March 2015 - Maintenance

I'm Off the Southampton with the car packed to the roof.  Mostly anti-fouling gear and clothes.

Boat lifted out of the water.

Always a tense time.  Our summer home on a couple of strops.

The marina guys then power wash it, to get off the mud, slime and barnacles.  Then they went round her with a sharp tool to remove any stubborn bits.

The personnel at Shamrock Quay marina did an outstanding job taking her out of the water and cleaned her more thoroughly than anywhere we have ever been before, which made our job much easier.  The whole workforce are friendly, accommodating and professional.  Even to the point of installing plugs in the showers for hairdryers on my suggestion.  We cannot praise them highly enough.

As she was going into a cradle on the land this year, she was lowered into it and then this ‘Thunderbirds’ like contraption, moved the cradle into a space on the car park or ‘hard’ as it is known.  Having a lifting keel she normally sits on her keel and rudders, this is the first time she has been in a cradle.

Normally I can just about reach the toe rail to wash and polish etc, when she is sitting on the ground, but being in a cradle meant I had to use a ladder most of the time to clean and paint the sides of the boat.

Mick’s Maintenance Moment

The first job was to change the lifting keel anode and grease the keel raising screw.  This can only be done while the boat is out of the water and hanging in the crane slings.  The keel has to be fully lowered and the keel lifting screw removed from underneath. The anode can then be changed from the inside of the boat.

Other anodes were then changed, the one on the prop-shaft, the one on the end of the prop, and the one on the rope cutter.  All were partially eroded and in need of renewing.

Three of the skin fittings and seacocks were next to be changed.  This is not a straightforward job as the seacocks are fitted during the manufacturing process and the access for large tools is very tight.  The scary thing is that you can’t really test them until the boat is back in the water.

The new parts and tools

The old seacocks and fittings

New seacock installed

New Skin fitting

As the boat is designed to take to the ground, that is, sit on the bottom when the tide goes out, the twin rudders have rubber boots fitted to them to spread the load of the boat.  At some time during last years adventure one of them had come adrift and was lost.  Two new boots at £100 each have been purchased and this was the time to glue them on.  Plenty of glue and hopefully they will stay put.

One of the embarrassing things last year was the effect of all our luggage on the boat.  She sat lower in the water due to all the weight and, whilst not really affecting the boat, was very visible as the waterline paint (blue) was very near the waterline.  A two pronged attack was required to correct this.  The first to take home everything that we hadn’t used and didn't think we would, which reduced the weight on-board dramatically.  The second, to raise the waterline paint by one inch. These two solutions leave the boat bobbing in the water correctly.

 

AM with paintbrush.  We use rollers for the big bits, but was painting the waterline here.

The keel is cast iron coated in epoxy resin, but over time this gets scratched and knocked and small spots of rust appear.  These are treated with epoxy, primed and painted before a coat of antifoul is applied.  As the boat was in a cradle this year the underside of the keel was accessible and easy to maintain.

The rest of the boat was then antifouled using rollers and by the end we had a blue bottomed boat, and two blue painted sailors (a very messy job).

Whilst Ann-Marie cleaned the back of the boat (difficult when the boat is in the water), I polished the hull and made good a few small scratches.

The boat was then re-launched and everything checked.  No leaks, the keel went up and down, and the engine started.  We moved Fleur back to her berth and had a celebratory cup of tea, a job well done.

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Graham and Pauline visited and we went for lunch.

Visited Graham and Pauline at home.  We went to see Victor and Albert a comedy duo at the village hall and celebrated their wedding anniversary.  Pauline and I went for a successful shopping trip in Farnham.

Back to the boat via Reading.  During my working life I have visited many shopping centres as they are safe places to spend a few evening hours on my own, and the ‘Oracle’ had eluded me, so I think I have seen them all now.

Shopping trip to big Asda with the car to collect items which will be harder to obtain when we are without a car. 

Home 18th March

While we were away I managed to make 3 bears.

See www.handmadebyannmarie.blogspot.co.uk for more on bears.

Home and Mick continues his one man battle with the gutter.  I think he has won this time.

Went to Mick’s other sister’s (Jackie and Murray) with Annette and Julian to mend their 40 year old Hillman Imp.  Jolly family get together with all six of us and their 3 boys. 

The Hillman Imp had not been on the road for over 10 years and had been left in a garage all that time.  On a previous mission we had changed the clutch and clutch slave cylinder,

and the mission this weekend was to get the engine running.  Ably assisted my nephew Thomas, we found a spark, cleaned the carburettor, lots of gunge in the float chamber, and the engine burst (well limped) into life with an enormous cloud of smoke.  Much tinkering, adjusting and tweaking later the car was ready for a test up the drive.  The clutch, all the gears and the engine worked.  Unfortunately the braking system was a little below par.  New brake parts are now on order and the next chapter of this trip down memory lane is scheduled for early April.