‘Minnow’s’ Transom Fittings

I had hoped to remove the lower gudgeon, because I suspected there was water ingress into the transom, but this was not the case. The gudgeon would appear to be epoxied to the transom. As far as I can tell, three bolts also secure it. Two of them I can extract, but the third must be imbedded in the gudgeon, because its bolt head is not visible.

As you can see from the photos, I have removed a block of wood to which the port rowlock was attached, and I have taken off the starboard rowlock fitting. I have also removed the block of wood for mounting the upper pintle fitting.

You’ll note that I have sanded the transom and associated parts. I have also sanded the decks. That only leaves the topsides, and the rudder and stock to be done, before I set about painting the exterior of the boat.

I had a look at the yuloh when deployed in the port rowlock and I wasn’t too happy with it. I much prefer a ball and socket arrangement, and I think a yuloh would be better on the starboard side, as per Matt Layden's design.

If I fit my outboard to the transom, which will be most likely, I'll put it on the port side. I couldn't have both the outboard and a yuloh on the same side; besides, the sail with its yard and boom are also stowed on the port side deck extending beyond the transom.

Preoccupied - No Time for 'Minnow'

My lot is another day with the grandchildren. Fortunately they mostly entertain themselves, for which I am grateful. I have another 4 hours, perhaps 5 or 6 to go before their Mum and Dad return home.

'Minnow' will have to wait.

More Sanding of ‘Minnow’

Today I sanded the starboard side of the cabin trunk, and I was pleased with the result. The time for applying an undercoat is not all that far off, but I must first attend to bits and pieces attached to the transom. When they’ve been sorted, and I’ve sanded the topsides and transom, I’ll be able to start painting the exterior of the boat.

Improving ‘Minnow’

Whatever boats I take on, I have a common aim, and that is to improve them. I have already improved ‘Minnow’, but there’s a lot more I can do. At the moment I am endeavouring to make her look more presentable, and at the same time repair parts that have failed due to use and exposure to the elements.

The worst part of her regarding appearance was on the port side, where sheathing on the cabin trunk was uneven and unfinished. The window panel was pulling away from the deck, and there were epoxy dribbles on the side deck and topside. Most of these things have been sorted, but there’s still a little more sanding to be done before that side will be ready for the first application of paint.

Sealing ‘Minnow’s’ Cabin Trunk

 

 

 

Before

 

After

Over time, due to the ravages of sunlight, wind and rain, the seams between plywood panels at the aft end of ‘Minnow’s’ cabin trunk slightly opened. Likewise the port window panel moved a smidgen from the side deck, but particularly bad were the seams between the aft washboard panel and the window panels.

This afternoon the temperature was warm enough for me to carry out repairs by filling the gaps with epoxy putty. At dusk the air temperature fell, and to help cure the epoxy I set up my mini hot air blower.

Assuming the epoxy putty will harden by tomorrow morning, I shall be able to shape and smooth irregularities found in it.

No Time for ‘Minnow’

No, I haven’t abandoned ‘Minnow’. It’s just that there has been too much going on for me to sneak a few moments for my mistress. She can sulk if she likes, but it won’t make a bit of difference.

Reading this blog, you may get the impression that I do nothing except lavish my love on the latest attraction, or shall I say distraction. Nothing could be further from the truth, and that is, I often find it hard to grab time for getting things done. I have had a succession of similar boat renovation projects, and the story has been the same for each one.

Idle hands are the devil’s delight, but he seldom finds me twiddling my thumbs while pondering what to do. Simply having a property to maintain, and more to the point, care for a wife, daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren, means my time is constantly in demand. Add to that relatives and friends, you can begin to understand, and I haven’t mentioned church and associated activities.

Well, today, a local tree surgeon and his team started work in our garden at 07.30 with instructions from the chief gardener to slay three conifers, lop the head off a eucalyptus tree, and hamstring two other trees! Two hours and twenty minutes later, light and air was restored to our garden, but there was an awful lot of sawdust, twigs and bark strewn about the place, not to mention two lawns requiring cutting.

I had more important things to do at that moment than set about making the garden tidy, and it wasn’t until early afternoon that I could put my hands to the task. Then I discovered a persistent badger had gnawed a hole through a panel of my neighbour’s fence. I was forced to be the purveyor of this unwelcome news, and I called him to check the damage. He had previously boarded a hole in a different panel. My guess is that a third one will be damaged and so on.

Isn’t there a Government sponsored badger cull on at the moment? Perhaps I could invite them to exterminate the beast. I know badgers are cuddly and adorable, and for thousands of animal lovers, they are sacrosanct, but they do cause problems, not least, a high percentage carry the tuberculosis virus which they spread to cattle.

Soon, it was dusk, and there was no time for ‘Minnow’. She would have to wait.

Link

Is a Badger Cull the Only Answer to Bovine TB?

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23991716

More Remedial Surgery for ‘Minnow’

 

Before

 

After

As I stated yesterday, ‘Minnow’ will never win a beauty contest, but she can be made presentable. Blemishes can be removed, if not in whole, they can in part. The point was proved this afternoon when I almost eradicated an untidy patch of fibreglassing that had been applied to the port side deck. There’s no doubt in my mind that the patch was necessary, but for whatever reason, it had not been tidied. In fact it stood out like a sore thumb dressed with a blue sticky plaster!

I performed cosmetic surgery to remove some of ‘Minnow’s’ scar tissues by the use of a file and sandpaper, and I persisted until all major crinkles in the locality of the operation were eliminated. Likewise I smoothed an incredibly rutted and rippled fillet running along the joint between the cabin trunk and the port side deck.

My most testing remedial surgery will be making the side panels of the cabin trunk look smoother than the parched, scorched skin of an Australian wrinkly. Making the surfaces as smooth as a baby’s bottom will not be possible, but I shall hope to smooth away some of the craters and mountains.

A Better Finish for ‘Minnow’

 

Before

 

After

Seeing it was raining and the temperature was too low for epoxying, I concentrated on improving the finish of ‘Minnow’s’ hull and deck. My tools for accomplishing this were a file, sandpaper, and a brush and pan.

After the application of much elbow grease she was looking better.

More sandpapering and several coats of paint will smarten her considerably. She’ll never win a beauty contest, but she will satisfy her master.

More Progress with ‘Minnow’

I’m beginning to see real progress with the renovation of ‘Minnow’. This gives me heart to press on. Already she is looking much tidier. Yesterday and today I worked on making a new window for the hatch, and I removed the last traces of silicone sealant from the side windows. I also tidied the decks by removing splodges of epoxy and trimming sealant around fittings such as the toe boards and the cleats.

Traffic Chaos

 

Returning from Bournemouth yesterday I was one of thousands caught in traffic chaos because of the closure of the Dartford Crossing. I left Bournemouth at 16.00 and seven-and-a-half hours later I arrived home tired and ready for bed. 

Traffic heading east on the Kent side of the Crossing repeatedly came to a standstill. Ambulances, police vehicles and a bomb disposal vehicle made their way towards the Crossing. Lorries parked on the hard shoulder contributed to the obstacle course. 

Apparently, a man on foot acting in an alarming way near the toll booths had triggered a security lockdown.  

Communication between motorists and those controlling the Crossing were poor. The illuminated signs simply stated that the Dartford Tunnel was closed; likewise the M25 at Junction 2. There were no directions for people to follow. I tuned into Capital Radio and heard that there was a security incident. 

I was forced to take the A2 towards the Blackwell Tunnel. Tailbacks stretched for 9 miles. Once through the Tunnel, progress on the A13 to Lakeside and Southend-on-Sea was good, but there were jams on the other side of the road. 

Considering the long delays, people remained remarkably cool. Only once did I hear a prolonged blast of a car horn, perhaps made because of anger, annoyance or frustration. 

Note 

I took the accompanying photo when traffic was at a standstill.

‘Minnow’s’ Front Window

I was able to spend a couple of hours making a new front window for ‘Minnow’s’ cabin trunk. The old one made a perfect template. To prevent the Perspex splintering when using a jigsaw I placed it between pieces of plywood, and the shape was drawn on the upper piece.

When the Perspex was cut out I removed the upper piece and replaced it with the old window for ascertaining where to drill holes for the bolts. All went well without burring edges or splitting the Perspex.

Finally, I shall make as perfect a fit as possible within the mount, so as not to cause uneven tension on the Perspex when tightening the bolts. I have a feeling that is what caused the previous window to crack in so many places.

Continuing with ‘Minnow’

Today I posted ‘Minnow’s’ sail to Jeckells for repairs to the head and tack, both of which are badly worn. The measurements of the sail do not match the original sail plan, and I don’t think they are identical to the Mark 2 sail plan. The luff is 250 millimetres shorter than the original, and the foot is 190 millimetres shorter. The head is 140 millimetres shorter. That amounts to a much smaller sail than the Mark 1.

I finished preparing the hatch for painting, and I cleaned all the windows apart from the hatch window. I am unsure about keeping the side windows, because they are not too bad, but at the same time they are not good. The thicker front window is cracked at eight of twenty two bolt holes; therefore I think I should make a new one. Only one of the side windows has a small crack at a bolt hole, but all of them are blemished where paint or epoxy was spilled on them. The washboard window is satisfactory, except I’ll have to put a new piece of wood along the top edge. The old piece is split and part of it is rotten.  The screws fixing the wood to the washboard should be flat head, not countersunk.

Most likely my next job will be removing a large piece of wood from the transom to make room for an outboard bracket. On the other hand, I may attach the bracket to the piece of wood. There are other bits and pieces at the stern of the boat requiring attention, such as the yuloh brackets and the vent. I might take off the lower gudgeon, because I suspect there is ingress of water into the transom where it is attached.

Refitting ‘Minnow’ will take time. 

‘Minnow’s’ Hatch and Window Mounts – Part 2

Here are photos illustrating the application of the woven roving and the removal of the silicone sealant from the remainder of the window mounts.

Conditions were ideal for doing the epoxying – a warm, dry and almost windless day.

'Minnow's' Hatch and Window Mounts

I’m not going into detail, but I had a laborious afternoon and evening preparing the hatch for sheathing and the window inset frames for painting. I have two more frames to prepare. Removing the old silicone sealant was a time consuming business.

Removing ‘Minnow’s’ Hatch

I found a couple of hours for working on ‘Minnow’s’ hatch. Firstly I removed the window and then I took the hatch off the boat. The window was cracked in two places where bolts had been excessively tightened. I was not pleased with what I found. The finish was very rough and the hatch had not been built according to plan. Remedial work will be required. I shall have to replace the roving on the forward part of the hatch. Both the internal seal and the external one will have to be redone. I’ll also have to reseat the copper sliders, top and bottom.

I made a start at smoothing irregularities on the cabin top and decks. To finish these jobs will take a good many hours. I started scraping off old sealant from the insets for the windows. I shall not be able to paint the boat until all has been made sound.

Rest for ‘Minnow’, but not the Skipper

‘Minnow’ took a rest while her skipper worked like a Trojan. Children and adults had a great day celebrating two birthdays. There was a sigh of relief when the youngsters were in bed and all was quiet.

Continuing with 'Minnow'

I took about 3 ½ hours to remove the cabin windows. I’m glad I did, because they were not sealed properly, and in continuous heavy weather at sea, I think they would have leaked. The rusty bolts retaining the windows looked pretty awful, and rust streaks from them would only get worse.

My next task is to take off the hatch window. Cleaning the Perspex may not be as bad as I thought. A light scraping with the blade of my penknife took off streaks of epoxy with little effort, but a slight marking remained. I have yet to experiment with the cleaning of the Perspex to see if I can make it presentable.