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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 2, 2018 17:15:43 GMT 1
This weather is playing hell with my wheelhouse building schedule, & my social calendar, the cancellation of last nights club night deprived me of my much loved few midweek pints, & Trevor's "Finger Buffet" Wheelhouse wise its too cold & too dangerous to ride the scooter from Gendros to Cilonnen & back, my "rubber footprint" is probably the same as that of a 5yr olds foot (& they are always falling down) The door is up the workshop & needs fitting to the rear panel (at its new height to stop Richie banging his head every time he comes aboard I have been trying to pick up a rotary ventilator to put in the roof of the new wheelhouse, the "Offshore" on the next berth has one fitted & the windows are never misted up & nothing in the cabin seems rusted. Belle on the other hand is like a Turkish bath some mornings, & rod eyes, reels, or anything not brass or stainless rusts in no time. The problem is that any water that falls has to go into the bilge first before being pumped out, & the bilge is permanently wet, & with the engine box being partly in the wheelhouse when the engine gets warm there is a lot of condensation generated, similarly when the sun warms the deck it generates condensation in the wheelhouse. Currently I have a couple of 99p vents from B&M fitted, & although they do help they don't solve the problem. To buy a rotary ventilator new will cost about £70 & even scrapyards are charging £35-£40 for them, however if they work then it will be worth it, so I have posted on WSF asking boat owners what their views are, & from that I can make a recommendation to the committee if the answers are positive.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 3, 2018 18:14:23 GMT 1
Took a run down to check the boat today now that the snow & ice have gone, all seemed well, engine started no problem, batteries seem to be holding charge ok, very little water in the bilges (I was expecting there to be ice in them but it was clear) yet there was ice in the kettle Moorings were fine no trouble with the ropes etc, although there was a large padded bra on the pontoon? God knows who has been stripping off on the pontoon in this weather? All was well inside the wheelhouse, the polythene stapled over the hole where the door used to be seemed to be keeping the weather out, hopefully the weather will improve to keep things that way. Has anybody seen on Facebook & YouTube the carnage in Holyhead Marina, over 80 boats have been lost, several big boats too, looking at the video it seems that that catamarans & Mitchell type hulls fared better than others. It will be interesting to see how smoothly the insurers pay out, it seemed very exposed in the marina & I would have thought there would be better shelter than it has??? Tomorrow hopefully will see me continuing with the new wheelhouse, things were going well & I was "On a roll" but now I will have to go back & try to remember what I was doing (bloody old age lol). I noticed that the windscreen has a toughened glass emblem in the corner & I want 6" cutting off the end to fit the new wheelhouse, does anybody know of a GOOD glazier who will cut it for us, as I hate to think what a piece of 5' x 2' sheet of toughened glass would cost tor replace Checking the inside to see how difficult a job it will be to transfer the the old trunking & beading revealed that it should be more straightforward than I thought. most of the cable trunking is held on by self tappers, & the window beading is held on by screws that have rusted away inside the fabric of the wheelhouse & most pieces of beading can be removed by simply pulling at them because the holding screws have rusted away (a break ) I will still be looking for volunteers to do some painting, particularly the floor & seat duckboards which will need to be taken up to the car park to be done, to avoid dripping preservative into the water, let me know if you are prepared to give me a hand, Vic
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 7, 2018 21:11:31 GMT 1
I have managed to do a bit more on the wheelhouse, basically its a matter of keeping on putting coats of wood preserver onto it until it stops soaking it in, then its all about primer, undercoat, & gloss until its "fartproof" The roof will be a little problematical, because made to fit a wheelhouse that has yet to be fitted is like asking for a leap of faith, what I will do is leave the main roof supports & the sheets of roofing material oversize, then cut it to fit once the wheelhouse walls have been erected & screwed/bolted down. I have now bought myself a "Banger" (literally) so that I can travel back & forward from home to workshop/boat without having to suit up like an astronaut to avoid the rain or ice, or having to rely on Colin to give me lifts to & from home, & to & from the boat to take measurements, I am sure he will be glad when I have finished & leave him in peace. He will also be glad because his electricity bill for this quarter was over twice what it normally is, thanks to me using the saws, & planer thicknesser, sanders, drill etc, so I will be asking the committee to pay the excess electricity charges. He said he wont charge me for his "guard dog service" "Big Dog & Little Dog" are like Sooty & Sweep & are only expert in the art of scrounging, when we are having tea & toast. Hopefully by tomorrow the wood preserver will have dried in & I can put a coat of primer on, then follow that with undercoat, I might leave the gloss painting until after it is fitted on the boat because there are bound to be bumps & scrapes as it fitted, & the undercoat wont be as critical to damage as the gloss will. My first job tomorrow will be to go to Normag & get a gallon of oil & an oil filter for my banger, when I dipped the oil & smelled it, it smelled like chip fat, so methinks it has not had a lot of TLC, plus gear changing is a bit of a lottery, & when I find a gear that is somewhere near what I want I leave it I have had a few people behind me who I am sure are wondering what the hell I am doing Hopefully by the time the locks reopen Belle will be ready to face the new season with a new modified wheelhouse, with rod holders so I don't have to climb over rods to get to the anchor. Whether there will be anything to catch out there I don't know, but at least we will be fit & ready to find out
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 10, 2018 12:33:05 GMT 1
It's Saturday & I am taking a day off, I have been to buy a tool to remove my oil sump drain plug so when its dry I will change the oil & filter in my banger (named Carlos), the "vagueness" of the gears was found to be from excess slack in the clutch cable, that was adjusted, & now I can decide in which direction I want to go, & not Carlos I asked on Facebook for volunteers to help me move the panels around in the workshop while I am painting them, you can imagine how much a 6ft x 6ft panel made from 1" thick larch weighs & moving & dragging them around on my own I have tended to go for the "easy option" panels, & now I don't know which have had 2 coats of primer & which have had 1 No doubt just looking at them will tell me, but if I had help I could give them all a coat in turn, rather than give some a second coat whilst waiting for help to turn others over. Trevor & Nigel have volunteered to help & I will be contacting them as & when, if anybody else wants to help that would be great especially in the transferring of the panels from car park to boat, & removing the old wheelhouse from boat to car park. I would also like to take the floor & seat duckboards up to the workshop for a coat of "Creocoat" for the floor, & wood preserver for the seat duckboards, as I am concerned that any spillage into the marina would be a real problem. So all in all there is an opportunity for people to become involved in what is really a major club project. Firstly however I need help to turn the panels over when they have been painted, to avoid boredom I will provide you with a brush & paint to use between turning duties so you don't get bored, & I will protect you from the vicious "Guard Dogs" we have patrolling the workshop area (when they are awake)
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 11, 2018 19:10:02 GMT 1
I have had a gutsfull of painting these panels, 3 coats of Barrentine & 2 coats of primer, & they still need 2 coats of undercoat & 2 coats of gloss So I have asked Richie to give me a hand with the painting tomorrow, so & I can get on with making the roof trusses & cutting the roofing sheets. I have decided to use joist hangers to support the roof, just in case the structure isn't square (nothing on Belle is square or upright), I will leave the trusses over length so I can cut them back to size, & the joist hangers will take out any errors. I haven't decided what sort of fiddle rail I will have on the roof, that depends on how much timber I have left out of the pile we bought. If anybody is feeling energetic then the trunking carrying the wiring inside the old wheelhouse needs to be taken down ready to be re-used on the new one (a felt tip pen marking what came from where would be a good idea) also some of the frames from around the windows can be PARTIALLY removed (not all or we will have to replace broken glass ) most of the screws into the old wheelhouse have rusted away so it shouldn't be too big a job taking them out. Any part of this task will be a big help as I need a "blank canvas" to assemble the new one because some of the dimensions are different. The new wheelhouse is narrower by 6" to give more room to walk down the starboard side, the roof will only be overhanging by 50mm all round to allow room to cast & to site rod holders to do away with the annoyance of rods laying on the seats just waiting to be stepped on as I make my way to the anchor Don't be shy if you feel you want to do a bit there is no door on the boat so you can get in just pull the plastic away. Be careful because there is mains electricity to the switchbox & plugs when the cable from the boat is plugged into the mains supply on the pontoon. The isolators will prevent any low (12v) voltage from being "live" so taking the trunking down will not be a problem, any problems then ring me on 07814528082.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 14, 2018 21:08:36 GMT 1
I was getting thoroughly p****d off on my own in the workshop PAINTING! I HATE painting with a passion especially having to put 2 coats of everything on it when its for a boat. Luckily Richie offered to help out with it, & for the last 3 days he has painted, & I have been working on the roof, cutting & machining the joists, cutting the composite boards for the roof covering. Tomorrow he has to attend a funeral & has given me instructions on which panels need a 2nd undercoat etc I will slap some paint on them ready for our dress rehearsal on Friday, when we are going to assemble the wheelhouse in the workshop, & from the result cut the roof panels accordingly because NOTHING on a boat is horizontal or vertical, & nothing is ever square so I will make the roof to fit the assembled panels & then force them to take the same shape on the boat! Trevor seems to think that because we have a new wheelhouse we will need to have another stability test before it is used again? I don't think that is necessary as it is "like for like" with the old wheelhouse (in fact slightly smaller, & far more solid). The boat is now more seaworthy & stable than it has ever been, it has proper ballast (stowed correctly & in the right places), it has handrails to prevent people falling in, it has anchors & spare anchors ready rigged to deploy at a moments notice, it has a radar reflector (that works), LED anchor lights & running lights that can now be seen from more than 20 yards away, a windlass to retrieve the anchor, etc, etc, etc. When it was last inspected it resembled a whaling skiff off the "Pequod" that hunted Moby Dick but I am no Capt Ahab & I look forward to Mumbles Belle being inspected, if only to shove the words back down the throats of the "Doubting Thomas's" who were attempting to write it off as unseaworthy when a hydraulic pipe split? & an oil pipe from the engine to the oil pressure gauge came adrift & caused it to overheat? Of course "Oystercat" NEVER develops any mechanical problems does it? Anyway my priority now is to get the old wheelhouse off, & the new wheelhouse on & secured, then they can get Nelson himself down to give it the once over if they want.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 16, 2018 19:48:04 GMT 1
Did a "dry run" today, assembled the panels of the new wheelhouse to make sure everything fits, & luckily it all does, I had a couple of minor adjustments to make, but mostly it was trying to get it to stand level on the workshop floor Because Belle's deck is like the Brecon Beacons with holes & lumps everywhere & I have to make sure that each hole & lump of the deck, has a corresponding hole or lump to accommodate it, the only part that is level is the roof. Richie suggested that we assemble it upside down but I vetoed that! The plan was to use 2 sheets of "manufactured" plywood that Colin donated (used inside insulated lorry backs), but we found out that we couldn't salvage sufficient ply from 2 sheets, so he had to "donate" 2 more sheets now I have to make 2 more joists to get the roof panels to fit. I am glad I found this out during the dry run, rather than when I am sat on the roof down the marina. The amendments & the extra joists will mean that I have to do more painting, to make sure everything gets an equal covering, & its a lengthy process, 2 coats of Barrantine (2 days) 2 coats of primer (2 days) 2 coats of undercoat 2 days so even the smallest area of new wood means 6 days to get it covered, & I HATE painting! So I will make the extra joists & give them a coat of Barrantine, then cut the roof panels & leave the rest of the painting to Richie on Monday Without Richie & Steve I would never have managed this dry run, with the panels being heavy, & of an arkward shape it took us all our time to get the packing right, so thank you lads for your help.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 18, 2018 18:31:01 GMT 1
Today I started to "deconstruct" the old wheelhouse, started off by deciding to empty the contents into some giant polythene bags I had from Colin, there were traces hanging from every hook & screw, papers & fishing marks written down on loads of sheets of paper (why do I have marks from 30 miles away when we can only go 5m out & 5m back??). A toolbox that weighs more than my coffin will, 3 plastic boxes full of teabags, coffee, sugar, hot dog sausages, burgers, beans, sauces of every type, Oxo's of all sorts, dustpans & brushes, Brillo pads, washing up liquid of various colours, plastic plates & cups, spoons knives forks, tin openers etc etc etc, a Tesco bag full of tea towels (new) god knows where they came from & a host of other items. Lifejackets in a broken plastic box, 2 cylinders of flares (Coastal & Inshore) 2 First Aid kits, a wall clock, a spirit stove & frying pans, griddle, kettles (one electric one whistler), travel rods in tubes, 5 litre containers of engine oil, gearbox oil, Auto transmission fluid, antifreeze, water containers, bottles of methylated spirit for the stove, self inflating seat squabs, a wheelbarrow innertube used as a bum protector. The list is endless, & methinks that a lot of it isn't going back inside, the tins of hot dog sausages can be eaten before we start doing trips again (we can eat them up the workshop & the burgers) sauces will go down to brown or red, marks sheets & notes can go in the bin, oils, fluids, can be stowed ashore, the toolbox can be made redundant (in favour of the VHF like everybody else) the electric kettle can be stowed instead of taking up space, cushions etc can go outside & people can either sit on them wet or bring their own plastic bag to put them in. Food will be more Spartan & bought on the day as opposed to the "a la carte" you have been used to, & with more space inside the flares can be laid horizontal instead of rattling about when somebody passes close by. So before the actual "deconstruction" can take place, I still have a lot of disposal to do before I start demolition If you want to buy somebody you don't like a present, then buy them a boat, & if you want to buy somebody you REALLY don't like a present then buy them an old boat, & if its somebody you HATE then buy them a converted lifeboat with a rotten wheelhouse!!!!!!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 20, 2018 22:10:06 GMT 1
Today we cut the roof panels to size & shape & completed the roof, it is now on the workshop bench after having been painted yet again by Richie (if you put anything down & go for a pee when you come back its been painted) It is quite a good fit, given that nothing on a boat is square or vertical, lets just hope it still fits when we erect it on the boat I still need to fabricate a "fiddle rail" structure for the roof so that nets, gaffs, brushes etc can be put up there without falling off (I put my spare rods up there cos I'm too idle to strip them down) It appears that toughened glass cant be cut so we will have to have a new windscreen, but I was determined to give us more room on the starboard side where we move from stern to bow, edging sideways to get to the anchor was doing my head in, now it should be easier, also by lifting the door up, you can walk into the wheelhouse without smashing your skull on the door frame. The next job is to continue "deconstructing" the old wheelhouse ready for the new one, I am not sure how long that will take but I am hoping that if the weather stays fine it should be ready to swap in a couple of days. I have had a volunteer to fibreglass the roof, Phil Carroll bless his cotton socks claims to be something of a virtuoso with the old mat, resin & hardener & so he can be my guest, I also need to make a nameplate for her & I reckon I will do that with stick on letters from a motor factors & varnish it over. We don't need much identification really our engine noise & colour give us away, announcing "Here comes the REAL fishing boat"
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 23, 2018 19:47:08 GMT 1
I am currently splitting my time between finishing the new wheelhouse, & "deconstructing" the old one. The new one needs the roof fibreglassing to ensure it stays waterproof so I have been looking for bargain prices on resin & glass mat, but they are thin on the ground. "Economy of scale" seems to be the policy in the fibreglass world with "economy" size 20kg at ~ £43, where as 10kg is anywhere from £52???, the 5kg we need is about £44? & only available online??? So I might as well buy the 20kg "economy" pack locally, for £1 more than the 5kg I need, & either put about 10 coats on it or leave it hoping it doesn't go off before its needed next. I am sure I can find something that needs fibreglassing, the wooden "tables" in the old wheelhouse for a start, they will be much easier to wipe after we have been "buzzed" by some 35ft "offshore" cruiser & the coffee has been spilled Richie has been a godsend the last week helping to turn panels for painting, & doing the painting while I mess around with the carpentry, the only problem is he is like a wildman when you put a roller in his hand, put something down & turn around, & by the time you turn back its been painted everything I have touched is covered in wet paint. I have decided to go with a white wheelhouse with an orange roof (for visibility from the air), the inside will also be white gloss paint so that any condensation will run down to the bilge & get pumped out, the old wheelhouse had a carpet material stuck on the walls which absorbed any moisture but encouraged black mould to form on the plywood which must have been most unhealthy! Last time I saw black mould like that was on one of these expose programmes on TV where 20 immigrants were living in a damp basement, I am sure Mumbles Belle has taken 5 years off my life Hopefully we will have a long hot summer to dry my lungs out which will avoid severe compensation setting in! Attachments:
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 25, 2018 16:46:40 GMT 1
This bloody wheelhouse is endless, we are now down to fibreglassing the roof panels to make it waterproof, the problem is that with the temperature as it is the resin doesn't want to set, so its maximum hardener/resin ratio to get success! It is working now that we have worked out the problem, but I thought the first coat would never go off Anyway it has now had the matting layer applied, & Colin is going to apply the final coat this evening, then it will be ready for the traditional bright orange paint I don't think there is much out there to catch but I am dying to get back out there to try, April should see the return of the plaice & dabs, & later in the month we should see bream & maybe triggers returning. Unfortunately it is also the time of year for hounds & no doubt our first trip out will yield a few of them nuisances. I am still slowly deconstructing the old wheelhouse, my biggest problem is keeping the electrics dry as it is being demolished, I think I will have to disconnect the batteries to prevent anything shorting out, I cant remove the batteries because they power the auto bilge pumps, & I cant leave the boat with bilge pumps. I can see it having to be a concerted effort to get all the electrics disconnected & made safe, & covered with a tarpaulin so as not to leave the boat powerless. Then after the new wheelhouse is fitted I need to recoat the floor & seat duckboards, the work on this boat never ends
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 27, 2018 19:33:56 GMT 1
Well it did warm up enough for the resin to go off, & the glass mat was duly applied, & several more coats of resin & catalyst applied so now it is as waterproof as a turtles shell, & as rigid! Today I gave it a couple of coats of white primer & tomorrow it will get its first coat of orange, & hopefully its second coat as well, then its all down to the marina to get assembled. Still got a few jobs to do, make a couple of fillets to fill in between the roof & the cabin top, & make a fiddle rail to stop anything from rolling off the roof (like nets, boat hooks etc). Getting the old one off now is the main job, & what to do with all the gear on board is a problem, I really must start getting rid of some of it but its "all useful" I will have to start prioritising stuff to stay & to be stored ashore, I could be with a container in the car park For example I have a toolbox on board about the size of a small dinghy that will have to go in favour of something with a few essentials (not enough to change the engine) I have 3 frying pans, a griddle, & 2 saucepans on board, all but the griddle can go! I have more sauces than McDonalds so most of them can go, I have cushions inside for the geriatric invalids who get a sore ass sat on the hard seats (they can bring their own in future) I have a big plastic container full of hot dog sausages, burgers etc, they can go, along with 2/4 dustpans & brushes, bottles of washing up liquid, scrubbing brushes, Dettol?? I'm sure somebody puts them on board at night? I don't need a battery charger or 2 sets of jumper leads, nor 4 identical short extension leads, nor a wheelbarrow inner-tube for somebody's piles? Time to turn over a new leaf, & put Mumbles Belle on a more disciplined footing, no more Mr Nice Guy more like Capt Bligh, more deck swabbing & plank walking is in order I think, & then maybe not
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Post by pilgrim17 on Mar 28, 2018 17:43:49 GMT 1
I can almost smell the finish of this perishing wheelhouse, I knew it was going to be a difficult job, but I didn't realise HOW difficult! Getting to it has been a major headache (especially in bad weather) the scooter is fine on a fine day, but when it rains its miserable, cold, & dangerous. I have Richie & Colin to thank for giving me lifts in bad weather, so lets hope it fits & does the job. Today I went up & put 2 coats of orange gloss on the roof panel, & Colin is going to give it another coat this evening when the 2nd coat is dry, that's it finished then & ready for transporting to the marina. So tomorrow I will be down the boat removing the trunking & wiring ready to dismantle the old wheelhouse, hopefully the old wiring should fit straight onto the new one (seeing as the new one is a copy of the old one). It's a pity the old one rotted away because it was a good shape & served the purpose well, if only it had been waterproofed properly . Never mind this one is made of sterner stuff, made from 1" solid timber planks & sealed to stop the rain getting in, & if any rain SHOULD get in it will simply run down white gloss painted planks & drop into the bilges. Don't expect any quick trips to be posted, I want to make sure everything is bolted down & working before we start the season, & I need to decide what Belle is capable of providing without turning it into the "chuck wagon" it has been, space is always at a premium & I need to utilise that space better, & I also need to work out how to avoid everything rattling around & tipping over when the "Birmingham Navy" roar past 30yds away at 25knots, that may involve some sort of "gimbal ring" table like they have on yachts (working on that lol) We have to have a fresh "heel test" seeing as we have carried out "major structural changes", to convince the insurers that we are not going to capsize at the first wave, I have no worries whatsoever about that. If it passed the initial heel test with "3 bags of chippings & a kettle full of water" it will certainly pass it now it is properly ballasted. Otherwise we are ready to go, I have been running the engine regularly since we have been laid up, & it starts first time, the batteries are charging normally, & the readings from the alternator are fine now the Trevor checked the system out, & it shows a healthy charge rate through the voltmeter, & the oil pressure remains stable so mechanically we are fine, all we will need to do before we go is give the stern tube gland a twist of grease & we are away. Keep watching the Booking Sheet we wont be long now
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Post by pilgrim17 on Apr 1, 2018 15:41:37 GMT 1
Carried on stripping the old wheelhouse this morning, took off all the carpet that was stuck to the inside & holding the black mould (I will probably end up like that Russian spy with all those spores ). Took most of the trunking & electrical cables down & marked them ready for replacing. The commodore made a lightening visit, saw no coffee was being brewed, was given a lesson on what a gland nut was, & then he left . The guy on "Sally B" offered to give me a tarpaulin to go over the area once the old wheelhouse is gone, which will keep the rain off the electrics & the engine until the new one is erected. I need somebody to take my Workmate down to the marina for me to use as a sawbench, I can also use it to reach the VHF Antennae & the anchor light which are above my height. As I was removing the electrics the commodore made a comment on the state of the plywood that was crumbling in my hand, because I am sure that there are people in the club who think I changing it as a fad, as if I was wanting to create something of my own design, well they will be disappointed because I have followed the old one in almost every aspect, (except for that "ducks arse" that stuck out over the back of the wheelhouse) that has gone to allow casting from the stern, & it is 6" narrower to let those with fat arses walk from back to front without turning sideways, or climbing onto the seat. I have stuck to the hot orange paint for the roof so it can be spotted from the air
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Post by pilgrim17 on Apr 3, 2018 20:24:16 GMT 1
Just finishing dotting the I's & crossing the T's, today I sorted out what timber I hadn't used, & stacked what was left in a tidy pile for possible use on other projects (not much left because I measured quite accurately) but there is enough to perhaps make some timber storage boxes for the lifejackets or similar. I made a "Fiddle rail" to go on the roof to store nets, gaff, brushes etc & it will also be suitable for spare rods, TO STOP THEM BEING LEFT LYING ON THE SEAT WAITING TO BE STEPPED ON AS I MOVE BACK & FORWARD TO THE ANCHOR!!!!!! I have given it a coat of clear Cuprinol & I will give it at least one more coat before I paint it, because it will be the most exposed part of the wheelhouse, & I don't want anybody grabbing hold of it & doing a "torpedo launch" as an angler did one trip last season luckily he fell into the boat on top of one of the other anglers for a soft landing. That was the straw that broke the camels back as far as making the new wheelhouse was concerned . I have treated myself to a reciprocating saw (which arrives tomorrow) & once I have that, I will start dissecting the old wheelhouse & putting it into heavy duty polythene bags (courtesy of Colin Owen ) so I can dispose of it when he brings the new wheelhouse down There is bound to be a fair amount of "fettling" to get the new wheelhouse to fit, & I may have to bolt some bearers onto the engine bed to support it, & if necessary I may have to fibreglass some joints that not as I intended (the boat is not square, horizontal, nor vertical, so I may have to strain it slightly diamond shape to fit, because my wheelhouse is square & vertical but Mumbles Belle isn't But having created it, its going on, even if I have to trim both to size with my new reciprocating saw
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