Demolition complete

Finally all old plywood is gone from fo’c’sle!
It was a task requiring awkward positions and lots of hammering/chiseling/hand-sawing and plaining with block plane as these old, brass screws did not want to get out. I had to chisel out plywood around heads to grab them with pliers and remove this way. Only then could I safely remove plywood parts.

There was nothing to regret - this was no fine joinery nor nice material. Most of it was hidden under madrases when they were here but since this is the worst place to sleep on any boat we never used fo’c’sle as sleeping area. It was used for storage and as toilet room. None of that worked well and was making me angry every time I went there. Now came the time to refurbish it according to my needs.

Ideally I would like to have it as Jim on Kaika - benches offering storage along freeboard, enough sole room for moving around and separate room for toilet. Meritaten is much smaller thou so it will not work here.

I plan to move toilet behind half-bulkhead, offering some more privacy and freeing the middle space for undisturbed passage. Along port side I plan to store Nano (folded). Starboard side will home sails, supplies and ropes, hanging from sheer stringer. On the very bow will be batteries - high above bilge, in case of catastrophe so that they will not be drowned too quickly. This should also improve trim - Meritaten has too much weight aft, due to her engine, so I move all heavy stuff towards the bow.

I’ve fitted them (batteries) into plastic, acid-resistant boxes with holes for terminals. Now it’s a question to securely mount them so they don’t move when the boat rock&rolls.

Spring has came so I made a short list of work to be done before launching.

Good to have a typewriter on a boat!

Before leaving I started draining the bilge from linseed oil.
Scraped also part of varnish “blob” I made last year - there will be some work to accomplish equally nice finish as on Jim’s Kaika but hear me Jim - I’ll get you this year!