Something Done on ‘Minnow’

 

Chipboard particles

 

No need for a navigation table

 

17.0 kilo concrete casting containing lead

 

8.5 kilo casting in place

 

Trim piece to headlining

Before I could do anything on ‘Minnow’ I had to sweep the garage floor and clear her decks and cabin of tiny particles of chipboard that had fallen from the underside of the garage roof. During a recent storm, wind pummelled the roof, causing the chipboard supporting the exterior sheathing to shed minute chippings of wood.

Having tidied the boat I sat in her cabin, and I thought a lot about how to make a navigation table that could be attached to the stove unit. I came to the conclusion that I could do without it, because I could spread charts on the cabin floor where they would be secure and handy.

After that decision I set about refitting ballast I had removed. There were two concrete castings equal in size; one was almost twice as heavy as the other. The lighter one weighed 8.5 kilos, and the heavier one, probably containing lead, weighed 17.0 kilos. I fitted the lighter one under the floorboards at the forward end of the cabin and kept the other for trimming the boat. The 17.0 kilo casting will probably end up in the forecastle under the floorboards, but further forward than the battery.

I took measurements of the battery box prior to searching for an appropriate 12 volt battery for powering GPS units and my mobile phone.

I also made a plastic trim piece for the headlining at the forward end of the cabin on the port side to make it look smarter.

I was pleased that I had done a few small jobs restoring ‘Minnow’.