Today I played hooky from things I really should have been doing and installed my cockpit locker lids. Its a minor thing but very satisfying after living with loose lids for the past few years. Its just one more loose end tied up.
Hmmm... what do I say about cockpit locker lids... They have 36 screws per side?...
I decided to reuse the old piano hinges. They function fine. They are not bright and shiny but I didn't see the need of dealing with getting new ones and cutting them to fit, filling the old holes, etc. New hinges would look old in a couple of years anyway. I never intended to build a completely new boat. I am happy to have a nice looking old boat. The old hinges work fine.
I used #6 flat head machine screws and nuts for the lid side. I thought I was going to do the same for the cockpit side of the hinge but the underside was pretty rough and uneven and there wasn't a good surface for the nut to tighten down on. I went back to the store for self tapping screws. Then I went back to the store again when I learned that #6 machine screw heads and #6 self tapping screw heads don't have the same diameter. The self tapping screws fell right through the holes in the hinge. I upsized to #8's. The heads don't fit great (slight lip on some) but good enough for now. I really can't stop to worry about little stuff like that. I guess I should have stopped and reamed out the holes with the countersink bit but I wasn't bothered enough about it to make the effort. I used Lifecaulk sealant (polysulfide) and I really didn't want to get my drill bits messy or deal with the extra hassle of having sealant everywhere. (it always gets away from me)
I have plenty of working room in the cockpit under the tarp. Here is a view looking forward.
The only other thing accomplished this week was finishing off the ends of the tarp system. Entry is a bit tricky. For now I have settled on simply pulling the ends of the tarp away from the boat when I am working.
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