Helm selection, position and controls???

[John the landlubber]

After a few months hard work on the underside and topsides I am finally ready to turn my boat over and start on the deck. The deck has had a lot of poor quality repairs done in the past as at least two previous owners have removed the seating and helm equipment and "made good" the holes they left. The deck looks untidy at the moment and has a lot of holes that will need to be re-sealed or repaired due to previous fixings. I intend to use the boat this summer in order to ascertain whether or not I will cut the deck out to either replace tghe stringers/crossbraces or re-foam the hull. I can't see the point in making a tidy job of the deck until these points are established. So, what is the best/cheapest/quickest way to seal fixing holes and establish position of and fit the helm and console, that will allow me to finish the job nicely if there seem to be no hidden problems???

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Helm selection, position and controls???

That's a tricky call. If it is only temporary, you can caulk the majority of the holes with a good quality marine caulk. Why is the helm not fastened now? If it pulled out of the deck, then you could well have some soft wood indicating a bigger problem underneath. Judging by some of the previous repairs made to the hull, this could well be the case. If the deck is indeed soft and you are doing this temporarily, you could drill out some of the previous holes to accomodate spring-loaded wing nuts that will open when pushed through the other side. This would give you a firm grip when tightening the bolts down. I would certainly plan on cutting open the deck in the upcoming winter. It's not that much trouble to have the assurance that you are in a sturdy boat, especially in the north sea.