The Cratch

A while ago, well two years ago actually. Doesn't time fly! I made a Deck board and Cratch so we could get some sheets on, just keep the weather out. After my efforts were scrutinized and basically pulled to pieces by them that know. I took advice from the same and had a second and may I say, last bash. Below is the final result barring a coat of paint.
Its all turned out a weird shape, we'll see what it's like with the cloths on.

I've had to reshape the Deck board to suit the new cappings and make new False cratch

The top plank, for reasons I cannot see, have wedges fixed on either side, tapering out from the false cratch towards the deck board, then the Top plank is dove tailed into the deck board

All this work will be soon covered up with cloths and white strings, never to be seen again. This seems to be the thing with old boats, you do a load of work that nobody ever sees.

The sun is out...

and so am I. Had a very pleasant day making and fitting new capping's at the front end.
For quite a while, I've wanted to replace the capping's at the front of Dove. The first ones I made were not very good and soon split and looked a bit tatty.

I recently found a supplier of green oak, just up the road as it happens! He gets full trees in and will cut to size. Why didn't I know about the place before?

Working with green oak is a new experience for me, it's a good job all my power tools are industrial, I don't think regular DIY tools would cope.

After all the faffing about last time, steaming and pulling and riving the timber round compound curves. This time I decided to buy wide planks and just bend one way then cut to shape and put up with the waste. Sounds easy doesn't it, well...it was. You thought I was going to give you a list of cock ups then, didn't you. The only thing that did happen is, I dropped a plank in the cut. Not too concerned at first, then the bloody thing sank. What!!!! I fished around for a while but couldn't find it. I finally had to go and get "Rigsby" that's the Fradley dingy and go hunting further a field. I eventually found it yards away from where it went in. From now on it had a line tied round it until bolted in positions. I didn't know that green oak sank, you learn something new every day.

No oil painting

With the cabin side rails being of Oriko, a very oily wood, painting seems to be an annual task. After taking advice from Jim off Chertsey this could be the last time for a while, fingers crossed!
Jim recommended washing down with an Acetone base fluid immediately before applying a Sikkens special primer.
After hours of rubbing down then cleaning with acetone base panel wipe I applied a coat of the primer. It's like painting on glue, but you could see it soaking into the grain, unlike the other stuff that just sat there then peeled off.

After a second coat it looks more like a good base for further coats of under coat and top coat. We will see!

Been here before

Well you'll be pleased to hear I got the motor running ok, after clouds of black smoke and lots of fuel priming it finally set off. A bit lumpy to start with but when it warmed up it all smoothed out. Pumped some diesel in the day tank today and looks a bit aqueous, might have to do a little tank draining. This could be the root of my problems.
On to today's job and as the title suggests, I've been here before. Last year the boarder paint came off with water ingress and the frost. It did it again this year!
This time I thought I'd get vicious and get the blow lamp out and burn the lot off.

As soon as the blow lamp got close to the paint it started to bubble up and fry. Yes fry, spitting and cracking. The only thing I can put it down to is the oil in the wood. Iroko is very oily wood apprently and this must be the reaction. I just hope now I've scorched it a bit the paint just might take this time.

Bad start to the year

Not the start I was looking for, in fact, it didn't start at all. Now the ice as gone and the temperature is back in the plus numbers I thought I'd give Dove's motor a turn. After flattening the batteries and burning out the starter motor, I decided to look elsewhere for the problem. First choice, injectors. took them out, had a look, not very good so took them to a friend of a friend. They were sorted in a couple days and only a tenner each too. The starter motor was a different story though, complete re-build £165!!!!plus VAT!!!!! This is definitely not a good start to the year.
After re-fitting all the bits, still no go, so what now? The only thing left is compression. After removing the air intake and turning the engine over, I noticed smoke coming from the intake valve, that means more valve grinding. I've only just done Achilles, I hate valve grinding.
On removing the heads it wasn't that bad with carbon but valve seats aren't too clever, quite a bit of pitting. Yesterday I spent a full day valve grinding and today re-assembled everything. The head gaskets are made from 10 thou copper sheet, these have to be annealed, very carefully I might say. If I melted these it would have really made my day.

After the re-assembly and priming the fuel system it's time to push the button....nothing, blast or words to that effect.
WHAT NOW!!!!

The Robin

Well the Robin turned up, must have got breakfast down the cafe.
later we went for a walk to see what was happening, got some cracking pictures of frosty trees with sun shining through.

and BW breaking ice the easy way, get rid of the water, I bet that was noisy when it collapsed

Frosteeeeee!

Still can't get motivated, I'm afraid my joints just don't work in sub-zero conditions.
The frost this morning was quite dramatic and canal is now completely solid, we don't even rock about now.
The frost is now growing like a fungus, everything is just white, never seen my strings that white.

It's that cold our Robin hasn't been for breakfast yet!