A fine day for fettling

Running Repairs

January 2015

January 1st brought with it some mild but windy weather, and an opportunity to visit the boats for the first time in three weeks.

I am glad to say that my new covers on the butty are 100% effective with no further accumulation of water in the bilge. This delights me and means we can store stuff in the hold without fear of water damage.

It was a day for doing lots of bits and bobs which included disassembling the new stove and flue. I had misguidedly left it all slotted together and a bit of rain had found its way in and was doing its best to weld the bits together with rust. A bit of WD40 and a wooden mallet got it all apart again so no harm done.

The new wooden trim found tiled hearth has had a coat of varnish, the joints and screw heads on the front lockers have been painted, The inside has been vacuumed so we are all set for the new tiles when they arrive.

As for the butty, I managed to remove the facing panel of the bench seat which will be adapted to let us slip boxes full of jam in from the side rather than dropping them in through the small lids. By gaining access I also pulled out 2 dustbin bags of rubbish which had been there for 10 years since it was last used.

Whilst its nice to get down to the boats, its all a far cry from the pleasures of summer cruising. However, we do nee to to get it sorted out because our house sale is moving along fast and its likely we will need to use the boat as a temporary home!