The Galley Hinge Monster

Hey Howdy Hey!  For those who've been following my blog and video then you know the galley hinge is what started the spiral down the Money Pit.  For those coming in now I won't force you to read my earlier blogs but you may want to later.

The galley hinge, the dang galley hinge!  Well after finding that even if Crybaby/Surfside had cut one to properly fit the type they used will never seal it was time to tackle this monster or completely rebuild the galley....again. 

I know some may be asking what took so long to fix it, well in the multitude of issues we had this one with the help of an easy up and tarps could be managed where the others couldn't.  I'm one for not starting over again with the galley so I pulled the hurricane hinge out that I purchased from Little Bear Teardrops and set off to tackle what I feared.

We first had to cut out all the glue Crybaby/Surfside crammed into the corners in their jackwagon attempt at fixing the problem.  Not only did it not fix it but I had to spend a couple of days cleaning up and cutting off the glue they slopped everywhere, it was a real mess after coming back from their failed repair job.

This is how we would find in the galley after a light rain, completely soaked.

The original hinge and the sloppy glue they crammed in their attempt to make it work.

The amount of glue they used was ridiculous.

The glue poured out of every edge.

Flash forward to now, now that we cut the rest of the glue out we were able to disconnect the light (I used quick release connectors for this reason.  Once it was off I started my photos.

We used a putty knife to pop the old hinge off.

Once the hinge was off you can see the sloppy job and rust forming behind.

The lid side had dirt so it wasn't even getting a good seal.  They didn't use butyl tape or even seal behind their work.

With the lid off you can really see the water damage.

Water damage is a pain to fix but you can fix it as long as you don't let it go to long and rot.

The mold and damage on the deck lid will be tricky but I think I can fix it.

So once everything was off my plan of action set, we started on the cleanup and repair.  First was painstaking cutting the glue off with razors then a rough wheel to take the rest off.

Cleaned and ready for the new hinge.

Working into the evening, the wood repair is coming along.

The wood repair is moving along, now I can fill sand and stain.

A bit of cleanup left and the wood will be as good as new.

The repair to the right side went even better, there wasn't as much damage here.

My best friend during the project was this rubber wheel that took the extra glue off the aluminum.

The galley lid went back on like a champ.

I still need to make a couple of adjustments but the new hinge is already watertight.

The black vinyl molding looks good.

Beautiful and fits well closed.

The hurricane hinge we used, made not to leak.

I feel so so glad now that we have a leakproof trailer....finally!  It was a project but now we are a step closer to finishing.  I'm going to add end caps to the finish off the trim and keep the vinyl molding from shifting.  I tell you I won't know what we'll do when it's completely done and we don't have anymore repairs to make.

Now we can focus back on the cool details like making the canopy for the galley, the retro lounge chairs and table out of wine barrels, and the bar and chuck boxes. With the weather cooling it will be nicer working on these projects.

Until next time enjoy your camp and stay safe.