Author: frederic - page 122

22nd November 2014 – Getting one sheet of 3m by 1.5m in the hold through a hatch of of 1m by 1.2m is not an easy job when you have no tools and only two people to do the job. It took some time, but after half an hour the sheet was in position and ready to be welded to the bottom of the frame. The frame is used to hold the watertanks in position and the sheet will make sure the water that could leak from the tanks is captured before it gets to the bilges of the boat.

Some more bits and corners were welded today. I make the promise to myself not weld the next month and just tidy up the ship. All metal is gone from the hatches, the lifeboat was cleaned and the mast painted. With a jack, I managed to lift up the mast for 40cm. This made it easier for giving it a second coat of paint.

18th November 2014 – Cleaning the hold is always a major issue with me. Somewhere next week we have to lower a big sheet of metal through the new hatch. Seems easy, but my wood supply lies underneath that hatch and my tools are located where I should put that sheet…

I have to much stuff in the hold…

13th November 2014 – It is not good when you start abandoning your boat conversion for other things. Then again, I now realize more then before there is more then just working on a boat. Anyway, it was time to do something. Another few square meters of ceiling are finished. It is an intensive and annoying job. Insulation, multiplex and t&g, and from every layer, some dust gets into your eyes.

8th November 2014 – Half a day, that is what I can spend on the boat this weekend…. I did some ceiling and painted the mast green. It was the only visible piece of metal that was looking rusty. At least, it now looks more acceptable to the public and the metal is protected. I will continue on the mast somewhere next year, once the inside of the ship is finished.

3rd November 2014 – Every minute I can work on the Aquarel, I’ll try to do so. The ceiling is a major work. I have to do it alone and the sheets of multiplex are heavy. I already cut them in half, but even then, it is struggling to hold them while I add a few screws….

1st November 2014 – Nearly ready for my winter stop. It has been enough for this year. I must admit I haven’t done as much as planned since August. Nevertheless I’m happy with what has been done.

Same mistake as on the Watergeus, I have no big entrance left to the hold for big stuff or artwork. So I needed a hatch for lowering stuff to the hold. The hatch can’t be that high since my aluminum hatches must cover it. I want to look like a traditional ship and nothing is going to change this.

It took all day to build the hatch and mount it. I haven’t tried it yet since it was dark when I stopped working.

18th October 2014 – A whole day spent on the stairs to the hold. Major problem is the small entrance. It takes time to measure and think! Th stairs are also the side cover for the water tanks. A difficult construction, but once finished, I think it will be a masterpiece. Or let’s hope so….

15th October 2014 – It annoys me there is no progress to see or to show the people around you. I insulated the den on one side and put some wood over it. It is a small area, but it gives an idea . While doing so, some more of that big pile of wood is gone. Wall finished and floor visible!

14th October 2014 – The engine arrived and this means another step closer to make the ship navigable again. We put it on the front deck with the help of a big car crane on the back of a container barge, so I have enough space to dismantle the old engine. I will reuse the old engine as counter weight for the mast.

13th October 2014 – I’ve been looking for a replacement engine for some time now. It is hard to find the same engine at a reasonable price. I made plans for rebuilding the current engine, but nobody really knows what happened to it. She was badly damaged the last journey and had severe frost damage from a few years ago.

Replacing the engine was another plan. I love DAF engines and it would be nice to put a DAF aboard my ship. This also means replacing gearbox, etc…

A few days ago I found a second hand Detroit Diesel. I had a look this evening to check if it was indeed a new engine. So it seems…