Getting colder...

Well, I still need to get the painting in the engine room finished and temperatures are dropping. The paint is not supposed to be applied below 10 deg C and daytime temps are either not reaching that or are only just going over that at midday, The answer; a heater, of course. However, we have to bear in mind that the fumes from the 2 component PU paint are explosive, so it all has to be approached somewhat carefully! That being said, I fully expect to finish the paint work this week.

Along the way, I've fitted a storage unit down the port side of the engine room that will house tools and the starter battery. I've bought the exhaust muffler and planned its location and have a piece of stainless just waiting to be turned into a support platform for the muffler. Elsewhere, plumbing is ongoing, cockpit drains are being fitted, battery charger and inverter are in planning, materials are arriving with scary regularity...

To further keep me out of mischief, I headed up to Hazel's boat at the weekend. She's had a few motor problems recently, which we traced to there being water in the diesel. After some investigations, I theorised that her diesel tank was leaking, so, with winter approaching, she decided to haul out for some refit work and upgrades with view to summer cruising next year. Alanouwoly is now sitting high and dry and when the haul out was completed we got straight to work attacking the diesel tank. Unfortunately, this involved cutting a large hole in the cabin sole, but, this achieved, we levered out the tank to reveal a rather disgusting and stinking mess beneath it. The tank was holed in at least 2 places, so the diagnosis proved to be correct, and Hazel is now cleaning up the sodden foam and stinking diesel mess in her bilge. She plans to fit a composting heads, so we will also be removing the holding tank that is in the engine room. Plans are not finalised, but this may prove to be a suitable location for her new diesel tank, perhaps leaving the bilge area for a battery box and upsized service battery capacity. Time will tell.....