...while not being up to my usual work rate at this time of the year (the weather has been a decider),
with the Easter weekend launch looming a significant number of the tasks were completed this weekend just gone.....
As is usual I started prioritising into "must do", "would likes", and "can waits" ...
Top of the "must do's" (there's one other - more anon) was the anti fouling so on a cold'ish, grey day, I had four enjoyable hours scrubbing around on the rubble beneath Sparrow giving her bottom a seeing too... if I ever get rich this is the job I'll pay someone else to do - but she looked pretty damn spiffy when I'd finished...
..boats just look the dogs nadgers with a dark blue antifoul..!
...then - having done a club duty of three hours power washing the slipway, it was time to pick some more jobs...
Can't do the other "must do" yet - the outboard pad - as I need to prepare the word for scarfing in - I'll do that at home this evening, but I have a fair few "would likes" so cracked on with those...
First off, job #8, which was moved forward as a result of finding another puddle of rain water on the quarter berth under the screw holes for the hand rails on the cabin roof.. simple enough job, with a plapatating moment in the middle!
What I decided to do was loosen off all the screws to the rails, and then wrap some butyl tape round the crew between the penny washer and the roof, then screw back in - had done all the port side when I moved forward to do the front one's and the entire cabin shifted to 45 degrees with a loud(ish) bang!
Scared the living bejeezus out of me - forward prop had come loose and dropped , and as I moved forward it was enough to tip Sparrow on her nose... a Hurley 20 is nose heavy anyway so it didn't take much... no damage done as it was only a foot, a gentle drop, and she landed on the wooden sleeper, but my oh my..
Five guys hanging on the back got her flat, then a car jack under the nose to lift her on to the back of her keels so I could move the front sleeper forward (she'd slid forward when the nose went down) and all was good... lesson learnt - I've got a pile of sleepers now rather than a single upright...!
Heart re-set I finished the hand rails, and then moved on to the next job - #3.1 fitting the fixed VHF - all done, just need to wire her in to the power and fit the aerial - if necessary I can do that on the water - the important bit was the drilling - I was going to glue it but the unit is heavy, and the weather is too cold for epoxy, and a couple of small bolts, sealed with butyl is a strong waterproof solution...
Enough's enough.. went home for a reviv'ifier and a warm shower... boats are a worry...
To do..
1/. Outboard pad
2/. Wire in power for the tiller pilot
3/. Tiller pilot fitting
4/. Coat of paint on the hatches
5/. Rub down of a few spots on the rubbing strip and re-coat with wood treatment
6/. Wash and scrub
7/. Fit harbour plaque
8/. Launch.........................................
with the Easter weekend launch looming a significant number of the tasks were completed this weekend just gone.....
As is usual I started prioritising into "must do", "would likes", and "can waits" ...
Top of the "must do's" (there's one other - more anon) was the anti fouling so on a cold'ish, grey day, I had four enjoyable hours scrubbing around on the rubble beneath Sparrow giving her bottom a seeing too... if I ever get rich this is the job I'll pay someone else to do - but she looked pretty damn spiffy when I'd finished...
..boats just look the dogs nadgers with a dark blue antifoul..!
...then - having done a club duty of three hours power washing the slipway, it was time to pick some more jobs...
Can't do the other "must do" yet - the outboard pad - as I need to prepare the word for scarfing in - I'll do that at home this evening, but I have a fair few "would likes" so cracked on with those...
First off, job #8, which was moved forward as a result of finding another puddle of rain water on the quarter berth under the screw holes for the hand rails on the cabin roof.. simple enough job, with a plapatating moment in the middle!
What I decided to do was loosen off all the screws to the rails, and then wrap some butyl tape round the crew between the penny washer and the roof, then screw back in - had done all the port side when I moved forward to do the front one's and the entire cabin shifted to 45 degrees with a loud(ish) bang!
Scared the living bejeezus out of me - forward prop had come loose and dropped , and as I moved forward it was enough to tip Sparrow on her nose... a Hurley 20 is nose heavy anyway so it didn't take much... no damage done as it was only a foot, a gentle drop, and she landed on the wooden sleeper, but my oh my..
Five guys hanging on the back got her flat, then a car jack under the nose to lift her on to the back of her keels so I could move the front sleeper forward (she'd slid forward when the nose went down) and all was good... lesson learnt - I've got a pile of sleepers now rather than a single upright...!
Heart re-set I finished the hand rails, and then moved on to the next job - #3.1 fitting the fixed VHF - all done, just need to wire her in to the power and fit the aerial - if necessary I can do that on the water - the important bit was the drilling - I was going to glue it but the unit is heavy, and the weather is too cold for epoxy, and a couple of small bolts, sealed with butyl is a strong waterproof solution...
Enough's enough.. went home for a reviv'ifier and a warm shower... boats are a worry...
To do..
1/. Outboard pad
2/. Wire in power for the tiller pilot
3/. Tiller pilot fitting
4/. Coat of paint on the hatches
5/. Rub down of a few spots on the rubbing strip and re-coat with wood treatment
6/. Wash and scrub
7/. Fit harbour plaque
8/. Launch.........................................
