Project 'DNF' - No.5 Refit Rain and a bank holiday curtailed activities last week, but the sun shone today. Our first job was to fit the runners to the engine cover and test the rollers. It all worked well. We now need some fibreglass so that the wood can be protected.
For a spot of heavy duty exercise, we shifted the lumps of steel ballast from the yard and set about installing it the back of the boat. Access around the oil tank was difficult, but all 64 pieces were placed on the sloping section of the hull. At over 800kg, this should effectively replace the mass once provided by the capstan winch assembly.
Earlier in the day, some heat protection bandage was wound round the exhaust pipe, with discussions as to how best to protect the vertical section running up the cab from becoming a grab handle! Late in the day, some of the dredger boys returned to the yard and Richard declared that for many years, he had stored in his garage an exhaust protector from a truck. After a quick dash home, he returned with an excellent stainless steel item, which with a bit of a mod' will be perfect for our job. So that's now a Wednesday task.
We also hope to fit the security lock system to the cover.
