November 2020 – Interested in Learning How to Find, Select and Eventually Live On Board Your Own Sailboat? You're in the Right Place….

So, after forty years or so, even the most sturdy among us often needs a little TLC and refurbishing. I had noticed some softness in the aft cabin sole under the stairs and finally decided this was the season to see what was going on down there.
As you can see, at some point there was water penetration and some WDO’s (some wood destroying organisms i.e. fungus, termites and other various destructive elements at work here at some point over the last four decades). I went to work with an oscillating tool equipped with a cutting blade and a pry bar.

The port side bulkhead next to the stairs had some interior damage, so I stripped all of that out and treated it with Coppercoat to prevent any future growth or infestations. I was fortunate to be able to find the extent of the damage and replace it all.

The starboard bulkhead, that makes up part of the nav station, was lightly damaged along the bottom edge so, I removed that section, treated The remaining wood and replaced the damaged section.

New pressure treated wood was installed to support the subfloor…….no more WDO’s here !!!

I had to drive theses stainless steel lag bolts by hand…..quite a forearm workout

Then, I ”double treated” the pressure treated wood with Coppercoat…..

I discovered that shiplap fit perfectly into the gap created where I had removed the damaged bulkhead section.

I had to hand trim and fit the new subfloor sections to fit the curve of the hull on the starboard side under the nav station.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t use pressure treated plywood because the epoxy used to attach the final teak and holly veneer wouldn’t adhere to that. I was able to use exterior grade plywood. I liberally soaked the edges and undersides with Coopercoat however.

Cutting the same style hatch board to match the original wasn’t too difficult…..

A local friend made the matching width teak and holly veneer for me…..Now to experiment with some stain colors to match…..

Next time I’ll post some finished shots after the trim, stain, and urethane are applied….