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Broad Ambition - TLC Time Again


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What else got done?

 

Maintenance List:-

1) Pressure wash and clean hull – Done as we came up the slip

 

2) Anti-foul hull with 037 Coastal red – Completed the complete hull was scrubbed and clothed off prior to applying one coat of 037

 

3) Paint boot topping with 034 Emperor – Completed

 

4) Renew cutlass bearings – inspected and not required

 

5) Inspect hull and address any soft areas.  - Completed

 

6) Inspect rudder, clean and paint with 034 Emperor – Completed.  The rudder is past it’s best (again) it really needed removing then sand blasting, priming and painting, the two shark fin rudder stops are in the same condition.  Being on the slip it is impossible to remove the rudder.  It was decided that the cost of sandblasting painting etc would be better spent on renewing the rudder with a slimmer lighter stainless steel version. The new rudder will also be raked up slightly to increase the size which will improve handling with more purchase on the water.  Being lighter it will reduce the stress on the Bowden cable and steering gear. It will not require painting ever thereby saving on maintenance in both time and materials.

 

7) Repair top rubbing strip port quarter – Completed

 

8) Flat back touch up/dress white paint on hull where required – Completed, only about five very small areas, sanded back, undercoated and top coated

 

9) Transom – strip, repair, varnish, new graphics – Due to time constraints and being restricted with manpower available it was decided to just flat back the varnish (Carefully around the graphics) then apply two coats of varnish – the results are acceptable

 

10) Jizer clean – Beta / Gearbox / Drip tray  -  No need for a Jizer clean as it was still acceptable from when Paul T last did it, The drip tray and surrounding areas was deep cleaned

 

11) Remove / clean / filters to vent for waste tank - Completed

 

12) Remove, service Mikuni heater, change glow plug - Completed

 

13) Replace broken heating vents x 2 – Not done – Still outstanding

 

14) Recover helms chair – Not done – Still outstanding.  I was naively thinking we could do this ourselves until I had a proper look at it – Not a prayer – we have enough material in stock so the chair is now back in Donny and will be done pronto by Judy,

 

15) Cut off protruding bolt under bunks in fwd cabin - Completed

 

16) Rectify fridge interior light (Fourth time) - Completed

 

17) Deep clean bilges / under bunks / below decks throughout - Completed

 

18) Deep clean bulkheads / Deckheads / fittings throughout – Completed 03 – 07th By Dave and crew whilst afloat

 

19) Deep clean upper deck / cabin sides / roofs fwd to aft, Port to Stbd – As above

 

20) Sterilize fresh water tanks (Treatment tablets in stock) - Completed

 

21) Clean / Inspect prop / shaft etc – Completed

 

22)  Remove / charge / Drop test all batteries – Completed, one battery had developed a bad cell so a replacement battery was fitted

 

23) Repair soft patch on upper deck in front of mudweight – Completed

 

24)  Machine polish brass exhaust skin fitting, then lacquer on completion - Completed

 

 

 

Upgrade Items

 

1) Replace deck boards in fwd passageway with ‘Holly &Teak’ fit ring pulls – Completed

 

2) Replace 7 x canopy bows with extended items, more profile incorporating heels and pins – Completed – it was deemed there was no requirement for pins to be fitted as the longer battens with heels fit fine

 

3) Replace canopy (Snugtopz) – Completed, (Two securing straps need to be fitted)

 

4) Connect wiring for well deck socket at fuse panel - Completed

 

5) Change solar panel to charge domestic batteries in lieu of starter battery - Completed

 

6) Relocate Port fwd bunk light to fwd bulkhead – Not done – not enough time / manpower

 

7) Fit polished stainless steel spreader plates to bow and stern fairleads - Completed

 

8) Alter bow cabin stable doors to correct height for bunk insert - Not done – not enough time / manpower. I had a good look at this and now know the way ahead to achieve a satisfactory result.  I need some piano hinge with four pull clamps and the use of J.W’s workshop

 

9) Fit new tally for new fuse box – Not done, Howard to advise

 

10) Re-arrange galley layout – Not a prayer, not enough time / manpower

 

11) Fit damping rubber strips to internal sliding doors - Not done – not enough time / manpower – I need suggestions as the best way ahead – we did try some damping rubber bonded in place last year – it didn’t work and the rubber came off despite our best efforts – we need a solution so that when the doors are shut they don’t rattle but still stay shut nicely

 

12) Turn aerial socket on aft coach house roof thru 180Deg, check internal co-ax connections - Not done – not enough time / manpower

 

13) Fashion quick release system for Harold’s hat and badges display case - Not done – not enough time / manpower

 

14) Remove / Replace hardwood cant rails strips at top of cabin sides with larger  overhang – Completed.

 

15) Plane back / varnish top laminate of outer rubbing strip to accommodate s/steel rubbing strip – Completed

 

16) Source / fit polished s/steel 20mm dressing strip to oak rubbing strips – Completed including 2 x feet approximately to side and stern of lower rubbing strip

 

17) Source / fit two polished s/steel transom protectors at waterline – These items have been made but not yet fitted we have just enough 034 left over to paint the area of boot topping the protectors will cover.  They will be fitted when we sort out the replacement rudder

 

18) Fit mahogany Step bracket port side fwd wheelhouse – Completed (Needs three more coats of varnish)

 

In total there are now around 48 items to attend to on the Upgrade and maintenance lists combined.  Quite a few of them we will attend to this and next year before LBBy see's the ladies undersides once more.

 

 

Griff

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Had a flying visit to 'B.A' last night / this morning.

 

Beta minor service completed (Oil / diesel filters, air filter, change oil)  last coat of varnish applied to cant rail, another coat on step brace, new LED light in wheelhouse trialed - its fine we will order 3 x more.  Helms chair now back onboard having been recovered and some t'other bits n pieces.

 

Time for bed said Zebedee

 

 

Griff

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Shame we didn't know that, Griff, we too had a flying visit and stayed in Sutton Staithe Hotel Monday night.

Brilliant has wintered well but there is a lot of wood to come out and be replaced this year so that will be done over the next week or two. LBBY doing its usual good job for us, we would not be able to sort her ourselves.

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Shame we didn't know that, Griff, we too had a flying visit and stayed in Sutton Staithe Hotel Monday night.

Brilliant has wintered well but there is a lot of wood to come out and be replaced this year so that will be done over the next week or two. LBBY doing its usual good job for us, we would not be able to sort her ourselves.

Pauline,

If you get down hearted just come and take a look at mine, Tim Collins has now run out of 6" wide planks !!!

Doug.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We have got some more items ticked off the list since exiting LBBy last month. At Salhouse I got the Marples out and fitted the remaining two brass ring pulls to the new fwd passageway decks.

Also got the wheelhouse lamps removed, cleaned of paint then polished up.  now only 20 items on the upgrade list and 16 on the maintenance list outstanding.

 

Completed items:-

Purchased new charcoal rapid start

Change lamps in wheelhouse to LED's

Remove paint and polish backplates in wheelhouse lamp fittings

Cut and whip tails on man overboard ladder

Re-cover helms chair

Fit remaining two brass ring pulls into two fwd passageway deck hatches

Aft curtain wheelhouse – Remove poppers from original canopy batten fit same to batten VII,

Cant rails fwd and aft – require 1 x final coat of gloss varnish

Apply 2 x more coats of gloss varnish to support step under wheelhouse step fwd

Remove lino to vertical faces aft wheelhouse step – Replace with faced marine plywood

Deep clean, T-cut then Mer polish fwd and aft cabin roofs

Beta minor service at 2000 x Hrs

Top up auto greaser on propshaft and rudder

 

We're getting there

 

 

Griff

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  • 1 month later...

Maintenance Weekend | Report

 

Having returned from a weekend of much hard work (but with very pleasing results making it all worth it) I thought I would give people an update as to what had been going on with Broad Ambition over at Richardson's being on the hard.

 

Charlie and Howard had arrived Wednesday 15th July in the late evening ready for Richardson's to take Broad Ambition out of the water using 'Big Foot' and have her on hard standing come Thursday morning.  I would then join them Thursday evening after work and we would set to over the coming days carrying out various upgrades, maintenance and repairs.

 

You may be away that Broad Ambition is taken out of the water every two years for a complete overhaul going through all the planks to see if any need replacing, checking the underwater gear and fresh ant foul applied this usually is undertaken at Ludham Bridge Boatyard.  However a small leak had appeared seeming to come from around the Transom area and this would need to be investigated and repaired and while out of the water a new rudder could also be put on.

 

As matters went Charlie and Howard identified the source of the leak - a small seam on the transom just below the waterline so no need for new wood, just a simple reaming out and a good dosing of Cuprinol and when dry sealed up and panted over.  That left a new rudder to be made - out of Stainless steel along with new stainless steel 'shark fin' rudder stops - I forget the name of the place that did this, I am sure Charlie can update - but it was very reasonable in price and they had it ready for collection by mid morning the next day!

 

Being stainless steel it obviously won't rust, and is a lot lighter than the old rudder - even though it is a slighter larger so this is one of those items whereby you 'fit and forget' no need to paint it, shot blast it and worry about corrosion down the road.

 

It was not just this which was going on, I was busy running wires inside the boat and by the end of Friday we were on schedule - despite the fact Howard had to leave to go and do his golf thing...But Charlie and I carried on regardless and come sunset Friday we were pleased with the results - Saturday would be spent sanding all the cabin sides to remove the old varnish, and getting a new coat on.

Come Saturday another glorious day arrived and the start of the school holidays and boating season for many families which saw Richardson's in full swing.  They really have it nailed from the boats arriving in the morning being swarmed over by engineers and cleaners to then the afternoon parties arriving to take them over and trial run after trial run all like clockwork.

 

I set to sanding the cabin sides - we had a dual action sander I think it was called - and while it worked well it was a heavy old beast to use being cast metal.  Oh to have a light weight version powered by compressed air.. But none the less we worked as a team as I went around with the sander so Charlie would following detail sanding by hand.  Then Henry came out to play (the vacuum) and I thought as we were high in air and seeing the families unpacking their cares quite what they must have thought I was up to 'hovering the outside of a boat'  - but once the fine dust was removed it was time to  go over the whole lot with a rag and white spirit to take finder particles away and any leftover dirt or greases.

 

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It felt like this would never happen - but eventually we cracked open the varnish and set to - Charlie using his coveted 'Purdy' paint brush.  I got started on the cabin sides working my way from Bow to Stern, while Charlie began on the Transom.  I had some foam brushes, which actually performed flawlessly it was me who would cause the problems with Varnish running - and I mean a serious amount of Varnish would be running.  You see I was being so careful not to cause a single drip, working up in the air on ones knees in the hot sunshine meant things were not ideal but were no excuse for what happened next.  I moved the tin from where it was because I was worried I may knock it over the side of the boat, I stood up and asked Charlie if it was worth masking the cabin topsides and varnishing the wooden strips that cover it - no he said, he had some new wood to go down currently at John Williams Boats, so I turned to get back on with the work and promptly knocked an almost full tin of varnish over "oh my God" I shouted in disbelief as in slow motion this great pool of varnish, which looked like Honey was now drifting towards the stern down the side decks and getting perilously close to a fender eye - where if left unchecked would drip down over the and down the side of the boat!

 

Vast amounts of kitchen paper and white sprit later all was clean as if it had never happened - I know had less than a 1/3 of a tin of expensive varnish to use and now of course (and rightly) was being ridiculed by Charlie.

 

However despite this Saturday drew to a close with the varnish drying nicely Charlie set about cutting and sanding the rails that fit into the sash sides on Broad Ambition, they also support the roof bearers for the wheelhouse canopy but had begun to catch on the starboard side door of the wheelhouse.  While that was going on I took the 12 fenders Broad Ambition has and set to scrubbing at them before finsighin the task with some rubber treatment which brought them to life like new and left them feeling subtle with a nice sheen.

 

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Sunday arrived and it was not welcome to hear the gentle pitter patter of rain on the cabin roof.  Fortunately, by about 11:00am this had stopped, the sun was out and now we had to 'de-nib' the varnish using fine steel wool which when one has spent the best part of a day prepping and varnishing seems a terrible hardship to then seemingly ruin it all only to begin over, but a good coat of varnish will last and so we pressed on.  I set to doing this then hovering the cabin sides while Charlie drove headed off in his van to following a chap who had launched his boat, having rented a holiday let nearby.  You see once launched his wife stayed with the boat and his original plan was to drive back to the cottage then get a taxi back to the boat - Charlie was having none of and so offered a lift back in his van.  Good chaps these Yorkshire men!

By the time Charlie was back it was time to break open the white sprit and clean down the cabin sides - this time I did not spill a drop of varnish and Broad Ambition's cabin sides were looking lovely with a deep shine to them.

 

We then managed (despite the hard working going on to repair a San Remo class boat that had struck Wroxham bridge) to get put back in the water early - and you know, not a drip Broad Ambition was dry inside just the way we like her.  We then set about doing some trials on Sutton Broad testing the new rudder - it is smoother and lighter on the wheel, and far more responsive, not needing as much wheel over to see immediate change and in reverse even into the wind will come about so not only is it one less expense to worry about in the future, it has improved Broad Ambition's handling too.

 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTwGmcem1dU

 

It was then to the Sutton Staithe Hotel whereupon it was a shame to discover they stop serving food at 2:00pm and don't start until 6:00pm again. However it meant we could stop have a beer or two and chat to some fellow visitors who then later came on Broad Ambition for a quick tour. Also of note was to see in person Alan from this forum taking in the lazy Sunday afternoon onboard Orca (looking in fine fettle) having come up to Sutton from the southern rivers, so the engine must be behaving itself now too :)

A quick river tour to Hunsett Mill, turn and back to Stalham where I had to depart for home leaving Charlie to clean through the boat - come Monday he would be taking her to John Williams' where he can set to making up the new wood strips to be fitted in the future for the cabin tops.

 

While a lot of work and hours, it was really worth it and proved a very nice social time as well after the work was done - we can thoroughly recommend these frozen cocktails (£1.00 in Tesco) Charlie rather enjoyed his Woo Woo :)

 

 

 

All finsihed and looking her best.

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Well that was a proper busy time from Wednesday night through to last night.

 

Firstly - Well done and thanks to Richo's for their prompt and professional service / assistance.  We had previously arranged for them to lift out 'B.A' Thursday morning first thing, it was first thing too, by 0845 we were on the hard stuff, chocked up and ready to commence grafting.  I requested getting 'B.A' back in a day early on the Sunday and despite them being busier than a bee hive they accommodated us.  So a HUGE thanks to Chris and Thomas

 

Ok what did we achieved?  As per Robins post but with some photo's:-

 

That leak on the transom - the main priority and the reason for this maintenance weekend, turned out to be nothing more than a seam.  I had visions of plank changing etc.  In the end all that was needed was to ream out the seam / dry / cuprinol and re-seal, which I did with west rapid and high density filler, underwater primer, anti foul - job done.  'B.A' is now once more 'Dry and Tight' - Reminds me of someone :naughty:

 

The rudder was removed Thursday am, by Friday lunchtime 'Markwell' of Hoveton (Kevin) had finished his magic,  The new rudder is made from s/steel and is lighter, slimmer slightly larger in surface area, minus re-enforcing bands, new shorter pin, new keyed tiller and shark fin rudder stops

 

Some small areas of anti-fouling was carried out where we could not get at whilst she was on LBBy's slipway

 

The s/steel bow runner was replace with a mirror polished version

 

New strengthening polished lower transom corner protectors were added

 

The fairleads were TIG welded onto the spreader plates

 

Larger brackets on the internal sash sides were fitted and supports adjusted

 

Replacement bezels on the gauges fitted

 

Coach house roofs dressing strips - I have made new ones to replace the current tired oak the new ones will be of the same timber as the recently replace cant rails

 

Varnishing completed to the step faces

 

'Skirting' pieces x 3 fitted to the fwd passageway (Partially varnished)

 

Cabin sides dressed along with transom

 

Mudweight roller - removed sorted and refitted.

 

All in all we managed to complete nine items on the upgrade list and nine items on the maintenance list too so I'm well chuffed

 

Of course as a result of the weekend and Robins input we have also manage to add a few points to both lists outstanding which are now running at fifteen on the upgrade list and ten on the maintenance list so we are progressing / moving in the right direction

 

Photo's to follow as and when I get a moment

 

 

Griff

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New bezels for the gauges - I was somewhat disappointed when contacting the suppliers to learn they reckon about 3 - 5 years they need replacing.  Considering how much we paid for the original order you would think they would be made of more durable stuff.  Ours have lasted around 8 x years, that's all well and good but another 8 x years down the river and I'll have to replace them again no doubt

 

 

Griff

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The original rudder along with shark fin rudder stops.  It's made from cast iron / mild steel with strengthening bars and weighs a proverbial ton.  Every two years we had to jet wash then scrub then anti-foul,  It is is such a sate that it is now due for sandblasting / priming and anti fouling once again.

 

But no more - herewith the new replacement s/steel version, New pin,  increased depth at the front top edge by 12mm and 25mm at the rear top edge, 12mm added to the trailing edge too. Much lighter and smoother on the helm as less dead weight to shift.. Those shark fin rudder stops also replaced with s/steel versions.  All produced by 'Markwell' at Hoveton

 

 

Griff

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When we bought 'B.A' she had a 3 x blade prop with a Perkins 4108 rated at 34hp (When new) we uprated to a Beta Marine 50hp unit so we had to uprate the prop. There wasn't room to increase the diameter so the answer was to go to four blades.  Jason Hatch of SOS24:7 advised us on the correct pitch and he got it smack on too first time of asking.

1000rpm - 4mph, 1200rpm - 5mph,  1800rpm 6mph, 2600rpm - around 10mph.  The best benefit is that she has plenty of thrust for turning / towing etc

 

 

Griff

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The original tiller, we replaced the original rudder stock and gland housing a while ago.  The rudder pin is slightly too high and that tiller is too cumbersome, it relies on three bolts tightened down to recesses on the pin, not the best method.  The auto greaser is on the left (Stbd side)

 

Gland with pin / tiller removed,  looking down the hole you can see grease being fed in under pressure, I then closed the valve so as not to waste it

 

The new pin / tiller - slimmer and lighter made of bronze with a woodruff key, it also allowed us to fit the new pin an inch shorter

 

 

Griff

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