MSO #2
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 08:54PM And so the work goes on. This shot from a few weeks ago shows some of the old corroded plate being removed. Pretty much every plate had holes in it, so I'm pretty sure she would've sunk over the winter.
In conjunction with this, the new plate (10mm on the bottom, 8mm for the turn of the bilge) is being tack welded into place.
Once all of these are in place, the final welding will take place. Luckily the frames are in decent enough condition to weld to. The entire bottom from the front bulkhead back to the engine room bulkhead (basically what was the cargo area) will get replaced. Some overplating will be required at the bow and stern. Speaking of the stern, here is a shot of it in all its rusty glory.
When we visit, we have to take turns watching Nate, as he is desperate to get back on the boat ('Apocolypse Now' reference there for fans of the movie), but he managed to stay still enough for me to take his picture.
Misterton looks like a beached Soviet submarine in this view - rust is the new black.
Finally, Mary Nate and I were grabbing a late lunch in Staines on saturday, and our usual choices were all full. We thought we'd try the newly refurbished Greg's cafe as we just needed to eat and it wasn't too bad. I'd noted that they had some black and white photos of local features, including 'Daybreak' a Sheffield sized keel. I commented on that to Mary, when suddenly I saw one of the lampshades.
Although a little difficult to see, Misterton is on about a dozen of these lampshades in the coffee shop.
Is this our Andy Warhol moment?
Reader Comments (2)
I've really enjoyed this blog and all the other stuff. I found it a few months back and have read the lot!
With regard to all the pin holes, have you got any comeback on the survey you had done?
With regard to the new plating, what rustproofing will you do on it inside the hull?
Thanks, glad you've enjoyed it! We hope it might be useful or interesting to people doing similar things. We think we'll probably just use Dutch 'hull grease' on the plating on the inside to prevent rust. This is a kind of greasy wax which is liquid when heated, once spread around it offer pretty good protection. The exterior will be coated with expoxy two-pack once all the work is finished.
Simon