| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Roy (Jeffr) Rating: N/A |
Oh boy! Just when I thought things were looking promissing, I have been hit with a huge set back. I took a bizillion measurements and digital photos of the mast step. Then I carefully removed the mast step without damaging the stringer under it. Now I could see 7 keel bolts. My bolts have glavanised nuts and washers that are rusty. My hull/keel joint has a little bit of weeping so I wanted to at least repalce the nuts and washers, knowing that at some point the keel may have to be removed. I almost threw up when I realizes there is an 8th bolt under the front half of that main stringer the mast step was on top of. It was entombed in resing and I only discovered it becuase I was trying to clean out the weep hole in that stringer. Excuse my language but what the f#&ck were they thinking when they built this? It seems they put the keel on the boat and THEN buuilt the stringers and the mast step. THEN they put the head assembly down on top of it and then trapped it all under the deck. As far as I can tell there is almost no way to fix this. Didn't they anticipate that someone would need to get a keel off the boat at some point? What if you hit a rock? OK, now I need some good advice from the class, especially those of you that have had to deal with this. How in the world can you replace that stringer without taking the head out. Taking the head out looks like it can only be done with a lot of damage, more than I want to do. This discovery has ruined my day! I am really worried this is going to get worse before it gets any better. I really would like to hear from someoone who has had to deal with this. Scott, you said your boat did not have this forwad bolt, consider yourself lucky! |
