Into Dock

 

SONFLOWER went into Tooley's Dock this afternoon. The water will be drained tomorrow morning. She will be jet washed ready for the quadrenniel survey and routine bienniel hull blacking. The survey will be undertaken on Friday and any work arising form that will be undertaken over the weekend. Strictly speaking the survey is only required by the insurance company every five years but as the blacking is every two, it is expedient to do them together.                                          1/2mile    3/4/hour

Update on Painting

The painting of SONFLOWER is going really well. The painter is now putting on the sixth coat, the first of the top coats.

The boat was taken back to bare metal and rust treated. A couple of perforations were found in the steel which were repaired by the skilled craftsmen at Tooley's who seem to be able to tackle any boat building tasks: well they have built boats in the past!  Here is a little bit of welding done to repair a perforation at the foot of the gunwhale near the gas locker.

Plate repair at gunwhale end

This had been letting water into the engine bay.

Bare metal

More bare metal

Shiny bow

The full paint treatment is:
Above the rubbing strake:

• rust treatment
• primer
• undercoat 1
• undercoat 2
• top coat 1
• top coat 2
• finishing coat
• lining
• sign writing/graphics

And, of course the hull beneath the top rubbing strake will be blacked with bitumastic paint.

I did discuss sand blasting and epoxy coating. But Tooley's do not offer this at present. That the epoxy might also need bitumastic protection was also suggested. So epoxy to stop pitting of the steel and bitumastic to stop the epoxy being rubbed off or coming away in sheets.  I will continue with the age old treatment. Bitumastic to stop pitting.

Flat and Rescued

I went to the boat yesterday.

CRT have not given me permission to stay on the mooring for March. I have won the auction for the mooring but the contract does not start until April 1st.  So I went to move to another mooring for 14 days to then move to another mooring for 14 days and then into Tooley's dock for the whole of April!

But the gremlins had got under my engine covers and flatted the batteries. My small pv array did not keep up with the cold!

So I called RCR out this morning (that's what I pay them for) and Paul from Pershore jump started the engine and advised me to ditch it because spares are getting impossible to get and a new Kibota 44hp would only cost me £3500. I like my BMC 1500! He said the batteries were charging ok when he left.

Anyway, I boated into town and left the boat with Tooley's to test all the batteries and give me some good advice.

                                                                                          1/2 mile, 18 hours

Fabulous Performance

Wonderful, fabulous, extraordinary, exhilirating, not to be missed performance from Kate Saffin as Ramlin Rose on the stage of Theatre in the Dock in Tooley's Boatyard, Banbury

Just one more night for you to get there.

Come to think if it, most of my readers were probably there yesterday, but any who weren't this is a good canal story that will break your heart and encourage you to keep the cut alive!

Get along if you can.

Tooley's History

I have just listened to this audio file. It dates from about 2004 but gives a very interesting account of the position of Tooley's Yard, Banbury, Tom Rolt and the IWA in the scheme of things that make the canals what they are today.

Someone might be interested.

I think everybody should be!

Up we go!

Here is a view out of Tooley's dock as it is filling to let SONFLOWER out.

The repairs to the rear rail and gates are complete and the gates shut more easily than they have ever done before.

I backed her up to Sovereign Wharf and turned her to return to home mooring.

Now all I have to do is pay the bill.