Think we're ready...

...well, as ready as I'll ever be..

Not surprisingly I guess for the end of March, the lift in week has been hit with a succession of spring equinoctial gales, with most of this weeks lifts cancelled, and shifted out to the coming weekend. We were due to lift all week, with Sparrow going in this coming Sunday, but as it turned out only Monday went ahead as planned, and Tuesday with a reduced number of boats, before strong winds and rain as forecast came sweeping in off the Atlantic..  F5 or 6 gusting F7 and SW'ly for most of the week and clearly not safe for people or boats.

So it was that in between the showers (for what I was doing, wind is no issue, it's rain I don't need) a number of other things have been completed this week...

1/. The boarding ladder is back on..

2/. Job#12 is done...   "The minor shackle between swivel and pick up chain is old and needs replacing - I'll take the opportunity to end for end the chain at the same time". 

1. I've 'end for ended' the chain, swapped it round so the old end is new beginning and vice versa
2. Replaced the pick up buoy itself  with a spare I had in the garage
3. new shackle between buoy and chain
4. new shackle between chain and swivel, and ..
5. new shackle for swivel to mooring buoy

I'll upgrade the swivel next year 

3/. After 10 years (😨), job #5 "Previous GRP damage to nose (still) needs a rebuild" is 90% done..

Reminder of how it looked - note the small lump of Milliput as I had just started to fix it...

The damage occurred under the previous owner, and I think happened because of a mooring chain jumping out of the fairlead during a storm or bad weather, and then the chain had just graunched gel away over a period of time..  that's my guess, anyway..   

..either way, 10 years down the line it was long over time to fix it. The product I had chosen to use was a new one to me, though I was already aware of it from my other hobby [clicky], and I have to say "Milliput" is bloody amazing stuff... 

I was using the White Superfine version..  it's a two part epoxy putty that when kneaded together for 7 minutes, can then be moulded, worked and shaped like putty or plasticine, but it dries rock hard within 3-4 hours... No preparation is required as it also has adhesive properties, though I gave the surface a quick wipe down with acetone.. better still this stuff can be worked and smoothed with water - so the following is mid stage...  rolled a tube of Milliput between my hands, then placed and shaped fairly roughly, before then wetting your fingers (I had a cup of water handy) and smoothing it out...

..then this morning - a couple of days after the above, I went down and sanded it off to get a better shape, ready for painting (though I believe this stuff my be UV stable, so that is not urgent, but I will do it soon)

..I am absolutely delighted with this...  been putting it off for years trying to figure out how I could use more traditional epoxy resin, if only I'd come across the stuff sooner..

It also has other applications... as I had a small ball of it left over after, I tried it on some old screw holes, roll a thin tube of it, pushed that into the hole and smoothed off the outer edge with a wet finger. Similarly small surface gel craters can also be treated, take a small piece, press it flat, and then place that in the crater, before pushing it in hard, and then smoothing off with a wet finger. All of these had dried rock hard when I checked, and all were well stuck. Brilliant stuff, and very much recommended..

4/. The bilge stringer got its coat of epoxy spray primer..

5/. The cockpit locker lids are back on after a winter in the garage - I'll do the same again this coming winter, so will knock some spare covers up during the summer to use in their place..

Just fuel for the outboard, put the outboard on the back, quick wash of the cockpit and a row out to put the mooring chain on the mooring, and I'm good to go in...   roll on Monday...