Well here we are. It has been ages since my last post. It hasn't been quite so long since a visit to the boat down here in the Midlands. We did pop down pop down to the boat in February just to make sure that it was still afloat but spent the day in Leamington. The boat was still above the water and generally in good nick.
Some views from Jephson Gardens from our walk around the town.
We have been very busy, well I suppose I always am really, but we need to scratch off dates on the calendar so that we don't don't book anything and are clear to get away. There are all the usual things like grandchildren and son away at sea so become more engaged there, Helen's 92 year old Godmother, and mother needing ,more time and care and all the hobbies and volunteering, museum, history walks, babershop singing etc etc. but the main stop to boating activities early in the year is that we have bought another house!
We have been saying for several years that we should think about downsizing, and Helen does like looking on all the sites at what is around. We had decided that we wanted to stay around where we live now, and suitable properties don't seem to come up very often. Helen talks of downsizing but really she seems to want just a room or two less and a smaller garden. We bought a plot of land, designed our house and had it built over thirty years ago, and I would love to have done that again, but trying to purchase land is prohibitively expensive, if you can fine any, and building costs are fantastically expensive too.
I was doing a little historical research into our local area when a a house for sale came up that Helen hadn't seen. I told her and after the weekend she called the estate agent up for an appointment to view just to be told that it had already been sold! Never mind, just a thought. A week or two later they estate agent called and said it was back on the market. This was in January. We went to see it and it was 'just what we were looking for' in a great part of the town. It seems that it was a part exchange and two days later we put an offer in.Two days after we were told that it was going to 'full and final offers' with two of us. We um'merd and a'ared and put an offer in and two days later we heard it was ours. We then exchanged a few weeks later. So from mid January to the start of March was all it took.
That was the start of it as we bought it knowing that we wanted to do a lot to it, basically changing the front to the back. We have therefore been busy finding builders, making designs, visiting kitchen and bedroom places etc etc. And of course there is then getting our current place to sell when we get closer to getting into our new place. I feel that we will be otherwise engaged, precluding sailing off into the sunset until well into the summer.
I replaced the deck boards and seat locker tops a few years ago, and I have been very disappointed with the longevity of them. I bought Buffalo board, phenolic resin hardwood. It is pretty pricey with a non slip surface ideal for deck boards. When I cut them I treated all edges with cut end and water repellent but didn't seem to extend the life of them at all.
The old deck boards and seat locker tops showing the delamination of the buffalo board plywood.
I looked on line to see what the alternatives for this sort of thing. It seems that some people used aluminium chequer plate, but it seems that otherwise there appears to be little else to try. I hit upon recycled plastic that was been used in making products such as decking, seats, planters and even been used for pontoons in marinas. I remembered that I had seen it at the little walk around the pond close to Fradley Locks. I have not seen or heard it been used on boats though. I sat on the idea for a while, but then with research found that there were a few companies that made 8' x 4' sheets at various thicknesses. Stokbord by Kedel seemed to be the most widespread one. At first glance it looked to be really expensive, and that put me off for a while. However when I checked the price of Buffalo board it was only a few pounds more expensive! Stokbord is used widely in stables and animal husbandry settings as it can be chemically washed and is hard wearing etc. I was a little worried that it would warp with the heat from the engine, and it might do. However as they did it in 18mm thickness, and the unsupported area over the engine is not large so I am hoping that it will fine. I then wondered if it would pass the BSS but I don't think there is a requirement for the deck boards, and after all usually it is wood. Stokbord is Class 3 fire resistant though.
My nearest stockist was in Driffield but the wood yard was very helpful and even cut it so that it would fit in the car, just for a £5. I brought it with us this weekend and set to this morning. It cuts very like wood. I was going to use a jig saw but as our neighbours were aboard I used a hand saw and it cut the curves nicely. It drills well and even planes too. It takes a screw, and over all I am well pleased with it. Both surfaces are textured, so a bit anti-slip top and bottom. There is plenty of weight in the 18mm board too.
Over the engine hole.
The port side seat locker. I have widened the seats out at the for'd end so that there is more surface to put your bum on, rather than having to perch due to the tumblehome, where the top of the coaming sets inwards.
That's the st'bd seat locker with a piece of the bord end on. It seems to be slightly greyer in the middle. It says it is shatter proof. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will do the job longer than the last boards I had. In theory it should last for ever and as it recycles plastic should doubly add to my green credentials.
I had started the engine and run it for a while to charge up the starter battery. after about 30 mins an alarm started for high temperature. I shut down the engine and continued with what I was doing. After it had cooled down a fair bit I went back and found I couldn't see any water in the tank? That would do it wouldn't it. I had a scout around for some coolant/antifreeze and found the stuff that the bloke at Calcutt had left me after replacing the coolant last year. While it was low I checked to see if there was any water in the skin tank. I undid the bleed nut and nothing came out! I mixed up the coolant and started topping it up. Very soon the skin tank was full so bleed nut tightened and continued filling. It was soon done, engine run up and all good again.
After a bite of lunch I filled up with water and then decided to wash the st'bd side of the boat, the side next to the pontoon obviously. Even Helen came out to help and was soon done. And so was my back!!
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