Not as expected!

The day seems to ‘drag’ whilst we waited for the crane.  Around noon there was a delivery which turned out to be the bow and stern fenders we had ordered from Outdoor Xscape.  We seized the opportunity to fit the fenders whilst nothing was happening.

Our first attempt at fitting a stern fender

Then the bow fender
All the chains will eventually be covered with a protective sleeve and a couple of the chains require either a sacrificial link (thinner shackle) or two of the links to be joined with a cable tie.  The purpose of the sacrificial link is the be a ‘weak point’ that will fail should the fender get caught on a obstacle such as a lock gate.
No doubt some readers might be expecting to see great photos of Waiouru being craned into the canal.  For some reason we always have to do things the hard way!  Waiouru has gone into the cut but it was a night launch.  We certainly didn’t plan for the big event to occur in the dark!
The crane arrived at 3.30PM but it was immediately apparent this particular crane was smaller than the one that usually does the lifts.  Its maximum rated capacity was 60 tonnes instead of the usual 80.  To compound the issue Waiouru is heavier than the usual lift with its estimated deadweight being around 20 tonnes.  The crane operator consulted his lifting tables and decided it was unlikely he could complete the lift whilst Waiouru was in its current position.  Moreover there wasn’t much room to get the crane any closer.

Mobile phones came out and calls started to be made.  Meanwhile the clock was ticking and the sun was going down!  It appeared neither of the two boatyard staff were qualified “Banksmen” (Groundsman, Rigger, Slinger, Dogman) which would make them competent to give instructions to the crane operator.  Eventually the crane was moved slightly closer to Waiouru and the running gear on the jib was re-rigged for a heavier load.  Then the jib, chains and slings were positioned over Waiouru.

Darren positions the chains directly above Waiouru’s centreline

Slings and chains now in position
Both the crane operator and Darren remained uncomfortable about attempting the lift. <more mobile calls>.  Darren wisely decided he didn’t want to authorise the lift and phoned Andy who was at home.  Andy decided to come and supervise the lift.
By the time Andy arrived it was after 6.00PM and the sun had set.

As the crane operator took the strain an alert buzzer started sounding in the cab <heart-stopping>.  Waiouru was lowered and the slings adjusted to evenly balance her.  She was then very slowly and carefully lifted before the operator bought the boom in.

She was then turned 90­° before the boom was slowly moved clockwise.

90° turn

Swinging around to the canal stern first

She was then slowly lowered into the water and checked for trim.

Waiouru has a list (lean) to the starboard side.  This is the only side of the boat that has ballast.  Once it was confirmed she was going to float Andy and Mark pulled her backwards clear of the crane slings and moored her.
Whilst Andy, Darren and Mark went to do the second lift (next boat into the paint shed slot) I dived down the bow thruster locker and engine bay to check for leaks (she is currently dry). 
Meanwhile poor Jan was half frozen and still trying to slow down her heart rate after the night lift with a lighter than usual crane. 
Sorry Snorre….. There was no opportunity to open that bottle of champagne you, Trine, Viggo & Isabel so kindly gave us for the big day back here on the 17th of August.  We will open it tomorrow and drink to your health!   We will also take some photos!
It’s going to be interesting trying to sleep in the cross-over bed tonight with such a significant list.  We may both wake-up in the morning at the foot of the bed!
The one good thing was Jan’s decision to start cooking dinner in the slow cooker this morning.  After the nervous launch, excitement and cold, it was great to immediately go on board and be able to eat a hot casserole.
This wasn’t how we anticipated launch day would happen and would rather have avoided the additional stress of the 60t crane and night launch.  But Waiouru is finally in the water!!!!!

Covers off!

Compared with yesterday the temperature this morning was quite mild.  However a breeze came up after lunch which made me realise the trees were dropping leaves.  The green foliage has changed to brown and gold.
Darren started removing the tent tie-down ropes and steel pegs around 9.00AM and by 10.00 enough of the staff had been coerced to move the three tent sections and pack them away ready for the next boat.
Somehow this seemed to excite Nick.

Some natural light on the stern has revealed the red panels and sign-writing look very good.

After assisting with the removal of the tent my next task was to fit the chrome vents to the bow water and diesel tanks.  Without the breather pipes to the tanks we would possibility (probably for the water tank) suffer an airlock.

Then Andy supplied a headlamp and horn which I fitted after lunch.

We didn’t provide any headlamp and horn details in the contract specifications and have therefore accepted what we have been given.  However we will probably change the devices at a later date (when our finances are in better shape).  Once they were fitted I checked they actually worked. <tick!>
Darren requested a photo of Waiouru at night showing the cratch and navigation lights.

Late this afternoon we were informed the crane would arrive after lunch tomorrow to move Waiouru into the cut.  Another milestone!

Almost there with the central heating

We woke to find the temperature was 1°C with frost in the shadows and mist over the canal.  Then we noticed the small amount of condensation on the front door vents and the Houdini frames <eek>!  Time to find the dehumidifier.  Actually it was a very small amount of condensation.

Rising just after dawn enabled me to head off early for the usual Sunday morning walk.  Only 12 miles but an interesting mix of nature reserve and woodland.  A small deer was standing in a glade and obviously heard me coming as it’s head was up and looking in my general direction.  The walk took me through a number of the small local villages and I noticed parents were taking their children to the local sports fields. 

Meanwhile Nick had made a start on the central heating.  He finished the installation of the small radiator under the workstation

and then went on to make and fit the pipe radiator for the rear cabin wardrobe.

Whilst he was doing that Jan stripped the bedding and removed the mattress sections from our bed.  This gave Nick access underneath the bed for the pipe radiators he planned to make.

There will be two pipe radiators in the large cavity at the head of the bed.  One will be horizontal to the floor (as above) and the second will be vertically mounted on the wall.  Another radiator has been fitted in the void between the drawers.

Whilst Nick was soldering the joints in the copper piping, I made a template and used it to drill a matrix of 10mm holes in the internal partitions under the bed.

These holes will allow the warm air to circulate before escaping through either the chrome vents in the side of the bed or up into the mattress.

The large void at the head of the bed will be used for the long term storage of our summer or winter clothing.  Hopefully the warm air will prevent them going mouldy.

One of the bedhead radiators

Pipe radiator between the drawers

Nick was unable to complete the central heating today but is hoping he can finish tomorrow. 

The forecast is for more low temperatures tonight so it will be interesting to see how much condensation there is in Waiouru tomorrow morning.  The tent is scheduled to be removed off Waiouru tomorrow which means we should be able to test the Refleks diesel stove tomorrow night.

12v Sockets

The day started with the last of the ventilation grills fitted to the forward cupboard under the spare bed.  Then it was time to head to the workshop to borrow a hole drill bit from Richard so I could cut a circular hole in three of the ‘playbus’ blank plates for the 12v power sockets which had arrived yesterday.  Once the holes were cut it was possible to fit the 12v cigarette sockets into the plate.  Then the wires had to have female spade terminals connected to each end before the modular socket was reassembled.
The 12v and 240v sockets at the workstation were working and I plugged the mobile phone into the 12v socket.  It makes more sense to recharge the phone directly from the 12v supply rather than convert 12v to 240 and then back to 12v through the charger.

It might be hard to see the LED on the mobile phone charger so here is a close up.

The second modular socket is in the bedroom.

This time the socket wasn’t live.  No 12v????  For 30 minutes I was ‘stumped’!  First I pulled the socket apart and tested it with the multi-meter.  No 12v!  Then I traced the wiring back to the Empirbus node.  No 12v!  Perhaps the multi-meter was faulty?  After testing it on a 12v battery in the workshop it proved to be functioning.  <Duh!!!!!……>  Then I realised it was possible that the power supply wasn’t configured in the Empirbus system to activate on start-up.  After plugging the laptop into the system I was able to confirm my suspicion. Two keystrokes and the problem was rectified.  The plug worked after the system was updated.
The 3rd socket is located at the rear of the back cabin and hasn’t yet been installed.
The nights are getting colder and we don’t have a rear sliding hatch cover.  However Richard did make and glue the oak liner to it yesterday so I asked Darren if he would help lift it onto the back of Waiouru and assist me fit it.  The hatch cover was already heavy but it’s even heavier now it’s lined.  I struggled to lift it above my waist but Darren rescued me by reaching down from the rear deck and grabbing it.  Fitting the hatch had an immediate impact on warmth inside Waiouru.  We don’t have a working central heating system and the Refleks diesel stove can’t be started whilst we are inside the paint tent.  However, despite this, Waiouru is still quite warm.  It will be interesting to see how efficient the insulation is once the tent is taken off!
The last task for the day was to make two busbars from part of the brass strip left over after fitting the rear sliding hatch.

I had noticed the pos & neg terminals on the domestic battery bank have so many cables connected to them that access to the electrolyte caps are obscured.  Whilst attempting to check the level of the electrolyte I accidentally detached one of the lesser cables.
The main cables (alternator & inverter) will still connect directly to the terminals.  However the lesser cables will be replaced by a busbar which will be positioned horizontally.  All the secondary cables will connect to the busbar.  This will remove them from the immediate proximity of the battery terminal thereby eliminating the congestion.  Well that’s the plan!
Tomorrow should see Nick working on the last of the central heating system and (perhaps) the testing of the Hurricane heater.

Launch Date

Andy informed us late today he plans to crane Waiouru into the water next Tuesday (16th).  The paint tent will now be taken off Monday afternoon which means Nick will not be fitting the engine on Sunday.  Instead, he will finish the central heating and defer installation of the engine until Waiouru is in the water.

So what happened today?  Well Richard fitted the lining into the rear sliding hatch and also re-installed the lining to one of the side hatch doors after he decided to was 2mm out of alignment.  It was hire boat turn around day so the rest of the staff were too busy to work on Waiouru.  Jan and I focussed on completing the ventilation and condensation management actions.

The first task was to remove the tops off all the roof mushroom vents.  Then masking tape was stuck around the top edge of the cylindrical chrome liner which joins the mushroom vent to the timber ceiling lining.  My concern was the diameter of the vents is greater than the chrome liner.  This has the potential to allow any condensation that forms on the inside wall of the mushroom vent to drip into the ceiling cavity.  Eventually it might rot or stain the ceiling panels.

Taking the top off the mushroom vents gave me access to the gap between the vent and the chrome liner.  Construction adhesive was squirted into this gap with a caulking gun and then roughly smeared with my index finger.  The tape was then removed.

View from inside the boat looking up into the chrome liner and mushroom vent

All the surplus adhesive will be cut off with my Leatherman multi-tool once it has hardened.  Any condensation that now forms in the liner or on the inside of the mushroom vent should now drip onto the floor in the boat rather than being trapped in the ceiling cavity.

The second of today’s ventilation jobs was to fit the louvered vent plates to the cupboards, wardrobes and bed.  Oh, and the front doors.

The central heating and ventilation are now combined with the central heating running at low level down both sides of Waiouru.  There are radiators in the wardrobes, lockers and under the bed with high level vents to allow the heat to escape.  It’s taken a considerable amount of effort thus far and we hope it works! <of course it will>

Thinking that Nick would be installing the engine on Sunday I dived down into the engine compartment immediately after lunch and gave the lower portion another coat of bilge paint.  This will be the last opportunity to get easy access to the area.

Halfway through writing this an email arrived from our blog domain name provider.  The message from GoDaddy informed us we had 12 days to renew the domain or it would be cancelled.  We had taken the initial subscription whilst in Australia and used an Australian account to pay.  The GoDaddy website proved somewhat problematic when attempting to change the account details to our UK bank and address.  Eventually I reached the payment screen and was then given the option to pay using PayPal rather than our UK account.  If I’d realised there was going to be a PayPal option I wouldn’t have gone to all the effort to change the band and address details.  One thing I noticed was paying from the UK was more expensive as we were charged VAT whereas in Australia no GST (VAT) was charged.  Live and Learn! 

The last task was to fix the HDMI connection between the Network Media Tank (NMT) and the 32” TV.  When the NMT is turned on the ‘splash’ screen appeared on the TV but the screen then went blank.  The connection was tested with another cable and the system worked.  My initial conclusion was there was a fault in the ‘built-in’ HDMI cable.  But then I realised if that was the case then the ‘splash’ screen wouldn’t appear.  Then I remembered the original HDMI cable which had been run through the ceiling and wall cavities was  HDMI 1.4 compatible whereas the temporary cable was HDMI 1.3.  Perhaps the NMT wasn’t compatible with HDMI 1.4.  In then end this didn’t seem right and eventually the problem was solved by changing the NMT HDMI settings from ‘Auto’ to 1080 60Hz.  The NMT is now broadcasting a signal to both TV’s and receiving a DTV signal from the terrestrial aerial at the bow.  So the media system is now fully functional.

At Last!

The Hempel blacking arrived first thing this morning so whilst Jan prepared to go shopping in Newbury to replenish our depleted stocks of fruit & veg I got into my boilersuit and prepared to apply the final coat.  Or is this going to be like the spray foam?

To my surprise the top coat of black was much thinner than the previous coats and went on rather easily.  The biggest problem was visibility.  It was a very overcast day which made painting black on black rather difficult.  Hopefully the entire area was covered.  There was only just enough blacking remaining for Darren to paint around the tunnel bands.  But it is now done!

Nick had previously run the wiring for the rear navigation light so Darren decided this would be his next task.  We discussed the proposed location of the light on the port side as this is where the wiring was situated.  The problem was the light fitting would foul the rear door unless it was positioned almost at deck level (left arrow below).  This isn’t a satisfactory position because it’s the ideal location to place your foot when boarding or alighting.

Then I realised the port door had the vertical weather strip on it (right arrow) which made it wider than the starboard door.  If we moved the light to the starboard side there would probably be more room!  The wires would need to be extended but that’s not an onerous task.

My logic was correct and the navigation light fitted much better on the starboard side.  Once it was wired Darren tested it was working.

Nick had an idea.  Waiouru has a deck light inside the cockpit.  Why not configure the Empirbus system to turn on the rear navigation light when the cockpit deck light is turned on.  It was actually rather easy to reconfigure the Empirbus system to make this happen.  So now we have a deck light on the rear deck and in the cockpit.  The next logical step is to configure the system so both lights can be turned on using the remote key fob.  We’ll be able to walk to Waiouru in the dark and press the remote to illuminate the rear deck and disable the alarm

Darren also changed over the coloured glass in the bow navigation lights so Waiouru now has the correct red and green.  He then went on to fit the side steps to the cabin walls.

Because we are having chrome rather than brass the machine screws were stainless steel.  Darren used the standard technique of drilling and then threading the holes before squirting a small amount of construction adhesive into the threaded hole to act as a seal.  The folding side steps were then fixed on either side of Waiouru.

After the side steps had been fitted he went on to fit the ‘Fairleads’ for the centrelines.

The same technique was used but this time the machine screws were 4mm instead of the 5mm used on the side steps.

Darren then took a 12ft boat pole and 8ft boat hook from the chandlery so we could experiment where to locate the pole and plank rack on Waiouru’s roof.  Nothing seemed to fit! 

(blurred photo!)

The only location which was almost suitable was immediately in front of the satellite dome on the starboard (right) side.  However I wasn’t happy with the location as we plan to have a wider than normal plank and it would foul the area planned for the solar panels.

I then had a radical rethink.  We don’t actually need the three items to be co-located.  Actually it’s possible to purchase single pole holders.  The solution is to position the 12ft ash pole towards the bow and the 8ft boat hook at the stern on separate (single holders).  The plank will actually be two sections of a folding aluminium ladder and will go on the centreline of the roof immediately in front of the mobile phone aerial.

Whilst all of this was occurring Nick had made the second bow pipe radiator and fitted it into the port wardrobe.  He also fitted a small radiator under the workstation desk in the back cabin.  Meanwhile Richard had measured and started making the cratch board from ¾” marine plywood.  Whilst I found a spare 20 minutes to glue oak plugs into the porthole lining screw holes.

Andy informed us the tent will come off Waiouru on Saturday so we need to get her weatherproof before that occurs! 

Hatches & Portholes

The porthole liners were fitted today. However Richard had to first complete the process of cutting the rebate out of the back edge for the porthole latch.  As each one was rebated I gave it a good coat of ‘Impreg’ to improve its resistance to water.  Richard has also cut the liners so there is a 1-2mm gap between the liner sand the aluminium porthole frame.  He informed me he has done this on the boat before ours and it appears to prevent the condensation which forms on the aluminium from staining the oak.  We have an option.  Either we can leave the gap and allow any condensation to possibly migrate down the wall to the bilge or we can fill the gap with a bead of silicon.  We haven’t decided on which of the options to adopt.

Toilet porthole

All the screw holes will be plugged and sanded before the porthole liner gets two coats of varnish.

We immediately the visual impact of the liners.  No longer are there raw edges to each of the eleven portholes.

Richard then went on to fit the oak liners to exterior doors of the second side hatch.

All the steel will disappear after he has fitted the internal oak frame and the two glazed internal doors. We then removed the sliding rear hatch so Richard could make and fit the oak lining.

OK….. The blacking didn’t arrive at the yard today (again!) so we have been unable to finish Waiouru below the gunwale line.  This last coat protects against ultra violet light.  If it isn’t applied then the two pack epoxy blacking will probably fade grey or brown.

After lunch I caught the local bus to Newbury where I visited B&Q (Bunnings for Aussies and Placemakers for Kiwis).  The plan was to purchase some galvanised shackles for the bow and stern fenders along with a few lengths of foam pipe insulation.  The latter will be cable tied to the fender chains to protect the paintwork.  Meanwhile Jan baked chocolate cake in the microwave.  This is a favourite as after a few days it gets slightly chewy in the middle and crunchie on the outside making it even more delicious!

Towards the end of the day a couple (Mike and Anna) poked their heads through the doorway into the paint tent to look at Waiouru and after a brief chat we discovered they were from New Zealand.  Like us; they are early retirees.  However they are backpacking around the world.  They spent last year travelling through Asia and this year it has been western Europe.  They happened to be in the area an wanted to see what a canal lock looked like!

“Ouch!!!!”

Darren filled the three diesel tanks on Waiouru for the first time today and did the bank account scream in pain!

This was the moment we discovered to capacity of each tank.  First the bow tank for the Refleks diesel stove was filled.  It took 185 litres and the capacity gave us quite a shock as we had guessed it would be approximately 60 litres.  Then the “cheek” tank at the stern for the Hurricane central heater was filled.  This time the tank was smaller at 91 litres.  Finally the engine tank was filled and took 290 litres.  Hopefully we will never again have to simultaneously fill three empty tanks!

He then went on to complete some painting.  All the anchor points received their first red topcoat and then he masked up the black decking at the stern for non slip paint.

The area has been masked with tape to make three narrow strips of non slip paint.  Darren went on to do more ‘touch-up’ painting and then fitted the two front navigation lights.  Unfortunately the Red and Green lights weren’t in stock so he has temporarily fitted white lights.  It’s only a matter of replacing the glass when the Red & Green fitting arrive.

The six side fenders I’d purchased for £33 arrived today.  The yellow cordage looks out of place; but then we’re not complaining at the price.  Actually the fenders look rather well constructed and the rope can be replaced at a later date.

Meanwhile Richard started to fit the oak liner to the inside of the side hatch doors.

They are glued on and with five clamps required for each door he only had enough clamps to do one side of Waiouru.  The other side will be done tomorrow.  Once the liners were clamped in place Richard decided to make a start on the porthole liners.  The first task was to measure the distance (thickness) between the wall lining and the porthole.  This had to be done for each liner as the measurements varied.

Then Richard made a jig for the bench saw so the liners could be cut to the correct depth.

Each porthole liner was rotated through the saw blade thereby ensuring it had a uniform depth.  The liner was then checked against the porthole opening and any final trimming was done with a small hand plane.  Richard is now cutting a small rebate into the edge of each porthole liner so the window latch will fit.

The blacking wasn’t delivered today which has delayed the plan to apply the last coat of two pack.  Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow.  Nick is also back tomorrow and will probably continue fitting the central heating system.

No Blacking Today!

The two pack blacking didn’t arrive and when Andy phoned the supplier he was told it was waiting on a pallet at their premises for collection.  Obviously a mis-communication as Andy was expecting it to be delivered.  Andy informed me the paint should now arrived before 9:00am tomorrow which will enable us to spend the entire day giving the hull a thorough final coat.

Jan had a delivery.  It was the carpet samples she had requested online.  After looking at them and decided on the sample she wants on the floor of Waiouru Jan decided not to throw the samples in the rubbish but use them to line the base of the bed footlocker.

One side already done!

Jan had found a very good source for deck matting which we want on the rear deck.  Our criteria was for non-slip with the matting raised off the deck so it can drain.  She chose a grey coloured mat to go with the colour of the deck.  Today I clipped the squares together, measure the area, and then cut the matting to fit the deck.

The mat is ‘DriDek’ and appears to be a suitable product.  There were some off-cuts which I’ve kept because; like Jan’s carpet samples; I don’t want to waste anything.  Did you notice the plastic bag in the top left centre of the above photo?  It’s the new stern rope which also arrived today.  We ordered four 10 metres ropes from eBay.  They came with a spliced loop at one end.  So we now have bow, stern and two centrelines

I’m thinking these off-cuts will go on the floor of the gas locker which will lift the bottles off the steel and hopefully reduce the potential for rust.

Yet another delivery arrived.  This time it was for the roof.

The Roadpro 30cm static sat-dome fits exactly on the steel mountings that were made and fitted by our shell builder (Tyler-Wilson).  I suppose this should have been expected as we had seen a photo of Ben Harp with our previous dome checking it fitted on the roof.  Ben told the police the dome had been stolen by persons unknown (along with our domestic battery bank, Empirbus system and cameras).  The dome has been screwed to the steel mounting and the tail of the coaxial cable I had run was exactly the right length to connect to the dome <phew>.  The cable entry box is under the centre of the dome and has been glued and sealed in place.  The next step will probably be to drill another hole (or two) through one of the mountings so the sat-dome can be padlocked to the boat.

The coaxial cable inside the boat was even shorter than the end on the roof.  In order to connect it to the dome controller I had to mount the controller upside down in the media cabinet.

Controller – left arrow.

The advantage of the Roadpro sat-dome is it doesn’t require any power once the satellite has been acquired.  Having installed the controller I decided to get the TV out of storage and fit on the extending arm.  The TV swings back into the cabinet (right arrow) when not in use.  It also has dual FreeView – FreeSat tuners.  The TV is now tuned and using both FreeView and FreeSat.  I was quite surprised that the sat-dome would work inside the tent!  The only outstanding part of the media system to be tested is the HDMI connections to the Network Media Tank.

So it’s blacking tomorrow!