Well I’m on vacation now and feel like I’m finally starting to make some headway with the boat. I got the new hull torn apart the existing gunnels were in rough shape. They hade some cracks and existing patches. We decided to remove the gunnels from the old hull and place them on the new one. I got them sanded down, trim removed and ready for paint. When we removed the gunnels there were several of the small pop style rivets which were missing, broken, or loose. I decided to use solid aluminum rivets to attach the gunnels to the new hull, I’m not sure if it was psychological but it did seem to improve the structural integrity.
Most of the wood supports under the bow skin appeared to be original and in great shape. I’m not sure of the species, maybe mahogany? The larger price which stretched the width of the boat just behind the dash was cracked and in rough shape. We went down to a local lumber store and found some black walnut. I decided to use the wood and keep it exposed because I love the look of the wood grain. It got it’s first coat of marine varnish today. I plan to use the walnut for the console and other exposed wood at the front of the boat.
As I apply more coats and prepare the bow for reassembly, I am trying to prioritized the cleaning of the interior hull. There is a lot of dirt and grime on the interior. I have tried a few methods but find the progress to be slow. My next attempt will be heavy duty degreaser scrub brush, maybe also a nyalox wheel.
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