Author: frederic - page 124

Aquarel – Making some free space

14th July 2014 – I have enough of the hold. To much stuff, I can’t walk around or move a single sheet of multiplex without hitting at least ten other things…. I had some water in the bilges yesterday and I can’t get to it properly because my stuff is at that location. All those things were working slightly on my nerves. The deal for today: just cleaning, no construction work!

At the end of the evening, I could slightly walk around and started doing some work anyway. All the welding joints of the roof will be sealed with silicon on the inside of the boat. Briefly calculated, there is about 180 meters where I have to put silicon. I did the bathroom area and stared insulating the den. I’m using 12cm of Rockwool. It might not be enough, but for the purposes she will be used it is ok.

Aquarel – Finished!

13th July 2014 – The bedroom is finished. I now need to paint it and connect the electricity. Woodwork is done and I’m happy!

I found some old merkels at the scrapyard. They are perfect for my hatches. It took me some time before I could find them. Once the hatches are nicely over my roof, it will be looking a bit better. Once the weather allows me to paint, I will!

Aquarel – Finishing the bedroom

10th July 2014 – The ceiling of the bedroom is finished. I’m now working on joining the old and new interior together without creating to much of a breakage in style. Since the new area is insulated, there is a difference in height. It makes the joint complex to make. It needs a lot of measuring and some creativity to get it right…

Aquarel – Shopping

7th July 2014 – I wonder how much time we spent in shops trying to find the right stuff. I was for about one hour in a shop finding silicone, a few pipe fittings, some screws, a bit of wires and sockets, some bolts and an air vent. It was late when I arrived and I still have no proper power in the original accommodation. I briefly did some wood work and went home.

Julie at the yard

6th July 2014 – It had been a while since I had a look at the shipyard in Rupelmonde. One of my neighbours is dry-docked at the moment. The perfect excuse to have a look. While I was there, I drove around in the area and found an old klipperaak, similar to the Aquarel.

Aquarel – Entrance to the hold

5th July 2014 – It is a small area. One and a half meter long, four meters wide, but not easy to convert. The entrance to the hold from the old accommodation is taking much longer then expected. I want it to look in the same style as the original accommodation. The only visible difference will be the colour. The new wood is going to be painted. Anything above one meter from the ground will be white. Anything underneath are the panels from that spits barge.

 

Aquarel – Rebuilding the bedroom

28th June 2014 – Construction work today! Nobody seems to be sure whether it will rain or stay dry. I will not take the chance of painting the wheelhouse. Last year I had to remove the old sleeping accommodation. It was rotten, and there was a big risk of fire when we were welding near that bulkhead.

Last month, I put the portholes back and now I can redo the interior. There used to be two boxes for sleeping. One has become the entrance to the hold. The second one will be for sleeping again.

The first job was to protect the metal by painting it. It took me much longer then expected. It looks small, but the amount of paint I used was not in proportion to the area…

In the afternoon I made the wall between the entrance and the bed. I’m reusing the old furniture parts from the spits barge I salvaged earlier this month. Maybe I would have been quicker remaking it….

Aquarel – Sanding

25th June 2014 – I continued sanding down the boat. Once everything was cleaned, I put a coat of paint on. Since I only had yellow paint left, she now looks like a duck. I will paint her with the right colour as soon as the weather permits me doing so.

A break

24th June 2014 – There was no update for some time. I didn’t buy another boat. I just had a brief holiday and spent time with friends. I have been working on boats for a long period and I realize more then ever that there is more in life then converting boats and keeping my website up-to-date.

Aquarel – Skylight restored

22nd June 2014 – The skylight for the old accommodation had been repaired. I mounted it on the deck, used some silicon to keep it in position. I must admit, those little elements give the boat a nice touch.

In the afternoon, I started preparations for the insulation and the walls I will make in the hold. I’m looking forward to have some areas ready and to get some structure in the hold.

Hornblower – The end….

20th June 2014 – It is not my intention to keep my website up-to-date with what other people do to my ships I have owned or worked on. I like to follow these ships in the background. I had the chance and honor to sail the Hornblower to the yard on the 7th June 2014. A few days later, she was dry docked.

A week later, the new owners called me telling the yard costs are to expensive and they will scrap the boat. I went to the yard and had a look. It is sad to see her in a condition I shall not further describe….

I will remember the Hornblower as my yacht, where I had a laugh and a cry, where I met nice people, where friends helped painting and the ship I have done the most welding jobs by myself. I spent two years converting her, making her looking shining again.

Thanks to all my friends in the support of saving the Hornblower in 2011. I will not save her again.

PS: For all the people who follow my website: Don’t send me pictures from her at the scrapyard!

Hornblower – Going to the yard

7th June 2014 – The new owners of the Hornblower asked me to join the trip and move the boat to a yard near the Dutch border. After all this time, I could steer her again…

I didn’t refuse the job because I knew she had a reliable engine and she is a good ship.

Aquarel – Leaks

4th June 2014 – Leaks! I knew there would be a leak somewhere in my windows. But all of them. Every window had one or two bolts that were leaking… I tightened the leaking bolts and those next to it. The rest of the evening was spent in cleaning the bilges.