Fake wall (or ceiling I was told) behind the nav desk

[BlameItOnBuffett]

I just read this weekend that an outer wall on a boat can be called a ceiling. Whether it is a wall or a ceiling, what I am referring to is the plastic out wall behind the nav desk. I just noticed that two of my Genoa track bolt heads broke off, leaving just the stub in there. It also happened towards the front on the port side, but the remaining stub on port was easy to get to. On the starboard side, they are up behind that fake wall, and it seems nearly impossible to get to. I have looked around and can;t seem to find any "Master" screws like on the pilot berth wall, that you could just remove and the whole wall comes off.

Has anyone else had this wall off, and how did you do it. I don't want to break anything only to find out that it was some hidden single screw somewhere I hadn't looked.

Speaking of genoa tracks, we all seem to have those stand up Schaeffer blocks on the genoa tracks. I was on a short nine mile race this last Saturday in about 18 knots of breeze when the starboard side sheeve disintegrated. After figuring out that none of the blocks I had would fit over the loop on the genoa track, we managed to finally come up with a jury rig, using a shackle and some old halyard. Just when we were set to do the tack that we were no far overstood on, the port grinder yelled to give it up, as the port side had disintegrated also. Two new healthy Garhauer blocks at just over 110 each....Just thought you might want to take a closer look at yours. The only cheery thought was this could have happened on our "Race to the Border" with me being a hundred miles offshore. Instead, it happened about 400 yards from our club.

[EdHouston]

Jim I did just the same thing with the track cars, I also took the panel you refer to out in the pilot berth I was varnishing the strakes I think I just unscrewed the strakes at the chart table, I will shoot down to the boat this evening and see if I cannot jog my memory as to if I pulled the panel or not.

Ed

[BlameItOnBuffett]

Thanks Ed. I appreciate it.

[PeteW]

I had to  removed all 60 bolts from both of my genoa tracks to replace the toe rails. I tried for a awhile to remove that panel behind the nav station but could not figure out a way to remove it without first removing the entire wall unit. (This is what I had to do on the port side.)

But I figured out the trick to getting up in there with a 6" extension on a 3/8 drive universal and a socket. I found that if you remove the wooden slats from the behind the nav station that the panel will become flexible enough for you to get you hand up in there. Its not fun and you will get scratched up pretty badly. Not a good thing if you have developed a sensitivity to fiberglass like I have.

Have fun with that.  Pete W

[EdHouston]

Hey Jim I think Pete has it correct! the top slat on my boat is not varnished which means I did not get that panel out, I was however able to flex the panel as Pete describes so maybe the solution is to make a spreader of sorts and push the panel outboard enough to get in and do the work. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it is what it is. I looked at our config and feel sure the nav station and hanging locker will need to come out to remove the panel, lots of cutting and re laminating urgh.

Ed

[BlameItOnBuffett]

Ouch. With all of the other great design ideas they had on this boat, why this? And why at the Nav station, where you are most likely to want to get behind walls to run stuff?

Oh well, it's a boat!!