A busy month catching up with jobs held over from December. ‘De barra’ a 40′ Dutch motor boat was brought onto the quay for shot blasting and removal of all the paint from the top sides and hull.  She was then picked up and put into the workshop, masked up and four coats of epoxy applied to her topsides. They were then filled and sanded to make fair (smooth) and she was finished with a top coat. While the epoxy was curing, a holding tank for black water was fitted, as she is destined for the top of the Thames where discharge is closely monitored.

Persistent cold weather hampered this job and additional heaters were required to permit the epoxy to harden sufficiently and to reduce condensation. A big diesel heater was sourced and although unplanned, this was a well spent week.  Fitting a powerful heater allows future jobs to be completed within their planned timescale.

The Twister in our small workshop has had her varnish job finished. Eight coats on her coach roof and rails, which had been stripped back to bare wood.  Her topsides had a hard sand only, so two coats brought her to an effectively sealed shine.  There is nothing like standing back and admiring a classic wooden vessel in a new varnish finish – it seems such a shame to place them outside to withstand the rigours of the English weather.

The steel boat in the large workshop has a finish which will last up to ten years, if she is regularly antifouled and has her anodes changed, but  this Twister will need to return in a year or two for it all to happen again. If you are going to own a classic wooden yacht, you need to love her more than you love your time or money – that’s just the way it is. We have another one waiting in the wings for the same annual repair and refresh.