Taping the Portholes

Separate discussions with Richard (joiner) and Andy (boatyard manager) today about the status of Waiouru and what to do next.  My initial thoughts were to continue with the cutting and installing of the Kingspan sheets of foam insulation.  Then I recognised the potential for someone (probably me) to step on a panel and crush it whilst attempting to manoeuvring the sheets of plywood flooring into Waiouru.

The next logical option was to carry the plywood into Waiouru and stack it ready for laying.  Unfortunately there was no one available to assist so that option was discarded.  In the end I decided to give the baseplate a final vacuum to ensure the entire area is clean.  I’m slightly paranoid about leaving the smallest object in the bilge where it might block a drain hole.

I’ve revisited my calculations for the ballast.  The additional 10mm of baseplate equates to approximately 68 concrete slabs.  Therefore all we require are slabs for the trim.  Whilst Waiouru has a central corridor the majority of the weight is to port (left) where the fridge, stove, shower, toilet and bed are located.  We might also need to add more weight across the boat under the rear galley to make sure the stern sits down in the water.  The ballast can’t go under the floor in the back cabin as the area is already occupied by the blackwater tank.

Waiouru still isn’t weatherproof and I’d really like the portholes and houdini hatches installed.  Richard suggested they could be prepared for installation by applying the foam sealing taping to the frame edge that fits against the hull.  After searching the workshop some suitable tape was found and I spent the afternoon carefully applying the tape to both the portholes and houdini hatches.  The tape extends beyond the edge of the porthole frame but that doesn’t matter as they will be removed for the exterior painting.  The surplus tape can then be trimmed before the frames are installed for the last time.  It will be a few weeks before the painting commences so Jan has some time to make up her mind about exterior colours.