In fact there has been so much rain that when we did leave the boat to use the clubhouse facilities our ladder was standing in a bit of a lake and we had to paddle.
Despite this we decided to clear the port side of the saloon to improve the access for fitting our new chainplate backing plates. Again we found that the unpainted plywood used for the soffit was rather mouldy and rotten in a few places. The cupboards also had mould which was deep in the disgusting 1970’s mustard colour vinyl.
We have a nice timelapse of removing the cupboards which should make it into our next Refit Progress video.
We have some decision making to do about the u-shaped settee. It isn’t angled and sized right for lounging comfort. So we will probably tweak it a little to be as comfortable as possible for dining or working at the table (it will also make a double bed for guests). We are also still planning how to use the space for storage.
One real oddity is how the forward most chainplate bolt has had the nut glassed in against the bulkhead to the forward heads. It seems unlikely the factory would have done this one differently to all the others.
It is also odd that we have 4 10″ mooring cleats with very varied bolt sizes, 3 with large backing plates (like 10x the size of the ones for the chainplate bolts) and one with just tiny washers.
Our new backing plates are large enough so that each one can be for both a chainplate and a mooring cleat.
The backing plate for the cap shroud is going to be tied down the side of the hull to the first stringer with a combination of FR4 (with epoxy fillets) and glassfibre cloth with epoxy resin. This will replace the stainless steel strap bolted to the plywood knee (currently much more substantial on the port side).
The wind has been gusting to 53mph (Force 9) according to the Met Office, with the heavy rain this has uncovered a few small leaks. Generally where we have temporary bathroom sealant in holes where we have removed bolts that are going to be replaced by something different. I’ve just noticed a window bolt that is weeping a little so that will need tightening tomorrow.
We spent the evening in the NWVYC clubhouse as I needed the better WiFi for some work. While we were there Jane spliced two more mizzen chainplate loops. They are looking great, we are really looking forward to finishing refurbishing the masts in the Sprint and getting them both up.
Meanwhile I’m trying to work out how to build a test rig for the chainplate loops that will allow us to get enough pull on them so that the knot will properly tighten up. Remember that our chainplate loops are based on the technique for a soft shackle where the 6mm version broke at 64Kn (which is approx 6,500 kg).
So a 6mm dyneema chainplate loop would break at about 6,500 kg which is more than double the breaking strength of the 6 mm stainless steel shrouds we are replacing. Yet our chainplate loops are made from 9mm dyneema. Seems like we have a pretty huge safety margin here!
It does mean that I’d like to be able to get in the order of 1,000kg pull on the chainplate loops to get the knot to tighten to a stable point. So I need a “plate” with a 20mm hole (so the chainplate loop can be pulled through the hole with the knot stopping it coming all the way through) that can withstand a 1,000kg pull. Plus I need to be able to achieve the 1,000kg pull (and have a measure to know I’ve done it). H’mm.
Sustainable Sailing 