Jobs done ... at last.. outboard pad and boarding ladder

....with a little over week to go there are at last signs of movement..

An afternoon off work and trying out new power tools - does it get any better..

First off the outboard  pad...  oscilating multi tool with a half moon saw head saw this one off very quickly..  you may remeber I wanted to check behind the pad for any signs of damage - rather than take the whole pad off though I took the top 3" just to reveal what's going on...

..not a lot to be honest - bit of a relief - this is a 50 year old boat so you're going to expect some movement - transom is stiff, bit of a gap between lip and hull..

Cleaned it up - filled the gap with epoxy putty...  painted the exposed edge just to keep water and damp out (glad I did as it rained last night)..  next job is to scarf in new plywood pad - epoxy or varnish it - then glue and bolt..

Moved on to the next job - boarding ladder...  the ladder is short, just 3 steps and two feet long so I've put it at the bottom of the transom (but still above water line)..

Before..

After...

couple of aluminium plates as backing - stainless bolts and penny's, nyloc nuts, all holes sealed with butyl - this one is done - and yes it can take my (not inconsiderable) weight...

After that I moved to the inside and finished off hanging the curtains - new bungee for the bottom edges, and all now done..

Just before heading for home (and it was freezing - breath was steaming in the cabin!) I measured up for the fixed VHF..  on the roof to the right of the hatchway, and above the switch box is the optimal spot..  that's for next week...   tomorrow, Saturday, is antifoul day.