River Boating Forum

Well what a week that was, I have to admit to being somewhat knackered. Although not the best of weather it stayed dry & warm I could not have had it any better for the work I had planned for my week off work.

Saturday, to start the existing roof vent hole was enlarged to accept one of the new solar powered vents and a new hole cut on the opposite side to accommodate the other one, these vents can be either suck or blow dependant on which fan blade is fitted. I will have to get some advice to seen if I will still need to fit vents in the doors or if these new vents with one sucking & the other blowing will give good enough air changes for the Safety Cert. This was followed by giving the topsides another light sanding to remove any possible damage that may have been caused by the dreaded tarp, then by a good wash & wipe down. The old boat was then left to gently simmer in the rising temperature to ensure a good drying out of the washed area. By lunch time all was dry, so following another wipe over I set about mixing the top coat. I have opted to International Toplac Ivory (812), I did toy with either white or cream in the end I thought the white would be too ‘bright’, putting on the undercoat (white) I found it to be to be very dazzling giving me eye ache and the cream I thought a shade too dark so I compromised.
I must admit it was a little too windy for spraying but it had to be done. The first coat I though was a reasonable success although still a bit of dust ingress and a few flies landing on the wet paint. We live at an end of a close with a hedgerow border; this did give a bit of protection from the wind but it was also giving shelter to the flying bugs so there were more than normal. Still, the first part of the job was done, so I cleaned up and packed away.

Sunday morning bright and early I was up on deck wiping away the stuck bugs and giving the worst of the dust specks a light sand over with 1000 wet’n’dry used dry followed by another wipe over. It was still too windy but I opted to continue & give the final coat. The problems of the first coat were repeated with dust & bugs but I guess that it to be expected when painting outside, the old girl does look better for it all the same. That is where I left it for the day to dry off while I got on with other ‘orrid weekend tasks, cutting lawns & trimming bushes etc.

Monday, (Including a bit of Tuesday) up early & took dog for his walk, a bit early even for him. Then too work on the old boat, my mood was jubilant and my spirits high as I begun fitting the new widow rubbers, however as the task progressed I found I was learning a whole lot of new names for window rubbers, especially for the front side vent window rubbers that have a very tight corner radius. The rubbers being coiled in totally the wrong direction caused the rubber to twist in effect ‘inside out’ while trying to fit it. (One of these days I will look up some of these new words I have learnt to see what they mean.) Following recommendations, the rubbers are fitted ‘dry’ to the window holes with a light application of rubber lubricant used when fitting the widows. In general all the windows where fitted without too much pain and suffering into the new rubbers. Although I still have to fit the chrome plastic filler strip that goes in a grove in the rubber. The standard fitting is black rubber but I thought the chrome filler would look posh. This window fixing lark took me all day, so I retired with very tired hands & arms with barely enough energy to pick up a glass of falling over fluid.
Tuesday afternoon was spent faffing, I fitted the new roof vents, a bit of roof chrome work and one of the handrails. Sadly these are not as supplied, I think the original are a ‘red’ wood these are more like old broom handles, a ‘white’ wood, they will do for now until I get a few more pennies. I did buy new brackets for them, the end ones being closed which meant re-drilling fixing holes as the new ones are out of line from the originals, but the brackets do at least cover the old holes.

Wednesday was a bit of a pain with fitting the ‘new’ screen & side screens. The original was damaged & the side screens were made from rotted wood so got binned. Unfortunately the mounting brackets seem to be non original so the mounting screws had to be re-located (cutting off existing, drilling through the roof for new ones. On hind sight I guess I should have done a trial fit before painting, but I thought all screens will be the same. As it is I will now have to glass in the new fixing studs when I start on the insides.
All in all fitting the screen took me all day messing about with it and it is ‘B’ heavy to be lifting off & on being very careful not to mark the paint. I also had to re fit the rubber around the base of the screen as I had fitted it the wrong way round (muppet!).
Locating the screen complete with side screens pushing down with all your weigh while putting on the holding down nuts, against the upwards force of the new rubber is also very wearing if not exceedingly vexing.

Thursday was intended to be canopy day, I had to go out & get some new stainless steel screws & machine screws for the fixings, that was a major task; I could only source a couple of small packs at both the local chandlers. After a search of all local hardware stores including Focus a few names I forget and a local (ish) Screwfix in Northampton I stumbled across another chandlers/sail makers I had not heard of Pinnel & Bax, they at least had a good selection of what I needed, not exactly what I wanted, but close enough. For anyone out there who are into dingy sailing it may be worth looking them up.
By late afternoon all the time I had left was just enough to fit the turnbuckle clips & hook brackets around the cockpit before calling it a day.

Friday, time at last for the canopy. This is a new canopy, unfitted with not many eyelets fixed. I had to place it over the cockpit & attach it to the canopy hoops (simple Velcro wrap straps) line it all up and tack it to the timber batten that fixes to the top of the screen. I then had to tighten the canopy & mark the turnbuckle bracket locations & fixing the required eye counterpart one at a time on the canopy. With twelve eyes to locate & fit it took a little time. I then had a go at one of the side curtains again 12 fixings but this time the eye parts were fitted to the canopy I just had to fix the turnbuckle parts. Did I say ‘just’? Ha! A right pain; still it got done, canopy up & one side panel fitted.

Saturday morning spent fixing the remaining side panel before going off to a family bar-b-q in the afternoon and lots and lots of well deserved falling over fluid.

Sunday spent in part writing this & watching the rain, I still have a few things to do like fixing the other 3 handrails, one of the navigation lights, the chrome trim to the window rubbers. I still have to sand the hatch cover/eye brows (these are little covers that go over the windows on the roof of early Freeman cruisers) and paint them, but they are not urgent, an indoor job. I also need to work on the original spot light & get it chromed also the horn covers. That canopy also needs a bit of fettling it is a little loose at the front, I need to reattach it to the batten and fit a bit of trim. I also have to re locate the side curtain hooks these are totally in the wrong place and are pulling the side curtain back with lots of wrinkles, it looks nasty! Finally, a little touching in of the deck where the wind caught the masking paper and the anti-slip paint is now coated in gloss

I feel I have had a good result this week, although I am not 100% happy with my effort it is not to bad and my close to 50 year old boat is starting to look a good few years younger. Best of all that ‘B’ tarp has gone and I can now ‘see’ my boat. Only the hull, interior, cockpit, wiring….etc. to go.