3rd July 2020 – In the morning I drove to the shipyard in Sluiskil to take some pictures of the Julie leaving. There were some other houseboats t the yard as well.
While I was there, other neighbours called since they got stuck with engine trouble in Leffinge. It is always an adventure going to the yard, but it was nicely fixed by the skipper.
In the evening I helped the Julie in the lock grabbing a rope. They had made a nice journey.
3th July 2020 – My mother gave a fresh coat of yellow paint on the wheelhouse of the Watergeus.
21st June 2020 – The old shipyard Minnewater in Bruges is being converted. In one of the warehouses was a small crane built with pieces from a barge. The crane will go to my museum in the near future.
15th June 2020 – Believing you are free, having a drink with the neighbours, people from other boats joining, watching the sun go down and forgetting how much work you still have on your own ship: this is what I call a nice evening…
1st June 2020 – If there is one ship I would be afraid of putting he back in the water, it will be the Maxx. I had a look today and discovered several new holes in the hull. Welding another plate or putting a thick coat of epoxy on the ship. I just don’t know…
29th May 2020 – A friend started welding two big sheets of metal to the bottom of the ship.
17th May 2020 – I drove to Ghent to visit a barge of a friend for a friend. A nice combination and I hope she will buy it. It is a fair price for a good houseboat.
The interior is slightly outdated, but that is just where the barge is giving it charms. The outside is very well maintained and you can live in it for the next coupe of years without having to do major upgrades.
It had been a while since I was in that part of Ghent so I took some pictures of the boats in the area.
13th May 2020 – While having a look at a small boat for a friend, I took some time to walk around in the marina. There were all kind of ships available.
9th May 2020 – A big disappointment today when we launched the Maxx. I was there to assist, but when the ship touched the water, it became clear the bottom is rotten. Through several leaks, water came in and we had to take her back out.
It had to be a special moment, but now it is an uncertainty. One thing is sure: it will cost some money before she can float again.
A lifeboat is built thin, I know what issues I might have with the Stern in the future, but what to do? A good advice is to abandon the ship, but after spending so much money, there is no way back then to continue.
In the afternoon, I worked on the Stern, but thinking about the Maxx. I only see two possible options:
I have no experience with fiberglass and doubling the engine room doesn’t guarantee there are no other leaks. So I can’t give any advice…
9th May 2020 – While I had to be in the marina, I took some pictures of the boats being put in the water.
6th May 2020 – I managed to start the engine, more or less by coincident, but it ran straight away. Nice to know. Let’s hoe everything is ready for launching the ship Saturday.
4th May 2020 – In the afternoon, we rebuilt the rudder aboard the Maxx. It took us some time t get it sealed. The bottom was thin and welding a plate was not easy.
3oth April 2020 – I was aboard the Max again to see what progress was made. The rudder was still stuck, and by removing the interior at the back, it was still not possible to get to it. The only option left was removing the rudder from beneath by cutting a piece out of the bottom of the ship. It took us a few hours to get this, what is looking as a simple job, done.
I was standing in the back cabin to check for possible chances of fire, but everything went safe!
28th April 2020 – The second day of welding aboard the Maxx. While I was there, I helped watching for possible fire. The hull was so thin that during the welding, we made additional holes.
27th April 2020 – Today a friend started welding at the Maxx. There were a few holes at the bottom of the ship and in the side. All of them underneath the waterline.
