A Very Busy Day

An early start yesterday with T-A on the slipway before nine,

pressure washed and on hard standing by eleven.

Karen washed down the topsides whilst I dismantled the old wheelhouse framework.

Started lifting the new framework into place while Karen popped home to exercise the dogs and refill the flasks.

On her return stated on the blacking.

By eight in the evening Karen had completed the blacking but I hadn’t finished the wheelhouse – must have been slacking.

Popped the old cover on just to see how things looked before sheeting the whole thing down and wandering over to the bar for a well deserved shandy. Still work to do but by then we had both had enough and tiredness makes for silly mistakes.

Then

Now

Today should be a lot quieter. Karen is off to her drawing class while I off load the car – any body want to buy a large cloche?

Getting Ready To Slip

Plenty of sanding and varnishing going on over the past few days. In between times, down to T-A to dismantle the large cupboard in the lounge and fit the engine sensors for the new engine panel. That was fun and games because I couldn’t find the oil pressure sensor, hunted high and low. Water temperature sensor was no problem but still no sign of the oil pressure sensor. Even considered stripping the insulation off the wiring loom so as to follow the associated wire. In desperation I contacted Beta and with their guidance found it tucked away behind the gearbox oil cooler which had to be removed to gain access. Any way it’s done now and the cocoon is back round the engine and decking back in place. Engine run up – No leaks, no alarms – a great result.

Coming out of the water for two weeks on Tuesday to fit the new wheelhouse, had hoped to have the skylight ready as well but too slow so that will have to wait for the moment. Plenty of other jobs to be done while out and it seems a shame not to give her a coat of black at the same time.

Must remember to take the camera with me.

Modern Art?

Well the woodwork on the wheelhouse is as complete as far as it can be without actually fitting it to T-A, so now the old routine of sanding and varnishing begins. Although rather tedious I do like seeing the colour and grain of the wood starting to show.

No it’s not modern art it is in fact the roof bars and the beading that holds the windows in hanging out to dry.

All the frames and parts  have all had two coats and I am confident we can manage another coat before fitting, so that’s two and a half more than the original, with a further coat applied after installation. As soon as that is done it will be a phone call to the cover makers for a new top to replace the tatty bit of plastic we have now.

One alteration to the screws holding the frames in is that I will no longer be using stainless cup washers and screws as it seemed to be too obvious, so now all the screw holes have been opened out to take recessed screw cups in brass (Couldn’t get them in stainless) and will use brass screws to match. So much for no brass on this boatJ

Taking Shape

Just looking back I see it’s just over a month since the wheelhouse plans were drawn up. It feels a lot longer as I seem to have been working away on the wheelhouse for ages. Although there is plenty still to do, you can see the basic shape . A slight change from the plan is the shorter rear windows, this was necessary to accommodate the handrail/hinge I had made for the original fit out.

As you can see the three side windows are not now of uniform size, but as close as I can make them. Everything is just pushed together to confirm measurements and see how it looks. Wondering why it is taking so long, did a bit of counting and there are 155 individual pieces, not counting screws, dowels or plugs – most of which have been produced from rough cut timber. All that red stuff on the ground is damp sawdust – really must get round to sweeping the yard when this ia all over.

Just about managing to keep pace with the rate of grass growing. Thank goodness Karen is into gardening.

As for GCS – had a couple of days off helping the lads clear Woolsthorpe depot in preparation for the societies new acquisition ‘Mudlark’ an ex BW dredger.

Slow But Sure

The front of the wheelhouse is starting to come together. The clamps came off on Monday and everything is looking  good but it has become apparent that there is not much of the original timber that can be reused. Sods law in that it is either the too small or there are screw holes just where you don’t want them.

Monday afternoon saw me at Glenmere Timber at Market Harborough picking up a few bits of sapele and a couple of pieces of north American ash for when I come to refit the interior.

It’s all rough sawn inch and a half by eight foot boards, so I’ll be popular with the neighbours when they  get put through the planer.

The completed framework has been given rubbed down it’s first coat of varnish.

While the varnish is going off it has given me the chance to catch up with work in the garden. Four rows of potatoes earthed up and lawns mowed, things are certainly starting to sprout now.

One more coat of varnish and the hinges will be fitted and then a couple more on top of that, but it all takes time, at least with the weather improving this can be done outside while I’m creating a dust inside or vice versa.

A sure sign that the weather is warming up a bit is that Sox has taken up playing with the fishes again.

Cutting list for the rest of the wheelhouse just drawn up so that is the planned job for the next few days between wielding sandpaper and paint brush. Think the neighbours have got wind - they’re going away for a few days J

It Fits

Feeling quite smug yesterday after taking the new bit of wheelhouse framework  down to T-A and with Karen’s help managed to drop it into place for the final fit. Only need to trim a couple of millimetres on the side window ends to align with the doors

Couldn't get a good angle to get a decent photo, well that's my excuse anyway.

Straight home and dismantled it all ready for the final assembly.

This morning a bit of gentle trimming and the reassembly completed this afternoon.

All clamped up to make sure there is no movement as the glue goes off.

Definitely need more clamps.

Not sure what to do next, the rear which will be similar or the side panels but one thing is for sure – it will soon be back to the old routine of sanding and varnishing. The beading to hold the windows in place will be done as a job lot once all the frames are complete. I’m thinking it will be easier to handle if we install the windows in situ rather than fit them beforehand.

Ah well! That’s killed a bit of time – decided to do the blog entry now to stop me trying to adjust and tweak the clamps that little bit more.

Let's hope this weather holds.

Dodging Showers

Well it’s been a few more days of tail chasing. Trying to get the garden sorted in the gaps between the showers, Karen has persevered and managed to get a lot of the seedlings in under Brocks critical eye,

and Sox helping out as only he knows how.

If it brightens up there is going to be a lot of fruit about again this year judging by the amount of blossom and bees about.

As for me I have been trying to keep the grass and weeds under control, albeit not very successfully.

Been down to T-A a couple of times to measure up and check measurements, working on the principle of measure twice and cut once.

The front of the wheelhouse is starting to take shape.

At the moment the joints are only pushed together to see how it looks and the clamps are holding where the hinges will go to collapse the framework. It’s going to be about 5 inches lower than the original but the difference is quite noticeable. Don't know why we were given so much headroom.

The framework will be pinched together with a few screws so it can be offered up to check the fit before being assembled properly. With it being such a nice day today I had hoped to get a bit further but sods law saw the electricity being cut off all morning while the eccletrixity board connected up a new pole over the road.

Two days of rain forecast but hopefully we’ll get down to T-A for the big test before long. Fingers crossed that it will fit.