CAP RAIL PROJECT STARTED

Pinoy Boat Service
Port Carmen, Cebu
Philippines

We finally managed to get started on the next big project, the removal and then replacement of the cap rail and genoa track. We had been waiting for Lando the carpenter who did our previous work to finish another yachties job.  Monday was somewhat of an exploratory day as I did not truly know how the hull to deck joint covered by the cap rail was put together. I do now. There are four sections along each gunnel. Screw heads had to be exposed, then the screws removed before trying to pry the cap rail itself up. Whatever adhesive/ bedding compound they used back in 1979 when the boat was built was still very sticky. Using some clamps different pieces of wood and the anchor roller we, yes I am actively assisting Lando, got the first section up. Once it was removed after getting the screws out the second one came up a bit more easily. There was a thin layer of resin filler over the top of the joint but no fiberglass cloth. This was ground off to expose the joint.

PLUGS AND SCREWS REMOVED

CLAMPS USED TO PULL AND MY FOOT

UNDERSIDE OF CAP RAIL AND ADHESIVE

CAREFULLY REMOVING THE SECOND
SECTION OF CAP RAIL

EXPOSING THE INSIDE OF THE JOINT

THESE HOLES WERE FOR CAP RAIL
SCREWS AND TO HOLD THE
WOOD THAT HAS ROTTED
AND BEEN REMOVED

THE JOINT SHOULD LOOK
LIKE THIS

Looking at the photos you can see some portions of the joint have noting at all between them and some are somewhat filled with wood. Some of this wood is water soaked and rotten. At the bottom of the joint is a fiberglass tab joining the inside of the hull to the underside of the deck. If you think back to a previous blog when we discovered leakage in to some areas of the galley there was a photo where I had drilled a hole through this fiberglass tab and poured out. That water had been trapped in in these areas of void and rotted some of the wood there.
 The solution that I have decide on is first to remove as much of the rotten material as possible and then fill the space with an epoxy and chopped strand fiberglass mix. The rest of Monday and Tuesday morning was spent removing rot and getting ready to fill the void area. Late Tuesday morning progress ground to a halt. Lando got sick and eventually went home not to return till tomorrow. I did continue on with removing the bolts for the genoa track as it needs to come up before the next section of cap rail.

THOSE ARE THE NUTS I HAD TO
REMOVE THERE IS ANOTHER
BEHIND THE WHITE HOSE

NOT LOTS OF ROOM FOR
MY WIDE BODY

GREAT FUN

THE RESULTS OF MY EFFORT

WHAT WOULD BE TERMED
OXYGEN DEPRIVATION
CORROSION

As you can see from the photos the areas that I had to access to get to the track bolts made it a bit difficult to even get a wrench on the nut. Sometimes I only could get a third of a turn with each grip of the wrench and no room to use a socket. Of course as you can also see on a few just the application of the wrench caused the nut to break off. So far I  have only a third of the bolts removed so more fun tomorrow.

Other days of the week were spent doing all the regular stuff. Kathy doing laundry, shopping and cleaning; she even managed to finally get another of her new dresses. Two down and three to go. I also managed to get the first re-chromed winches installed and the one on the boom removed by drilling out a couple of the mounting bolts.

Friday for me was off to Cebu. First immigration for visa extensions, then two different hardware stores of things, the chrome shop to pick up winches and finally a mall for canned cat food. Immigration was first to get both Kathy's and my visa's. All stop!! A new regulation was in place and we had to fill out an additional two forms on both sides and you had to be there in person. The new alien registration forms also required additional photos and full fingerprints. At least there were no extra charges only time consuming and now Kathy will have to make the trip next week. It only took me an extra hour, Roger from another yacht had gone to the main immigration office and it took him SIX hours. the rest of my day was uneventful.

the weekend has been quiet. I've been watching baseball playoffs and following the upsets in NCAA football or perhaps as some readers might American university gridiron.

THE SIDE ENCLOSURE NOW
HAS TWO WINDOWS

BLUE AND CHICA READY FOR
THEIR MORNING
WALKABOUT