Getting There

Do you remember this picture from just a few weeks ago?

Well Im glad to say that the last of the boaty stuff has vacated the kitchen this morning and has been loaded into the car ready to fit to Naughty-Cal this weekend. I have my kitchen back!

The ropes and fenders are still hung in the hallway but on Thursday evening when we make the trip back to Naughty-Cal we will will refit those to the boat ready for her relaunch on Friday morning. I cant wait. But first we have just one more weekend of graft to get her looking her usual shiny self.

Tomorrow we have to refit the sterndrive rams and bleed through the hydraulic system. Liam has fitted new seals to the rams and cleaned up the stainless shafts to ensure a good fit and to hopefully, fingers crossed, cure our slight oil leak. If this doesnt cure the problem it will be new rams next year at £400 + VAT each!!

After the rams are fitted it will be a case of polishing the hull and topsides. We did a small section of hull last weekend around the waterline to ensure the masking tape stuck well for the primer coats. It was nice to see that with just a quick run over with the machine polisher and some T-Cut the hull was gleaming. Last years wax has obviously worked well. So polishing shouldn't be too long winded this year. We also hope to have the hull mopped over with a coat of Autoglym Super Resin Polish and the lambswool head on the polisher as well on Saturday.

Whilst Liam is polishing I intend to apply a coat of antifoul to the sterndrive. It will be the first time this has been done but it really does need doing this year as the original paint is looking shabby and isnt really providing the protection it should anymore. So a quick sand down and a coat of black (well it says black but is more likely to be dark grey) paint and it will be looking good as new.

This leaves an easy day on Sunday with just a couple of coats of wax to apply to the hull and topsides and a coat of antifoul paint on the hull bottom.  

We are both feeling much happier about this whole affair now. It has seemed a long time in the making but we are really looking forward to a weekend afloat next weekend.