Sailing Florence · video

What this video covers

The owners of the 1985 cruiser Florence are performing a major refit in a boatyard shed to address chronic deck leaks and deteriorating non-skid surfaces.2:40 The primary source of water ingress involves the aluminum toe rail, which suffered from corrosion caused by contact with steel stanchion bases and iron particles from rusted anchor chain.10:13 After removing over 160 bolts, the crew discovered that previous, unsealed holes from earlier installations were the primary leak points.5:50 Attempts to source replacement aluminum toe rail proved difficult, involving a failed order from an Italian supplier before securing a costly, identical replacement.12:55 Simultaneously, the crew is removing the original, degraded non-skid deck grip.14:26 They are manually scraping the material to avoid damaging the underlying gel coat, noting that using an industrial sander with 40-grit paper would have been faster but significantly messier.15:36 The project highlights the difficulty of sourcing legacy parts and the labor-intensive nature of deck-level repairs.20:39

Boats in this video

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