Didn't get lost, after all. Greetings from my side of this electronic thing.
Robin's port bottom is ready for paint. Her starboard side needs a final sanding. Then the topsides all have to be sanded before I get the paint buckets out.
But I haven't done any work there in about a week. A virus caused some down time. And the wind has been terrific if you're running with it but not too good for outdoors boat work like sanding (dust blows on everyone else's boat) or painting (others' dust blows on yours.)
Today I bought a 1-inch diameter, nine-inch-long bolt to replace the one that was cut away in the fall to get the mast down. The bolt was there to hold the mast in its place in the aluminum mast step. Corrosion, which now I've learned is called galling, between the aluminum mast and the stainless steel bolt had welded the two together.
I went to a steel yard today after phoning to be sure they had a bolt I could use. They gave me the wrong information, so now I have a regular steel bolt rather than a stainless one.That poses a question for which I'm seeking answers.
Is there a way to prevent a standard steel bolt from rusting when it's used in this capacity? I had planned to put a product called Never-Seez all over the bolt to reduce the chance of galling. Does anyone know if Never-Seez has any rust-inhibiting qualities?
I've already quizzed Dick Mills aboard Tarwathie on the subject, and he is doing some research. Thanks, Dick.