27th November 2015 – I removed the toilet, massurator and sink to clean the fuel from underneath. The plumbing behind was no good anyway, so I just pulled it out fo the wall. At least, I have now seen most of the ship in it’s bare metal.
Author: frederic - page 114
26th November 2015 – A few hours more cleaning. There is still more diesel in the bilges then expected. Sometimes you wonder where it is coming from.
22nd November 2015 – Cleaning the ship by removing insulation and wood. An easy job where you don’t have to think. From the moment you start thinking on how much work needs doing, you kill yourself. It’s a phase you have to go through.
14th November 2015 – In winter time, boats get green and moldy. When the ship is painted white, something I would never do, you notice it much quicker. Therefore it took us two hours to clean her. She now looks white again, but for how long?
And this is how she looked before…
14th November 2015 – Just about finished most of the old accommodation. It nearly looks like that many years ago when the carpenters were finished building the interior.
12th November 2015 – I had a few hours spare so I continued removing the old paneling and insulation. Nothing special, just work. While doing so, I realised how much work it will take to rebuild the interior. From a small project to a major conversion…
The current outdated interior looks simple, but it worked. Sadly enough, after being passed through several owners it was damaged during every conversion or adaptation. The main criticism on the previous conversion is the electricity. Loose wires with tapes or unprotected connected with blocks. I was surprised there had not been any fire.
While being aboard, you start dreaming, making plans and also realising none of them are going to happen. The idea that you have a certain potential with a ship is so nice, you should enjoy it.
11th November 2015 – I finished my first set of plans. It looks more like a children’s drawing then a serious plan. I will nearly change the whole concept from the current situation . Water tanks and bathroom will be at the front of the ship, followed by a bed, table and chairs. At the entrance is the kitchen area. Like a friend said, it is easy on paper…
11th November 2015 – A day of doing several smaller jobs. The old accommodation got a second coat of oil and the cabinet were painted with a finishing coat of ivory white. The accommodation is nearly finished and ready for decoration and usage. Once the kitchen and bathroom are finished, I will have some comfort aboard. This means I can work a whole weekend without going home. Looking forward to use the microwave and eat some hot food!
I put a floor in the bar, so it looks similar to the kitchen area. A final floor will be done when I’m back from the yard. I prepared inspection hatches, but you will never know… A good quality floor is expensive and it is a reasonable big area to cover.
The hold is a major area to paint. It will take some time. Therefore, every evening I’m aboard, I try to paint an area. My tins of paint are 0.75l and this is just the right amount to paint something. Secondly, by the time I can paint everything, I need to clean the hold a bit more. There is to much rubbish around. I filled my car with wood and mounted the toilet. Gives me some extra space, but not enough.
7th November 2015 – After another day of removing vanish, it was now time to oil the old accommodation. It looks nice!
I painted the bar. It took me three hours for such a small area.
4th November 2015 – My mother came to see the ship. She realizes like everybody else, there is a lot of work that needs doing. It is not exactly a ship I’m proud of at the moment.
4th November 2015 – Sadly enough, the floor was still wet and I can’t walk on it. Therefore I started finishing the bar in the main hold. Doing little corners takes a lot of time. By the time it was dark, most of it was finished, but there was no more time to paint the bar.
Mother helped the whole day removing vanish. During a heavy rain period, I noticed the window that was not covered with duck tape and plastic started leaking heavily. So both windows are now taped with plastic. A solution can be simple (and temporarily)…
In the late afternoon, to do something totally different, I welded the brackets for the zwierbomen. I didn’t have the right pieces to connect the ropes and chains. Another item I couldn’t finish.
3rd November 2015 – A friend came to say hello. It was warm, so we sat outside and had a drink, just enjoying the new ship. Sitting inside is still impossible because of the fuel smell. I will try to remove some of the interior next week.
1st November 2015 – Just continued for a few more hours removing the floor and measuring the ship. There is metal left then expected and this good news. The deck between the accommodation and the old wheelhouse is still there. This is good news. Less welding, and something to start from.
1st November 2015 – My parents came to remove some more vanish from the old accommodation. The cabinet at the the other side is totally rotten. Even the metal is badly corroded and nearly gone. I will dry out this area for a a few weeks before looking for a solution.
I tried finishing the kitchen area as much as possible. Two more walls needed a coat of primer. Once this was done, I painted the floor.
31st October 2015 – The floor in the kitchen area is badly damaged; it was the first part that was built. I had to cut it open at some point when there was water in the bilges. When I built the kitchen and later removed it, the sheets of wood were damaged again. I’ve now cut the good parts nicely and built some inspection hatches with the right brackets, etc… It looks better, walks better and the area is totally clean now. It doesn’t look wrong anymore.