• My Grampian 26 The Irish Mist has had a smell to it , as most old boats do, since the day I got it.

• The head of course has it’s own smells but this boat smelled of rotten wood.

• Checking the bilge out I found the floor support cross members, called floors, to be waterlogged and falling apart. I could stick a screw driver clean through a couple of them!

• As they were originally tabbed in place I borrowed a cutoff disk saw to cut the tabs and remove the rotten wood. Before cutting I gave one support a kick and it fell apart so the only thing left was the tabs! I quickly cut them off and ground the area smooth.

• I was able to trace the parts of the floors onto new pine 2x4s and plywood.

• These were laminated together with carpenters glue and clamped till dry.

• As the pictures show, a couple of the supports were not too bad so were left in place. These two were coated heavily with fiberglass resin and some glass fiber for more strength.

• The three new floors were set in place and tabbed in as well. After the initial coat set, I added more layers to the tabbing and completely covered all surfaces of the floors. This I hope will be key to the longevity of the new floors.

•  I gave the bilge a thick coat of yacht enamel and am now deciding on what to use for the cabin sole.

Phil Gowdy

1976 Grampian 26 Hull# 946

Irish Mist