Raymond Restoration Update, 13th March 2018

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Nick Lake visited Tess Wharf this week to meet Pete Boyce for an update on the work being carried out on Raymond.  The work will cost at least £2500 and is due for completion before the National Boat Share Show at the end of April 2018.

Here is Nick’s report:

The work’s coming on well – despite the inside of the cabin looking like a wreck (Pic 1 & 2)! The beams to support the deck in the hatches are in place (Pic 3) and Pete has repaired the rot in the shearing and knees (Pics 4 & 5). He’s also made new bearers for the step and was about to fit them (Pic 6). The next stage will be to fit marine ply on top of the framework, covered with a sealed membrane to keep the water out, and fix the deck planking on top of that.

One tricky problem Pete had encountered was that the T-stud was loose (I think it’s been loose for as long as I’ve been involved with FoR, like the starboard-side Anser shackle). It should have been a simple matter of tightening up the nut, which is at least accessible while the cupboard is removed (Pic 7). But the problem was that the bolt and its nut sit in a recess cut into the stern post with room only to get an open-ended 1¼ inch in (Pic 8).  Peter Copeland came to our rescue.  He was at Stowe Hill on Thursday and they very kindly offered to lend us some spanners. So, after a rummage through Stowe Hill’s bucket of old tools, I was back at Tess Wharf with a handful of rusty spanners, one of which fitted perfectly. And with a bit of scaffold tube for leverage… job done!

So many thanks to Pete (B) for his undeterred efforts and Peter (C) and Rob at Stowe Hill, for helping us out!

Pic 1: View to stern from Cabin

Pic 2: Wider view of cabin looking towards stern

Pic 3: Beams to support new deck and rotted timber replaced

Pic 4: Rotted timber replaced

Pic 5: More rotted timber replaced

Pic 6: New beams in place to reinstate the original step

Pic 7: T-stud tightened (view from below)

Pic 8: Pete Boyce still smiling despite the seemingly never ending discovery of rot! The good news is that his feet are on the boat floor, not the bottom of the canal….

Thanks for all your hard work Pete.

Photo Credits: Nick Lake