Safety - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 73

Step B: Preparing the Deck
The next step is to drill holes (or “wells”) into the coach roof as counterparts for the cradle
mounts. Be careful only to drill to the depth you have determined. Use the same hole saw
fitting to cut 2½” wide wells into the coach roof. To prevent the central drill bit from penet-
rating the inner liner, re-adjust it so that it is flush with the outer saw after cutting through
the first ¼” of fiberglass and wood.
Mounts and cut out wells
Once you've made the cuts, carefully lever out the fiberglass/balsa plugs. All that remains
now in terms of deck preparation is to sand and clean the inside walls of each well. Make
sure the wells are completely dry. You must also sand the surface of the coach roof a half
inch around each well; that's where the wider head of the mushroom-shaped mount will
eventually sit. Check that everything fits by temporarily bolting the four mounts to the
cradle and placing it into position. This is the time to remedy any tight spots (either by
sanding the mounts or using a Dremel tool to widen the well).
When you're satisfied with the fit, clean all contact surfaces of the wells and mounts with
acetone. Then generously mask off the areas around the wells to catch the inevitable epoxy
run-off.