Renovating Casper

[kashurst]

That's cleaned up really well. Years left in that canopy. You must be very pleased.

 

[Alicatt]

That's cleaned up really well. Years left in that canopy. You must be very pleased.

Yep, quite pleased with it, it's an old canopy from 2008, from the date in it, so the odd stain here and there is to be expected, I did try and get it cleaner but that was the best I could do in the time available, we are expecting a down pour at about 16:00 so wanted to get the tent back on the boat before that happened, I did have a waterproof cover over the boat for the past few days.

The guy a couple of boats along from me is about to change his as it is about worn out and his is less than 10 years old.

I now know why the pontoons are like they are, the first one built was full width from the road to the water, that was about 3m in width, that one 30m section cost over €15k, they worked out they could do 100m at 1.5m in width for the same cost and now the whole dock is done, it is about 500m long for the whole dock, my boat is about 30m from the club house and beside the parking too so a very good berth, although tight!
Our yacht Club:

 

[Bouba]

Yep, quite pleased with it, it's an old canopy from 2008, from the date in it, so the odd stain here and there is to be expected, I did try and get it cleaner but that was the best I could do in the time available, we are expecting a down pour at about 16:00 so wanted to get the tent back on the boat before that happened, I did have a waterproof cover over the boat for the past few days.

The guy a couple of boats along from me is about to change his as it is about worn out and his is less than 10 years old.

I now know why the pontoons are like they are, the first one built was full width from the road to the water, that was about 3m in width, that one 30m section cost over €15k, they worked out they could do 100m at 1.5m in width for the same cost and now the whole dock is done, it is about 500m long for the whole dock, my boat is about 30m from the club house and beside the parking too so a very good berth, although tight!
Our yacht Club:
View attachment 174355

How far are you from any large body of water, river, lake, sea, ocean (couldn’t think of any more) ?

 

[Alicatt]

How far are you from any large body of water, river, lake, sea, ocean (couldn’t think of any more) ?

From us to the Scheldt in Antwerpen is about 60km as the crow flies... or 165km to the North Sea via canals: ( have to start at Leopoldsburg as that is the nearest point they can calculate from so -5km)

To the Maas (Meuse) about 38km as the crow flies or 85km via the canal:

 

[Alicatt]

Finally the bilge is dry and how I left it yesterday

Now I can start cleaning it then a new floor

 

[Alicatt]

Once packaged up it does not look so much but it took its time flowing out

The emulsified stuff is where I was trying to wash it out

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Have you definitely fixed the leak?

 

[Alicatt]

Have you definitely fixed the leak?

Nope, can't find the leak yet, tank tests out sound and is dry all along the bottom of it. I suspect it might be a combination of a leaking fuel pump and/or someone spilled a fuel can of diesel, plus when someone was changing the engine oil they just unscrewed the oil filter and the oil flowed into the bilge under the engine. The engine has the correct amount of oil in it, I checked before and today.

I have dried out the bilge and wiped up as much of the gunge as I can reach, the ballast concrete bricks are holding a lot of diesel in them and they are leaking out slowly, I have new bricks to replace the old ones with and 150kg of gravel to put back in the bow. Under the cabin there is no real access, it is suspended maybe 5cm from the bilge floor and is a sealed unit, taking off the cabin is more work than I am prepared to do at the moment, it is what it is. and the boat is stern down to let anything that is under the cabin flow to the stern.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Sounds like a big job. Obviously would be gutting to rebuild then have the leak return!

 

[Alicatt]

Sounds like a big job. Obviously would be gutting to rebuild then have the leak return!

I've got to the point where I have to monitor the bilge and see if or where the diesel is coming from, now that all the liquid has been dried up I have absorbent pads down in the bilge and under the engine.
I think today was my last bit of work on the boat until I come back from holiday in the middle of April, I'll have a quick look on Monday and then we are off to catch the ferry. When back it is check and make decisions from there, one thing is the smell of diesel is a lot less now.
Well it has given me an outlet for my spare time and an excuse to do some wood butchering

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Best of luck, great to see Casper coming back to life!

 

[Alicatt]

Good start Alicatt!
Assume you are based in Netherlands, but made reference to Scotland? Can you tell me what brand of boat she is, looks production GRP, also engine and drive system?
I like a good renovation thread

Okay recently found out a more definitive maker for the boat, She is a Placom 750 made in Hoorn in the Netherlands in September 1979, so a year older than we thought, she will be 45 this year
The other ones I have found have much bigger engines, like the 54hp Mercedes - Benz OM621 4cyl diesel and a VP AQ280 outdrive the other one I found has a 47hp Thorneycroft T108 4cyl diesel, so my 13hp MD7A is quite small compared with them.

The Placom 650 which has a similar shaped hull does plane but I really don't think the 750 will, it has a 4" keel leading to a skeg that protects the saildrive leg and propellor and gives a mount for the bottom of the rudder.
The Placom 500 is a completely different boat and uses an outboard, it is kind of like the little Shetland boats.
The name Placom is a contraction of Plastic Combinatie but so far I have not found any more details other than they operated in first Edam and then Hoorn. I was in Hoorn last summer when visiting Alkmaar and the cheese market.

 

[Alicatt]

Checking again today and the absorbent pads are still white with no stains from diesel.

Hmm keep getting a security error while trying to post a pic from the boat.

 

[Bouba]

Checking again today and the absorbent pads are still white with no stains from diesel.

Hmm keep getting a security error while trying to post a pic from the boat.

You also have to test it while the engine is running, and fill the tank (to see if there is a hole high up on the tank side or there is a leak on the filler pipe)....but it all is sounding good

 

[Alicatt]

Back home and…

@Bouba yeah the tank is pretty much full just now, it could have been someone over filling it but even the breather goes out the transom it has a stopcock on it too. Most likely is still a fuel can overturning or the injector pump is leaking or both. Well it’s for after the Easter break now, we are taking the big boat that carries cars to Newcastle in a couple of days.

 

[Alicatt]

All still ok down below but found a wet patch beside the tank, checked and it is water, came from the licker above, checked there and a pool of water, the drain hole is not connected to the outside, tracing the water back to the topsides ad the flag staff holder was not sealed, and there is a hole right through into the space behind the seat. We had torrential rain yesterday and the locker behind the transom seat had a big pool of water in it. Now I know where all the water was coming from. Dried it, cleaned and sealed until we come back from Scotland.

 

[Alicatt]

Back from Scotland, visited a few boats there, and had a hard hat tour of the Maid of The Loch at Balloch.

Went to Casper today and checked the bilges, the bow is dry and the majority of the stern is dry with the oil absorbent cloths picking up a little diesel from behind the engine, still need to keep an eye on that.
washed out and degreased the bilge in the bow, as it was originally a sealed section I have resealed it and now awaiting for it to dry then I can put the ballast in, I got 150kg of gravel for €6 at the local DIY shop and I got 32 clean concrete bricks from a stash at the father-in-law's house.

Debating with myself whether to paint and seal them so the don't absorb and diesel or other such from the bilge.

Curtains are off and getting washed now too,

Now looking for a trailer to hire to get the boat out the water to get the hull painted and antifouled, we got a good discount at Duncan's Chandlery in Glasgow, plus we got new ropes for the fenders, mooring, and other bits and pieces. Also picked up a couple of sqm of sound insulation to put around the engine when I'm rebuilding that section, it will also do to go under the headlining in the bow.

Oh Boy, has the boat got some amount of sand on it, she was washed down just before we left for Scotland and now she is filthy, the other owners are all complaining about their boats being covered too.



Got as far as the traffic lights in the town and the display in the car blanked out, could not select gear, battery light came on plus the check engine light, engine kept running, had to turn it off and leave it for a minute or two then restarted, got it into gear and then the display blanked again, no speedo, no rev counter, or anything electrical would work but I could limp the car home, no power steering either, plugged in the OBDII dongle and read the fault code, High System Voltage, turned off the car and restarted it again, all was working again except the battery/charging light is on power steering is back and everything else seems to work.
So either a dud alternator or maybe the belt has gone, not easy to see as the alternator is at the bottom of the engine just above the steel skid plate/engine protector.

Bah Humbug!

 

[Bouba]

Back from Scotland, visited a few boats there, and had a hard hat tour of the Maid of The Loch at Balloch.

Went to Casper today and checked the bilges, the bow is dry and the majority of the stern is dry with the oil absorbent cloths picking up a little diesel from behind the engine, still need to keep an eye on that.
washed out and degreased the bilge in the bow, as it was originally a sealed section I have resealed it and now awaiting for it to dry then I can put the ballast in, I got 150kg of gravel for €6 at the local DIY shop and I got 32 clean concrete bricks from a stash at the father-in-law's house.

Debating with myself whether to paint and seal them so the don't absorb and diesel or other such from the bilge.

Curtains are off and getting washed now too,

Now looking for a trailer to hire to get the boat out the water to get the hull painted and antifouled, we got a good discount at Duncan's Chandlery in Glasgow, plus we got new ropes for the fenders, mooring, and other bits and pieces. Also picked up a couple of sqm of sound insulation to put around the engine when I'm rebuilding that section, it will also do to go under the headlining in the bow.

Oh Boy, has the boat got some amount of sand on it, she was washed down just before we left for Scotland and now she is filthy, the other owners are all complaining about their boats being covered too.

View attachment 175466

I left my car in the open at the airport when we flew to London...the car was yellow !....luckily the wife warned me and I had a large container of water, a microfiber cloth and a squeegee in the boot....just enough to clean the windows....the next day I jet washed her and the following day we jet washed the boat...that is a knackering job...and if I’m honest I feel guilty about the wife having to do it

 

[Alicatt]

We have a deadline now to get the boat ready for, 8th May, we are booked on a trip of 79km to Maasmechlen for the opening of the sailing season 2024 with the rest of the yacht club here,
Today I was replacing the old clinker ballast with the new clean and fresh clinkers, that is 200kg replaced this morning and already the boat feels a lot more stable than she was with the ballast removed, I think I will have to add more to her tho as she is still too high out the water

 

[Alicatt]

No phone/camera with me yesterday
So this is the current situation

Bilge full of the old ballast


Ballast laid, now need to put the cockpit floor support back and remove the clamps that are supporting the floor just now then I can lay the lazarette deck again with new planks


125kg of stones in the bow and I’m going to tut a floor over that to make some better storage under the V-berth