Never Ending Story

[ZimbiIV]

As I said on your other post, retire early and you can play with varnishing 'till your hearts content.

paul

[Malanka]

Oh I forgot to mention we are going to revamp the galley too. Full size oven and separate hob  unit. Achieved by moving the cooker forwards of where it is ( into the gangway) nice curved worktop to smooth the lines and Fannie is your auntie.

 

Cant wait for that either

 

M 

[BroadAmbition]

Roofs off?  I said to only blow the bloody doors off! 

Griff

[Malanka]

I think in reality it’s everything off. 

I really don’t want to see her all ripped up it’s too upsetting. 

Hopefully I just see the after pictures

 

M 

[Malanka]

An update, as I am now euphemistically described as “between opportunities “ we have decided to put on hold the roof removal until our financial circumstances are more certain. We have also decided to return to the UK as our number one aim, not at the expense of a great opportunity elsewhere but a goal non the less. 

We are still going ahead with some more minor works ( galley refurb etc) and the elimination of the soft patch in the cabin side in the saloon, and maybe the drive shaft bearings if Phil’s says they need doing ( I think yes) . We have agreed to paint the roof grey with waterproof paint as a stop gap measure.

when a new position is secured the roof removal will be done at the end of next season. 

So not on hold completely but not the drastic surgery we originally thought.

 

M&F

[Malanka]

Well a quick update following the almost sinking. 

Malanka has eaten another starter motor and had to be towed to the shed, where she is now residing having her pretty bottom and front and back bits fiddled with. 

She has been inspected and there are some dodgy short boards starboard front, and some less serious stuff on the transom. 

Many thanks to Phil for the pictures. As you can see she is having a rub down and repaint as well in the crinkly bits due to taking up. 

We are re thinking the galley mods as Fiona wants an oven hob and grill so we may just go for a full combo type arrangement. 

 

See pic.

obviously we now need a new starter as well. It had got a bit clunky but no smoke until this mornings attempt to start. Phil notified us immediately and we are communicating as he looks to see what’s what. 

All other planks and boards are tip top as the Swiss say.

i will let everyone know what’s planned and on the employment front too. 

 

Merry Christmas to all or happy holidays for the pc brigade.

 

lots of good wishes to you all and to your families. Without our boating family rallying round and helping us we may have lost our old lady to a muddy demise. 

 

Thank you you all for being wonderful people.

 

Martin and Fiona

[ZimbiIV]

Malanka,

You may want to have a look at this:- https://magnummotorhomes.co.uk/shop/smev-appliances/smev-cu400-kabe-full-height-cooker/

It is 50mm too high for our boat otherwise it would have been in now, it is suitable for marine use according to SMEV.

paul

[LizG]

I commeserate (not 100% I've spelt correctly). May find out on Monday this year's 'damage' - not funny. Happy X to you all and Boris and Monty

[Malanka]

Well Phil's guys at Simpsons Boatyard have been hard at work in the cold weather and new photos have arrived showing what they have done. As well as the boards there are some remediation maintenance activities going on with the toe rails the cabin top grab rails and the wooden bit on the bow. Here are some more surgery  photos, so those with weak constitutions please read no further.

 

More pictures showing the finished articles to come. I have a video of the large bow bit being chiselled out but it makes me weep so i didn't add it.

 

Happy New Year to you all.

For interest I have interviews coming up in January so maybe news on that front soon too who knows.

 

Martin and Fiona

[Malanka]

Ok a quick update.

Phils guys have sent me a video of the starboard side chine and chine boards which in the video can clearly be seen are the original ones, copper nails and all. Well needless to say the rotted nature of the now lightweight boards was amply demonstrated by the use of screwdriver and the shower of rotten wood shards hitting the floor.

These boards planks or whatever you want to call them are now being replaced so our little maintenance break just became much more major. Phil is clearing out the old ( from 1952) boards and replacing them with 2019 boards. When these last until 2077 the old lady will be 125 years old and I will be kind of dead. 

 

Wish us us luck more in process pics to follow .

 

Martin and Fiona

[MauriceMynah]

9 hours ago, Malanka said:

Phil is clearing out the old ( from 1952) boards and replacing them with 2019 boards. When these last until 2077 the old lady will be 125 years old and I will be kind of dead. 

Oh come off it Martin! That really is a very pessimistic statement. You would do far better to have a more positive outlook on life.

With all the progress of modern science and the massive leaps forwards made by the scientists, that new planking might last till 2152.

[grendel]

MM the problem is that due to those leaps in modern science the seasoning of timber is no longer done the traditional slow way, so the new planking may well not last as long as the original.

[BroadAmbition]

Which is why I try to get hold of ‘old’ teak planks and store it for future needs

Griff

[Malanka]

When in new job we are going to buy a tree. Log or whatever. Should sort it. 

Many takers Charlie??

 

M

 

.

[BroadAmbition]

But a tree? - probably stretch to a child’s tree house !

Griff

[ranworthbreeze]

We all know that good well seasoned hardwoods are hard to get and cost a fortune. 

I not know if it has changed but the price always used to be in cost per cubic inch.

Regards

Alan

[annv]

A woodwork friend of mine use to buy two sawn trunks at a time, stack them in his garden to season he then sold one of them at a profit which gave him his one for free, they didn't look that out of place in his garden,different to his neighbours. John

[Malanka]

OK all you avid wood work fanatics, what follows are some pictures which quite clearly indicate why I don't or more reasonably can't do these jobs myself and leave them to folks that have way more skill, way more knowledge and aren't 1000 miles away from the old lady to do what they do best.

New Oak chine three quarter length starboard side this year and now full length on the port side too. All original Chine is now removed and replaced with 100% new Oak bits.

 

Roger checked and the rotten bit just kept growing and growing so here we are with new chine both sides of the old Lady. I'm sure the new boards we attach to it / them will now be much more stable than before. So our little maintenance without major expense has kind of been defenstrated a little. Oh well stuff happens.

 

Wish me luck for new job interview set up for week after next.

 

[Malanka]

Oh forgot to add can't help but notice that super paint job. Well done guys......

[Regulo]

Aaaaargh! That looks terrible. Seeing that, doesn't it worry all you woodie owners that you could, how can I put it . .  sink, at any time?

[Maxwellian]

Great photos, good luck

[garryn]

Yes good luck with the interview. You will need a job soon to pay for that little lot.

[Malanka]

Quite Garry. Of quite some concern but my cup is always half full so we move onwards. I am effectively paid until August this year so not rushing into something not right. We see redundancy as an opportunity not an obstacle. Also means we get to return to the UK which Fiona and I now wish to do. I have been in similar situations three times before and taken the opportunity to grow so will do the same this time too.

Thankyou for your best wishes 

 

M

[garryn]

At least you should have more time to get to the boat this year, might even find time for that bbq. Bye the way my younger brother has just got himself a boat and it's half a woodie.

[Malanka]

Ah Ray, 

No I don’t think about sinking at any time. Pretty sure that Nelson didn’t either , unless he was shooting at our French colleagues ( something he was rather good at I believe) Not absolutely convinced that Captain Cook didn’t consider it from time to time. I must admit crossing the Chanel in a moody 29 in the 80s was more of a worry. Lobster pots and container ships everywhere. ( Moody didn’t have radar) we avoided the ships ( just) but caught a pot which spun us round at 03:00 in a strong sea. Was a bit hairy, we had lines laid and harnesses on it was that bad.

To be serious I am more concerned with wet shed security and access control issues. I have written to Clive with my concerns with no response as yet forthcoming. The near sinking sort of coalesced my thoughts, without friends in the shed she would be on the bottom at this moment. This cannot be all we can do!

 

M