12th February 2017 – I’m preparing the hold for the conversion. I built some tables and started sorting out my tools. It gives a good feeling to know how much space I now have to start building. I
can easily turn around with wood without hitting the sides of the ceiling. It is great to have a working space again.
11th February 2017 – Another drive with the van to my ship. When doing a conversion, you need a lot of equipment and parts. I never finished the conversion on the lemmeraak ‘Op Hoop van Zegen’. When I had to empty the ship, I put everything in boxes. these are the first boxes I will need. They contain screws, bolt, nails, etc… I was surprised to see how much was left. enough to do some conversion and construction!
6th February 2017 – Friends of me are cleaning an old barge in Zelzate. The ship is filled up with old stuff, rubbish and tools. I came to collect a few pieces that will serve in my museum.
5th February 2017 – Nearly finished. This is how I would describe my metal platform in the hold. I did another day of welding and I’m getting there! If it wasn’t for the rain, I might have finished it.
4th February 2017 – I asked several friends to come and help. The new stairs needed to be lowered into the hold and put in position. The weight of 120kgs was the issue. With four of them on deck and me downstairs we managed to do the operation very quickly. The stairs was quickly welded and the rest of the afternoon we sat down and talked, making plans…
3rd February 2017 – I bought the Tordino without radar and radar support. These pieces were sold by the previous owner. While I was in Leeuwarden last month, I managed to buy the support back from the new owner. It is a heavy piece that I already moved several times. I decided to weld it to its original position. Looks great again! I still need the controls, cables and monitor, but I’m sure I will find them one day at the right price.
24th January 2017 – A bit of planning…
22nd January 2017 – Another day of welding. I wasn’t feeling right and it was the coldest night so fare with minus six degrees. By the end of the day I was totally broken, but good progress was made. I’m happy!
21st January 2017 Two plates needed some adjustment since one of the major supports of the den is sticking out. The other sheets were the right size. They were quickly in position so I could weld them together.
When my father arrived, I used him as a weight to stand on the sheets while I was welding underneath. The sheets need to be welded to the ribs before they are welded to each other.
20th January 2017 – I went to pick up some metal in the early morning. When I ordered it earlier this week, I asked them to cut the supports for the roof in two pieces since I can’t transport them in their full length. I had to do the job myself, so I lost more then one hour. The sheets of metal were loaded with a forklift.
A friend helped me mounting the supports. They were not that heavy, but not practicable to handle and move. We put the sheets of metal on a pile on the ribs and both of us went home.
17th January 2017 – The idea to make a descent entrance to the hold is coming closer. I drew a few plans, but this evening, I measured the hold. She was not that high as expected. I changed my plans and the entrance will come near the living accommodation instead of in the middle of the hold. Knowing myself, there is a chance that even this plan will change again in the future…
15th January 2017 – At the shipyard in Rupelmonde are some friends of mine. They are breaking down a houseboat to rebuild it later this year. The interior is not that valuable, but some pieces are nice as decoration. The bedroom doors come from an old ship, just like the light fittings. I went to collect them. They are going to be used in the hold as entrance doors for the exhibition boxes.
14th January 2017 – I found a small table in a local second hand shop in Bruges. It was old, very old and just the right size and price. In the afternoon I did some more furniture and decoration in the living area. It looks cozy.
13th January 2017 – I’m a great fan of old furniture and reusing it. There are only a few things I do buy new. A sofa is one them. I needed a sofa that could fit through the door of the wheelhouse so I went to Ikea.
Instead of buying a sofa, I bought three small ones and a carpet. In the evening, I started mounting the furniture and discovered Ikea is now giving spanners for mounting the furniture. I always wanted to have one room with old colonial decoration.
Since the Tordino is not becoming a houseboat and I don’t have intentions of creating one in the near future, the living space will be decorated with my African stuff.
6th January 2017 – We arrived in Beernem, 506 kilometers in 32 hours. It was a good journey in some ways.
