Or in this case try to get all the epoxy work done while the weather is still warm. Once the temperature in the workshop falls to 10 Celsius I’ll have to start using a low wattage heater to keep the boat warm if there is any epoxy being used. Below this temperature the epoxy does not reach its full strength…ever!

So, despite still being under the weather and therefore still not felling at all well, I set myself the target of removing all the remaining screws from the starboard side, remove all the screws from the port side and also to remove the two stringers from the port side.

It turned out to be a total of 44 screws each of which had to be located, the wood around it chiseled away to expose the head, the slot cleaned and then the screw removed. Thank goodness the prior owner used silicon bronze screws. None of the heads disintegrated although one was glued in place and had to be removed with a pair of pliers!

Both stringers came away easily, gently tapping them with a lump hammer did the trick, breaking the glue joint between the stringer and the hull without too mach damage to the hull.

Interestingly, it seems that my thoughts about the foam are correct. The foam could be seen in between the thwart stringer and the hull and also in this area the thwart was rotting away as well.

There’s still no sign of the rot penetrating the second veneer but the next task will find out for sure since it will be the removal of all the damaged work on the port side. I can see damp areas on the hull so I’ll need to ensure that this is all dried out before replacing the veneer.

The part of the port thwart that had started to rot.

Not a great deal but over time enough to cause all the damage.

A view of the port side with the stringers removed.

The damage seen here coincides with the rot in the thwart shown above.

These screws on the starboard side and this on the port side in the photo to the right hold the forward part of the thwart stringer to which the forward buoyancy chamber is screwed.

So they had to come out before the chamber can be removed. I hope that since any water getting in here would run away as it is sloped to the rear and because it would be protected from rain and spray by the foredeck that the hull will be intact under the foam. But I’m not going to take a chance and it will be taken out in the very near future.