No Pictures... and a dead camera!

Again I have been slow in getting a new blog out to keep you up to date with the progress of restoration, my excuse this time is that my camera decided to fall off the couch onto the laminate floor and stop working.  Not only that but the memory card will not allow me to transfer the latest pictures onto my computer....The joys of technology!

Well, where are we??

I have still been working away on the deck and wheelhouse (More about the hull in a bit).  I started by continuing to removed the paintwork from the deck up to the gunwale top, oiling and then undercoating.  This has been a very slow process and virtually every time I get down to her, the rain starts! 
I'm beginning to have a lack of sense of humour these days when it comes to the rain..  I seem to go down when its favourable, and yes I do check the forecast, then an hour later the heavens open and it starts to drizzle or rain.  I don't mind getting wet  too much myself, but the tools don't like it, especially the power tools I use for the paint stripping!  The generator would probably be ok, but I'm not happy with 240 volt cables getting soaked on deck. I'm sure it would make for an interesting view of me going up in a blue spark!

So what I have been doing when unable to strip paint or use power tools? 
I have started to remove the deck planking above the engine so as to arrange its removal.  I have already lifted the deck where it had been cut in days gone by for access and last week I cut a new line where I am going to take the deck further back.  I had hoped to get that part of the deck removed today, but its chucking it down again...I may get down later... 
When that part of the deck is removed then it should be straight forward to get the engine more or  less lifted straight out. 
Ok, so when was anything straight forward on a boat?

As to the wheelhouse.  As I have mentioned before, the wheelhouse has now been completely stripped back to the metal and primed with red oxide.  I finally managed to finish the roof area a couple of weeks ago and primed that also. 
Of course, I still have to have the 'pelmet' above the windows cut back, this is mainly due to the fact that the engineer (who has more or less promised me his 'first born' because he is taking so long) is still too busy to get down and finish the job off.
Now to be fair to the engineer, he is not charging me for his time (I do cover his costs though!)and he does have to come a long way to get to the Lady. However, this 'saga' has been going on for six months now and that's been the main reason for not painting the wheelhouse.  I figured that if I painted it and he came along with his 'still saw', the paintwork would be tarnished and have to either be re-done or would prove to be a problem in the future.
I am hoping that the undercoat will not be damaged too much by the grinding down of the pelmet.... watch this space I guess.. I'm not going to go into detail about the two holes in the roof that were supposed to be welded up as well....

Right the hull! 
About two weeks ago I decided to move the boat back up the beach about 20 feet.  she has been sitting in a 'trench' that she has created with the movement during heavier weather and the Lady really had to get out of it. 
I managed to get myself wound up to the point I was convinced that she was sitting at such an angle that her back might break.  After moving her, I realised that it was the way she had dug herself into the trench that was causing the illusion of a 'bent keel', there was absolutely nothing wrong with the way she was.... You could hear my sigh of relief from the other side of the bay I am sure! 
The Lady was surprising easy to lift again (After a wee bit trial and error).  I tried to lift her with just the 3 inch pump on the first day, which was a silly mistake.  She had been sitting for nearly four months without me touching the hull since the last time I had to pump her out after the storm when she went over onto her side.  Of course some of the caulking had been washed out and also two or three more planks had become loose since then.
So basically on the second day I went down and re-caulked the open seams and hammered in the nails on the loose planks.  This did the trick fine and she lifted with the 3 inch pump barely ticking over.  It was only after two hours afloat did I have to start throttling up and even then the pump was never overwhelmed.  
From that exercise I now know where all the major leaks are and where much of the re-nailing is required.
It was sad on the third day when I had to go and pull out a few of the seams again in order to stop her floating.     
Note that I have been allowing the sea water to drain in and out of her, mainly because it stops her from moving up and down with the tide as if she was fully floating every second wave would cause her to 'pound' off the sea bed.  She is much safer and less likely to be damaged sitting upright and on the sea bed at all states of the tides.

Of course this has to change...Due to finances amongst other things I have been slow in working on the hull and getting it watertight. That has to change imminently as I HAVE to move her away from the harbour, there is no way she will survive another storm in the corner where she is at present..

Thankfully, the nails have arrived as well as the tools for drilling out and countersinking them.  Now all I need is more sealant to be able to re-caulk and some help and advice as to how to do it with causing more problems than I have already!

Hopefully pictures and more information very soon!!