Demolition Starts

It's been difficult finding time to make a lot of progress, but in the last two weeks I have managed to remove nearly all the rotten wood. The only wood left to remove is the sole that was under the fuel tanks, and the furring strips that supported it.


I'll have to stop on my way home from work tomorrow and get a couple more dust masks. I can't get anymore mileage out of the one dust mask I had. I'll need one before I cut anymore fiberglass. The diamond blade I bought for the grinder for doing tile work goes through the fiberglass like a dream, but it's VERY dusty.

I have been able to remove nearly all the wood from the splash well area, and have done some detail demolition on the transom, although I have some cleanup work left to do. I found the original layer of glass that covered the splash well (that had been later removed when the transom was cut done) and I plan to use this layer to locate the replacement splash well.


The splash well bulkhead is completely removed. The cap is molded into the top section of the hull, and is still in good shape, with a few holes to fill. I have to be real careful going in and out, as the cap can't take any weight. I need to temporarily clamp a 2x4 under it to prevent it from being damaged. At the bottom of the bulkhead, most of the old fiberglass came out easily next to the wet plywood. What's left I will need to clean up with the grinder. In the bilge area, there was thick layers of epoxy in the port side, and what looked like porcelain in the starboard side. Most of it lifts easily with a bar and has been removed. I have stripped most of the last ply of the plywood against the transom outer skin. And I've made some progress on the huge layers of epoxy and body filler where the ends of the old plywood were. The starboard side of the transom has very thick globs of filler (the deepest an inch thick).


The center stringer had a messy patch job on it. I pulled up the patch to find a hole. Maybe the center stringer curved up and tied into the transom? Whatever it used to look like, it was cut down when the lower splash well was installed. There is at least two transom, bilge, or splash well repair jobs on this boat, judging from the different materials used. The original fiberglass is easy to identify. It still looks good, and the repair material scrapes right off the top of it.

I will get the rest of the sole removed and any rotten wood in the cockpit area, then I need to address the broken trailer before I go much more. The hull at the cabin bulkhead on the starboard side is definitely being pushed up by the roller on the trailer. I won't be able to do any stringer or bulkhead work until I get the boat sitting comfortably.