Many hands on deck today, six folk at one point. All this action addressed a number of jobs.
Firstly, in the cabin, two coats of black were applied to the floor and lower parts of the walls. When dry, the floor boards can be replaced. Some rot present in a couple of the boards has received attention.
In order to get the weather to improve, work on the heating system progresses. Plumbing for a radiator in the cabin is now in and the radiator besides the operators chair temporarily removed.
Given all the rain we've had, one benefit of which was that a leak in the front window, which has caused rusting of the steel below it, was observed. On investigation, after the top gutter was removed, it was noticed that it had been affixed with a few pads of double sided adhesive tape and then riveted on! This prompted us to remove the side window so that all surfaces around the frames can be properly treated.
At the stern end, the covers of one of the fuel tanks was lifted to do an internal inspection. It was pleasing to note that the insides looked in good order, also, the fuel gauge, which was indicating half full, was actually right and functioned correctly. A test will be done to assess if there is any water sitting under the diesel.
The persistent rains have made getting the bilges dry very difficult. Improved covers over the deck behind the operators cabin should help get those areas dry enough to red oxide paint and then black.