Back On An Even Keel

 

We left Gweek Boatyard (www.gweekquay.co.uk) over a week ago and I thought I would blog about our experience there and what we have learned about keel bolts.  In my previous blog I spoke about the tricky navigation up to the head of the Helford River and our relief of having made the passage safely and having Wendy Woo lifted out of the water.

 

As soon as our boat was safely on the trolley we set about stripping out the internal fittings to give access to the keel bolts.  The saloon floor needed to be removed first, followed by the water tanks, the waste tank and then the lead ballast blocks.  This all sounds straightforward, but nothing ever is!  We have a lot of things to move first, and it reminds me sometimes of those puzzles where you have to move tiles around to make the picture.  Each tile moved is in the way of the next tile and so on.  As soon as you start removing things they get in the way of the next stage.  Cushions were stacked up, the saloon table was lifted up on to the bench seat and the floor boards were stacked to one side.  The more dismantling we did the more we had to climb over or around the things we had moved, but at least the floor came up without a problem.

 

Next out were the water tanks.  Despite having emptied the contents into the bilge on our passage to Gweek there was still a surprising amount of water in the bottom of the tanks.  We pumped this out using a handheld bilge pump to avoid spilling it all over the boat once the pipework was removed.  We also faced the issue of removing floor joists to get the tanks out.  I was a little nervous removing these as I wasn’t sure how ‘structural’ they were, but a quick chat with the shipwright (Andrew Massey (www.masseyboats.com)) reassured me that they could be removed without too much risk of the boat changing shape.  In the end I only had to remove one to get the tanks out.  There were a lot of pipes and wiring to disconnect and then we were able to lift the tanks out.  The freshwater tanks were fine, but lifting the waste tank out was precarious to say the least.  Despite the fact that we don’t use the tank as a rule (shore-side facilities are much more preferable) there was residual ‘matter’ in there that was at risk of dribbling out of the open pipework if we didn’t keep it level.  Gloves were definitely needed! 

 

The final stage was to remove the plywood panels from under the tanks and then we could see the heads of the keel bolts.  But before we handed over to Andrew I wanted to give the bilge a thorough clean.  Years of accumulated dust and who knows what had congealed with water into a thick paste in the bottom of the boat.  I removed two bucket loads of filth including a rusty screwdriver and a pair of mole grips.  It was dirty work but well worth doing.

 

Now for the main work.  Andrew and I worked out that there were six main keel bolts and one additional ‘light weight’ bolt at the forward end.  One of the main bolts is under the engine and I know from Wendy Woo’s records that this was drawn about eight years ago and ‘found to be satisfactory.’  Therefore we agreed that we should leave that one alone – I didn’t fancy trying to remove the engine.  Andrew started on the one in the galley and, surprisingly the nut came free with relative ease AND the bolt started to move when hit with a hammer.  He managed to knock it almost completely out and, from what we could see, it looked in reasonable condition.  He then tried the next one forwards.  When he tried to clean the rust off the nut there was no nut there, just a ball of rust!  Again though, when he hit the bolt with a hammer it moved so at least we had two out of two that could be removed.  The nuts on the third and fourth ones came away easily but again the fifth one was just a ball of rust.  In the end Andrew managed to remove all five bolts with relative ease, but they were all clearly in a very sorry state and would need to be replaced.

Andrew arranged for new keel bolts to be fabricated.  The original bolts looked as though they were made from forged steel, but they may have been wrought iron, it was difficult to tell. 

However, the new ones are made from mild steel so will need to be checked periodically for deterioration.  We would have liked to fit forged steel ones but the lead time on replacement bolts would be too long.  As it was, we were up against time to get the new bolts refitted and the boat rebuilt before the next spring tide.  I have to say that Andrew pulled out all the stops for us.  He turned up on the Saturday morning to fit the new bolts for us even though he thought they wouldn’t be ready until Monday at the earliest.  Service like this is getting increasingly rare these days.

 

Meanwhile Bridget and I cracked on with repainting below the waterline and applying two coats of antifouling.  We also did some minor repairs and, oh yes, I fixed the plumbing leak we had (hopefully!)

 

Wednesday morning was our relaunch date and we were at the yard for 5:30 to watch the yard team swing into action once again.  It was very cold, and still quite dark, but by the time we were floating again the sun had risen and the mist over the river was magical.  We were escorted back down the river by David from the boatyard and, as we bid the team farewell, we saw a deer swimming across the river in front of us – a truly magical moment.

 

We are now planning our forthcoming passage around Land’s End and on to Wales in the next few weeks.  However, before I close this entry I would just like to say a huge thank you to Gweek Classic Boatyard and Andrew Massey for their outstanding support and the efforts they went to for us.  We cannot sing their praises highly enough.  From the moment we first made contact with them they have given us excellent support and their professionalism, team work and enthusiasm have been second to none.  We wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to recommend them to anyone considering having work done to their vessel.  And, to top it all, the location is magical.  Thank you Andrew, David, Luke, Dusty, Louise, and all the rest of the team!