Tordino – Unloading metal

23rd April 2017 – While cleaning the Watergeus, I removed my metal sheets, metal stairs and other tools from underneath the hatches. I put it in my van and today we unloaded it aboard the Tordino. Most of the metal will be used for the the entrance and the wheelhouse in the hold.

The stairs, I have kept for a very long period. It was a gift from a friend. He salvaged it from the Julie, a spits barge in Bruges. Never believed I could use it and certainly not on Tordino….

We continued with the roof in the library. I need a second man to help me lift the hatches.

My mother cleaned the storage units at the front of the ship. There was enough rubbish to fill my van again!

 

Tordino – Ceiling of the Library

17th April 2017 – After a relaxing day in Vreeswijk, it was time again to work. One of the experimental items on my planning was the ceiling of the Library. Still not convinced whether it would hold, I started building the ceiling. I will have to strengthen some parts, but it looks good, very good!

The watertanks are now in position. I had to do this first before extending the frame.

Vreeswijk

16th April 2017 – There is a historical shipyard in Vreeswijk. Partly a museum and partly an active yard for historical vessels. Very fascinating. Even nicer is the harbour full of older ships, all maintained as it should be.

Tordino – Second level

15th April 2017 – One of the jobs was to create a second level in the hold, behind the Library. There are two water tanks and they take most of the space in this area. By raising these tanks, I could reuse the space underneath. It took me some time to build a solid frame. These tanks, filled, have a weight of 1.2 tons each. I wanted to add a small fuel tank as well, so it must be strong.

The other job involved building a solid frame for the doors and entrance of the library. I want a small stage in front of the door. This was easier to build, but it still took me most of the afternoon to finish it.

Tordino – Moving a lifeboat

14th April 2017 – There is an old lifeboat in the hold. It will be used as a piece for the permanent exhibition on the inland waterways. Last week the outside was put in primer and the inside finished with some good paint. The boat was still in the middle of the hold.

Since the weight is at least 300kg, I couldn’t move it by myself. I put a small trolley under the stern of the boat and lifted the front to walk around with it. It went surprisingly well and she was in position in no time. Just to turn her, I called the neighbour to help.

Wood was delivered in the afternoon. It took the three of us some time to get it aboard. It wasn’t much, but it was heavy. Once the wood was stored aboard, I took a shower and went! Enough lifting for one day

Zelzate shipyard and Herita meeting

30th March 2017 – In the early morning I drove to the shipyard Carron in Zelzate where friends of mine have a ship. It is their last day out of the water. I’ve got a lot of stuff from this ship that will serve in my museum aboard Tordino.

There was a heritage meeting in the afternoon. I followed a few sessions and had an interesting afternoon.

Tordino – Insulation and mounting portholes

26th March 2017 – While my father started insulating the library, I cut the holes in the wall for the portholes. Since it is a maritime library, I want to give the feel and look of a ship.

Nice to have a working system. I check my generator once a week. While I was in the engine room, I noticed she had no oil left. I filled her, but it took some time before I noticed there was oil in the carter again. When she ran, oil ran out of the filter. There was a serious crack in the case of the filter. I replaced the filter and she ran again nicely. All the batteries were flat, so I will have to check more often!