Speaking of jobs we had not contemplated, we were a bit surprised, given the good state of the diagonals, to discover a section of one outer diagonal fell out when the port garboard was released. Upon further inspection:
See that horizontal line on the outer diagonal? That’s what happens when some muppet overexerts his caulking iron: the caulking above the garboard has (relatively recently) been driven in so ferociously, it has crushed every outer diagonal to practically its full depth, for the entire length of the hull. (Alternative theory: the seams have been raked with that same intensity and result.) And we assume similar cretinousness will be evident on starboard. Each will require a scarfed replacement for that bottom piece. Grrrr.
On the other hand, those 6mm timbers, otherwise in utterly sound condition, look as fresh and clean as they did 125 years ago. And how about that keel?!
“How bad?”, you ask? This bad:
See the loose sections of the outer diagonal hanging off? And the severed ones sitting on the ballast form below?
Grumble bloody mumble. On closer inspection, it turns out the damage goes through both diagonal skins (and even into the keel! Check out the line of cotton below). So scarfing replacements in for each plank’s last 30cms is going to be a mission.
Happily, I know someone who’s up to the job:
And then to the outer diagonals:
Last two photos show clean up and splining of new rebate at top of keel, to receive new scarfed diagonals.
New scarfed diagonals are going in alternately to avoid inadvertent gluing of each to its neighbour.
The restoration of Rogue (1892) 