Let the repairs begin!

All sorted again now. This was a really weird day, because everything seemed to go to plan. Literally everything!

First job was to repair the transom. After grinding out the corner, the crack was only surface deep for the most part (a bit deeper near the top), so it was just a case of some fibreglass matting in the corner, followed by fibreglass paste, which was smoothed and followed by paint. The area cracked was actually the joint between the marine ply we bonded in a month or so ago, and the actual boat. Nothing had been damaged other than the joint. Quite lucky really!



We then decided to check the gearbox oil. Checking this prior to my holiday revealed it was half full with water, most probably from a leak somewhere. However, no water was present this time, so a nice job escaped there!

Finally, we wanted to look at the engine water coolant system. Whilst on holiday the amount of water squirting from the engine had really slowed, to pretty much a drip on the engine idle. Obviously the first check would be to clear the inside of the nozzle and pipe. Dad wiggled some thick wire inside both of them, and then we connected it back up. It worked fantastic. More powerful than I'd ever seen it! What a difference a bit of salt water makes!

Next on the agenda is a new ski pole (probably home made, have you seen the price of these?!?), and some vinyl graphics for the rear of the sides of the boat. Also on the agenda is more usage of the boat as soon as some decent weather comes back!

I hate being home, I hate work, I want to be on holiday again, leave me alone

I've just got back from my holidays - time to go back to work, hooray...

Due to quite dodgy weather I only got to use the boat on two days of my ten day trip, but I had rather a lot of fun on those days!





The first day me and Dad simply took it out for a spin. Seemed quite fast. I always knew it would be, but you can't beat the feeling of actually experiencing it. We later picked Sarah my ladyfriend up from the shore and took her for a ride.

The second time we went out I had a play with my towable ring, which was also rather fun.





However, I've also come back with quite a long list of 'ammendments' which need making. Or rather I've broke it quite a bit and it needs fixing.

Firstly I need a new cover. My two month old one decided to rip in half on the M5 due to the wind forcing it onto the boat seats. Obviouisly made well.

Secondly, and this is the big one...When I was playing in my towable ring, upon falling off, the ring filled with water, and the drag created by this snapped(!) the thick metal ski pole in half. Which then cannonned into the back of the boat. Which then cracked along the transom which we had re-built all of a month ago. Fantastic... First impressions are that it's only a surface crack, so hopefully too much work won't be needed.





Finally, I have a feeling that the impeller will need replacing on the engine pretty soon, as the water pump doesn't seem to be shooting out the water as quickly as it did previously. But I suppose this is more maintenence than a problem.

We're all going on a summer holiday

It's holiday time, and the boat's ready to go. Wahoo!

No time for any pictures (will get some on holiday), but here is a brief rundown of what we've got done in this last week.

We've ammended the rollers on the back of the trailer. They seemed to sit in the most awkward place on the bottom of the boat, so we've grinding some bits and moved some bits to make them sit all nice.

When sorting the boat insurance a name was needed. I had to make a decision there and then. Well, maybe not right there and then, I had a think overnight. But in the end, and after some careful browing of various boat name websites, I went for the slightly comical "Wake My Day". Later in the week I purchased some vinyl stickers of the name for the sides of the boat.

I also grabbed a couple of fenders for the side of the boat from the local Sawley Marina.

One slightly worrying sight was when we decided to check the gearbox oil - loads of water poured out from where the oil should be! I think this must have mounted up throughout the years, as it smelt quite bad like it had been in there for ages. Probably from a small leak. Fortunately, oil floats above water, so it was easy enough to drain only the water. We've now topped up the oil and will have a look for any water when I get back from holidays.

See you when I get back from holiday!

The final stetch, the home straight, etc...

Wow, progress is really coming along now. Holiday in a couple of weeks. Roy seems to have become a permanent fixture in the boat weekends now, which speeds things up a bit.

The radio has finally been installed. Still only one speaker, and it will remain that way until I get back off holiday. As long as I'm not too fond of anything in the left channel of a stereo mix I'll be fine.



The bilge pump has been re-fitted. It is designed to be fixed into the floor, but we didn't fancy doing that, as essentially we would be making holes in the bottom of the boat. In the end, we did pretty much the same as was done originally - a piece of wood attached to the lower transom holding the bilge pump down.



Everything has been rewired by Dad. I'm not even going to try and explain the details of this, because I haven't got a clue.

The rear panel has been re-fitted. This had to be cut to accomodate the rear seats. As I may have said before, it looks as though this and the front seats have been taken from another boat. This back piece was designed to be part of a rear bench seat, rather that two side seats, hence the reason for the cutting.





Speaking of seats, the front ones have also now been installed. Again. They've been put on wooden frame similar to before. Just with better wood that won't rot.



Another neat new addition is the engine kill switch/cord. Dad has fitted it into the engine control box. All I have to do is wear the cord around my ankle, and if I fall out of the boat or something, the engine stops. Fantastic.

We also finally got the chance to try the engine in water. Roy asked a neighbour if we could have a large water tank that has been sitting on his front garden for a while. He said yes!

We came to start the engine and...it started. Straight away! The only problem was that the alternator didn't seem to be charging the battery. But Dad thinks he may have found the solution to that since.



Highlight of the day was probably Dad accelerating the engine and filling the garage with water from the tank.

One more weekend until holiday. Should finish just in time!

Transom-mer holiday

Transom's all been stregnthed now. Or in a language I understand, the back end is stronger.

Roy came around to help me and Dad, but basically the process was:

Sand the front of the transom.



Fibreglass a piece of marine ply to it.
Do the same for the inside-the-boat section of the transom.



Fibreglass some matting over the top of those.
And then some fibreglass paste on the top piece.



Sand it for a nice finish.
Sand it again.
And again.



Stick a new aluminuim plate on the back.
Get Dad to heat up some plastic tubes and bend the ends making them 'drainage tubes' (sometimes I think he has way too much time on his hands).
Add the metal right-angle piece along the top.
Spray the lot.
Bolt the engine back on (which wasn't half as hard as taking it off).



Job's a good'n.

A new set of steering cables have also been installed. Before the were connected directly to the engine without going through any kind of springs to tension them. Now the do go through the spring, which has basically doubled the ratio of steering wheel movement to engine movement. Should be easier to steer now.

Rumurs have been circulating this week that Dad may respray the boat sometime next year. I'm thinking either red or black. Hmm...

Interior design

All the inner panels have now been re-made, covered and installed.

For the two side panels, we decided to use the sponge pieces from the previous panels, and the dash has just been covered straight with the fabric.



Looking at the pictures of the old panels, I think it now looks much better.

Also, I managed to save a bit of money on the fabric - rather than buying three metres to do the side pieces, I bought two, and got a free 'sample' strip of some red fabric. A nice red join in the middle looks nice, and means that I can join two strips of white fabric. Fantastic.



Coming along nicely now. The only major thing left is strengthening the transom.

Holiday in a few weeks, hope it's done in time...

...And back on again!

The trailer is now complete. Hooray! Much work was needed, but we've finally got it done. Firstly, the original winch post was so badly damaged that a complete new one has been welded up by Dad. Then all the rollers were replaced, and a frame was welded below the rear roller as it was too low down for the boat.





New mudguards were purchased and new frame welded for those. The whole trailer has been rust treated and painted.



The side rollers have been given a bit of a makeover.

And finally, two new Mini wheels have been bought. I only wanted one as a spare, but the two were in such good condition we bought the pair.

Off the trailer

It was slightly wet. Very windy. But this weekend, we finally removed the boat from the trailer. It took a good few hours, but at the same time it was quite simple.

We made some wooden frames to sit under the boat at both the front and back. We then jacked the boat up a few inches higher than the trailer, starting with the back, and placed it onto breeze blocks. The trailer then simply wheeled out from underneath.



It took a few trials and errors (such as the mudflaps having to be cut off as they wouldn't fit underneath), but it now looks fairly stable. Probably more so than when it was on the rusty trailer!



Now the trailer is free we have taken it back to my Dads, and work can now begin making it more useable. I have a full set of brand new rollers for the main middle section, and Dad is making new brackets to hold the existing rollers on the sides. He has also made a new winch post for the front - initial plans were to repair the existing one, but it was so badly rusted it made more sense to make a new one.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks these should all be attached to the trailer, and the whole thing will have been rust treated and painted.

That's the plan anyway.

The name saga continues...

I have more info on the boat name and make. After chatting with people on the cmba.co.uk forum, and from checking out various boats on eBay, I have found out that my boat is either a Fletcher V139 or a V149. The V139 is just under 14ft, so I’m thinking it’ll be a V149, but it’s just a case of measuring it up and confirming, which won’t be for another week as I’m off to Skegness tomorrow!

They even supplied a picture of the V139 from the original brochure. It’s apparently from the late 60s! Unbelievable. It’s in fantastic condition considering. Just think, when this boat was made nobody had yet landed on the moon, and England were current football world champions…

Take a seat

After a rainy April, hopefully more work should be done on the boat this month. The main progress over the last couple of weeks has been the rear seats. One is now completely finished, and the other isn’t too far off. Dad made the wooden bases, I varnished them, and Mum made the cushions. A real family effort!

The wooden bases have a hardwood frame underneath them, which is designed to slot into the side storage compartments on the boat to hold the seats in place. In the past it looks as though hinges were used, but I imagined it would be a little awkward opening and closing the seats to reach the storage, so we went for the lifting on and off idea instead.



The wooden bases then have a 2” piece of foam on top, and are covered in white fake leather, chosen to match the front seats. However to get a proper colour match I’m going to have to really give the front seats a good clean. Or maybe dirty the rear seats up (would certainly be easier).



Last weekend the side panels were taken off the boat (with great difficulty, due to the rusted in bolts – again, a job for Dad). These will now be re-made and covered in the same fake-leather material as the seats. I think the sponge from the old side panels is still useable, so I’ll give that a clean up and remove all the embedded bolt rust.

Apart from the dashboard, the boat is now completely stripped inside, with only just over a month to get it ready for holidays. Arrrrgh!!!