Nearly there

Julian and I went up to Ullapool this weekend, mostly to dress the mast but also to see how the repairs to Robinetta were going. Everything is on track, and we now have a probable launch date in Easter week. 

The major unexpected job has been replacing practically all the floor bolts. Tim found a few that had obviously been in place since Robinetta was built, as they did not come through the planking, but even the ones replaced just after we bought Robinetta in 2007 showed significant weakening. They are now all new.

I mentioned the port side planking in the last post, and Tim had a good look and declared it not in need of replacement. He did repair and reinforce the rib between the galley and the cockpit bulkhead, which should stop the seeping into the food locker behind the sink. I will rebuild the galley on my next visit.

 We had asked Tim to do a number of different small jobs and they are mostly complete, with pictures below.

New splines on the cabin sides

The bits refastened securely

repair and reinforcement to the forward port rib

Interior of the hanging locker, with the reinforced rib and planking in white

Replacement plank in the stern starboard locker

New attachment point for the jib sheet lead, with the grab rails now oiled rather than varnished.

 

New mast partners and staysail sheet track

For the rest Robinetta still looks very much herself.  "Not up to Solent standards" as her 1949 survey states, but our son Alex will paint and antifoul her before launch, and we have never tried to prepare her for a Councourse d'Elegance.

New planks on the Starboard side

One of the advantages of replacing the planking is access to the ribs. I had been concerned about the final rib in the cabin for a while, and it turned out to need replacing.

 

The rot in the starboard stern quarter that Julian found back in 2023  and did a "quick fix" on has now been revealed in all its horror. However with Tim on the case it did not take long for the repairs

That is probably all that needs doing on the Starboard side. Now Tim just needs to check what is going on to port...

New cabin sides

 As always when a wooden boat gets work done more problems emerge. We were expecting this with Robinetta, and when Tim started work on the cabin sides he discovered some "mushroomy wood". This could be cut out, and just the section replaced, but we have done this before, and now have a plank that is in sections from the cockpit to the inside of the hanging locker with but joints. The new rot section needs replacing to half way along the cabin side. Replacing the whole plank will give us a much better job, and should mean that we do not need to replace another part of the plank in a couple of years.

The floor bolts that Tim identified as a possible cause of the garboard leaks have been pulled, and did indeed need replacing.

Julian did a rough repair on the hole though the port bulwark where the bowsprit goes though before we launched in 2024, but this has now been replaced and strengthened.

The teak bulwark facing the foredeck has been resplined. That's another of Robinetta's cabin leaks fixed.

We still intend to head north as soon as we can, but our departure date from Ullapool is getting later. Mid April, rather than the end of March is still early, but we shall see!