This episode documents the progress of a major boat refit in New Zealand, combining challenging DIY carpentry with critical safety upgrades executed by professionals. The hosts, Ray and Holly, tackle rebuilding their bed using marine-grade plywood and coordinate the removal of their main sail in preparation for mast extraction to address loose internal wiring. The central and most urgent project involves eliminating a significant safety flaw: replacing the manufacturer-recalled and inadequately fixed emergency escape hatch brackets. Custom, heavy-duty stainless steel frames are fabricated to provide structural integrity, preventing the glass panels from failing and falling out, a known cause of vessel loss.
Refit Progress: Bed Rebuild, Sail Removal, and Critical Safety Fixes
0:58 Stainless Steel Step Upgrade: The hosts check on the newly fabricated stainless steel steps for the helm/coach roof. A professional confirms the high-quality fusion welding and passivation acid treatment used for maximum strength and corrosion resistance.
2:46 Selecting Marine Plywood: Ray explains the choice of expensive marine-grade plywood, noting its superior strength and density (nearly double the veneer layers) compared to cheaper options, which is essential for rebuilding the bed structure.
3:09 DIY Carpentry Challenges: The hosts begin the difficult task of cutting plywood for the bed frame, noting the non-standard, sloping angles of the boat's interior. They use a vacuum attachment on the saw to minimize dust dispersal in the boatyard.
7:04 Critical Safety Concern: Escape Hatches: The hosts focus on addressing a safety recall concerning the emergency escape hatches (manufactured by a company such as GOIOT). The original recall "fix" involved only two tiny, inadequate aluminum tabs.
7:33 Preparing for Mast Removal and Sail Replacement: The main sail, though relatively new, is severely stretched (30,000 nautical miles) and needs replacement for proper trim. Riggers and a North Sails representative assist in removing the sail. This is concurrent with preparations to pull the mast next week to fix internal, clanking loose wires.
9:43 Busted Battens: Upon removing the sail, they discover that roughly half of their sail battens are broken.
10:49 Strong Criticism of Hatch Safety: Ray passionately criticizes the manufacturer and boat builders for installing a known faulty design, arguing that "way more boats have been lost because of these than people saved." The inadequacy of the small aluminum tabs is highlighted.
11:51 Robust Safety Solution: Holly explains the custom fix: replacing the tabs with longer, heavier stainless steel brackets that will frame all four sides of the hatch. This ensures that even if the glass completely separates from the hull, it cannot fall out, providing greater peace of mind without compromising the boat's CE rating.
12:41 Future Workshop Plans: They announce that they have secured a carpenter to begin work on their custom workshop buildout.