Always Darkest Before The Dawn?

There are times when I start the day by scaling the makeshift scaffolding of old pallets I've stacked up to the deck of the boat, look down the companionway into the belly of this poor wrecked soul and think; “My god, what have I done?”

The word, 'Gutted' would not be an overstatement. Half the cabinetry has be disassembled or torn out, rotten strings lay bare and not a crevice, nook, or cranny is free of dust and debris. I'm extremely sensitive about it too. Normally I won't let anyone I know look at it in its current state. When people see it for the nightmarish mess it has become, even though they are always kind with their words, I can see the judgment in their eyes – and I hate that.

It didn't look like this when I bought it, and even though I knew these things would have to be done (like ripping out rotten wood and stringers), it still makes me ill to saw and grind on it sometimes. It makes me ill to see it like this. The only bright side is, I've torn it down about as far as it needs to go. Most everything from this point on is building it back up.

Some things are starting to look better. I've replaced all the stringers in the v-berth and I got one of the large ones in the cabin epoxied in place today.





Since nearly everything I do requires watching epoxy cure for 5 hours, rather than eating bonbons and watching daytime TV, I've gotten really good at keeping two projects going at the same time. I go as far as I can with one project and then switch over to the other while the epoxy is drying on the first. It not only keeps me from twiddling my thumbs, it also ensures that I don't get impatient and start messing with things before the epoxy is fully cured.

The other project I have going is replacing the plywood that covers the icebox in the galley. It didn't look bad on the surface, but you could shove a screw driver through it just about anywhere near the bottom. It was an ugly removal, but the rot had to go. It was also a pain in the ass. Everything back in that corner overlaps and is interconnected. That may give it strength, but it also makes removing any one piece of it a chore. To remove part “F”, parts “A, B, C, D, and E” have to be removed.

It took some doing, but I eventually got it removed and cleaned up. A wire wheel on an angle grinder works wonders, by the way – although I wouldn't suggest using one without a guard like I did. Without the guard, your knuckles are about a half an inch away from a spinning wheel that will eat through fiberglass if allowed. I'm pretty sure it would clean a knuckle to the bone quicker than you can blink. I wore heavy gloves, it's still a bad idea. Once I get another sheet of 1/2 plywood, I'll cut, glass, and epoxy a new piece in place. Right now all I have is 3/4 inch and I can't use that.