Back to the rotten triangle

We're back on the case of the rotten triangle. We used a variety of tools to see if we could get the damn thing off but at the spot where it met that piece of trim against the wall next to sliding door, it simply wouldn't budge. Then we realized why.

That piece of 3/4-inch plywood isn't really a triangle. It goes through that wall and extends all the way forward to the side window in the cabin.

Yes, that beautifully painted section up to the window is all the same piece of plywood. No wonder the part showing in the cockpit wouldn't come out.

And it gets better. When we poked that inside section down at the bottom just over that gray molding that runs under the side windows, it was also soft.  So the outside rot crept along the bottom and got inside. Keep in mind that looking at all of this from outside of the boat, everything is covered by the fiberglass structure of the cabin so this surgery is going to have to done entirely from the inside. Swell.

Why did it rot? Because there's a joint where the fiberglass cabin side meets the fiberglass cockpit liner and the material that sealed that joint had failed, allowing water in.

The plan, then, is to cut away about 10 inches from the bottom of the triangle (back to solid plywood) on the outside and about 3 inches (again, back to solid plywood) on the inside and then slip in new, epoxy-treated 3/4-inch thick plywood sections. Then we'll fair those seams and repaint.

Cutting the rotten plywood away is going to tricky since it needs to a straight cut and can go no deeper than exactly 3/4-inch, otherwise we'll damage the exterior fiberglass.

What about the starboard side, you might ask?

Solid as a rock, we're glad to report. (The marks seen on the inside surface we're left from us removing some old caulking with heat gun.)

During the previous week, we refinished the mahogany trim pieces that go along the upper edge of the triangle and re-habed the section of rail that mounts on top of it.

We'll eventually re-caulk all of the seams but for now, that's it for the starboard side triangle.

Now on to some other things on the to-do list

A couple of years ago, we installed LED reading lights in our v-berth and guest berth and they have been a really good addition that we use all the time. Last summer, we decided to augment the lighting in the cabin with two more of the same LED fixtures. We also selected spots to mount them and here I demonstrate where I think they will go.

What I think means nothing. Everything screwed down (or painted) on the boat requires the approval of the Admiral. The Admiral has the eyes of a hawk and she can detect a minor problem at quite a distance. We're sure that before those lights are actually mounted, the Admiral will have made a small pencil mark showing where they should be. Actually, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Turkey done right!

Frances cooked what I think was her best turkey ever for Thanksgiving. It was just 10 lbs. but even at that size, that's a lot for two people to eat. Her solution was a turkey pot pie and was that great! Lot of vegetables and small hunks of turkey. We had fun creating the roux (if that's what it's called) and seeing it thicken and even more fun talking about all of our crazy boating adventures while it cooked.

Boating doesn't end around here when you take the boat out of the water.