Hiking wing restoration

Be prepared for surprises if you take on the restoration of an old boat. The hiking straps were rotten so I had to remove them. Look what they were hiding! I imagined myself being fully hiked and the wings giving way and my world going dark green. I’ll need to weld on some reinforcing bits before replacing the straps.

It’s a good idea to put down a silicon barrier before installing anything onto aluminium. Also wash your boat down well with fresh water and flush out aluminium tubes and spars after a day on the water.