Stage 1: Ripping Things Out

In the dead of winter, when most people are trying to get off the island, Mark arrived from Minnesota to enjoy a week of Ketchikan drizzle and consult on the Arctic Fjord project. The plan was to begin with the floor which was covered with marine carpet which I suspect of contributing to the strange mildewy smell in the boat. Smell or no, carpet is not great flooring for kayak outfitting in the rainforest so, it had to go. Greg had already pulled out the tables and booths in preparation for pulling up the carpet which was glued to the plywood floorboards. The carpet was ripped up with brute strength (according to Greg) at which point we discovered several soft spots in the plywood floor that would have to be repaired and it became clear that the walls would also have to go. You can see from the picture below how water had seeped into the plywood and rotted the walls.

Greg and Mark set about ripping off the walls which were classic seventies wood panelling laminate on plywood sheets. The plywood walls had been screwed to the fiberglass of the cabin.  Several thousand screws (thanks Mark!) and about ten trips to the Ketchikan Landfill later the walls and floor were bare.  At which point it became clear that the carpet on the roof would also have to go, but more on that later.

Next job - replace the walls.