Slow but steady progress

 

I have not been good at updating the blog recently. This does not mean that nothing has been happening!

 

I was told when I renewed the insurance for this year that I would need a survey before they would insure me for 2021. This was a much easier process that when Robinetta was wintering at Cairnbarn on the Crinan canal!

Luckily there was nothing major picked up on the survey, although it did find that the trim on the stern quarters was rotten. It was easy to remove, and will just mean a small repair.

 

I got advice on what to do with the hair line cracks that were opening up due to the wood drying out. These would close up when she went back in the water, but they needed something to stop the water tricking in too fast during the taking up process. The surveyor’s solution was linseed putty, mixed with linseed oil and a little metallic primer, until it was as sloppy as possible and still stay in the cracks. As the wood swells this will easily be squeezed out, and in the meantime the dry wood will absorb the oil. Painting linseed oil onto the hull during construction was common practice in the days when all boats were made of wood. We will be painting over the filled cracks, so time will tell if this treatment is a good idea appearance wise!

The engine also needed some TLC. It has not been run for several months due to not being able to get to Robinetta during lockdown; the throttle was stuck and the flexible fuel pipes needed replacing. This is being sorted, and hopefully the engine will start when we get her launched.

Alex has been in charge of painting the hull, as I have been suffering from skin problems on my hands that started with following government guidelines on hand washing. Palms that split open when they are flexed are not conducive to wood work or painting, so I have been acting as a chauffeur and overseer. Having only one of us working has slowed things down, but Robinetta is slowly coming back together, and I have my fingers crossed for an October relaunch.