Monday 16 February 2015

More progress on the Sona - Jaguar 23



It's about time I did a cycling post..., but not this week. I'm still busy with the Sona and as always seems to  happen, the more I do, the more jobs I find to do. 


First a quick diversion.  The above pic is of the remains of Dunbar Castle which is looking even further undercut by the winter storms. There could be some homeless Kittiwakes when they come back to nest this year.
But back to the Sona. Last weekend was a little warmer so I gathered some useful tools together (see below) and got started on the the ever growing list of jobs.


 I removed the forward bulkhead to check the anchor-well drains. I was pleased to see decent hose and stainless hose clamps, and also that they were crossed to allow the drain to work when healed.



But then the bad news when I gave the hoses a tug and the drains sheared off. Still, they're not too expensive to replace and it's better they fail on dry land.


 


Another task was to replace an area of the sole (technically, a floor in a boat is a rib). This had been removed years ago to re-glass an area around the keel box and never replaced.


The woodwork had to be removed, the mould treated, and then I stuck the section back down with big blobs of silicone. I'll fill the cuts with silicone too. Only problem is that it shows how dirty the rest of the sole is.


Up at the bows, and I've noticed that the fore-stay fitting seems pretty loose. It is near impossible to access but I managed to fit a camera into the void behind the water tank and this is what the camera saw. 


The long stainless eye bolt is the one causing the worry, but after seeing this picture, it looks like there is some resin to stop it coming undone and there is a reasonable backing plate. A Jaguar 23 is supposed to have a fixed fore-stay with no bottle screw, so perhaps it is intentional to have a bit of movement in the fitting. I'll ask about.






Whilst I had the camera handy I opened the access hatch on the water tank and took a picture of the inside. Oh dear. It looks like its going to need a lot of scrubbing with Milton fluid and even then I think it will just be for washing water rather than drinking.


On deck I've resealed the eye bolts the the chain plates and tightened them up against each other.


I also opened up the keel box to check the lifting mechanism which, although it looks dirty, is actually quite well lubed and seems good for another season.  So that at least was put back together and left alone.

I also fitted a new battery but this just highlighted that a complete re-wire is needed. So things are slowly getting there and the cabin is slowly filling up with odd tools and cleaning materials and I am quickly running out of time.


 Good thing I have plenty of willing helpers!
 

4 comments:

  1. Gaffa tape, silicone and some Buds...

    I see progress is going well :)

    Still not seen any Gophers at JMP yet!

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    1. The Sona will be ready somehow. You have to come for a sail on this one Bruce, even if it is held together with gaffa tape!
      Me and Fly continue our Gopher patrol.

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  2. Every job done is a step forward.. the undiscovered jobs will be there whether you find them or not.... or that's what I keep telling myself to remain positive!

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    Replies
    1. That seems a good attitude Steve. The list of jobs is beginning to develop into a "must do" or "would like to do". I'm sure you recognise the feeling.

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