Glypto retired. Cabin table finished (for now).
While renovating small dinghy Glypto I’ve noticed how much needs to be done to make her seaworthy again. There are places where one can tell that she indeed has around 100 years.
I could patch her quickly and use close to land for short tours but she would just become worse without proper renovation - few planks need to be changed, keel plank developed a crack, false keel would need to be replaced. The old bedding on lapstrake joints is hardened and mostly gone. To do it properly I should remove rivets and bed each plank during re-assembly. Not to mention broken frames.
Since quite a while I was playing with a thought to retire her and build new dinghy. Now, when we move to new place I will have space to keep her indoors, as an armchair in reading room. With her freshly renovated freeboard she will look great as an ancient furniture.
To finish exterior renovation I was waiting for proper weather to paint the bottom. I use traditional mönja, with hematite instead of lead. Today was the perfect weather to do the job.
I scribed waterline before I stripped her from all paint so now it was easy to tape it for mönja.
I also planned to apply second layer of Owatrol D2 but she looks good already and will not be exposed to water any more so I skipped it.
Applying mönja took considerate time - one needs to brush it into all cracks in wood and application should be thin. Otherwise she will never dry. As indoors object she needs only one layer so I took my time to do it properly.
She will visually benefit from white water line. I’ll paint it when mönja is dry - which will take few weeks.
I moved back to Meritaten, to finish assembly of cabin table. The mount was coated with several layers of epoxy and ready to accept massive brass screws which will hold it to the bulkhead.
I bought these screws from Toplicht for something different but never used them. Now came their time.
Two screws are holding crossmember to the face of bulkhead. Two additional anchor the mount to the side.
Side screws will need to be trimmed flush with the mount, otherwise they will interrupt mast which is standing on the keel close by.
The table will be mount in fixed position relating to boat axis but I kept possibility to slide it into or out of pentry area. This is done by using thin plywood which is permanently screwed to the mount but can slide in rails under the table. I needed to add few millimetres of spacing below the table to allow for it. Three thick bronze screws hold the assembly to the mount.
Then came the table. It is now offset from the main axis towards starboard but still enabling sitting on both berths without hitting the table with knees.
In folded position there is enough space to go front of the boat.
So it’s done! However - wobbliness. Well - it is still not rock solid!
Upon deeper investigation I found the source - it is not the mount, it is the sliding mechanism which is causing it. Since plywood needs some play to slide between two brass rails it is causing the table to not sit solidly. It’s better than it was with brass legs but still I’m a bit disappointed.
We will need to live with it for one season. I need to move now to spring jobs on the outside - scraping and varnishing, deck renovation etc. Spring weather is here to stay and soon I will need to book launch day so time became short.