Getting Better

Well I seem to be slipping into a routine now....dirty weeks and clean weekends ha ha
This week I have been taking advantage of the damp weather and sanding the old, dark and dirty varnish off the remaining woodwork, above the gunnels and the roof.....goggles and facemask essential....just wish they wouldnt steam up so quickly, the goggles that is....anyway I have done about 1/3 but have had to vary the jobs so that I don't knacker the same muscles up.....so I am also tackling the back step where one of the batteries will be, and the bottom step will be for cooking stuff, pans etc. This needed de-rusting and is now ready for a coat of Hammerite.......but the remaining woodwork will need to be done before any more paint can happen. It was hard doing the roof but well worth the effort....all finished by hand eh!
And here is another effort with interior pics.....

Picture collage made with Smilebox

Playing with the pics ....a few befores

Still trying to get some kind of grouping for pictures......

Free picture collage generated with Smilebox

but there must be another way.....any hints ????

A few for the archive

She has now got a coat of red oxide paint top to bottom........next dry spell will see a testing out of the filler....
(click on the pics to enlarge)

Scraping off the old paint revealed that she was previously green with red roof and yellow lining, then blue, red and white when we bought her in 1988 ......Her twin, Wild Musk, last seen at Halesowens Hawn basin, lived on by their builder Roy Chater until he sadly died last year.....anyway Wild Musk was still green and yellow, but I prefer the blue, red and white. Might go for Oxford Blue considering I was born in Oxford, a good choice I think....we shall see....

Many more pics to follow

First drawings

Just attempting to get all the basic measurements on to one page. This was to scale (well sort of ) on A4, but on rotation it has squeezed up a little so looks shorter and the back & front decks are very much out of scale, but its good enough for starters.

Have been sitting inside contemplating where all the water pipes, electric cables and things that must be sorted before anything else happens. There is a route from front to back through the base struts to take the cold water from the storage tank (under the front deck) to where it will be stored and heated (in a calorifier by the steps next to the back deck). The calorifier also has to be accessed from the gas heat exchanger which will be fitted to the engine exhaust pipe. This heat exchanger will provide hot water and also be piped round the interior for all round heating and a couple of radiators whilst cruising. Good space for the pump will be under the front steps

Top diagram shows the kitchen space at the back, toilet compartment in the middle and the front half is devoted to all living and sleeping....she is only 35ft long in total and with 7ft each front and rear decks, leaves approximately 21ft of interior to play with .... 10 years of cosyness but how did we manage ?.....ah yes, on the bank at the moorings, Jim built a shed and a splendid shower/washing machine and toilet room, all still used by the present day residents. I will have a mooring there when Wildrose is back in the water, but it could be some considerable time ha ha... but with only 21' x 6'6" of space, its going to be interesting to see how it comes together. Always remember ... measure twice, cut once ....its Jim's Law ha ha.... but there's still a lot of dirty work yet before any refitting.

Cracking on

After considerable investigation, no one knows anything about the hole !!! however all agree that a nut and bolt welded in place will do the trick...........


The interior is almost ready for a Waxoil treatment, painted Hammerite Red on the base where the stove is going. pulled out the wooden cladding round the sides below the gunnels and removed the old insulation...thank goodness for face masks from Screwfix..

The sides are good with the original bitumen, so soon after the Waxoil, the balast and floor can go in....gosh...a couple of hours a day eh!!!

I have to say that its great to have turned the corner from dissassembling to renewing....a sort of theraputic milestone I suppose




So, taking advantage of some sunshine I have got cracking on the exterior again...not so much rust on the outside now, just lots of loose paint to scrape away ......



Found a small leak on this window at the hinge where it opens just by the top of the ladder.




But she's looking good eh!