Sabre 28 - Cruiser - Project

[JawsOrca]

Thanks guys we are just off (back monday so should miss the bridge chaos - Possibility?!!).

 

Mustn't forget the shopping list! 

[JawsOrca]

So weekend was a bit of a nightmare; We arrived in loddon and the cars battery warning light came on.. so we had a quick walk around and then decided to at least head to the hotel in lowestoft were we stayed the night before getting the car recovered on the back of a low loader! (poor RAC!).. it took 3.5 hours though as the driver barely hit 40mph even on the duel carriageways!  Of the the trade counter today and an uprated alternator came in at shy of £300! although it should last now.. but once we got that changed we noticed the wheel moves about too much.. another £50 saw replacement of the lower suspension arm.. (we really should have stayed here and worked on the boat!!) but feels like a new car now lol!! but such a shame.. didn't get any shopping and mum and dad aren't going back up so anyone's going up so I'll have to order my box on wherry for xmas online now!

[Gracie]

So sorry to hear that Alan, bit of an expensive weekend then? Did you manage to find time to look for a mooring?

 

Grace

[JawsOrca]

Thank Grace. Really sucks! Although had a bit of a rest and the hotel had wherry so I downed a few! We only made it to loddon really and neither moorings there looked too impressive  (the signs on the walls telling people that theres been lots of break ins didn't help either)..

 

I think it's really too early still.. I think we need the boat 90% finished and a BSC in hand so we can go and look and take any moorings there and then. It still seems silly saying "we are possibly maybe looking for a mooring sometime next year.." So I think back up sometime in feb/march time.

[JawsOrca]

Hi All,

 

Nice to go back to the back after our weekend away!.. Although a really frosty day, but thankfully the canopy, aka greenhouse, works well and the boat was nice and warm! Thankfully also in the week dave had expoxied the wheelhouse panels and they had dried! He was already putting these up when I got over (an hour after him!). So today we finished these off and made a good dent in the trimmings.. it looks good a bit old fashioned but still nice.

 

Just after lunch we had a visit from Steve and debs (SteveandDebs), Steve had soo kindly saw my last post about not getting any woodfordes wherry that he kindly offered to grab some for me! Very kind of you Steve (and Debs for being dragged around the brewery shop!).. Really nice to met you both to.. Thanks again for doing this! Really kind!

 

Finally today is our first anniversary with the boat we took ownership of it this weekend last year! (And the weather was just the same!). So happy anniversary to "Orca", a lot has happened in a year.. Below is just a quick round up of the last 12 months and here's to the next year  !

 

 

[Gracie]

A year already and just look how far you and Dave have come, well done to you both

 

Enjoy your Wherry, I know I have said this before but the kindness of people on this Forum is amazing, well done Steve and Debs for getting our Alan his Ale

 

Grace

[JawsOrca]

Thanks Grace I've forgotten how much we had to do to get it back to good!

 

Your right about the kindness! Considering they have driven so far out of their way too nutters .. I'll find a way of repaying them (Although Steve just message me anytime if you need a hand please!

 

[SweetKingfisher1]

A year already and just look how far you and Dave have come, well done to you both

 

Enjoy your Wherry, I know I have said this before but the kindness of people on this Forum is amazing, well done Steve and Debs for getting our Alan his Ale

 

Grace

Hi Alan, yes you and Dave have done a great job on Orca . I am not sure if you have said, if you are keeping her name or if you are changing her name, or did I miss this post  ? You know what I am like  .

 

Regards

Marina  ( Mum )   

[LadyPatricia]

Was a pleasure to meet you today and to be able to see all your hard work first hand Alan. Dave giving Deb a quick tutorial on painting a boat hull was worth the extra few miles , and will save us some time next year.

You have done a great job and your hard work looks fantastic.

You may live to regret you offer of help

Steve and Deb

[deebee29]

Happy anniversary Orca (and Alan & Dave)

I was a bit late getting to the party but have thoroughly enjoyed catching up and seeing how much you have both achieved in that year is amazing.

Enjoy the wherry, you deserve it and Steve & Deb well done, this forum is amazing

By the way if you are ever up near Newcastle .......

David

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BroadScot]

 

 

By the way if you are ever up near Newcastle ....... 

Coooeeee 

 

If England are trying to play with bat n ball I may get to Chester le Street     

 

Iain.

[deebee29]

Even closer Iain...... Just look out for the rusty angel.

David

[LadyPatricia]

Rusty Angel ....... I thought that was a plane that had been planted by its tail section

Steve

[BroadScot]

They need some of that long lasting paint used on the Forth Railway Bridge, to keep that "Angel of the North" rust free!

 

Iain.

[JawsOrca]

Thanks guys

 

Today we carried on with the wheelhouse walls... and thankfully its "Finished!!" (the walls that is).. we got 3 coats of varnish on it so dave will do a couple more in the week then leave it! We decided to put a gloss varnish on it as the grain looks soo good.. Unfortunately my camera phones not quite captured it (I probably need a new one).. But now this is done the dashboard can be put together and get all the running gear and equipment done.. (It really looks neat).

 

Also today we found the leak on the windows in the front cabin and fixed it!.. One screw! It tightened down ok and fixed! Phrew!  We also measured and outsourced the timber mouldings to the yacht clubs commodore who has a timber workshop at home and kindly offered to do the mouldings for the inside for us .. Finally we measured the swimdeck and we decided we will make it ourselves although it's dearer than buying, it will be stronger and should look better!

 

Pics attached.

 

 

[deebee29]

Some really nice grain on the wood Alan. The varnish makes it stand out well

David

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BroadScot]

Hi young Alan,

 

As David says, nice grain there for the varnish to show up. All these touches make all your work worth while. Soon a steering wheel will be on, and the pair of you will be itching to get it into the watery stuff!

 

Iain.

[ExSurveyor]

Alan, when you finish, I have a few jobs you and Dave can do to stop you getting bored

[JawsOrca]

Thanks David and Iain!, It does look really nice and we've done well to match the grain I think. These photos don't do justice  Hopefully we will get the wheel and throttle back in this week/weekend. We are trying to plan a sea trail in jan/feb time

 

Mark, We may be happy to help next year if we have some spare time

 

[JawsOrca]

Hi Alan, yes you and Dave have done a great job on Orca . I am not sure if you have said, if you are keeping her name or if you are changing her name, or did I miss this post  ? You know what I am like  .

 

Regards

Marina  ( Mum )   

 

Mum, Dave named the boat Orca  (I had to let him do this one as I'd done the others).. he likes the film Jaws so he named it after the boat in there.. I wanted to call it "Blood, Sweat and Tears" as that's pretty much what these projects are like!

[ExSurveyor]

Hi Alan, I hope your spare time next year will be spent afloat on the Broads

[JawsOrca]

Thanks Mark, I think we should certainly get a few weeks and weekends away next year.. I just hope it quickly starts to come together now though (although we have all christmas on it so hopefully we get a lot done) We certainly can't wait to get the up there and it's starting to feel ready!

[JawsOrca]

I'm cold... I'm so cold .. This is the bit I hate.. It's way too cold to work outside.. even with the heater inside the boat I'm still cold.. We just left and everything is icing up 

 

Today despite the cold we got a few little jobs done; Dave flared the heater fuel lines. He had done a good joob at getting all the varnish work completed in the wheelhouse in the week so we decided to get the dashboard back in! We ran the throttle cables to the engine. I polished up the throttle as its stainless (well the lever is chromed and badly pitted but it will do for now) and it came up well. Lucky we had spare connectors and it connected up the engine with no problems. The steering cable annoyingly jammed up bit but with some WD40 it freed up I cut the holes for the gauges in the timber dashboard. I had to do it as dave is iallergic to utile timber (the dark wood) and that's what the dash is made from.. in doing so though I managed to set a drill on fire and burn my hand (the drill overheated).. I'm good ..it also took ages as the drill batteries didnt last long an it needed careful measurement but I eventually managed it .  We also cut the holes for the horn buttons and 2 cigarette lighters (one 12v and 1 USB socket). Also I countersunk the screws and plugged them so the screws will be almost invisible. Finally we painted a bit of the wheelhouse wall which we had drilled holes in, it will need another coat of paint tomorrow then the low level lights can go in..  Tomorrow, probably more odd jobs.

[BroadScot]

Hi young Alan,

 

Good to see you still manged a few bits n pieces today. Now go and have a few Christmas Ales.

 

Iain.

[JawsOrca]

sounds a good idea Iain!  I really hope we don't have a bad one this year, it will really slow (me) down so we really are trying get as much done this side of new years..

 

Are you ok up there? The dailymail is saying that you have 35 feet of snow already and we aren't going to hear from you until next august at best?