Chip & Debbie Willis on s\v Elegant'sea: Harken Traveler - Got the hatch boards back in

It was time to finish off the traveler project and re-install the companion way hatch hold down boards.

I was kind getting worried we were going to lose them because we keep moving them around out of our way. We had bought new screws and I got some teak plus at the Marine swap meet.

Debbie had already used the heat gun to strip them of varnish.

November 2010 - Marina Cortez San Diego, CA

Before sanding

I then sanded them with 80 grit with an electric sander.

The did the same with 220 grit.

Then I removed the blue tape from the holes on the companion way. The area got cleaned with 220 and lacquer thinner.

Then I put some marine silicone on the surface where the boards were going and on the back of the boards.

Then around the top of the screws I put some silicone as I put the screw on.

After they were tightened I was ready to put in the teak plus.

A while back I practiced with some scrap wood. Did not do too well. Most of the plugs spilt apart.

I put some in the holes in the bed are we removed a light and plan some upgrades. They came out so with a couple splitting. That are went clean through so the plus were not bottoming out. No reason for the crappy installing. I changed a couple of things.

One was the hammer. I went from a glass hammer to steal ball peen hammer.

I sanded the plug first using 80 grit so they fit into the hole but were not too small.

I hit them with the hammer twice. Not trying to force them in too far. On thes I could hear and feel them bottom out on the screw.

That seemed to work.

Of course on the first one I forgot to get the grain of the wood the same way on the plug but it was the back one so you do not hardly see it.

I did not put a dab of wood glue on them. I will in future times.

The it was cut off time. I did each one as I put them in. I put the chisel just a bit higher on the plug not setting it on the wood. The one whack with the hammer and it was cut off. Then I could run over the plug with the chisel by hand to get it down a bit lower to make sardining easier.

When all were in place and down were I like them for sanding I used an iron type electric sander and 220 grit to sand the whole board and the plugs even.