Black & White

Oh my back and what’s that sticky stuff in my hair!

Jan and I managed to get the third coat of two pack epoxy black onto Waiouru today.  Jan did the ‘fiddly bits’ with the paintbrush whilst I welded the narrow roller.  Rather than continually bending over I adopted a squatting position.  Saved my back but I’m sure my thighs will tell me all about it tomorrow. 

Towards the end of the pot the blacking became a glutinous thick porridge making it extremely difficult to apply.  No blacking on Sunday but we had so much fun we’ve decided to paint the final coat of blacking on Monday

After a very late lunch and being a glutton for punishment, I couldn’t contain myself and decided to start splashing around the white bilge paint in the weed hatch.

It was so stimulating that I had to continue on and apply a first coat to the 56 pound cast iron ingot I found in the rubbish skip.

“What are you going to do with that?”  I hear you ask.  Well the toilet and water tanks are central in the boat.  As is the heavy domestic battery bank.  We even have a central corridor!  So Waiouru should sit fairly level in the water.

Being an optimist I’m anticipating there will be plenty of beer on the boat and this might affect the trim.  So the 56 pound weight will be moved around Waiouru to adjust the trim.  It would probably make a damned good secondary improvised anchor….. if I was able to carry it!

Andy and Mark spent a few hours on the roof fitting the new steel surrounds for the Houdini hatches. 

Every screw hole had to be drilled and then threaded with a 4mm tap.  Stainless steel machine screws were then used to secure the steel frame to the roof of Waiouru. Once that was done all the screws were removed and the frame lifted off before sealer was applied to the underside of the frame.  It was then screwed back down.  Each machine screw was dipped in sealer before being screwed into the hole to ensure the entire frame was bonded to the roof.  The Houdini hatch was then inserted into the frame and again all the holes were drilled and threaded with a 4mm tap.  This time the holes went into the steel surround rather than the roof. 

Tomorrow Darren and I will remove the three Houdini hatches and apply window tape to the underside of the Houdini frame.  Concurrently Darren will give the steel frames a first coat of light grey gloss topcoat.  We will then refit the Houdini's into the surround and screw them down.  This should give a watertight seal.  Darren will probably be able to give the steel frame a second coat of gloss in Monday. 

The portholes will have to be fitted either tomorrow or Monday.  Probably the latter!