The Spurling-Pipe Deck-Fitting, on Cracklin’ Rosie’s foredeck, used to face aft, I’ve always thought that was a mistake. Having it facing aft might have reduced the chances of unwanted waves pouring down into the forepeak but it also made pulling out the anchor chain a lot unsmoother than it should have been. ‘So’ thought I, ‘now, that she’s on land for a spell I’ll re-align said deck-fitting to face forward’. I undid its four mounting bolts, took it off and brought it home where tools, and power, and coffee break stuff are more conveniently available.
All I had to do was drill and countersink four new holes in the flange – which forms the base of the deck-fitting – for the shiny new bolts I’d already ordered. It needed new holes for the mounting bolts because the old holes are not symmetrically located around the flange. The alternative would have been to drill more holes through the deck and I didn’t think that was the best option.
But, marking the new holes’ locations was not as simple as it had first appeared. And the fitting had to match the existing holes in the deck – exactly, first time.
I took photos of the upside-down fitting, I measured and drew a plan (1971 ‘O’ level Geometrical and Mechanical Drawing) and I ‘finger-pressed’ an impression of the underside on a piece of card. I didn’t fully trust any of them.
My ‘engineering brain’ suggested that I should cut a ‘pipe sized’ hole in a piece of wood, which would represent the deck, mount the fitting on the piece of wood and drill through the existing boltholes into and through the piece of wood, then I could turn the fitting horizontally through 180° and accurately mark and drill the locations of the required new holes.
I chose a sturdy, hardwood plank and clamped it in the portable workbench, by the garage. Almost inevitably my ‘best fit’ hole cutter was not exactly the required size, so the hole I cut was fractionally too small. I’d anticipated that and had a roll of P80 sandpaper, a ‘former’ around which to wrap it and some elbow-grease already applied.
I started sanding.
Half and hour later I was still sanding. Slow progress.
Ida came out with a cup of coffee.
“What are you making?” She asked.
“A template for this deck fitting.”
“Looks like a long job to me.”
“Yes, I don’t have a means of increasing the size of this hole any quicker.”
Pause.
“If it’s only a template why don’t you cut it out of a thin piece of wood?”
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