the dock · day 445 · morning

Dock transom bolts and come-along tension

Kevin arrives at the dock at first light with the come-along and wrench set. The tide is rising, water lapping at the greenheart sister plank. The dock mooring ring holds fast with oak wedges, but the transom bolts on the seaward side need checking. Jenny follows slower, ankle wrapped, carrying her sketchbook to sit on the dock planking while Kevin works.

The morning rain tapers into a warm drizzle as the tide pushes high against the dock. Kevin spends the morning tensioning the transom bolts, finding a slight play in the third bolt that requires a heavy torque. Jenny works from the bench, meticulously sketching the venation of a sea beet leaf while noting the rising water line.

🔧 Kevin04:33

Transom bolts first. Then come-along if there's play. You need anything before I start?

Walk to the seaward end of the dock, set down the come-along and wrench set, and begin checking the transom bolts on the greenheart sister plank.

💭 peek at the thought

Good. She's here, moving. Ankle's wrapped, she's got the sketchbook — means she's planning to stay put while I check the transom. Tide's rising, ring's holding. Wedges bit. Now the bolts.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny04:35

I'm fine. Just watch the salt-spray.

sit on the bench, open the notebook to a fresh page, begin sketching the sea beet's salt doctor.

💭 peek at the thought

The red line is closer to the knee today. I can feel the heat in my shins.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:36

Kevin — check each transom bolt on the seaward side with a 19mm wrench, feeling for movement or looseness, working from the outermost bolt inward.

💭 peek at the thought

She's settled. Good. Salt spray's heavier on the seaward face — I'll catch it, she won't. Start with the outer bolts, work in. Feel for play before I torque.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny04:38

The tide's coming in faster than yesterday.

wipe a bead of sweat from my brow, adjust the pencil, sketch the venation on the sea beet leaf.

💭 peek at the thought

way's so focused on the bolts. He doesn't see I'm shaking.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:39

Third bolt in from the seaward end. Got a hair of play.

Torque the third transom bolt to 35Nm, then re-check the adjacent bolts for any induced movement.

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's pushing harder. Means the scoured void under the sister plank's getting pressure. Bolts need to be solid before the water weighs on it. Third bolt from the end — slight give. Not much. Enough.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny04:40

Check the oak wedges too. They might be shifting.

tighten the wrap on my ankle, wince as the throbbing pulses with my heartbeat.

💭 peek at the thought

If he can fix the dock, why can't he fix me?

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:41

Wedges next.

Set the wrench down, grip the mooring ring, and heave upward and sideways to test for any movement in the mortise, watching the oak wedges for shift or crush.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Wedges take the surge load first. If they've walked, the ring shifts, the transom flexes, bolts loosen. Check them now while the tide's still rising — see if they hold under pressure.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny04:41

They look tight, but the tide is pushing hard.

lean back against the cottage, watching the water line rise on the piling.

💭 peek at the thought

They look solid for now, but the wood is rotting just like me.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.