The longer 40mm bolts arrived earlier and I decided to test fit once again. All seems well. Work can now begin on forming the actual rear deck rails. Certainly, the uprights have to be made from 10mm dia. brass tube. The horizontal rail may be solid.
The internal bore of the tubing was around 5mm. This was increased to 6.5mm on the lathe.
The end which will sit on the securing nut was faced level.
The final height of the rail is yet to be decided and the parts will be machined to length later.
The parts simply slip over the nuts, but with a solid fit.
The rail will be assembled on the tug to ensure it actually fits.
In other news, I've been looking for a seal which fits the grove in the rear deck hatch for quite some time. What's available is either too big, too small, too high, too low. I gave up and ended up getting some 'd' section from eBay. Height wise it sits high enough that it is compressed when the hatch is screwed down. I'll keep looking for another seal and see how this one does.
I can't envisage the rear deck being swamped with water, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
The outside seal is continuous and joined at the mid point of the deck where water should be at its least. The internal seal has been cut into 4 sections and overlapped.
The two pieces of wood which the hatch securing bolts are mounted, have been epoxied to the underside of the deck and are currently curing.
I have also had 1000 wooden coffee stirrers delivered and some of these will become the deck hatch surface. It will of course be stained and weathered later. I will also start work on the deck rail.