grendel

more like a new puppy, leaking everywhere

there is a float switch on at least one of the pumps (I know, I fitted it).

we will have to be careful, that there is a pic-a-nic basket there by Tim - even if Ranger Smith is around Yogi might just pinch it.

come now we are talking yorkshiremen here, probably swapping bad jokes.

how is she holding up now, has the bilge pump slowed down yet?

Marthams were still building hireboats from wood quite late, they are currently restoring two of their old boats, a Janet and a Juliette, and have a third boat ready to take a mold off of the hull. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

having watched the procedure at the slipway where Royal Tudor will be launched (very shortly if everything is going to plan) they put the boat in on the trailer, then depending upon how quickly the water is coming in they can remove the trailer, and they are ready with the bags of sawdust, this is sprinkled on the water and paddled under the hull, this blocks any large cracks temporarily as the bilge pumps remove the incoming water, after a couple of days the wood will have swelled and expelled the sawdust and she will be tight. if the water doesnt slow down they rush to get the pump out pump ready with longer hoses to pump the water out. Since RT has been out of the water now for 3 years, her timbers are well dried out.

probably keep a hose running constant, then the timbers will start to take up, though I bet it will still pour in tomorrow.

must have been the camera angle, as it looks like it wouldnt fit around mine either.

is it big enough to go round Royal Tudors middle?

So, while working on Royal Tudor with Tim, last weekend I booked a pitch at this campsite, meeting up with Tim on Friday night ready to work Saturday. I arrived in the afternoon, and basically there arre no laid out pitches, just choose a spot you like the look of and put up your tent. One thing to note at this juncture is that it is purely a camp site, no caravans or motor homes. the facilities on this site are good, but there is no electrical hook up, at night lighting is provided by low intensity led solar powered lighting. this gives spectacular views of the stars and milky way at night. there is a shower block, all hot water is supplied at one standard temperature, but it is a nice shower. there are sinks for washing up, and a toilet block with 4 standard toilets. The site also has a selection of glamping huts, which looked nice and comfortable. I did notice that there was a large range of ages camping, from families with young children, to groups of adults - to three old gits working on a boat. people arrived on foot, on bicycle, motorbike and car, there was a really family feel to the site. the site provides metal fire pits for the pitches, there is seasoned timber from sustainable sources on sale on site, with firelighters (one only needed it says, and that is quite correct) and to top off the experience marshmallows to toast over the fire. having a wood fire not only keeps the bugs away, it really is a part of the experience. http://www.hicklingcampsite.co.uk/

I think we might need more than that.

as some of you might have guessed, the work done on the DIY SOS did not stop, that work was essential, without all of the helpers we would have been unable to proceed to the next stage and the next. what followed would not have been possible without that initial push, many thanks to everyone, each persons role from sanding to feeding the crew was essential, it got us to where we needed to be to get the rest done, I am sure Tim will thank each of you in turn. but now we needed to hit specific targets, and employ specific skills, a select team was picked to crack on with those tasks, and for the other general skills that were required, the ability to turn their hands to anything. that crack team has been back to the boat shed several times with one target to aim for - that of getting all the necessary jobs done that could only be done while out of the water. as Tim has said she goes into the water wednesday, so we hope we have done everything, when I left yesterday, she had bilge pumps, but the wiring was still in progress. the skin fitting for the new toilet is in, with the sea cock shut. There are still jobs to be done, these will no doubt be tackled once she is on the water. we dont have many pictures as the days have been full on. sanding and painting have been done, but the main push has been getting everything that was needed before launch, painting has been done just before we left the shed for the night, the rest of the jobs have been electrics, plumbing, bespoke woodwork, saturday I was told we needed a new dashboard, I was given a handful of gauges and switches, and told to copy the dashboard, but add these additional parts, a complete new layout was worked out, then laid out and then cut out, over half a days woodworking on one dashboard, but it will look nice.

try a nice big boatshed, no ventilation and lying under the sink to fix a steering cable, I got in the car to come home and the 29 degrees in there felt nice and cool.

having seen Janet Annes car at the weekend, I think a pressure hose at the very least.

heres a few of my pictures from this weekend, while the steering is now working, it really needs a new steering cable, everywhere we tried to put a join, it would either bind on another join or catch on a rib, I think the longest section of cable was the 3m section we added in, this was just to clear all the other joins. before that I needed to add about a dozen grease cap fulls of grease to get the rudder moving.

I was about to ask if it would be safer to turn and reverse through the bridge (with the engine running forward, but at a slower speed than the tide). you would at least have steerage.

belated from me

we need potter bridge to stay with plenty of clearance for another week (to get Royal Tudor through)

If anyone wants to know where all the young families are on the broads, then they only have to look on the campsites, my guess is that the costs are lower than hiring a boat, and that the younger families have less disposable income. Well that and the fun of camping.

pictures

i will try and get some, but they will be posted once Iget back.