wide beam 'Daedalus'

[ChrisPy]

I managed to get in some good quality time on the boat during my recent leave from work in Turkey. Some new pictures posted in the gallery.

 

- fitted the cast-iron collar for the stove flue. as discussed on other threads, the standard sloping collar had an inadequate slope angle. I made up a piece of curved flat steel bar to fit under the perimeter of the collar on the outer edge, trimmed it down with the angle grinder and welded this to the roof. Then the collar was placed, now it fits neatly. The hole around the collar including the void in the ceiling was filled with polyurethane foam (which I have inadvertantly demonstrated does not suffer from direct strong heat when I was making up soldered pipe joints in contact with the hull insulation). The stove flue pipe was installed loosely. An overflow vent from the back boiler piping was installed using chrome 15mm pipe running up alongside the flue.

 

- refreshed the rust converter in a few places where it had not achieved the necessary film thickness. Achieved a convincing shiny black everywhere. Went over the topsides and cabin with a random rotary sander, then applied one coat of Leyland's industrial undercoat. I was surprised how quickly I could cover a cabin side with a narrow foam roller - about 1hour. I had been dreading painting as a tedious job, but actually found it quite therapeutic, especially as a mental relaxation from measuring and fitting panels in awkward places. I plan to rub down again with the orbital sander and put on another coat, then straight on with the gloss. I have already received the adhesive vinyl coach lines and fancy nameboard lettering from SAC - very efficient and reliable service. I found them on the internet.

 

- fitted end panels and 38mm solid oak worktops (bought from IKEA) to the top of the cabinets in the saloon and to the stove surround. The worktops are very heavy and impressive. Not cheap, but worth the extra. They are made up of small blocks of oak with fancy zig-zag joints, to ensure dimensional stability (no warping). The only problem is that they are a bu**er to cut with a jigsaw because the joints seem to be bonded with a black rubberised adhesive that gums up the blade.

 

- installed the fridge. This is a free-standing 230V Whirpool fridge with freezer box from Curry's, with the top trim removed so it fits neatly inside a standard 600mm base unit, allowing the standard cabinet door to be used. I may link the cabinet door with the fridge door, but it is not really necessary, I just have to open two doors instead of one and it looks good not having an exposed fridge door.

 

- completed the piping for the towel rail through the wetroom, completed the lining of the lower walls with lino flooring material, installed the bathroom basin and shower mixer.

 

I spent some time in the library accessing the British Standards needed for RCD compliance. I was pleased to find that the library had a USB port available from the 'business reference computer'. The library told me that accordng to their BSI membership terms and conditions I could download and/or print 10% of any document. How do you download 10% of a PDF file? ......... Don't answer that. Anyway I now have a set of the most relevant parts of the necessary standards for permanent reference, and the requirements will be incorporated into the Owner's Manual.

 

 

................ and back to the Turkish Highlands for another stint working on the chain gang. It pays for the boat.

[charles123]

Chris,

 

Its coming along, must be frustrating working a way and not being able to spend the time on it that you want to.

 

Good choice of the bonded solid wood block from Ikea, they are good value and of course solid throughout you can cut them to any shape and there is no edge finish to worry about, they would be my choice if I was starting over for worktops

 

Charles

[blackrose]

Hi Chris,

 

I noticed you'd installed your bowthruster yourself. Have you got a weedhatch for it?

 

Mine was installed by LB but they didn't put a weedhatch in and it's right in the middle of the 12' tunnel. I've since been told that they should have mounted it within arms reach of one side of the tube to allow access to the prop in case it gets fouled, via a removable cover. Apparently mounting to one side doesn't affect the performance of the thruster.

 

My boat's coming out of the water in July but I don't think I can have a weedhatch fitted because there isn't enough headroom under the foredeck (unless of course the weedhatch went up to a cutout in the deck and was welded into it and then a cover was bolted on?)

 

I just wondered how you'd done yours?

 

Mike

[ChrisPy]

Hi Chris,

 

I noticed you'd installed your bowthruster yourself. Have you got a weedhatch for it?

 

Mine was installed by LB but they didn't put a weedhatch in and it's right in the middle of the 12' tunnel. I've since been told that they should have mounted it within arms reach of one side of the tube to allow access to the prop in case it gets fouled, via a removable cover. Apparently mounting to one side doesn't affect the performance of the thruster.

 

My boat's coming out of the water in July but I don't think I can have a weedhatch fitted because there isn't enough headroom under the foredeck (unless of course the weedhatch went up to a cutout in the deck and was welded into it and then a cover was bolted on?)

 

I just wondered how you'd done yours?

 

Mike

no weedhatch. I installed the thruster within a foot of one end of the tube, so I can reach in to clear weed in an emergency. I did build a steel 'cofferdam' around the thruster drive unit, so if the seal between the drive unit and the tube fails (hard to see how it could) the boat will not sink. The cofferdam nearly reaches the underside of the forward well deck. It has a removeable back plate as an access hatch to allow me to maintain and remove the unit.

[blackrose]

How difficult was the bowthruster to fit? Do you think I could change the position of mine? You've got me wrried about that seal now! I assume there's a seal on the inside of the tube meaning water pressure pushes it in and a leak cannot occur. I did ask Vetus about this and they say they've never heard of a case.

[ChrisPy]

How difficult was the bowthruster to fit? Do you think I could change the position of mine? You've got me wrried about that seal now! I assume there's a seal on the inside of the tube meaning water pressure pushes it in and a leak cannot occur. I did ask Vetus about this and they say they've never heard of a case.

 

vetus provide a template that you use to drill two bolt holes plus one larger hole for the shaft casing. the bottom unit is inserted from inside the tube with a shaped hard rubber gasket, the motor mount frame is installed and the whole lot clamped up with two Allen screws. The motor unit is then put in place.

 

there was a previous thread on this subject and the concensus seemed to be to provide secondary containment against any possible leak in the system. belt and braces, maybe, but also peace of mind.

Edited May 10, 2006 by chris polley

[ChrisPy]

I was home for ten days and got a fair bit done. Weather was really too hot for painting, but I persevered anyway. Started at 7am each day and finished before noon. Rotary sander on the undercoated cabin sides and roof, another coat of undercoat, sand again, 2 coats of deck paint on the roof (Floorkote from Paco Systems) in pale green-grey, and 2 coats of Dulux Weathershield gloss paint on the cabin sides, side decks and hull uppers. The side decks will be provided with anti-slip strips. Started applying the panel lining strips. Photo posted in the gallery.

 

Installed DC wiring in looms down the cabin (roof centre and each side) and fixed the fluorescent lights inside the pelmets on each side.

 

Installed 2 finrads and completed the central heating pipes on the right side. Continued with panel lining around the bathroom and down the right side of the cabin.

 

Didn't do as much internal work as I wanted but painting has to take priority when the weather allows, and 4 hrs spent on the cabin roof and sides in that heat was quite enough for a day. Phew!!!

 

Already planning my next trip home in August - finish the paintwork, complete the bedroom installations (all fixed to the bedroom bulkhead) including one fixed double and one pivoting double, and complete the cabinets along the right hand side of the corridor. Methodically working back towards the rear cabin bulkhead which will include the electrical panels. Hopefully my October trip will see the panels wired up and the blacking done.

 

The target is to get the heavy work done ASAP so I can take advantage of any floating berth that comes available in Bristol Marina. Being as the boat is already on the spot, all I will have to do is ask the yard to drop the boat in the 'oggin and tie it up.

[ChrisPy]

I was back home for 10 days in August and managed a fair bit of boatwork in between the showers and doctoring a 30ft high Leylandii 'hedge' in the back garden, which took resulted in about 1cu.m. of finely chopped small logs (used the mitre saw ) plus half a tonne of small branches and greenery that was taken to the tip in 4 loads in the back of the estate car.

 

Primed and painted the fore and aft deck areas, generally in black to keep it simple and neat. Looking good.

 

Completed the bedroom bulkhead which carries the fixed double bed, 4 high level cabinets, and will one day support the foldaway (pivot) bed located in the rear utility room space.

 

Made up the battery box and installed the batteries - see picture in the gallery - still to be bolted in place and a cover provided.

 

While working in the engine space I tried the bilge pump installed by Liverpool Boats. The wiring included a control wire to a switch on the engine control panel. Couldn't get it to work, so decided to disassemble the wiring and connect it directly to the battery as a temporary measure. I was horrified to find that the crimps on most of the crimped connectors had come undone or easily fell apart, all hidden behind the control panel, under flexible cable cover tubes and covered by insulating tape. The pump had to be partly dismantled - was kind of seized by rust and muck. Lesson learned - ensure pumps are run regularly (reminds me of a recent thread about draining the space under the bow thruster) and check all connectors.

 

A friend had commented that the fitting-out was all on the left side of the boat, and maybe I should check for out-of-balance loads. The heel would have been minimal, but I decided to compensate for it anyway. I removed the rearmost floor panel and transferred the broken slab ballast from the left hand side into the space on the right side of the engine. The hull bottom was prepared with bitumen adhesive and roofing felt, then the slabs were placed and set in sloppy cement-sand grout. I now have a concrete floor next to the battery position.

 

Access to the engine space had previously required me to step down onto the top of the engine. I found the solution by welding a couple of 'Metpost' bases to the rear of the bulkhead - see photo in the gallery. While I was doing all this I noticed the main alternator was badly out of line - see photo. I will take this up with Isuzu before I run the engine. It appears to be inadequately supported by a very short lower bracket, allowing it to twist under sideways load from the drive belt. It looks like the belt would wear out very quickly on the skewed pulley.

 

Next trip - planning to complete the electrical installation. I have ordered a Sterling 1500W combi inverter-charger, alternator regulator and galvanic isolator. Engine mains battery charger will be a standard automatic charger from Halfords that has been used to keep our second car topped up for 2 years with no bother.

 

Interesting aside - the proprietor of Bristol Marina has commenced the construction of a 5m wide barge for use on the French canals. It will have a 2m wide flat bottom with double chines each side. The bottom plate has been placed - a single piece of steel about 10m long and 50mm thick weighing more than 9 tonnes.

 

And so, back to work in Turkey. Now located in 5-star luxury in the Sheraton Residence in Ankara which is a distinct improvement on a construction camp in the mountains.

[ChrisPy]

Another very productive 10-day session.

 

Managed to dodge most of the raindrops and got a coat of rust protector on the hull sides and then one coat of blacking. Looking presentable at last! Then finished off the bow and stern with white and red trim.

 

Installed the centre DC overhead lighting through the saloon, and wired in the gold-finish AC sockets along the side - I was dreading all that small wiring stuff, but actually it went very well, once I got into the rythm.

 

The man from Isuzu came out the next day after I called in, and he agreed my engine battery alternator was out of line. It was fitted to the original lug on the left side of the engine. I thought the lug was badly reamed out so tahat the mounting bolt was not parallel, but he said that was impossible. He fitted a new alternator and hey presto - it lined up. Doesn't figure, but what the hell ..... now it's sorted. He also agreed that both the alternator belts were too tight and blamed badly trained factory hands who think everything should be 'nice and tight'.

 

Fitted a flexible R&D coupling, which necessitated cutting a notch out of the rudder to allow the propellor boss to slide back a couple of inches.

 

Cabled up the batteries, the main bonding lugs and the bow thruster using 60mm cable, ring terminals and a heavy duty crimp tool. It cost about £90 from VWP, but well worth while for the simple instant and very effective crimps that result. Yes, I might loan it out to anyone prepared to pay the postage (it weighs about 4kg I would guess), but only after Xmas when I will complete a few remaining cable ends.

 

Fitted 2 battery isolators; the engine one is rated 600A and is a monster (it also supplies the bow thruster). Can anyone explain to me why the 75kgf Vetus thruster is rated at 580A but is supplied with a 300A fuse? Maybe I'll find out one of these days when the fuse goes POP ! I will contact French-Marine for an explanation.

 

Commenced installation of the power panel box, with DC distribution board, AC board with RCCB and polarity light, main domestic fuse, galvanic isolator, etc. The DBs are mounted on the cabinet door with flexible cable connections behind, where the hinge is, so I can easily open the door to access the back of the boards without removing them.

 

I bought a Brother TZ-tape labelling machine from Maplin that will be put to good use to mark all the switches, fuses, etc. Remember the far-off Dymo days, when everything in the office had a label ?

 

Completed the run of 10mm gas pipe from the gas locker to the hob and secured and connected everything up at the appliance end. Wall block, Alde and regulator required to complete the gas locker installation.

 

Installed low level cabinets in the corridor.

 

High point was fitting the cupboard doors to the cabinets throughout, now it's really beginning to look like 'home' (my boat should be sponsored by IKEA ! ).

 

Some new pictures in the gallery.

[ChrisPy]

got a bit done over Christmas. was cold and dank most of the time, so no chance of any exterior work.

 

completed the pelmets that incorporate the DC wiring, and the waist side strips that incorporate the 230V wiring and socket outlets. All wired back to the panels.

 

finished the battery wiring (picture in the gallery). You can see where I chopped the battery box to make it easier to lift out the batteries when required. All completed except the aux alternator connection to the indicator lamp on the control panel, and the Sterling alternator controller. I'll fit that when I start up and check that all is working OK, using Charles Sterling's complicated instructions. It would help if someone out there could guide me about the wiring of the Prestolite 70A alternator fitted to Isuzu engines on Liverpool Boats. Any ideas?

 

95% finished the electrical cabinet and incoming mains supply. Fitted the Kipoint (ebay) 1500W inverter-charger that seems to be identical with the Sterling model. Cost £550 including shipping from Taiwan and no customs duty payable (?!). Fitted big vents on the side of the cabinet above and below the inverter to ensure good cooling. I was shocked to find that the standard mains inlet plug supplied by our local Force 4 chandlery is not intended for external use. I fitted it and then found the cap and the screw-on plug section actually collected rainwater. When I queried it with them they explained that these are intended for the caravan market, and would normally be located in a locker. No, the packaging did not say so. 'we can't get marine ones'. So I will make a neat weather cover from a 4" black drain pipe elbow. I was also disappointed with the DC panel. I had ordered a 6-way switched and fused panel, with 15 amp fuses and a common bus on the supply side. What I got was a 6-way switched panel with 3 fuseholders hanging loose, fitted into the supply wiring, paired into the supply sides of the switches. Now I have to fit a separate common bus and 6-way fusebox. Otherwise the cabinet is 100% completed.

 

trimmed the four window openings with 40x40 angle section pine. Then I got a bit ahead of myself and fitted curtain track behind the pelmets, brass retaining rods for the curtains and a neat roller blind in the kitchen that is retained on both edges so it doen't flap about over the cooker. looks neat (picture in the gallery). Reminds me - I must check an offcut of the blind material for flammability, and treat with a fireproofing spray if necessary.

 

and back to Turkey. The day I arrived the temperature in Erzurum (a major city on our pipeline route) plummeted from minus5 to minus37 degrees !!!

Edited December 30, 2006 by chris polley

[DHutch]

Ay up! Starting to look like a real boat now, all the rust gone as well...

 

Linky to photos.

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...si&img=1203

 

 

Daniel

[ChrisPy]

Ay up! Starting to look like a real boat now, all the rust gone as well...

 

Linky to photos.

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...si&img=1203

Daniel

and a happy new year to you, Dan, when it comes around.

[ChrisPy]

a very productive 2 weeks home leave in Blighty:

 

- completed the wiring of the DC and AC distribution boards (photo in the gallery). Installed DC and AC panel voltmeters, (all fitted in the hinged door of the main electrical cabinet) and made up a screwed-in-place cover to the back of the panels themselves, for safety.

- installed a small car type charger for the engine start battery only, to be used for occasional top-ups when I'm not using the engine, like now.

- received a ready-wired alternator regulator connection from Snibble, bless him, eliminating the ‘hard part’ (Sterling’s own words) of the Sterling digital alternator regulator installation. It’s a Prestolite 70A job fitted to the Isuzu.

- made up a simple battery box cover.

- fitted a cut-down 4" rain water piping elbow over the shore power inlet, looks neat and keeps the rain off.

- cleaned out and coated the water tank and gas locker with Vactan. Water tank cover fixed, now all sealed up. A job I was dreading, but once I had levered my clumsy 6ft frame through the hatch it was relatively easy to coat the entire tank using an angled long handled brush and a roller. I didn't think the Vactan would give off fumes, but I was off my food for a day after!

- ripped out the gas pipe which had one joint (where I had kinked the pipe during installation) and fed in a new piece from the locker all the way back to the galley without any damage or joints this time. Installed the wallblock, regulator and Alde bubbler in the gas locker.

- grouted the red galley tiles and the black stove surround tiles with black grout. What a mess! The grout contains a dye that gets everywhere. Anyway, it's done now, looks great, and all I have to do is clean up the stains.

- completed the engine calorifier piping in 22mm copper through the rear bulkhead and connected to the engine using short flexible hoses. The piping is isolated with a washing machine isolating valve on each leg. Installed a stand pipe (also isolated) in the engine room which rises above the level of the top of the calorifier coil. There is also an air vent valve at the highest point where the top pipe enters the calorifier. I should be able to top up the engine coolant from the stand pipe, whilst eliminating any air in the system.

- received the rolled-up vac-packed foam double mattresses from Bedworld. Light and easy to get through the doors.

- made up the swing-down second bed, pivoting on a 47mm aluminium scaffold tube set between heavy plywood side panels with 50mm holes as bearings. Works beautifully.

- installed IKEA units across the aft bulkhead for the wardrobe (a 125cm x 60cm x 60cm appliance housing with door) plus a chest of drawers under the 'helm position’ on one side of the door opening (who need steps 80cm wide?).

- made the swing-up dining table that is fixed to the end of the kitchen peninsular unit. It is made from IKEA 38mm oak worktop fixed with a piano hinge, and a heavy steel table leg slots into place in the up position. It is very sturdy – great job!

- collected the Candy Aquamatic T10 washer and fitted it under the sink. Nice neat little unit, light enough that I could lift it from the ground onto the foredeck with a little help from an interested passer-by.

- in between the rain showers I managed to get a second coat of blacking on the hull (unheard of in February!!). The paint was a bit viscous but that just helped to build up the film thickness. There were lots of boats in the marina doing the same thing.

 

............... and back to work again, to pay for it all. It's sunny and warm in Ankara (usually sub-zero with deep snow at this time of year). The reservoirs are half-empty with no snow melt to come, and water rationing is forecast for the summer (where have you heard that before ?!).

[charles123]

well done Chris, coming along nicely, like the window blind idea to stop them hanging vertically

 

Charles

[ChrisPy]

another concentrated session of home leave - got lots done:

 

- took delivery and installed sofabed (Intosofa) that looks good, nice to sit in, but I haven't tried lying on it yet, and foam matresses that self inflate once the outer wrapping is removed, and received a £99 leather swivel-recliner from Argos (ex-stock display item found on ebay) not yet opened or inspected.

- commissioned the 240V and 12V systems and the Kipoint inverter/charger. nice quiet buzz from the fan. I have 12V side and central lights and mains power sockets.

- fitted restraining bracket in the gas locker and installed the first bottle and hooked up the hob/grill unit. Found all the leaks using special bubbling gel from B&Q, then lit up and making chai. Alde bubbler is good.

- SWMBO agreed to make up the curtains and drapes that will separate the various compartments - that's ongoing.

- made up a radiator cover for the finrads fitted in the corridor near the sleeping area.

- started on the second fix plumbing - central heating circulation pump, drains, etc.

- finished the bulk of the cladding and lining work, and was able to rid myself of most of the plywood panels that were cluttering up the boat. Had a damn good clean up of tools and materials. Beginning to look half-livable now.

- installed support brackets for the calorifier pipes in the engine space. Next visit I will complete the auxiliary alternator wiring and then I'll be in a position to commission the big shiny blue thing sitting under the rear deck. I'll have to fill the fuel tank from 5gallon containers delivered by wheelbarrow. Looking forward to that - NOT !

 

in between times I repainted the garage double door and helped SWMBO to re-model the patio and the back garden. Phew ! I'm quite slim again now ....

 

please see the gallery for various pics, including the folding table that someone was interested in. PS sorry about all the red. Guess what is my favourite colour.

Edited May 4, 2007 by chris polley

[ChrisPy]

update from mid-June a bit delayed by work priorities.

 

managed to get a bit done in between the rain showers. and in between those little jobs at home which included constructing a foundation for a 40ft long garden wall and carrying the concrete blocks round the house to the end of the back garden.

on my last day the heavens really opened and the stream that runs through the back garden rose to its highest level we've ever seen in 15 years. the next door gardens were well flooded - see my gallery.

 

but back to the boat:

- half filled the fuel tank, checked the alternator connections and the usual fluids, including the cooling circuit (isolated from the calorifier to begin with). felt a bit stupid standing on the aft deck on dry land turning the starter key. turned over for 2 minutes and hey presto - fuel sucked through without the need for bleeding - vroom .... purrfect. the hospital silencer is magnificent. stand with your ear a foot from the exhaust outlet and it's almost silent. single lever control cables were already properly adjusted for throttle and gears.

- completed the hot and cold water supply piping, including the header tank for the central heating with ball-float valve and drain, relief drain and drain-off from the calorifier, and the connections to the washing machine (Candy 10T), kitchen sink, washbasin and shower (nearly). I messed up by overtigtening the shower hose connection (should have been handtight on the plastic screwed nipple, but the instructions didn't say that. I was tired and being heavy handed with the stillsons). Could I get a spare screwed nipple from the service helpline at Newteam? Of course not. The unit is 'obsolete' and they threw away all the spare parts. In the end they sent me a complete new ceramic thermostatic shower unit worth £100 plus................. unfortunately it arrived too late to fit so I couldn't leak test the piping. I just hope the h & c pipe centres match. alternatively and with a bit of luck it probably contains a suitable replacement nipple worth about 20pence

- fiddled around and managed to fit all the drains together with a confusing array of 32mm pushfit and screwed fittings. all connected up now to the Mayfair pump box. looking at the final array of copper, flexi hose and white plastic drain piping I am almost convinced that I should have taken John Orentas's advice and used hoses and jubilee clips throughout. all the plumbing is secured to the bulkhead between the galley and the wetroom, under the kitchen base units, so at least it is relatively compact.

- wired up the Shurflo water supply pump, the Mayfair drain pump, and the bilge pump. The bilge pump switch (Vetus, I suppose, although I can't find anything like it on their website) seems to have 2 modes - press for manual control pump ON, switch for auto mode. But in the central position the pump is OFF entirely. Don't like that so I'll connect the terminals so it's always ON Auto.

- lined the waist-high aft shelter with varnished hardwood WBP plywood panels secured directly with polyurethane glue. looks smart.

- assembled the swivel recliner - surprisingly comfy.

- somehow managed to repaint the roof despite the showers - finished in cream weathershield gloss replacing the unsatisfactory deck paint I had applied originally.

 

things are beginning to look finished. main jobs outstanding:

- line the front and rear doors and openings.

- fit trims to the panelling throughout. Decided to use dark hardwood trim in contrast to the rather bland oak plywood, oak IKEA cabinets and oak stripwood edging.

- finish all the internal panelling with Danish oil.

- fit flooring using cork tiles in general, with carpet tiles in the saloon.

- stick on the vinyl trimlines on the cabin sides and the pre-made name lettering (from SAC boatnames, made to order)

and finally ...........

- FIND A MOORING !

[ChrisPy]

managed to get in about 6 days work in July/August on my last trip home. first few days dodging the rain, then hot or too hot for boatfitting

 

- fitted the replacement shower valve unit. Turned on the isolating valve and tested the water system. A few leaks, eventually (hopefully all) repaired. Some airlocks remain - I will work it out when I set up the accumulators.

 

- fitted trim pieces to close off the ugly holes between the kitchen wall units and the deckhead ('ceiling' to you landlubbers).

 

- tried to commission the bow thruster. It seems the Vetus panel control is U/S, I can get the motor to turn by direct connection to the control cable, but not when connected to the fancy panel. Sent for a replacement from Frenchmarine (always very helpful people at their Norfolk branch).

 

- took a couple of sheets of 18mm ply home on the car (felt like I was driving a kite!) and prepared some bits for the boat. I have 2 large trays that fit in the engine ole to hold spares, cans, tools, etc. A place for the welding set, 9inch grinder, battery cable crimpers, and all the other bulky stuff. There is a huge amount of wasted space on the swims of a widebeam. My engine hatch is extra-sized and has a divider/support down the middle, I thought the made-up tray boxes would never fit but after removing odd bits of engine they did - just

 

- also fitted mahogany coaming to the top of the steel surround to the steering position, which will eventually be equipped with a folding roof and become a fair weather dayroom and a sheltered wheelhouse. Plus a plywood apron covering the rear of the cabin roof and the sliding rear hatch, which will form the base of the fold-down windscreen.

 

- had a good clean-up, long overdue, and laid the carpet tiles in the front saloon. at last a place more like home.

 

- not happy with the paintwork around the portholes. removed them, cleaned them and the surrounding panels up, repainted around the ports from scratch. Sanded down with the random orbital and a further coat of dark red topcoat paint on the rear half of each cabin side, and back with the portholes. Looking 100% better. Will have to do the same with the forward 'bus windows' next time around. It's very useful having smaller red panels framed with black, gives distinct boundaries when repainting smaller areas. The hand-brushed boundary between the colours is completely obscured by the one-inch coach-lining tape.

 

- coach lines applied to the rear half on each side, and the stick-on name (see my gallery). Very pleased with the result.

 

Still no berth space at Bristol Marina but I refuse to panic and will patiently keep the boat on dry land until I have some time to use it in earnest. Finishing the fitting out will keep me busy for some time yet. But I did fit front and rear fenders obtained from Trafalgar Marine, in the hope that the management may begin to take me seriously .........

 

I'm beginning to collect domestic bits and bobs for the boat, so the information in the current thread about what to take on board a liveaboard is useful.

Edited August 14, 2007 by chris polley

[Neildudman]

Thanks for the update Chris, as always an interest view of boat fit out.

[Barry]

Seconded

 

This solution to the millscale problem is interesting in that I didn't realise it WAS a problem - So what do people normally do? Paint the scale then paint again when it falls off? Or use stockpiled steel that has been allowed to season in a way similar to seasoning timber? Or what?

[John Orentas]

Hi Chris.

 

I note that you have fitted a thermostatically controlled mixer valve to your shower, I fitted one, messed around for weeks but could not get it to work properly, came to the conclusion that in spite of a fairly sophisticated water supply system the pulsing of the Sureflo pump disrupted it too much. It was not a very good quality unit but I eventually dumped it, I would be interested to know how you get on with yours.

[Lesd]

agreed, this has been one of the threads I've been tracking step by step since I joined here, great stuff.

 

 

This solution to the millscale problem is interesting in that I didn't realise it WAS a problem - So what do people normally do? Paint the scale then paint again when it falls off? Or use stockpiled steel that has been allowed to season in a way similar to seasoning timber? Or what

 

Hi Bazza, I spent a bit of time looking into this in the context of our new build. Our boat has been painted straight onto any mill scale present. We made this decision based on a judgement of cost vs probability of having a problem. Shot blasting would be ideal but is very expensive and from what I gather quite hard to organise. I've spoken to several boat builders, a painter and lots of owners and I'm yet to find anyone who has had a problem of the scale falling off and bringing chunks of paint with it (I've only spoke to a limited number obviously). Most interesting was one of Phil's pearls of wisdom where he said he has only seen a very small number of problems out of many many many boats painted (I cant find Phil's exact quote but I found it very reassuring).

 

The other alternative to think about (one I didn't discover in time to consider) is Gary's 'pickled and oiled steel plate' which seems to be a good (and cost effective middle ground). If its really needed though I'm still not so sure !

Les

[Barry]

"Pickled and oiled steel plate" would this be steel dipped in acid to remove the scale and then oiled to stop it rusting? Just a guess - if I'm right is it readily available and is it vastly more expensive since its been treated?

[Lesd]

I think your right about the acid / oil treatment. Take a look at this thread; Gary explains what the process is and what it costs and Phil also mentions seeing only 3 cases of problems in 30 years of boat painting.....interesting dilema

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...ickled&st=0

[blackrose]

I spent 2 days with wire wheels on an angle grinder to get my millscale off at the first (real) blacking. (The builder's job didn't count). It's probably the most knackered I've ever felt.

[Barry]

I think your right about the acid / oil treatment. Take a look at this thread; Gary explains what the process is and what it costs and Phil also mentions seeing only 3 cases of problems in 30 years of boat painting.....interesting dilema

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...ickled&st=0

 

Thanks for that Les - very useful