A New Top

You may recall in an earlier post how a storm had blown the inflatable paint shed off the boat being repainted and the shed had suffered considerable damage as a result.  Today the yard staff removed the collapsed shed off the boat and examined it.  They were able to salvage one of the three sections.  Then, by taking the fourth section which had been covering the stern of Waiouru; they had enough length to inflate the shed back over the boat.  It will be a little tight but they should be able to continue with the painting of the boat under cover.

Of course this left Waiouru without any cover over the rear half.  I’d already become concerned about water entering Waiouru through the porthole openings so I decided to construct my own shelter from the “odds and ends” lying around the boatyard.

Using three old boat poles and some lashings I made a shears legs.  Then I used a boat plank as a ridge pole.  This was all lashed to the boat.

I needed the shears legs to be higher than the rear of the boat to give some head room.  I also took the opportunity to examine the smaller of the recessed red panels.  It’s been the first time I’ve been able to get a good look at them since discovering a sheet of steel had been used to cover the rear portholes.  As I anticipated; it appears the panels have been glued rather than welded into the recess.  I will need to discuss what we can do about the situation with Andy.  It might be harder to remove the panels than weld them in place and cut new porthole openings.

I’ve now pulled the tarp over Waiouru and secured it with whatever heavy objects I can find.

This will provide a sheltered area for both Dennis and I when working in the cockpit and will also assist in drying out the boat.  Of course it will all have to come off in the New Year for the grit blasting.

An Idea

There was 15-20mm of ice on the towpath puddles this morning making it treacherous underfoot until midday when it started to rain.

The boys in the boatyard had intended to black two of the boats today in anticipation of them going back into the water on Wednesday.  The rain has stopped that idea!

Dennis has completed the last two small welding jobs in the cratch this morning.  It took all of an hour so I asked him to weld the pipe socket I’d purchased from the chandlery on the roof of Waiouru. 

The socket is located about 150mm from the end of the roof on the starboard side and set back far enough from the front of the cabin so it won’t foul the cratch cover.  You’ll note it’s not welded around the entire base.  The gap has been deliberately left to allow any water to drain.

A length of pipe screws into the top

I didn’t want to weld the length of pipe directly to the roof as we will have to remove it for low bridges, etc.

You’ve probably guessed what it for.  It is the mounting bracket for the telescopic TV aerial pole.  The telescopic aluminium pole will fit inside the pipe.   It’s not an original idea.  Just a variation on another setup I’ve seen since arriving in the UK.

Cratch Steelwork Complete

Dennis has completed all the steelwork in the cratch.  It’s been a significant project due to all the additional work needed to rectify the unauthorised modifications made by our first builder.  It was obviously much easier and quicker to “chop out” the original structure with a gas torch and replace it with a plain foredeck.  As a result Dennis has needed to work carefully to ensure all the original steelwork is correctly reinstated.  It’s pleasing to see the area is now back to the condition it was when first constructed by Tyler-Wilson.

I now have the tasking of cleaning the area and applying primer.

The two lengths of one inch box steel on top of the diesel tank are there to provide some rigidity and secure the timber lid/seat. You will note the front box section runs the full length of the tank and acts as a barrier to any water that may fall on the lid.  The second box section has a gap at the bulkhead end (lower red arrow) allowing any water to escape to the side of the boat.  There is a small hole (top arrow) through the hull where the water will discharge overboard.  Our plan is to have a cratch cover so (hopefully) the entire area will always be dry. 

You may also have noticed the large diameter filler pipe running from the underside of the gunwale to the top of the tank.  I suggested to Dennis he could use a much smaller diameter pipe, however he preferred to use the larger pipe as it made it easier to weld the “blind side” of the joint.  Dennis also mentioned the pipe will possibly hold an additional ½ gallon of diesel.

The inlet on the gunwale has also been completed

Next week Dennis starts on the blackwater tank.  However, before he can start I need to remove the spray foam insulation from the lower portion of the end bulkhead between the back cabin and the engine compartment.  I also need to clean the area to give Dennis a good “run at the task”.

Almost done!

Woke this morning to frost on the windows and a grey old day, then it started to rain!  However by 10.00am the sun was out and we had a blue sky.

Today was our last chance to see the inside of the cratch diesel tank.

Top photo from the cabin bulkhead end

The hole for the diesel inlet has been created in the gunwale [B]. The plate [A] will be welded to the underside of the gunwale filler point to create a recess.  Dennis has also welded a piece of “L” section across the top of the tank to provide some rigidity to the side of the tank.

You can get a clearer idea of the linear sump and drainage point in the following photo

The tank is full of debris from the welding and grinding. I’ve subsequently removed all of it with the industrial vacuum cleaner.  The top and filler point should be completed tomorrow.

Meanwhile Father Christmas came and Jan finally has some winter footwear.  We’ve been looking for something suitable during the last three months and today we came across these yesterday whilst in a Newbury department store.

Jan and I have different shopping techniques.  Jan will usually look at the price before having a good look at the suitability and practicality of the item.  Whereas I do the reverse.  I found the boots and thought they were ideal for the canal environment.  Then I checked the price….. £149.99.  I didn’t like it but; given the quality of the product; that was about what I had expected, .  After giving them to Jan to try on she checked the price and found the discount label………£39.99  They have a good tread and I like the rubberised waterproof lower half.  The boots are also lined with Thinsulate.  Hopefully Jan now won’t suffer from cold and wet feet!

High Flyers

Moses it was cold and wet this morning.  I played “possum” this morning pretending I was asleep which resulted in Jan arising and turning on the heater to warm Ufton.  Once I heard the kettle’s whistle I sprang from under the duvet and into my thermal underwear yawning and stretching in a pretence I’d only just woken.  Somehow I don’t think she was fooled!

Peering out the window I could see a large crane and two semi’s articulated lorries.  Today was boat moving day at Aldermaston Wharf.  Eight lifts altogether.  Two of them onto the semi’s lorries for distance waters.

Waiouru now has new neighbours.  A couple of them only require their bottom’s being blacked whilst the remainder are here for more serious work.  The bad news is the overnight storm blew the inflatable tent off the boat being painted and seriously ripped it.  I’ll have to discuss any consequential implications for the completion of Waiouru with Andy this Friday.

Progress on the Cratch Diesel Tank

Luck Dennis is height challenged.  It would be impossible for me to fit into the diesel tank!

The sidewall is only tacked in place to align it because Dennis needs to blank off the drainage channel. By blanking off the channel it will create a small linear sump at the low end of the diesel tank.

You can get more of an idea of the design from inside the boat.

The top left arrow is pointing to the diesel tank breather pipe outlet.  The bottom left arrow points to the diesel outlet point.  It’s about one inch above the base of the tank.  To the right is the diesel drainage point which is located in the base of the drainage channel.  This will have a stopcock and an outlet hose.  This will enable us to drain off any sediment or water from the base of the tank.

At the bottom of the photo is the water tank outlet point.

OK…… You’re probably asking why the outlet point is halfway up the tank?  It’s been placed here to make it easier to connect to the outlet point from inside the boat.  On the other side of the outlet point the pipe turns 90 degrees and terminates about one inch above the base of the tank.

And finally, you can see the diesel tank breather pipe running up the channel I created by scraping the spray foam insulation off the bulkhead.  Both breather pipes will be covered with foam insulation when Waiouru is resprayed.

Storage Locker Fabricated

The bow storage locker has now been fabricated.

As the base of the locker is below the waterline you can see a sump (right arrow) where the bilge pump will go.  The middle arrow points to the drainage opening between the foredeck and the base of the locker.  Any water that gets onto the foredeck will drain through the opening and into the sump.

There is a “U” channel (left arrow) around the top lip of the locker.  This will collect and water that falls onto the locker lid.  As the lid is above the waterline this water is discharged overboard via a drainage hole in the bottom left corner of the photo.

And how is Dennis going………

Life’s so bright…. Gotta wear shades!

Re-Thinking the Blackwater Tank

Well Ufton really got bashed about by strong winds last night.  I’m please I’d found some old fenders in the long grass and placed them between the boats.  Just to make things more interesting the shore-power failed at 8.00pm.  Left in the dark with no heating we decided to go to bed.

Until I was able to actually carefully inspect Waiouru I hadn’t realised there was a steel floor joist 4’6” from the rear bulkhead.  The planned length of the back cabin is 6’3”.  On 10 June I was able to have a quick look at the area and the steel tank Ben Harp intended to install.  His tank was only 4’6” long which would have resulted in the back cabin having split floor levels.  It would also reduce the tank storage capacity.

After discussing the situation with Andy, we have decided to remove the steel joist between the two red lines drawn on the photo below.  We are not going to remove the entire joist as I wanted to leave a “heel” to retain some structural strength in this area.  However the baseplate is 20mm thick so there shouldn’t be an issue. 

My idea was a separate fabricated tank would be manufactured and installed.  However Dennis has suggested we use the 20mm baseplate as the floor of the tank.  The contents of the tank are going to have their work cut out trying to eat their way through 20mm of steel.  Moreover, most corrosion will occur in the tank air void so it will be the upper parts of the sides and the top plate most susceptible to corrosion.

Andy and I have agreed the tank should remain 12 inches high.  This allows for the build-up of “crud” on the bottom of the tank.  Notwithstanding this I’m also looking at the design of the flush pipe to ensure the base of the tank gets well rinsed.

The tank dimensions will be approximately 6x5x1 feet giving a capacity of 186 gallons or 850 litres.  This will provide approximately 60 days storage.  But it’s unlikely we would want to fill the tank as it would probably affect the trim carrying an additional 8 tonnes of ballast.  However it’s good to know we could probably last two months should we every get stranded or frozen in.

Through the woods

It was a crisp but clear morning so I took the opportunity to go for another walk.  However I wanted to check on my two hour wonder cratch cover before departing.

Not your usual cratch cover but it will hopefully keep out most of the rain whilst Waiouru is made watertight.  Back to Ufton and on with my boots.

I headed across the fields using the public footpath.  I’m still trying to get used to the idea that it is permissible to walk across a farmer’s land!  The blue pipe in the foreground to the immediate left of the fence post caught my attention.  After examining it I came to the conclusion is is some type of monitoring borehole.

There are so many well used trails it would be hard to become geographically embarrassed.

Now the majority of the leaves have fallen it much easier to see the terrain.  I saw a pheasant and was able to follow him for about 500 yards as he ran along in front of me.  Although he paused on a number of occasions he never actually allowed me to get within “dinner” distance!

The footpath terminated on a narrow country lane and around the next corner I came upon this attractive house.

I’m still fascinated by these types of building which don’t appear to have a straight line or right-angle in them.

Brisk Morning

Well there was ice on top of the towpath puddles this morning along with frost on the moored boats

A closer look

I donned my polar-fleece jacket, Thinsulate gloves and beanie before venturing out of Ufton to look around.  The field beside the towpath looked white.

But to my surprise Kevin from nb Meand’er, (moored in front of us) was out and only wearing a T-shirt <brrrrrr>!   Behind us Paul had his wood stove in operation.

Today I set myself a target of constructing a cratch cover for Waiouru.  The target was achieved but it was too dark for a photo…… Tomorrow!

Cratch Bilge, Locker and Diesel Tank

Last night we received a Skype call from youngest son back in Australia.  His day was just starting whilst we were about to head for bed.  One of the advantages of being unemployed retired is you’re not working to a timetable.  Stay up an extra hour and you can compensate with an additional hour in bed the following morning.    

Anyway, it was great to hear from him and catch up on all the family news!

Woke this morning to find ice had formed on the inside of the upper edge of the windows on Ufton. <brrrr>   Made a mental note to purchase an absorbent cloth to use for removing all the condensation as it melts.  Paul; the boater behind us; mentioned we would be protected from the worst of the weather as Ufton is positioned (sandwiched) between two other boats. The only disadvantage I can see is the increased hazard crossing slippery, frozen steel.

Now the foredeck is constructed Dennis and I have been discussing the detail for the cratch locker and fuel tank. 

Dennis is a little camera shy

I’ve attempted to show the position of the storage lock (left) and diesel tank (right) by drawing red lines on the photo.  Both will be 430mm high which is about right for sitting on.  It also provides maximum storage.

The cratch bilge has now been fitted.  Actually we know it works because it was full of water this morning after the overnight rain.  It’s also interesting to see how quickly the surface rust is appearing on the bare steel.

The bilge pump will fit down into the small bilge sump.  On the other side of the bow we have agreed where the diesel inlet will be.

Dennis will cut an opening in the top of the gunwale at position “A” and construct a rebated circular hole for the diesel filling point.  He already has the component (“B”).  I’ve show the approximate height of the tank with the red line.  I must take some time to calculate the approximate holding capacity.

There is a “U” section drainage channel at the bottom of the bulkhead.  It drains the foredeck to the bilge.  However Dennis will blank it off where the diesel tank is and drill a hole through the bottom of the channel.  On the underneath side of the channel we will fit a drainage valve.  The intention is the drainage channel will form a very small linear diesel tank bilge and any water or other impurities should collect in it.  It will then be possible to drain them off.  The actual diesel stove outlet point will be located approximately 30mm higher on the bulkhead.

Dennis is now finishing installing the extensions to the forward bulkhead panels before fabricating a raised lip across the door opening.  This is to prevent any water from entering the boat.  He will then construct the locker and fuel tank before making a start on the blackwater tank.

Out with the Timber Capping

There was a knock on the back of Ufton this afternoon announcing visitors.  I opened the rear doors to see James, Doug and Oscar from nb Chance.  We last saw them back in June when we were in the early stages of attempting to recover Waiouru.  They were passing through the general area and decided to call in and say hello.  It was good to see more friendly faces!

In the morning I set myself the task of removing all the timber capping fixed to the top of the baseplate cross members of Waiouru.  They had to go because the timber wasn’t tantalised and would rot.  The timber had been screwed and semi-glued into place.  Despite this the task wasn’t that difficult and I completed it in three hours.

The new timber capping will only be 1 inch thick compared with the original 2 inch.  This will give us an extra inch of headroom inside Waiouru; and of course the new timber will be tantalised.

Foredeck almost installed

Dennis has now completed the inspection hatch in the new foredeck with the screw holes being drilled and the hatch cover and the threads being taped in the deck.  He has also done the same with the bow thruster access hatch.

 The deck is currently only tack welded in place whilst Dennis levels it. The red arrow in the upper left is pointing at the bilge sump which will eventually be inside the storage locker (A).  The stove diesel storage tank will go on top of the deck at "B".  Dennis has already fabricated the steel sections which will extend the forward bulkhead.  

The horizontal section of "L" section steel (upper right arrow) has only been tack welded in place.  It's a temporary bracing strut designed to pull the bulkhead wall into alignment when Dennis welds in the extensions.  

The lowered foredeck will mean there will be only one step down into the forward cabin and there should be plenty of headroom inside the cratch.

Hopefully the LAST Problem

On either side of the ceiling of Waiouru, running the full length of the boat, are two 2½" inch wide timber ceiling battens.  Richard (the joiner) had mentioned to me that the outside batten on the ceiling left side of the boat adjacent to the wall (that is; in the corner) would need to be removed as the gap would be required to run the 12v wiring.

I decided this was a task within my destructive capabilities and so I borrowed a wrecking bar and set to the job. 

The following photo was taken after I’d removed the timber batten.  This process left in place the inside batten which will be used for roof fixing (left arrow) and you can see the channel left for the wiring by removing the 2nd batten (right arrow).

Now the batten has been removed you can also see there is NO INSULATION underneath the batten.

The spray foam penetrated under the inside batten but not under the timber batten I’d removed.  If the area had been left like this the boat would have a 2½ inch wide cold seam the full length of the ceiling where we would be losing heat. 

Whilst Richard had only wanted the left batten to be removed I correctly guess a similar fault would exist on the other side of the boat.  So I’ve also removed that batten. 

When the spray foam contractor comes to rectify the thin foam below the gunwale I’ll also ask for both ceiling channels to receive an inch of foam.  This will still leave sufficient room for the wiring loom.

Cratch Progress

Dennis has almost completed the access panel to the bow thruster locker.  The holes for the countersunk retaining screws need to be drilled and the nuts welded on the inside of the hatch.  However it’s essentially complete.  The line of the unauthorised raised deck can now be clearly seen.  The original deck level can also be seen immediately below the bottom of the access panel.

In the bottom left corner of the bow thruster bulkhead is the new water inlet connection.  This will be link to the outlet connection on the bow water tank giving us a combined water storage capacity of 175 gallons.

The new (2nd) water tank under the foredeck will not be as high as the bow tank which means there would be an air lock as the outlet for the second tank will be close to the bottom of the tank.  In order to overcome this Dennis is installing a breather pipe which is going to run from the top of the 2nd tank up the inside of the front bulkhead.

You can see the bottom of the breather pipe in the following photo.  My job was to remove the spray foam to provide room for the pipe which will eventually be hidden behind the timber lining.

It will then terminate with a one-way valve just under the roof,

At this stage the pipe is only temporarily in place whilst everything is measured to ensure it fits.  Andy and Dennis are going to install a similar pipe on the opposite side of the boat as a breather pipe for the diesel tank in the forward left locker.

Almost Ready for the New Deck

It’s now possible to see the design of the new foredeck.  Dennis has welded a piece of heavy gauge “U” section steel across the boat.  The top of the section of channel is at the height of the new deck plate.  The “U” section also forms the structural beam for the base of the front bulkheads and door opening.

Top view

The lower bulkhead wall has been bought forward by approximately 200mm.  This will provide a small compartment forward of the main cabin which will be used for the water pump and bilge pump.  The foredeck is below the waterline so we will require a bilge pump to dispose any water entering the cratch area.  Dennis will fabricate a small sump in the area to the immediate lower left of the word “Drain” in the photo above.

We are also having a second water tank which is going to be located under the foredeck.  The combined capacity of the two tanks will be approximately 175 gallons.

The raised deck plate installed by Ben Harp is convex in shape to create a self draining area.  As our deck will not be self draining the new plate will be flat.

Darren and Mark assisting Dennis to removed the old deck plate from Waiouru

The section of deck plate being remove will be used as a template to size the new section of steel Dennis has setup on the trestles.

By tomorrow the new deck should be cut to size and Dennis will have commenced work on the bilge sump and extension to the original forward bulkhead.  After that the new diesel tank and storage locker will be fabricated.

Bow Thruster Locker Almost Finished

Dennis has the bow thruster locker 95% complete.

The weed hatch has been fabricated and welded into place.  The top plate will be secured with 6 bolts. “C” section steel has been welded around the exterior outline of the new bulkhead hatch cover.  All Dennis now needs to do is drill the boltholes and weld the nuts to the inside of the bulkhead and the job is complete.

No hole has been made for the actual bow thruster which will be located to the right of the weed hatch as I’ve yet to determine if we will have sufficient funds to install one.

He will then make a start on the new bulkhead between the foredeck and the main cabin along with the lowered foredeck, inspection hatch and lockers.

More on the missing portholes

You may recall a couple of days ago I discovered the two missing porthole openings in the back cabin that had been filled in as part of Ben Harp’s efforts to disguise the boat.  This morning I decided to remove all the spray foam from the inside of these two portholes.

To my surprise I discovered a circular piece of steel plate hadn’t been welded into each hole.  Instead there was a lip around the hole.

That’s when I realised a whole new section of plate steel has been overlayed into the recessed panel on the exterior of the boat.  There’s a 2mm gap between the two sheets and faint traces of the exterior red paint can be seen.

So the question now is; did Ben Harp weld these two sheets into the recess of the exterior panel?  He’s a poor welder, and was in a hurry, so my guess is the additional sheet steel has been glued onto the exterior of the boat.  The edges have then been filled and the entire area given a coat (or two) of paint.

I will know for certain when Waiouru is grit blasted in a couple of weeks.  If; as I suspect; the sheets are glued, then we will have to work out a way of removing them without damaging or deforming the original underlying steel plate.

Bow Thruster Locker

Andy and Dennis came up with a modification to the bow thruster locker which will improve access.

But first; Carol on nb Rock ’n’ Roll has asked on her blog whether readers can see more than one post.  I’ve looked and can only see her latest post.  Unfortunately her blog won’t accept my comment.

Carol, I can see all your recent posts if I navigate to your blog via the link on my blog list.  However I only see your latest post if I navigate to your blog via Google Reader.  Neither option allows me to leave a comment on your blog………  I’m using Windoze 7 but I don’t think the operating system is the problem.  Hope this assists!

Back to the bow thruster locker.

The existing bow thruster locker was quite deep and the hatch is not all that wide making it quite restrictive if you attempted to reach the bottom of the locker.  Particularly if you’re in my physical condition!  What we need is a grandson.

Dennis has cut the front out of the locker almost down to the new deck level.  He will weld some flat steel strips inside the locker which will allow the removed section of panel to be fitted as an access panel.  This will make it easier to work on the bow thruster or get into the weed hatch should something seriously foul the impeller.

The location of the weed hatch and bow thruster have been marked out by Dennis ready to be cut out.