Afloat At Last....

Or at least we are when the tide is in!

So what has happened since my last post, over a month ago.  Well the main thing is that we finally relaunched Wendy Woo and moved aboard.  We completed the work to make her water tight (or so we thought, but more about that later) and then waited anxiously for the tides to build.  Finally, on Tuesday 7th April she was moved down the slip on her cradle and the afternoon high tide floated her off.  This was a very emotional moment, being the culmination of many months' hard work, blood, sweat and tears!

She spent the first night alongside the quay wall, ballasted on her starboard side to ensure she leant in against the wall as the creek dries out at low tide.  We did manage to have our first 'meal' on board before leaving her for the night.

The following day we  moved her around to her mooring, and that is where we have stayed since.  The river is closed to all but essential commercial traffic due to the current lock-down arrangements, which is very frustrating, but totally understandable.  I spent my first night aboard that evening, ensuring that she settled on her beaching legs and that there were no problems.  Suffice to say, I didn't sleep much as I was aware of every noise and movement of the boat.

We spent the following few days moving all of our things aboard and finally moving out of the chalet that has been our 'home' for the past six months.  It feels so good to be out of there and starting on the next chapter of our journey.

The mooring we have dries out every day which is far from ideal.  We have beaching legs fitted to keep us upright, but we don't have a pontoon from which to board our boat.  We have to moor bow-to and, because we have a large draft and freeboard height, a ladder is not particularly viable.  We are currently climbing onto our neighbours boat to get to ours.  It's just as well that there is no one aboard that boat as we would be disturbing them on a regular basis.  We are waiting for the boatyard to install a finger pontoon to help us, but this seems to keep getting put down the priority list.

We have been blessed with great weather most of the time since we launched.  However, the past few days have brought heavy rainfall which has revealed several leaks from the roofs.  I'm pleased to report that, so far, all of the leaks have come from places that we have not done any work on, but the snagging list is starting to grow.  I have managed to seal each leak as it's become apparent, but these are temporary solutions and I feel that we will have to replace the aft cabin coach roof before too long.

Other things on the snagging list are that the radar does not work and nor does the depth sounder.  I can live without the radar, but knowing the depth of water under the keel is rather vital.  I have got a replacement transponder but I'm struggling to pluck up the courage to remove the existing one.  If I don't get it right we will have a one inch hole in the hull of our boat, which will focus our minds somewhat!

The other main thing to work on now are the masts.  We are having a new main mast made as soon as the yard can get to it, but the mizzen mast and booms are remaining original.  I have stripped them back to bare wood and I am in the process of re-varnishing them to protect them for years to come.  It is a little frustrating that each time I have tried to put a coat of varnish on the mast it's either raining or someone nearby is sanding!  Still, I have two coats on now and I am aiming to get at least five on before it is refitted.

In my next post I will talk about the challenges of small space living, and the additional issues that have come to light as a result of drying out twice a day.  Until then, stay safe everyone............

Sniffing the Air

Progress continues, despite the anxiety of Covid 19.  We were hoping to have relaunched today; however, although the predicted tide should have been sufficient to float us off, the high pressure we’re experiencing meant that there wasn’t enough water in the creek!  Still, it has been a beautiful day and we have made a lot of progress since my last post.

Our aim was to have the boat as watertight as we could prior to relaunch.  We started by concentrating on refitting stanchions, toe rails and rubbing strips over the past few days.  Every bolt has fought hard.  When we removed the stanchions I didn’t measure where the existing bolts were as I thought I would be able to pick up the original holes.   However, this was before we replaced the whole deck which, in the process, took away all the old holes.  The only remaining datum was the two screw holes in the stem post where the toe rail was attached.  We have had to work our way back from this point which has been quite a battle.

We have also made new quadrants for the coachroof and fitted and sealed them.  More plugging for Bridget to do!  We have refitted the windlass onto the foredeck.  This involved fixing an oil leak and making a new plinth out of iroko.  Once installed we were able to lift the anchor chain and anchor back up into the forepeak which I was anxious to do before we moved the boat.  I didn’t fancy having to walk across the boatyard with forty metres of chain and a danforth anchor!



There’s still lots more to do, but we now have to wait until Maundy Thursday before the next spring tides come back and hopefully, at last, lift us up off the slip.  Till next time…….

Frustrations and Successes

It’s been over a month since I last updated this blog and we’ve really struggled with many aspects of our new life.  We had hoped to be on the water many weeks ago but as I type this we are still on the boatyard slipway and watching the latest spring tide come and go.  This is a real frustration for us.  We are dependent on a spring tide to float us off the cradle and allow us to move down the creek to our mooring, but we are a long way off being ready to leave the protection of the covered slip.  Bleat over, what have we been up to since my last post?



The main leap forwards is that we have completed the replacement of the deck.  Sheathing with fibreglass cloth and epoxy resin was a really unpleasant job.  Not only is it very messy, it was also difficult to get a really good result.  Overall, it’s not perfect but it will give strength and protection to the underlying wood.  It also has had two coats of 2-pack epoxy primer ready for several coats of deck paint.  We decided that we would be able to improve the deck finish over time if any issues arise – one of the advantages of living aboard I suppose.

The topsides have also received much attention.  Bridget has sanded and painted, and sanded and painted, and sanded and painted!  We opted for Epifanes #24 for our colour choice.  It is a lovely, creamy off-white colour that suits the teak superstructure well.  We intend to put a couple of further coats on before we hit the water, but I’m anxious to get the toe rails, rubbing strips and guard rails fitted whilst we have the staging around the hull.







We have found it immensely satisfying to start putting things back on.  We have refitted the forward hatch which was the final stage of making the boat watertight once again.  We do get some rain falling onto the bow, despite the tarpaulins, which trickles down through the hatch opening, so finally being able to shut this over was a significant milestone.  We have also refitted the deck filler caps for the fuel and water tanks.



The big achievement was finally fitting the wood stove.  This is a major investment into our future comfort, so we wanted to get it right.  We chose the Hobbit stove from Salamander Stoves in Devon.  That was the easy bit……working out how to fit a flue and what material to use for heat protection proved more of a challenge!  We finally decided on using heat resistant tiles on a cement-board backer, with a 2cm air gap between the backboards and bulkheads.  We think the overall look is fabulous and will become a real focal point for our new ‘living room’.  We opted for the ‘canal boat’ flue fitting kit as the nearest match to our situation which uses a twin-wall pipe to reduce the heat transfer to surrounding material.  However, this meant cutting a 9-inch hole in the roof of our saloon.  I tell you, nothing focusses the mind more than cutting large holes into your boat – measure 10 times, cut once!  Anyway, the deed is done.

So, we have a lot to do yet, and we hope to finally take to the water in a fortnight’s time when, hopefully, there’ll be enough water to float us off the cradle and finally onto our mooring.



Till next time……………

A Deck At Last

At long last we have the first layer of deck down and sealed.  This has taken far longer than we had anticipated due primarily to my ineptitude and working out how much timber and how many screws would be needed.  I had to re-order timber 3 times and screws twice.  Who would have thought that the deck would need nearly 200 linear metres of 6-inch boarding and over 1000 screws - well I didn't!  That's despite maths and geometry being my strong suits.

This now means that we have a roof over the interior which means we can start cleaning the boat properly.  We have cleaned several times but it soon gets covered in dust and debris from work above.  The next stage for the deck is to fit the marine-grade plywood which will be glued and screwed into place before being sheathed in glass fibre matting.  This closely matches the original deck structure, which was sheathed from new, as far as we can tell.

Other milestones achieved:

All the superstructure has been stripped back, sanded and given a few coats of Deks Olje to restore the finish and protect the wood.  We have been given loads of advice on products to use and standards to achieve, and it all starts to get bewildering.  We decided on an oiled finish for the external wood as it is easier to apply and keep maintained.  We have also decided that we're not aiming to have a "show-boat" but rather a boat that will be our home, so the wood has not been brought back to perfection but bears the patina of 55 years of life.  Having said that, Bridget has spent many, many hours scraping and sanding the teak superstructure and deck fittings - a very laborious job to say the least!

The hull has now been given two coats of primer/undercoat below the waterline and Bridget has started applying anti-foul coating - the first bit of 'colour' going back on:

One of the reasons we have embarked on this life-changing adventure is to tread more lightly on the planet.  What has surprised us both is the amount and variety of extremely nasty chemicals involved in restoring and protecting boats.  I know many of them are only being used as one-off jobs, but the environmental costs are not insignificant!  This is the problem with trying to do the right thing - you can unpick every aspect of life and find fault - but we all must try and do the best we can.

Till next time................I look forward to standing here:

A Week In The Cold

Time flies when you're focussed on rebuilding a boat and it's been over a week since I last posted an update.  The last week has been very cold in the boatyard which is both a good thing and a bad thing.  Good, because the frosty mornings make the boatyard and creek look lovely.

 Bad, because the cold leads to lots of condensation which stops us from filling, sanding and painting the hull.  It also has slowed down the hardening of the filler we are using so the sanding discs keep clogging up, which is very frustrating.

On a positive note, I have replaced all the beam shelf bolts and the additional deck planks arrived early in the week so Bridget got them all painted up and I have been fitting them on the foredeck.......the only thing is, I still don't think I have enough!

I gave the dead space where the rudder gear is a thorough cleaning and removed a large amount of debris, some of which had been there for many years.  I have refitted the stern tube and rudder shaft assembly, but I'm thinking that I should have lubricated the shaft first as the steering gear feels quite stiff.  There is a mechanical greasing system but I'm not sure it is capable of forcing grease all the way down.  It's probably best to remove the shaft and grease it.

The instruments are now all relocated and seem to be working ok, although the radar is making an annoying alarm sound.  I don't think it was doing this before but I'm not sure.  However, the radome is not connected so that might have something to do with it.  I was planning on temporarily wiring the radome to the main unit but the wires were cut when the boat was transported from Kent.  Why would you do that?  I need another day to splice the wiring loom together.

The woodburner is ordered and should be with us a week on Wednesday.  There's a bit of prep work needed before I can install it but other things are taking priority.

Back at it tomorrow!  In the meantime. here's a photo of our next project.....

Only Joking.........................!

More Timber Needed

I've been asked what I meant by plugging away.  When the top planks were replaced (the shear strakes) they were screwed onto the hull frames using stainless steel screws.  Each screw hole is counterbored so that the screwhead sits below the surface.  One method filling the holes is to use a filler, or fairing compound, but over time the filler can crack and fall out exposing the heads.  A better method is to use wooden plugs, cut to the correct size from the same type of timber as the plank itself.  These are glued in place and, once the glue has set, the excess is cut back and the whole thing is planed/sanded back to give a flush fit.  This is what the hull planks looked like this morning when we got to the boatyard:

As you can see there's a fair bit to clean up.  In the meantime Bridget has got cracking with mixing up the filler for the caulking seams and prepping the hull for sanding back to a smooth finish.

My main task today was to progress the laying of deck planks.  I'm finding this an extremely satisfying job as I now really feel as though we have turned the corner and we are in the rebuild phase.  I have managed to get the port side foredeck planks laid, but before I can progress any further I have to drill and refit all the beam-shelf bolts which have now arrived. I have also underestimated the amount of planking I need.  Not sure how that happened, given that maths and geometry are supposed to be my strong subjects!

Plugging Away

Yesterday was partly taken up with researching wood stoves and visiting a local manufacturer.  We have decided to fit a Salamander Hobbit stove.  They are designed and built by a local company and are ideal for small spaces.  Check out their website at https://salamanderstoves.com.  The issue I'm now wrestling with is how to seal the flue exit in the saloon roof.  More on that to follow in the coming days.  The rest of the day was spent battling Storm Brendan as it threatened to tear down my tarpaulins that are protecting the bow of Wendy Woo.

Today was much more productive.  Bridget got cracking with plugging the screw holes in the new shear strakes.  The process includes making the plugs using a specialist cutter and then gluing them in place, making sure the grain of the wood is aligned.  There are hundreds to do!

Given that Bridget has not used a pillar drill before, she took to the task and within a few hours all the holes were plugged.

In the meantime, I set about fitting deck planks.  I had been struggling with using slot-head screws as the bit kept jumping out and gouging the planks.  The sight of the parcel courier bringing me a box full of pozi-drive stainless screws was very welcome.  I find pozi-drive far easier to use and I quickly managed to get the planking fitted around the foredeck hatch.  There's still a long way to go, but I feel as though good progress has been made.

Incidentally, when we got to the boatyard this morning we were greeted by possibly the highest tide we have seen sine getting the boat out of the water.  We could almost have put her in reverse and motored off the ramp.  Must have been all the rain we have had!