A new year treat for Ronan

Ronan after his refreshing coat of tung oil

Ronan’s new year treat was a lovely coat of tung oil, in doing so we removed all the padding and air bags that usually cover up much of the woodwork and we uncovered hidden mould and a broken rib. Cleaning up the mould and repairing the damaged rib was a relatively simple matter; a quick rub with sanding paper and some whipping to hold a splint in place. In some ways the ease of mending is a comfort however the fact that the rib had cracked without us being aware is a concern however we did learn some useful lessons.

The repaired rib discovered while preparing Ronan for an oiling - easy to mend but easily broken.

From this process we learnt we need to allow an air space around the woodwork to encourage drying, we should carry some short pieces of rib as part of the repair kit and despite the time commitment involved it will be worth repeating this process before setting off in July.