Hard at it
We finally got lifted onto the hard on Friday afternoon. This is something we’ve been waiting for since the beginning of July (read more here) so we were delighted we finally got a slot.
Iron Will has a vey long (and substantial keel) and there was a bit of fiddling around by the crane operator to get the slings in the right place so the bow sling didn’t slip off and tip us out. The operator actually had to get changed and go into the water to tie the forward sling to the aft of the vessel to hold it in place, whilst we all sat in the cockpit and tried to stop the kids running around and upsetting the balance. We all found the process a bit nerve wracking and very exciting – and were very glad it wasn’t us in the murky marina water!
Once Iron Will was safely in the yard, propped and chocked and with a ladder lashed on, it was late on Friday and the light was fading. We left for the night and drove out to the house of friends who had kindly offered to put us up for a few days (thanks Ollie & Kara, you rock!).
I can’t believe we, or rather I, had thought about staying on board for the duration – the yard is so dirty and dusty, and watching the kids go up and down that ladder gave me the heebie-jeebies!
The best thing was the hull had no obvious gaping holes or rust patches! We took a gamble and bought the boat without an out of water inspection – yes, crazy we know, it was just the way it worked out for us.
I was also blown away by the size of the keel. I know it’s a long keel, but it’s width is like nothing I’ve seen before. It’s as wide as the length of my forearm. It’s Solid McSolid from Solidtown!
So all weekend – it’s now Monday morning – the kids went to play with friends whilst Matt and I got stuck into the scraping and grinding to prepare the hull for anti-fouling.
It’s a horrible job. Even with breathing masks on and other protective equipment the dust and dirt get everywhere. Your arms ache from holding the sander and you’re constantly breathing in dust and other people’s chemical fumes. We put up some makeshift tents around Iron Will after some pointed comments from a neighbouring boat (poor man was trying to polish his hull and we were generating industrial quantities of steel grinding dust).
We were very lucky to have some awesome volunteers that put in hours and hours of their own time to help us prep the boat – thanks again to Stu, Kris and Nifty Nev. We were blown away by the generosity of these guys giving their time to do a really nasty job. And also by the kindness of the Dunne family and the Brain family for having our kids and keeping them occupied and fed whilst we worked. We are SO grateful, thanks guys!
Finally on Sunday afternoon the worst of the work was completed and the hull was ready for undercoat.
I was so tired and achey by that point that opening the stupid paint tin took me half an hour – it had these funny curved seals all around the edge and the tin was the diameter of a car tyre, so it took forever with achey hands to prise each little seal open. Grrrr, frustration!
I got busy with a roller and sealed up the bare metal patches, and also primed the new “sling hook” that Kris had magically welded to the bow to prevent future lifting problems.
But finally it was done and the undercoat is now on, ready for 2 or 3 coats of the antifoul. I’ll paint but Matt can open the tin!
