Just back from a visit to the boatyard.
I decided the centre plate should be removed as she was up on the hoist to inspect inside the centre plate casing and replace the cable if necessary. I'm glad we did. There is some significant damage around the slot including a cracked section to one side of the slot opening. I have regularly noticed that lose pieces of gelcoat come away as I gently poke around with a scraper during annual antifouling prep where the boat is on the trailer.
I've had the boat from new so can account for any mishaps that could affect the boat. Many years ago whilst picking up crew by a beach a sudden ferry boat wake (Greek style tsunami) caught me by surprise and the boat made on big thump onto the ground. It was big enough for me to make an immediate underwater inspection and I could see no ill effect from the incident. It is the only possible cause of the crack that we have now discovered.
The centre plate casing is now being cleaned as far as possible, fibreglass repairs to be completed and epoxy treatment applied when the rest of the hull is done in about a week or so.
We plan to copper coat inside the casing as high as possible towards the waterline and also the centre plate itself. The boatyard thinks there is clearance for this to be OK. They are not sure (yet) how to replace the cable as there is a crimped fitting in the hole where it attaches to the centre plate and it looks difficult to access. The boat builder is suggesting Dyneema and we are yet to make a decision on this.
The guys working on Kaliope are wooden boat builders but their fibreglass work seems to be of a high standard. great guys Kostas and Lefteris and the boss Nikos at Reppos Traditional Boatyard. Any comments on any of the above received with interest.
I have included photos in the FB album, click here to take a look. http://www.facebook.com/pg/capecutter19 ... 8786169581
Cheers
Chris