Bean, Michael and I were able to take apart the header on the boat and track down the source of the leaks. One was indeed the companionway - we found the leaky bolt, still wet and trying to drip. We removed the companionway cover, and unfortunately, discovered several rust spots. We used the dremel to grind them down to bare metal, then used the rust converter to take care of them. Then we started the slow process of building them back up - the epoxy is several layers deep, so the areas where we 'repaired' are about 1/4" lower than the rest. With the rain, this got delayed some days, so we are hoping to get the last layer on tomorrow, and then let it dry and harden for about 72 hours before finally putting the cover back on.
We also found that our main saloon hatch is leaking... that was less exciting news, and harder to fix. It looks like the previous owner actually tried, but when he did, he broke off the screw heads holding in the hinges, so it is actually worse than if he hadn't tried...
We used a combination of butyl tape and gorilla tape to do our best to seal it at least temporarily. We will probably need to replace it, but we have to find a similar one as this particular model is no longer made, and then try to figure out what will be required to remove this one. We believe it is glued in, so some heat will be required to loosen the glue, but after that, the theory is that it pops out and we put the new one in the same way (at least according to the you tube homework we have done...). Wish us luck on that one! We won't know if our temporary fix works until the companionway cover is back on because we have a tarp over the whole area right now.
Aside from that, we found a TON of rust spots in the header, so Bean and I did all the griding, priming, and painting for that to make it as nice as possible. That took several days of work - you can see a couple videos of our progress here:
Michael started vacation on Saturday for the next two weeks, so yesterday he helped me put the first three pieces back in place. We had to add some missing wood to the header ribs to get everything to screw in nicely and really fit well together. We also bulked up the foam insulation to make sure there is as little 'open ceiling' as possible - no air between the foam and the steel hull. This is where the condensation will form and cause further damage, so we are doing our best to avoid that.
We are hoping to wrap up the fixes and maybe get a couple of days sailing in before the end of his vacation, but we are glad to be getting these things done, and his help is very valuable. He has a perspective that both Bean and I are still learning, and experience he can lean on that gives him better ideas on how to handle unexpected 'fixes' that need to be done.
The third and final leak (we hope!) is in my cabin - and we are 85% sure it is the deadlight - we reapplied the painters tape over the screws and that seems to have 'fixed' it for now. Once we get the main saloon back together, we'll take apart my cabin so we can access it, clean it up, and re seal it.
Every day, we make the Lola Jo a little better, a little stronger, and a little more livable - though you wouldn't know it right now! ;-)
Stay derpy friends :-)
Being a seafaring person is constant work on a sea-worthy vessel. Chipping & painting. Lubricating. Jury-rigging fixes. Knots (Bowline. One of the best knots and I STILL use it!), Sails repair. Batteries. Engine. Bilge pump. Too small "head".