15th May 2016 – Still struggling to solve my generator, by disconnecting the sensors, it worked. Not the right way to do it, but I had to drill several holes for the bolts that will hold the porthole. I can barely lift the porthole, so I have to make sure they are thick enough.
The rest of the day, I went shopping for paint and continued removing rust from the ceiling and sides. By the end of the evening, some bits were already painted.
14th May 2016 – The windows on port side still needed replacing. The three plastic sheets of glass will be replaced by two RAFA windows and one brass porthole. It took me over one hour to remove the previous frames. It was glued to the metal and I haven’t seen such a strong glue!
My generator didn’t want to start. Thankfully a neighbour in one of the houses gave me power to continue working. After several hours, port side was done. I got a frame for a porthole, and two windows mounted. It was a successfully day and a another step forward. Now I can start cleaning the hold and paint it.
13th May 2016 – I made preparations for the job tomorrow. Even the old interior is totally gone, the hold is stuffed up with wood and other items I salvaged. To work a bit more efficient in such a small area.
7th May 2016 – Still to warm to work, but this time there was another excuse. A friend came from Ghent with his tug. We were planning a BBQ.
7th May 2016 – Boating is more then just cruising a ship or converting one. It is often the social life around it that makes it a fantastic hobby. The tug Lena came from Ghent and we organized a BBQ in Beernem. Together with some friends it was a great evening!
6th May 2016 – While cruising around on the water, some pictures of the ‘Op Hoop van Zegen’:
5th May 2016 – I don’t know where to start. So much rust, so much flaky paint. I’m not feeling to good and the temperatures are high. I’ve don about a third of a zwierboom and went back home.
1st May 2016 – Still recovering from yesterdays party aboard the ship, the people who stayed wanted to organize a BBQ. So the party in the event yesterday became a small two-day festival. Nice weather, for the first time in weeks. It was a great weekend and I never enjoyed my ship more then I did then!
30th April 2016 – Today is a special day. The hold is looking finished. I still have to do the plumbing, heating, ventilation and some decoration. The ship is hundred years old and this means there is something to celebrate.
I organized a private party for some friends in the evening. I’m happy with the result. Some friends came earlier to load the beer on the ship and to build a tent in case it would be raining.
During the evening I walked several times outside. With only some light coming through, she looked good. Colored lights in the hold , LED lights outside and people having fun. It felt right!I am proud of the result.
25th April 2016 – The light fittings were mounted and some of the pictures. I glued the frames to the wall so they would stay straight and don’t fall of.
20th April 2016 – Some more photographs of the hold. The last details…
16th April 2016 – The hold area is nearly ready and getting into shape. She will be ready for exhibitions and a permanent museum in the near future. You can already have a look at my site: http://www.museumschip.be .
I welded two supports for the zwierbomen. At least the deck looks cleaner now when they are in their brackets.
14th April 2016 – My neighbour in Beernem is cleaning his ship. He had an old small lifeboat. Instead of cutting it up, I took it with me. Hope to use it this summer to make some fun on the water…
13th April 2016 – I continued on the small roof at the back of the wheelhouse. While working, I noticed a few of the nails that are holding the zinc roof became loose. I put an air horn on the side of the wheelhouse. Connecting it to a small compressor is another job for later.
10th April 2016 – I had enough trouble with finding a leak in the old accommodation. There was always some water. I had a closer look and discovered three small holes in the shield of the cabin. When I started chipping the rust, they became bigger. Welding was not an option. There was nearly no metal left and the chance of having a fire was to big. I sanded down the old paint, put a good coat of primer and put silicone in the holes. Many people will not agree with me on this solution, but if you come up with another option, please let me know!
While fixing the issue, my mother continued painting the inside and cleaning everything up.
