CORTLAND BOATS UNITE!!!!
Hey John,
I too have a Cortland boat and the construction between mine and yours looks identical. Mine too has those boards attached to the sides of the stem. I figure they placed there to provide a place to fasten the end of the frame (rib) when it was being bent into shape. Your bow area looks in much better shape than mine.
for you,
for me....
As for the keel cap - I recently removed mine. It did not appear to be attached with the same glue that they applied to the planks and garboard panels, but there was some sort of sealant/caulk there. Follows is how I removed mine. This process will be quick or slow, depending on how much glue was used, whether or not the KC had been off before, etc.
First remove the paint off the top of the Keel Cap (KC) so as to locate the bolts and screw holes. I used a sharp paint scraper and a random orbit sander (hooked to a vacuum to collect the dust). Be thorough on this step. Though the bolt and main screws are easy to see, there may be random nails placed by the original builder or a past owner (mine had one or two). Remove the material filling the bolt/screw holes. Remove all the caulk along the edges of the KC. The paint scraper is a great tool for this as well.
After removing the bolts, screws, nails, caulk, I started at the stern end and used a spackling tool to get between the KC and the garboards. Then tapped a chisel and or wooden shim in that spot. You just want to get it in far enough to apply a firm parting pressure. Leave that shim or chisel there, move down a bit, repeat, move down a bit, repeat. After you have two or three in, go back to the first one and tap that in further for more parting pressure, then the next, and on down the line. If you get to a spot and cant get the spackling knife in, or the cap does not want to release, be sure that there is not a nail or screw there that was missed. If there isn't, but it still won't release, move down a bit past that point and continue on. Be patient if you encounter this. I wasn't and I used a chisel and pried at it and though it parted, I had actually ripped way the first ply (layer) of the plywood. Resist the temptation to get one end lose then muscle it the rest of the way by pulling down or driving a tool or wedge along. You don't want to risk cracking that 55 year old wood.
Regarding the bolts. On my Thompson they go in through the KC, inner lower keel, inner upper keel. The nut is on the inside. To remove the bolts i backed the nut out until it was flush with the top of the bolt and rapped it with a hammer to break the bolt free (If you take the bolt all the way off and hit the bolt it with a hammer, you will damage the threads). Then took the nut off, and used a long carriage bolt of a smaller diameter to drive the bolt out.
Hope this helps!
peter
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