Cracks, Bolts, Nuts...

This documents a project to remove the starboard side genoa track to fix water ingress through the track bolt holes, check the extent of damage to the core, and investigate associated hairline cracks.

It is probably worth noting that I am extremely reluctant to drill holes anywhere in the boat - this is my minimalist solution. A neater but far more challenging approach would entail disassembling the entire starboard-side cabinetry - it's your choice...

Lexicographical note - for those under the linguistic influence of the United States, a spanner is the proper word for a "wrench".

The original problem. These hairline cracks appear to be letting water seep into the deck (and core - yuk!); found water accumulating in a cabin light fitting immediately underneath one of the bolts.

This is going to be a pain - there is almost no access to the nuts on the genoa track bolts without disassembly of the starboard side cabinets - major work. I am considering cutting out access holes that will be covered by the trim (removed, not shown).

This is the toughest bolt - right above the galley/main cabin bulkhead, with a fibreglass liner immediately below it. Requires drilling, chiselling and hammering to clear access to it. In the end, I also attacked the liner section over the stove with a Dremel tool - not as ugly as it looks here, and largely irrelevant cosmetically as all this damage is covered by the decorative teak strip that covers the access holes. This also shows the galley section that has pre-cut access holes - very thoughtful, but what about access to the 15 nuts forward of this?

Tool tips - on the left, the set used for getting access to the bolts; the chisels also function as rasps to smooth off the corners. The pliers are helpful in pulling the wood chips out rather than letting them fall back. Of course, we need a work cloth and vacuum cleaner to keep everything tidy... The tools on the right illustrate a couple of useful tricks in getting the nuts and washers off; once a nut is almost off, cover the bottom of an open-ended spanner to capture the nut while the bolt is unscrewed; the sharp pick (a generally useful tool) helps to retrieve the washers.

View from the outside - the track has been removed, leaving 20 years of grime and 30 holes. We used the adjustable spanner on the square-shafted screwdriver to shift the tighter bolts. After cleaning, a close-up of the bolt holes seems to confirm that the deck cracks are not structural. The good news : it appears that this area of the deck (about 5/8 in. thick here) is cored with ply rather than balsa, and all core is at least intact and generally in decent condition - no significant water damage here. Note the countersinking on the holes - supports packing with sealant.

The one that didn't get away - this bolt would not budge out of the track (shown removed and inverted), even with two broken screwdriver bits and an impact driver. As this was the only stubborn bugger, and we were able to remove the nut below, we levered the rest of the track up and left the solitary bolt to soak in penetrating oil, contemplating its fate. After an hour or so, we wellied (technical term) the bolt with a hammer (note protecting nut), and convinced it to give itself up. There was significant corrosion around several bolt holes; not sure of the reason (why one hole and not another?), but I will apply aluminium/steel anti-corrosion gel around the upper section of each bolt when refitting.

• The screws that were hardest to remove were generally seized by lime deposits rather than corrosion; I doubt anti-corrosion gel would last long enough to achieve anything.
• It seems sealant at the top of the screw will just trap any water that does get in, and not do anything to prevent water travelling down anyway.