Month: December 2013

Aquarel – Mast

29th December 2013 – The engine room doesn’t smell well with the oil and water in the bilges. I mounted the air vents that came with the ship. I hope with some fresh air, it will make it easier working in the engine room the next couple of weeks.

The mast at the back of my ship broke when I turned around in Merelbeke. A friend salvaged the mast and she is now back on the boat!

Aquarel – Wheelhouse

26th December 2013 – I finally managed to finish the wood work in the wheelhouse. She looks as good as she could. The metal beam in the middle is now covered with wood, old wood from the interior of the Hornblower.

The wood is mounted with copper screws. I reused the one I saved a few years ago when I dismantled the interior of my previous ship Hornblower. It is nice to know that the effort I made is now worth it!

Aquarel – Repairing the metal of the old accommodation

23rd December 2013 – The holes in the accommodation are closed. In the end more metal was replaced then planned. When I bought the Aquarel, she was looking good, everything nicely covered with paint. Sadly enough, there was more paint then metal left…

In the afternoon, I started on my first hatch. I need for hatches: Two for the entrance, one for the generator room and one for the central heater area. The weather changed quickly, so the job will be finished another day…

Aquarel – Closing some more holes

21st December 2013 – Time to close some more holes in the accommodation. The back accommodation is not that brilliant. Since I want to restore it to the original state, the metalwork has to be replaced and remade as it was. I’m not riveting, but welding. There is a limit on my budget!

Is it all worth it?

21st December 2013 – Sometimes I do wonder if people know how much work we spend on converting our boats. People buy a boat, start to repair and convert it. During the journey there is a point when you think, is she worth it. Is it worth th effort to spent any more money or energy to the boat. Shouldn’t I just buy another one and send this one to the scrapyard…

Well I had my breaking point the last couple of days. The more I’m working on the Aquarel, the more unpleasant surprises I’m finding…

Aquarel – Insulating the wheelhouse

16th December 2013 – Since the weather is good, I’m insulating the wheelhouse. I can put my tools outside while working, no rain no wind! I’m putting three centimeters of PUR insulation sheets on the roof. On top of this, some t&g wood will make the finish.

Aquarel – Leak in the wheelhouse

14th December 2013 – So after a busy week on other people’s boat, and a heavy night partying, it was time to start working again! The plan was to continue on the floor, but a small leak in the wheelhouse decided me to alter plans.

The metal underneath the wooden wheelhouse is gone. It has rotten away the last fifty years. I could dismantle the wheelhouse and replace the metal. This is the best solution, but I don’t have the time and the courage to do so. I removed the old silicon, polyester and rust. I sanded down the metal, painted it and filled everything with a good quality polymer silicon.

 

Aquarel – New wheelhouse roof

8th December 2013 – The wheelhouse roof wasn’t as dry as a I planned. I had a leak in the gap between the two sheets and the multiplex was not very water proof. It was painted on both sides, but started to show some signs of delaminating. I put on a roof in zinc. It looks old fashioned, just like the rest of the boat. But more important: it is dry inside!