Without the acquisition of a couple more mud hoppers, there is little motivation to get No.5 back in the water. Should some appear, then it is most economic to combine lift and transport operations.
Today, more 'nice to haves' were achieved. Various discussions as to how to prevent the boom from impacting the cabin realised several ideas, some involved large amounts of rubber, with possible electrics. Today's solution was a very simple one and does not employ rubber or electrons.
A simple pointer has been attached to the turret and when it is rotated to what we consider to be a safe distance from the cabin, can be seen to line up with a red marker on the deck, one each side.
The second 'nth' was a window prop, which can easily be installed to provide a clear view of the boom operations. Originally, a chain restraint did the job, but this is a bit tidier.
Inspection of the mounting points for the side tanks revealed that one had suffered badly from shock with the result that the bolt hole was enlarged to a rough oval. Some hard graft with a file made it large enough to insert a tubular sleeve, which we welded in place. There should be a lot less slack in the system now.
