Starboard winch
I was very proud of myself after installation of these ancient Tufnol winches last winter. They really match the boat and use original supports on Meritaten. Of unknown reason previous owners moved winches to separate stands, on the deck. Probably they are easier to operate by the crew but I missed a pair of winches closer to steering position. As I usually sail alone I find it very convenient to have winches at hand.
Last spring, when Meritaten was launched, Anders used my new winches to hold the boat on launching cart. They were not made to withstand such load: one of them got some play on the bearings, the other survived but it’s mahogany foundation got lose!
I noticed that during sailing - when pulling genoa hard I felt that cockpit sarg is moving. It came out that the foundation unglued itself from the deck. Similar thing happened on port side, few years ago - it just fell off. That was easy to repair because I had access to both surfaces and could clean them, repair and bond using heavy-duty epoxy. On this starboard winch it was still sitting in place but bond to the deck was broken.
I tensioned the winch with rope, to open the gap as wide as possible.
As I cannot properly clean bonding surfaces for new glue I decided to seal this link with Sika. It will prevent water entering the interface. Strength of the bond will rely on heavy-duty silicone bronze which I will drive from belowdeck.
I taped the vicinity to avoid mess while applying Sika. Then I squeezed Sika into the gap, as much as it went.
Quite a mess. After I noticed than no more compound will get under I released tension from the winch, allowing the support to settle itself back on the deck. Nice, thick squeeze out means that mating surfaces got enough Sika on the perimeter. That should prevent water from getting in.
I went under deck and measured where I need to drill to drive my screws. This winch is above pilot’s berth. Not the most convenient place to access: lying on the back, drilling above one’s face. All debris lands on face and in ears. But it has to be done.
Tools of the trade:
Drilling location is obscured by main sail traveller support beam, running across whole width. I could only access it from one side - I need longer drill to get also the other. Upon inspection I found that there was a reinforcing screw there! Long time ago. Now it’s gone - someone “gifted” removed it and there is no way to repair and re-drill in this location due to support beam directly below.
Too bad. This location is perfect for a fat bolt - not only it is in the centre of winch but it also runs through oak beam which is a part of cockpit structure. Very strong reinforcement. I will need to match such bolt and drive it here.
Until then I drilled and screwed shorter but euqally heavy-duty bronze screw on the side. It runs through 25mm plywood deck above so it should be sufficiently strong to hold the winch - until I instal the main bolt.
After tightening the screw I crawled out of this hole and went on deck. Some more Sika got squeezed out. Time to clean this mess before the compound cures.
Thanks to masking tape it went nice and easy. Winch is secured and ready for service. I will mark them clearly so that Anders will not use them to hold my boat this time!
Weather deteriorated rapidly - it became cold, windy and pouring rain expelled most other folks home. I was the last one in this part of the boatyard.
Before leaving I had some small tasks to do.
I vacuumed boat interior - there was quite a bit of wood shavings in the bilge.
Propeller got it’s first coat of antifouling. This stuff works pretty poorly so I need to lay several coats to get any protection from marine creatures throughout the season.
To keep small tools and fixtures organised I will try using military ammo pouches. Leather, of course.
These come from Serbian army. I think they will serve good on Meritaten.
Tough “silent service” guy, now with more eyelets, is guarding privacy for anyone using the loo in fo’c’sle.
Tasks left before launching day:
connect electricity
buy and instal new bilge pump’s floating switch
start the engine & collect glycol from winterised cooling system. Maybe change the impeller, if needed
apply antifouling on primed surfaces (few spots) and below waterline (where fouling is the strongest)
I also plan to instal additional bilge pump - crash pump - which shall take over if the main pump fails. Jim has such arrangement on Kaika. It’s smart and prudent so I shamelessly copy that onto Meritaten.