Now that the last few areas of the hull are dried out it's time for the completion of the osmosis treatment which has resulted in the hull looking like it was when it was first built. The first step was to grind off the last of the last of the old gel coat around the skin fittings and edges of the skeg, the hull was then steam cleaned to drive out the contaminants that had accumulated with the moisture. Not surprisingly this highlighted a number of areas that had delaminated and needed to be rebuilt, apparently not many, but one did rather deep, almost to the bulkhead inside.
The top layer of fibreglass that had been peeled off earlier was then replaced by sheathing the hull with a layer of 400 gram biaxial cloth. A bit like wallpapering but needing great care and plenty of help as timing is critical, not for for the faint hearted! The epoxy resin has to be mixed up and applied quickly before it starts to set, the pre-cut sections of cloth are then laid over it and another thick coat rolled on. This is when Jim & Steve's years of experience pays off, it all went on first time without a hitch.
The following coatings have to be applied after the resin has gone off but not cured so that a chemical bond develops between the coats. First there's a layer of gel shield then the filler followed by more gel shield. Putting the filler on is like plastering, it's spread thinly over the cloth filling up all the indentations; several layers are needed in some places to achieve a consistent smooth surface, all done by eye. It will take several days to cure and as there are no supports it's not possible to work on the interior, result: a weekend off!
With little to do I've been casting around on the net to see what other people are doing and came across a really interesting note "Fundamentals of Restoration Projects" by David Pascoe (http://www.docksidereports.com/fundamentals_of_restoration_proj.htm). He's a surveyor that has clearly seen more than a few yachts being restored; some successfully and some less so. His insight is amazingly accurate, wish I'd read this before starting the Tipsea2Levante project. "Automatically understand that every job takes 4 times longer than you thought it would" is typical of his views, it's jam packed with insights that I've had to learn the hard way and thoroughly endorse. Strangely it's comforting as I've ended up doing most of the key things he considers important such as making the engine compartment a central feature of the restoration despite the effort involved. He suggests that "highly desirable" yachts with that "something boaters love" are the only ones worth this level of attention; I think that the Contessa falls into this category, or certainly hope so...
Having to finalise the specification for the new mast prompted a reflection on how we came to make our choice which is certainly a topic of conversation on forums. Initially we'd hoped to be able to use the original mast with a bit of patching to cover the wear at the partners but corrosion underneath the fittings condemned it to scrap. We feel more than a bit peeved that the surveyor didn't report it as this is quite obvious now and we should have been able to negotiate a price reduction.
Nevertheless there are advantages in a new mast, it should be trouble free for our ownership, look better and keep the water that was cascading in, out. The obvious choice for a Contessa is a Selden mast, the company who bought out Kemp, the original supplier. They're big, with a lot going for them, but not inexpensive. The main alternative turned out to be Z Spars who seem to offer all that's needed for a predominantly cruising yacht and were prompt and efficient. I seems just like buying a car, the initial base price is not too painful but the extras mount up ever so quickly not to mention delivery and fitting. We don't want to have to get up the mast to fix things so a new VHF aerial and lights aren't optional. We've also chosen to have an inner stay and lazy jacks so care had to be taken to make sure the halyards and cleats would be adequate. The prices for the Z Spar we specified turned out to be significantly lower than Selden which makes quite a difference although we spent some of this on a new spinnaker pole! We've now carefully checked all the dimensions and specifications (all very fiddly & time consuming!) by comparison with the old mast, confirmed the order and are awaiting delivery. It will be interesting to see how the installation goes and see if there are any issues arising from the re-use of the original Hood furling mechanism. Everyone seems to be rather keen on selling masts so there must be quite a bit of margin in it for them; shame they don't all separate their services from mast sales. It seems a bit anti-competitive that some riggers are only prepared to fit masts they've supplied or maybe they just have lots of business on the go and can pick and choose.
The final dimensions of the blade to go on the inner stay have now been agreed with Ivan of Arun sails after numerous phone calls to get them right. A custom fitting to support the stay which will pass through the deck and onto the forward bulkhead (forming part of the anchor locker) is being made up. We're also having some fittings made up that will attach to the main bulkhead between the heads and the forepeak to allow some dedicated blocks to be fitted enabling the sail to be set up without taking the headsail down. The foot will be 1.9m long so the sail will be somewhere between a No3 Jib and a storm sail which, conveniently, is just about what we wanted. When the wind pipes up in future we'll be ready for it!
Work on the interior is progressing well too, the galley is nearly finished and much of the electrical equipment is now in place. It all fitted in rather well and should be quite accessible either behind the instrument panel or under the pilot berth by the batteries. What has been quite amazing is the amount of wire that's disappeared into the hull, almost 100 meters! Clive reckons that will be enough to sink the boat; I hope not but I'm not so sure that this and all the other kit installed will do much for speed in light airs!
There's been a change of scenery in the Osmosis Shed with a shuffle round to let some boats out and a couple of new ones in. Our Contessa now has another for company named Bugle, also there to have it's hull treated for the dreaded boat pox. After a pause whilst several other rather larger boats were treated, Jim and Steve, the osmosis team, are getting ready to re-coat the hull once it's fully dry. There are a few areas around the stern that still have high levels of moisture so the lamps are on them to dry them out which should be complete in a week or so. They're about to work on the Westerly in the foreground any time now and when that's complete they'll get started on our yacht which will take about a week to complete. During this time the props will be taken away so there'll be no access or work on board for a week until it's cured. There will then be another round of musical chairs and, with a bit of luck, we'll end up in the other shed for a few weeks whilst the GRP work is finished off.
It's amazing what a difference a couple of weeks can make, the galley is looking very different, the bilge pump and been moved allowing the gas locker to be re-instated and the water system is starting to take shape. Paul's fitted some new plywood panels to make up an outer surround for the cold box and put the spacious inner liner that's been specially fabricated in place. There's about an inch and a half gap all round that's now filled with foam which should be good enough as insulation but we'll add a bit more on the outside where we can. Initially I was surprised by the number of hours quoted for the job. Now it's clear why they were needed, it's a fiddly job, especially the new gas pipework. It's satisfying to see it all coming together as planned, the cold plate is unobtrusive and the compressor unit fits amazingly well in the space behind the cooker. All we're waiting for now is the Corian top that Eggo is preparing based on the ply top that's already cut out for the sink and taps. Can't wait to see it in place!
I've managed to complete a variety of time consuming jobs that have to be done before work can progress including the forward battery plinth and the base for the calorifier. I'm also rather relieved that I've been able to run the NMEA cable up from the nav area to the coach roof without difficulty. The acrylic has arrived so the instrument pod is ready to accept the instruments as soon as the 90mm cutter arrives. With so much stuff now installed it's been possible to have a good clear out of the interior and tidy up. The recycling bin is now full of cardboard and all those bits that wont get used such as the old galley top taken to the skip. It all looks so different, some way towards being a yacht again!
