Once in a Blue Moon

It's the last day of 2009. Progress has been made on the boat this year: The underwater fixings have been replaced on the port side and she now has been painted. Several coats of surface and filler and paint and she almost looks ready to anti-foul and launch - until you look at the starboard side which is still bare wood and old screws and...

The cabin roof has been restored and the cabin sides are almost ready for their final coats of paint. the deck is repaired and glassed ready for it's new 'teak' layer.

Today is also special because the moon will be full for the second time in the same month - this is what's known as a Blue Moon (still not sure why). As I only post on the blog once in a Blue Moon, expect the next post in about two and a half years time :-) Except my New Year's resolution is to work harder and faster on the boat and photograph and blog more often and still keep up with everything else that needs doing.

The photo shows a major milestone: the port rudder assembly being re-united with the hull. this involved digging a hole in the drive and then fiddle the heavy rudder and tube assembly into the boat. The inner support woodwork has also been replaced and of course, require minor fettling in order for the tiller to operate without hitting various screws and plates. The only slight cock-up was putting the anode fixing bolts in the wrong way round. When it stops raining, I'll go outside and re-fit them.

The drive blocks are now back in position and almost level - I don't think she noticed.

Happy New Year, and have an enjoyable and safe year on the water.



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Now playing: Billie Holiday - Under A Blue Jungle Moon

Five Years on

I received a letter through the post the other day reminding me that Mirak's Part 1 registration was due for renewal. So that's five years since she arrived here. Doesn't seem possible. but I guess the MCA are correct.

I looked around the boat the other evening - alot of half finished jobs, a lot of bits in the garage; shed; loft; workshop; lounge etc. But I think I can see the progress: Most of the woodwork repairs are complete and there's paint on the hull, and the fore-cabin roof is now finished, complete with polished handrails and ventilators fitted, so that's quite a big job. The old teak deck has been removed and the plywood subdeck repaired; glassed and is ready for the new laid decking (another big job). The Cabin sides are now in dark blue undercoat, so she's starting to the look the right colour.

However, the hull still has half the fixings to replace below the waterline, and it needs filling; sanding and painting. So still a lot to do.

Here's to the next five years? No - two more years and she'll be on the water and I promise not to rescue any more classic boats until Mirak's launched. Just need some decent weather.


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Now playing: Eva Cassidy - Who Knows Where The Time Goes

Going Dutch

Both chine rails were somewhat the worst for wear due to damage caused by travel-hoist slings. The fix - a stainless steel plate screwed over the top to protect the wood - caused rot where the water had penetrated between the steel and the chine rail

Not wanting to change the whole rail, I decided to cut out the rotten wood and place a new piece in, suitably glued and screwed. These pieces are sometimes called "Dutchmen" (because they plug a hole) or "graving pieces".

Picking up the old hole positions was achieved by taping some tracing paper over the old rail after removing the fixings. the classic brass-rubbing technique with soft pencil, located the holes fairly accurately. The tracing paper was then transferred to the new lump of wood and the holes marked through with a bradawl. The end holes were drilled first and the piece temporarily screwed in place to check alignment. At this point one or both of the end holes can be remarked if necessary.

Once satisfied, the remaining 12 holes were then marked and drilled. On fitting the new piece again, 13 out of 14 holes lined up with the originals. the odd one met up with another fixing in the chine log. It was opened out to allow the screw to find it's previous hole.

The rot was then removed using a power planer, mallet and chisel and block plane. It's worth ensuring that all the old screws and nails are located and removed before doing this, otherwise, you'll get nicks in the blades of the planer.

Once satisfied with the fit, the new piece was epoxied and screwed into place with new fixings. Slightly proud so it can be re-profiled to match the shape of the chine rail. the screws are deeply countersunk and filled with suitable filler.

Just got the other side to do now.


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Now playing: Candy Dulfer - Lily Was Here

Epoxy Easter Eggs

The South East of the UK suffered a grey and wet Easter weekend, except for the Monday when it was warm enough to apply three coats of epoxy to the cabin sides in one day which was all touch dry in time for the cover to be pulled back over in the evening.

The fore--cabin roof has also been recently painted in grey primer, and a coat or two of varnish applied to the bright-work.

Next job; flatting back the epoxy ready for blue undercoat - she'll start to look like a boat soon - and of course de-winterizing one of the working boats ready for the rally season.

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Now playing: Clannad - The Other Side

A Touch of Glass

Finally, after weeks of filling and sanding, I've managed to get half of the cabin roof glassed. And a right faff it is too! The compound curvature of the roof means that the cloth has to be pulled all over the place in order to get it to lay flat. In the end, although I cut a single piece of glass for the port side, I finished up cutting it into three bits so I could get it to fit easily around the hatch frame.

The glass is laid onto the roof dry and then resin is poured on top. A squeegee and foam roller are then used to spread the resin over the cloth. This I find gives a better finish than wetting the wood first as any dry areas can be topped up with more resin as the job progresses.

The glass is left long around the cabin edges as this helps to hold it tight against the edges and corners. It'll all gets trimmed up with a knife and sanding block once cured.

Also in the photo you can see the completed main hatch frame and in the distance you might be able to spot the bottom of the windscreen frame, glued in place.

It almost feels like progress.


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Now playing: Enya - Trains And Winter Rains

First full boat working day of the year

Even with the early frost this morning, the sunshine soon warmed up the day. It was still warm at 4pm when I was finishing up and pulling the cover back over the boat.

I've spent what seems like months on the cabin roof. It probably has been months, the old top layer of veneer stripped off, the new ply layer glued down and then sanding, sanding and more sanding. It's still not quite right - there's a few low spots to fill, but its 500% better than it was.

All the original wooden bits; the hatch frame and the bits which supported the hand rails and the windscreen base were all stripped off and have slowly been coming together in the workshop. All cleaned back and then three or four coats of epoxy with clear-coat hardener. This hardener is more resistant to Ultra Violet light and forms a good base for varnish, either 2 pack or high build single pack like Epifanes. I was warned that you can't put Epifanes single pack varnish straight onto epoxy as it won't "go off" so my usual method is 4 coats WEST 105/207 and then 4 coats of International Perfection 709 prior to 2 or 3 coats of Epifanes.

I hate two pack varnishes; they are too runny, take a lot of mixing and mucking about and the thinners smell awful so I spend all day with a full breathing mask on. The Organic Vapour filters in the mask take away the smell and remove the toxic elements of what's flying around. I daren't spray this stuff so stick with brush and pot. I must try a test piece to see what really happens to single pack varnish straight onto an epoxy base - it would be nice to dispense with the two pack layers, it would save a lot of money too.

By 3 o'clock it was still warm enough for epoxy, so I decided to go for it - the photo shows the side rails of the hatch frame glued and screwed into place. Not much to show for a days work...

Wheels within wheels

Shortly before Christmas I called round to a friend's house to collect some club paperwork. The friend in question had obviously been having a clear-out of his garage, because, sat on his front doorstep was a rather nice Stainless Steel Destroyer steering wheel.

I've been after a new wheel for the Huntsman as I felt the Mountney Ford Escort Rally wheel didn't exactly suit. So the offer of a free steering wheel was too good to turn down.

The typical marine setup is a 3/4" taper with a key-way, however the Fairey boats invariably used an automotive mechanism, most likely from a Bedford truck. This uses a splined shaft and taper.

Luckily the Mountney wheel had a suitable hub, but a certain amount of adaptation was required to mate the modified hub to the "new" wheel. the photo shows the wheel setup on the lathe with the boring head in action carefully opening up the hub.



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Now playing: The Telegraph - Corduroy Mansions - Chapter 80: In Touch With His Feminine Side

New Year Resolutions

Its nearly half way through January already; New Year Resolutions nearly forgotten, but the evenings are drawing out and the outside temperature is positive, for the moment.

I expect a little introduction is in order:

I purchased a Classic British Powerboat in 2004, a 1968 Fairey Huntsman 31. Of wooden construction, she'd seen better days so was craned into position by the side of my house and what started as a refurbishment project slowly turned into a total restoration.

She is now completely stripped out and back to bare wood in most places. The engines are in my garage and all the fixtures and fittings are spread about the house in various rooms - much to the annoyance of "Head of House".

As time goes on, I hope to describe the various jobs and post pictures - lets see how I get on.

For the moment see the photo album which shows the work done so far.


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Now playing: Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo