Ship’s barometer gets a polish

Shame I didn’t take a photograph before I started. However this was really corroded and tarnished. You can see that the Top has been left uncleaned in the first photograph so you can see the comparison between clean and dirty. 

I am not sure it tells the correct pressure but it does look pretty good. 

Deck day 4

Well this is what Anne Marie looks like with her new decking – Er you have to use your imagination. Rusty is trying to decide whether he wants to be a sea dog/skipper. 

The big gap is the cabin and the small square is the fore hatch. 

Deck beams day 3

OMG what have we got here?

Decking week day 1

Ok so this week is Deck Week and good ol’Dave is staying over so that we can get the decks on before winter. 

It started with cutting out the ply sections that I had created from the cardboard and then hardboard templates. These were put in place and shaved here and there to fit. 

I’m impressed myself with our progress. We removed all the remaining fittings and are slowly scraping away the detritus. The thousands of bolts holding everything down are being cut away with my Dremmel. 

Great work today and thank goodness for good weather. 

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The rudder again

Ok so after a couple of hours work the rudder has a layer of resin with glassfibre matting. The surface is a little uneven but another coat of resin or two with a bit of sanding and maybe some filler will see it smooth as silk (rough silk). Then it will be ready for getting the shaft fitted but more about that another day. 

As for today it needs To set a bit harder and then I shall put some filler along the edges and some glass fibre tape as reinforcement and job done. 

the rudder with matting and first coat of resin. it goes transparent when the resin has soaked into the glass strands.
the glass fibre sheets cut out before resin

The rudder

Phase 2 of rescuing the rudder begins today. I have had the straps sandblasted and they are beautifully clean and ready for resin. I have sanded down the timber so that it is smooth and clean and ready to accept resin. Some parts of the previous fibreglass are so stuck on that they’re not going anywhere so I have left them.

So the first job is to apply a coat of ordinary polyester resin to allow that to soak into the wood and go tacky. Then I shall put on some fibreglass matting and stick that down with more resin. Then will come some filling and protection of the edges that will need some additional fibreglass tape. More photos to come.

Southampton boat show

A day at the boat show. Wow we need to spend some money!

It’s too hot đźŚž

33 degrees and here I am steaming under a boat cover. Still can’t complain it could be snowing. 

Today (well yesterday actually) I cut out more deck templates and have pre-fitted them in hardboard. I have repaired some tears in the cover as it is getting a little tired. I have done more hoovering than I ever thought possible but every step is generally in the right direction. 

I am looking forward to getting the decks on as I am really fed up with scrambling over beams crouched down or crawling.  I really ache. 

Preparing for new decks

Phase 2 – make up templates. At ÂŁ150 a sheet marine ply is too expensive to get wrong so I am starting with cardboard ( thanks Vicky and James). These are for the stern and starboard decks. Being an engineer I have gone back to my surveying training to set everything out and take measurements and offsets. Then just a felt tip pen, ruler, notebook, glue gun and Stanley knife. 

Figurehead 

I am rather thinking that we need a figurehead for the boat. Not too big. I am also thinking of learning to carve. Something along these lines:


I need a model. Any volunteers or suggestions?