Lest I forget..

This is the view from the galley, oops, kitchen, window of the caravan.  Life is not confined to lumps of steel,  and welds, and paint, and  Caxton. Lovely is it not?

Paint Fest

I have just arrived back at the caravan having spent some considerable time today on my back
-- painting!! 
Anything else would be wishful thinking...
Anyway, back to Caxton.
 The hold has been primed and undercoated.  This is where I am stranded on my back wealding a paintbrush and roller ensuring that the roof of the hold/underside of the well deck is liberally coated in paint and not likely to rust.  The new gunwales are primed and sanded to produce that essential non-slip surface and the extended well deck is also now in non-slip mode.  I have left himself painting the rest of the gunwales while I prepare the evening meal and try to get the latest coating of grey paint out of my hair.

The new section has also been blacked with two coats and will get its third tomorrow.

Visitors and Paint

Having walked the dogs this morning I wandered over to the Dave Thomas's workshop to find  we had visitors - Pip and Roger of Nb Windsong had taken the time to come and see what we were doing to Caxton.  I think the new 'pat-y-o' on Caxton met with their approval and having checked things out we retired to the Gongoozlers Rest for an early lunch for the Windsong crew and a cuppa for me.
 This afternoon with the fabrication work completed I started the paint work.   It fell to me to climb into the new hold and give it a coat of primer, then the new deck before blacking the extended flanks.  No photo's today but I will be sure to publish some tomorrow.

Gunwales and New top-plank

Leaning against Caxton's dismantled cratch board above is the new top plank.  A fine piece of ash, over nine feet long and inch an half thick.  You can see the original top plank alongside it. 

New stretchs of gunwale awaiting preparation and painting.

Nearly there now.  Just hatch doors, and a bilge-box and Caxton is ready for painting.  We are now a scupperless boat as the creation of a hold now means we cannot have scuppers (drain holes from the deck) in case we inadvertantly flood the hold.

Hold it

Work has moved on in creating Caxton's new hold and above is the start of the deck hatch that will give us access to the hold which measures approximately 7' by 2' by 5' some 70 cubic feet to fill up!

Here is the new deck in place.

Barry busy fabricating the new deck.

Above the rubbing strakes on the new hull side have been tacked.

And on the Port Side

The port side panel has been tacked in place - above.

The\side panel has been welding to the base plate - above

Here is the new bulkhead on the left -above, seperating the cabin from the new hold area.

Paul and Lynne of Nb Piston Broke called over this morning to have a look at the progress being made on Caxton and having seen it we all ambled off to the Old Plough to discuss solar panels....

All in a Weekend's Work

While Caxton is out of the water we thought it would be an ideal opportunity to black the hull and touch in the paintwork.  Leaving Barry and Dave play with welding guns and sheets of steel we have been doing the serious work of scrubbing done the hull with scrubbing brush and soapy water before set about Caxton's nether regions with a wire brush.

Dave allowed us access to his workshop over the weekend so on Saturday we got the first coat of blacking on and then on Sunday it was back again to get the second coat on.  Joe is going to repaint the tunnel bands at the stern today.

Half Shut

The 10mm baseplate has been cut and positioned between the levelled sections of Caxton and Barry has started to spot weld the base in place to hold it in position.

A bit more cutting with an OA torch.

The side of the new baseplate is marked up to show where the new side section will be welded.

More spray form removal above.  Yoa are looking at the stainless steel water tank that sits below the original well deck.

The side is tacked in place and Joe is standing on what will be the hold below the new deck.

The second side awaiting its fate.

Here Barry is preparing to fit a new bulkhead that will seal off the cabin from the hold/welldeck alla Titanic - should say that with all this ice about should I?

Caxton is CUT!

A temporary jacking point welded on to the bow.

Yesterday Dave Thomas and his team spent time preparing Caxton for the CUT.  A hole was cut  in Caxton's well deck to access the spray foam underneath and scrape it away.   This morning I was given a call and told to turn up at 11am to witness the deed.

The cut is chalked in

Slit hole cut in the well deck to access below deck spray foam and cut through the base plate.

Barry starts the burn.  3200 degrees centigrade OA torch.  The burn to each side took about 10-15 minutes.

Time to part - a couple of crow bars and the bow section parts company with the rest of Caxton.

Joe pulls the bow away..

Ouch!

Caxton's OUT!!

Yesterday morning we were up sharpish, 'abluted' and fed, dogs walked and ready for the arrival of the crane that would lift Caxton out of the cut and deposit her in Mr. Thomas's workshop in readiness for a five foot extension to the well deck.  However, apparently the crane had developed hydraulic problems, the specialist engineer who would repair it was on holiday and now people were casting about for a solution - we went shopping in Daventry.  Shortly after midday I got a call from Dave Thomas to say that a crane would arrive a Braunston at two and it was all systems go. 

Clearing boats from the workshop and yard is the first job.

A clear yard, now they can start to fill it again.

Dave Thomas in front of the Tuckey lorry.

Caxton now being fitted with the straps that will facilitate craning her out of the water.

Going up..

Joe looking at the 'egg-whisk' propeller..

Safely on the lorry for the 100 yard trip backwards to the yard.

Here we go again, being hoisted off of the lorry to go into the workshop.

Only another couple of yards to go now...