Windows

The windows on the boat are cracked and appear to be leaking. I removed the window frame quite easily by unscrewing 20 or so bolts per frame. A lot of the bolts were barely holding on and will need replacing with larger ones so they get some grip.

I bought a sheet of 5mm acrylic from Bunnings (about $70) and cut out replacement windows using a dual saw loaned to me by someone else here who is working on fixing up their own boat.

The attached photos show the window frame, the old windows, and the replacement windows. I will not put the new windows on the boat until I repaint the frame and the rest of the work inside the boat is done.

Interior

Inside the boat there is a brownish-orange carpet on the sides of the interior surfaces. I do not like the look of this and some of it has bad stains, smells and is waterlogged. I have been using a metal scraper and a citrus based solvent to remove it. I will probably replace it with a nicer colour or just leave it as the white fibreglass finish.

I have also attached a photo of the wood that is rotting on the interior of the entrance hatch. This wood is used to stand on as you are coming inside the boat. I believe the inboard motor used to live under this hatch. I am now using an outboard so this little box is just taking up space. I will remove this box and replace it with a small step ladder that can be removed or tucked away.

Mast Base

The rotten wood has been removed and the area has been cleaned up. I used some wooden stakes cut to length and some wedges to bend the fibreglass that had sagged back into place.

Plywood has been cut to size and I am ready to start replacing the beam. I will do this when the rainy weather goes away, as moisture is the enemy.

Mast Spreader

The mast spreader is also damaged and I will need to get my hands on some replacement aluminium tube, because the boat is so old the current tube is using a standard imperial size and I have been having trouble finding someone who can supply it. It must also be the correct alloy to resist corrosion.

After removing the spreaders I could see a lot of corrosion between the spreader base and the mast. Cleaning this up with a wire brush revealed that it is not very bad at all. But when I replace it I will put something between the stainless and the aluminium to help prevent this from happening.