After some well-deserved vacation with family, I was back on Somerledi for a brief amount of time in order to prep the interior surfaces for installation of the new composite thru-hulls and seacocks, as well as remove the inner stay chainplate from the bow. I began by cleaning the interior surfaces surrounding the thru-hull openings with acetone to remove contaminants and generally prep the area for sanding work. To that end, I used a small 5" ROS with 80-grit paper to remove the old sealant, and further prepped the area for subsequent epoxy work by sanding down to bare fiberglass. I started in the engine room, or just aft of it, gaining access through the large Bowman hatch in the cockpit well floor. It was a bit acrobatic leaning into the opening, but in the end I was able to effect the desired outcome.

After closing up the hatch, I moved down below and tackled the two thru-hull penetrations beneath the galley sink. I followed this with the head discharge to port, and just behind the primary bulkhead, then on to the head intake which was just opposite on the starboard side. For now that concluded the prep for thru-hulls. There is some further work to be done for the installation of the depth sounder package, as well as a back-up (tbd).

After prepping the thru-hull surfaces, I moved on to the removal of the inner stay chainplate that was tucked ever so conveniently in the forward most overhead section of the chain locker. Removal of a couple bolts and gentle persuasion from up on deck finally released the plate. I gathered the securing bolts and nuts, along with the chainplate itself, and set them aside down below for Somerledi's owner to use as a template for the machining of a replacement. We are in vacation season, and so my time has been interrupted over the past several weeks, but with plans to reposition Somerledi to the shop property, productivity will increase in the coming weeks.

Total Hrs: 3