Bobsprit wrote:

Okay, so they put in the bolts, then glued or riveted the liner in.

Yup, that's how it looks to me. What bugs me is that there doesn't seem to
be much of a backing plate other than the little strip that usually comes
with a standard U-bolt. That said, there's very little room to fit anything
bigger - no extra width, but maybe some more length. Whether any more
backing is needed is something I don't know - I'm not sure on what sort of
strain the rig is likely to put on the edge of the deck, or how well the GRP
will cope with it.


The liner won't come down and you can't slip a wrench in their to
grab a bolt. You'd never get a bolt back on anyway in that case. That
sucks. But cutting access areas into the liner is a good idea. A Roto
Zip tool (use the depth setting) can make this a neat job. Set the
depth to JUST through the depth of the liner.

I'm not sure that there's enough room to get in with a Rotozip - it's
possible, but it depends on where I need the hole such that the chosen tool
can reach up. The higher the hole needs to be, the harder it'll be to get
the Rotozip in (because it'll be hitting the liner/underside of the side
deck). I think a 1/4" drive socket with a short extension will work, though,
and that will let me work two or three inches below the underside.


You could then make
teak plugs for the holes you made later on.

No need to be that fancy - the holes would be behind the moulded shelf,
which would be reattached afterwards.


Be careful not to cut
right up through the deckside!
Do it slowly and plan it carefull to avoid a mishap that will leave
you with a larger repair and glass work.

Yup. No worries there.


Why not take pics of this job before and after. Done right, you'll
have made a nice repair and an improvement to her that will help sell
her when that day comes.

It's highly likely that I'll do pictures - I take loads as it is, and find
them very handy for getting a look at something when I'm at home, thinking
about stuff that I want to do.


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk