More epoxy removed and we've almost got the tiller off!

Managed to remove more of the epoxy around the keel area. Z28 now has a natural drain hole!

The wood is quite wet in an area either side of the keel step. A steady leak can be noticed, water that is coming in from the inside of the boat and it s around this area that the wood is most noticeably sodden. So it seems that water getting into the boat has over the years seeped through inside the epoxy coating that I have now removed and, epoxy being epoxy has held the water in.

The big question is for how long has the water been there and what state will the wood be in when it dries.There is a hole that runs about 5mm deep on the starboard side of the keelstep. This wood area is definitely rotten.

However, the damage is limited, there is an iron plate just ahead of the keel and this has suffered some degredation from the water, whether or not this needs repacing or not I'm not sure.

What I need to check is the drawings to see if any keelbolts run through into this area. If the do then I feel their integrity will need checking.

Most of the other wood below the waterline continues to look fine and certainly, so far the planks pretty much get away with it.

Bren has been focused on getting the tiller off the boat so that it can be worked on in the shed at home when we don't fancy going down to the yard. This hasn't been easy and has required WD40, a rather large grip, a hammer, a chisel and the heat gun. Eventually, he managed to get the nut released. All in all 3 days of WD40 soap, chipping away at rust and loosening things up. Still haven't quite got the tiller off though!

Had a quick peek at the rudder today and it seems that it may have delaminated a little on its port side althogh I can't quite tell through the thickness of antifoul. Will have a closer look at this at the weekend.

So a small amount of progress this week restoring Portsmouth Victory Z28 is a work in progress!