2nd June 2007 – A great day, we worked quit hard and made good progress on the floor. One third of the floor has been covered with multiplex and half of the boat has gotten it’s wooden structure. It is taken longer then I taught, but it is a pleasant job, where you notice the progress you make.
1st June 2007 – I went shopping in the morning, while in the afternoon I cleaned the anchor winch, removing all the rust and old paint. I’m not even half way and already tired.
The good thing, she starts to look good. A shipyard from Ghent came to check the boat and make a price for the roof. I’ll have their answer next week. I’m quit surprised what they will ask. The man made a few remarks such ask:
28th May 2007 – In the morning we continued working on the floor till the last screw driver bit for the drilling machine broke. I learned my lessen, never buy cheap ones again!
A reasonable big tanker (83 meters) moored next to me. They plan to leave tomorrow. While they were mooring, I had to undo a piece of my gangway and put on some more ropes. Last Monday, a friend of mine had put some spare ropes on my deck, good idea since I needed them straight away.
After they were moored, we had a nice conversation. I visited their ship and stood up their roof of the wheelhouse that could go up a few meters. Time to take some nice pictures form the Watergeus and the vessels around!
27th May 2007 – I don’t know, but I can’t see any screw anymore… I turned over 1000 screws and really, I have enough of it. I’m not even half way. Every time going to the shop, starting with 50 metal corners, next time 100 and now 200. Still I’m not having enough. Sometimes, I just don’t know where they go to. One thing is sure, the floor is very solid!
26th May 2007 – Great day of work. Continued on the floor till the drilling machine went down, smoke getting out.
21st May 2007 – I calculated myself what a metal roof would cost. It means, waiting two years before continuing converting the cargo hold. I’m writing to every shipyard in Belgium and asking for a price. By the end of the evening, I went back to the roots, looking for new hatches. I called Blommaert and they will send me a few solutions for hatches. At least it will be cheaper, I think.
20th May 2007 – We continued working on the floor till the afternoon.
During the morning the sky became more cloudy and a few minutes later I didn’t have enough buckets for the cargo hold. On nearly all the gaps between the hatches and the den water was leaking. I finished some part of the floor and went home. Depressed, disappointed and sad. It felt strange. I made up my mind to build a metal roof.
19th May 2007 – A nice day, a lot of work has been done and I’ve never seen so many ‘plastic’ yachts seen passing by!
We started building the floor for the badroom, kitchen and living room. The work made a bigger progress then expected.
By the end of the day most wooden supports were in place.
13th May 2007 – A friend asked me to join for visiting a spits barge. She had seen the boat before but wanted to be sure. It was a long journey, but the ship was looking fine, so was the paperwork.
13th May 2007 – Went visiting a spits barge for sale of a friend of mine. She had seen the boat before and planned to buy it. She made a temporary contract, both parties signed. She made a nice deal. I’m hoping her barge will be moored in front of me. It is a nicely maintained Plaquets spits from 1944.
12th May 2007 – Besides the wood we also need screws and metal plates for holding the structure. We went looking for them in the afternoon.
In the morning I was in Merelbeke for taking pictures of spits barges and others a the locks. We also started thinking on skylights in the hatches. A few months ago I have written an article on this subject, but I haven’t done it myself, so I’m afraid of the expenses that will follow.
11th May 2007 – At four o’clock they brought the first load of wood, for the supports of the floor. Two of my colleagues were kind enough for helping me. We slide the wood true a porthole in the cargo hold. It didn’t look much wood for the price I paid. We will start next weekend creating the floor.
10th May 2007 – I helped making up a contract for a friend. I’m always used in making contracts for selling a boat, it was a bit harder to make one for buying a boat that will become available in the next few months. An article on how to make contracts will follow in the next couple of weeks on Living Afloat.
9th May 2007 – Last night was great, until the burglar alarm of the Aldi shop at the other side of the dock went off, at 2 O’clock. It continued working for over an hour, I never noticed police. Yesterday was a disturbed night, today again, I’m starting to feel it, but hey I have chosen to live on a boat in Bruges.
When I got back from work, I noticed that two boats behind me, the spits had returned from a holiday, as I taught. I went talking to him and discovered he went to the shipyard for his 5 years periodic dry-dock and cleaning. The price was so high, he decided to go to another shipyard in a few weeks time. In the mean time he returned back to his mooring. I found it really sad for him. So far, I’m one of the only people that didn’t have any major problems with a shipyard.
He also told me shipyard Caron in Zelzate, well known for his repairs on house boats and commercial vessels as well, doesn’t take boats that are to heavy ballasted. I had heard that before and therefore find it interesting mentioning on this website. See also my article on dry-docking the Watergeus in May 2006.
In my cargo hold, I discovered four leaks, three of them relative big. Water came in quickly. The porthole didn’t leak anymore.
While writing this section, I heard a boat in the background. Again it was a replica, but the owner seemed to have known the boat while she was commercially. Sadly they opened the bridge, or I would have gotten more time to talk with him. Vaguely, I think to know that man, but I’m not sure…
8th May 2007 – The storm went down in the morning but was in the evening again as worse as yesterday. It might not have been necessary for me to put an extra rope at 2 o’clock in the morning.
After getting back from work I made a temporary floor for the people coming on Friday to help carrying in the wood. It took me a small hour to shift some plates and lay them down, stable enough to walk on.
