
9610 Commonwealth Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32220
Prepping Poop Deck for Core & Mast Stowage
Jan 6, 2024
Having juts a bit of time during a fairly wet weekend, I turned my attention to deck issues - i.e. wet core issues, and the like. Prior to any painting application one must fair surfaces, and prior to any fairing of surfaces one must fill large voids, and prior to filling large voids one must ensure the substrate is in good condition. The poop deck seemed the obvious place to start this process given the owner had already removed the top skin to investigate suspect coring. His instinct was correct, the coring in this location was damaged - likely water ingress around the mainsheet blocking deck penetrations. I removed the exposed coring, and generally cleaned up this area. The outboard bracket (shown just to the left of the core damage) will be removed and inspected for potential core replacement as well. A like process will be done over the entirety of the deck to ensure all areas that are cored with balsa are dry and structurally sound. This will be the next large task on Biscuit.
Again, having but a little time today, I decided to remove and stow Biscuit's mast - allowing for unimpeded access to the boat's decks, etc. Hanging a couple metal brackets off the pole barn supports, and then fabricating a third center bracket, I managed to move the mast and secure it just off the boat. The pole barn's completion was also underway and prompted me to get out of the way of progress. I closed the shop and prepped Biscuit for my return.



