Where are we at now?

For some reason it looks like nothing has really happened in two weeks. But the truth is that lots of little jobs have been completed and they all take time.

The main job is that painting of the topsides. This will be done by Kings professional painter as there is no way I can get as good a finish as Lee. He seems to float effortlessly over those scaffolding planks stretching up and down not making a single brush mark. 35’ of hull is a lot to sand, fair and paint and I think it is a good investment for future years to get all the opened seems and gaps (especially those behind the rubbing strake) sorted out. It is not useful when the owner then drips varnish over the work over a weekend when attending to the capping rail on the bulwarks! That has delayed things a bit as I had to peel all the strips of dried varnish off with a razor blade and that took three days.

As you can see work has also started on the coachroof. This was originally Cascover sheathed but the fabric texture could still be seen. So many coats of of International pre-cote was require in order to fill this to almost flat. I am not getting it as perfect as Lee, but at least it will be a lot better than it has been in recent years!

The engine is now out as the gearbox is getting serviced with new bearings. I suppose this could have been done in situ, but the real problem is that the yacht has galvanised strap floors. There has been a  rolling programme to replace these and this is the last one we could not get to as it was under the engine. It is not bad we did this as there is some rot in the stern post that needed consolidating.

You can also see that the electrics need a bit of upgrading in the cockpit and this is something that I am currently working on.

All in all I am very behind schedule with a myriad of jobs to do. One good thing is that the mast is almotst ready to go. I have added a radar reflector so that I don't get run down.