliers (sealsdirect & rubbermagazijn) before finding a product fitting into the groove, from the English supplier.
2022-2023: Renovating the roofs
After sailing the boat, I wanted to modify the roofs:
- removal of the cowl vents to fit flat deck fans, and allow unhindered movement on the front roof (and also to lie down unhindered ;-) )
- relocating the liferaft to the aft roof, where the boat moves less in heavy seas. This will be the best place to launch the liferaft. This also reduces the amount of clutter on the front roof, for manoeuvres around the mast
- removal of the 'T' parts on the mast steps, used to store halyards and reefing lines, but not practical in use
- removal of the rear gas locker to integrate it into the aft roof
I dismantled the handrails, sanded them bare and varnished them.
The cowl vents were removed. One of the holes that was no longer needed was filled with plywood. The edges were bevelled to increase the gluing surface of the plywood.
The mast steps have been simplified: the welded 'T's have been removed. I'll be replacing them with end bags or hooks that are more discreet and flexible.
6 small parts have been machined from wood to support the liferaft on the aft roof. Without the liferaft, it's still aesthetically pleasing, and adds an extra touch of cachet.
The roof openings have been refurbished, painted or varnished depending on their location.
The roofs have been coated with anti-slip paint from Epifanes, a paint with integrated microbeads, which must be mixed well before use so that the beads are suspended in the paint.
