Exhaust stack

I know it doesn't look it from this picture, but this is one of those jobs that now, having done it, I find myself thinking 'I should have done that ages ago'.

I am referring to the straightening up, and putting back in place, the internal side of the exhaust stack.

It took a fair amount of 'persuasion' to get the steel back into position, initially using a chain block, then lengths of stout wood and finally a few firm blows with a hammer.

To be honest, I have no idea why the previous owners had undone it as they did, still it's all back together now and welded in place.

Once the whole lot has had a few coats of white paint, the place will be completely transformed.

Sunset

Sunday evening, after what was a long day slogging away over the side on the hull, I looked up and noticed this wonderful sunset.

Seeing this really buoyed me up no end, pity the camera does not do it real justice.

Anyway, the point is that this serves as a reminder as to what it's all about.

Being on board Lady Jane seems to bring me so much closer to the elements, and of course the wildlife around.

A lifestyle I really enjoy.

Paint experiments

Paint has two functions - to make Lady Jane look good and, more importantly, to keep the rust at bay.

I'm continuing my paint experiments with various combinations of paint to try to find a happy medium between ease of application, price of paint and the longevity of the job once it's done.

I've discovered the bitumen paint works great for protecting against rust, but is messy to work with and tends to go dull after it has been in the sun for a while.

The big advantage of bitumen paint is that it's very cheap, however it's not practical to paint anything else straight over it without some kind of 'insulating' coat. By chance I found Rustroy seems to do this rather well.

Here, on the legs of the gallows, I'm trying a few coats of some cheap primer and will coat that with regular outdoor paint from my local hardware store - just to see how this compares with the coats I've put on elsewhere.

I'm planning on testing some of the very expensive primer I bought on the deckhead you can see in the top right hand side of the picture, as this is constantly under attack from condensation in the cold weather.

The learning never stops.

Inside work

So the weather has not been too kind again this last weekend.

It's an opportunity to get going with some of the works inside again.

Here you can see a gap inside, by the shower room, that needs welding shut.

I have no idea why it's like that in the first place, but now with central heating installed it's suddenly become a priority.

It's such a pleasure being warm in there, so now I'm taking all reasonable steps to ensure the place is insulated properly.

No point in having a chilly draft coming in the place after a nice hot shower, is there?

Change

For keepsake I wanted to have a picture of the old and the new together.

As I said, I'm going to dine out on this small 'victory' for a while now.

It's amazing to me how relatively quickly this side has been done so far, considering both the man hours and elapsed time in comparison to the effort on the starboard side.

No time to rest on my laurels though - there's so much more to do.

Water pump

Along with the big stuff going on, there is the inevitable maintenance work to do as well.

This poor water pump has been demanding attention for the last few weeks, making it's presence felt with a loud knocking noise every time it runs.

Essentially all I need to do from time to time is to tighten the large nut at the back when it starts leaking, then periodically replace the packing inside.

I'm pleased to say I've finally got around to getting it all sorted out now.

A big step

Ok, it's not often that I post bigger pictures here, because of download times, but in this case I think it's justifiable.

What a dramatic change after a mornings work for Fred and myself.

Yup, that's the port side you see all blue there.

Don't break out the champagne just yet though as there's still big section I'm working on up at the bow, and a section in the shape of the shadow of the crane barge that needs doing.

Engine room work

There is nothing like a coat of white paint to brighten things up.

The freshly white back walls in Lady Jane's engine room demonstrate that fact very clearly.

Most of this work is down to Fred, who has cheerfully set about the task in hand. Make no mistake, this is a slow and surprisingly physically demanding job.

As the place improves, so I'm more motivated to keep going with the painting.

The results make the engine room a so much better place to be in than it ever was.