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[Neil]

And this is an overall view of the deck of the boat with the holes filled in.

The next post is the setting of the kick, or toe boards as are called throughout the RNLI.

[Neil]

And so, it was on to the next part of the deck fittings, the kick, or as we call them up here "int norf" the toe boards.

These, I decided to go "none" conventional in restoring a wooden boat, by making them in 1.5mm plastic card, for ease, and all were made to fit the area as to where they fit on the boat and all, although looking the same actually fit the shape and camber and sheer of each section of the boat where they seat.


They were built sturdy enough to take the weight of the cast metal stanchions that I had given some time ago

[Neil]

Then, finally up to date on all the fiddley bits was to clean up the stanchions to the toe boards'
 
 The stanchions were drulled through at the rail /rope holes, sanded and then drilled with a 0.8mm bit on the triangular base bracket.
 
 The toe boards were taped in place  on the deck and marked every 70 mm between stanchion possitions before gluing the stanchions to the outsides of the vertical parts using industrial strength cyano and left for a couple of hours to cure.
 
 Once cured, those holes in the base triangles were drilled again with the 0.8mm bit cutting thropugh the white plastic uprights, before fraiming pins were glued in through the stanchion and plastic uprights again with the same cyano.
 
 Finally, I cut from some 2.8mm plastic tubing small 2mm slices from the tube, and having pre snipped the protruding fraiming pins down to about 2mm protruding from the toe boards, i glued the "nuts", the slices of plastic on to the framing pins to lock everything in place, [all 40 of them].

[Neil]

And finally bringing the restoration up to date, and after checking all of the old drain flaps that had been made from very fine tin plate, quite possibly from old soup cans or similar, most had rusted beyond repair as my limit for fine soldering has now bea dream due to my arthritis, and so made some new ones from 2 layers of plasdticard.


These will be glued to the hull within the next few days after i have given the hull a good sanding and painting. before starting on the upper works,

[Neil]

Whilst waiting for an exciting and most enjoyable meeting with a good friend early in the New Year there isn't a great deal I can do, building wise on the Barnett 51".

How ever I can be sanding down the decking and the hull of the boat ready for painting, which I have been doing this afternoon and hope to varnish the deck and paint the hull before Christmass is upon us.

Whilst sanding the deck I noticed a very thin strip, no more than 2mm wide, of planking missing from the deck next to the port side of the long rectangle which is the opening for the engine room casing.

And so, I cut some strips 2mm wide of the same timber I used to fill in the three holes on the deck that were closed earlier.

I cut the strips to length matching the lenghts of the other planks so that they overlapped the other planks in simitry and glued them in with cyano and masking tape to hold in place.

I will leave for a couple of hours for the glue to cure and then sand them off to fit flush with the underlying frame and the already laid planks.........then I can varnish the deck with a teak coloured yacht varnish all over.

[Neil]

Well!, it worked perfectly and just as I wanted it too.......gap filled and sanded to a good fit of the timber to restore the deck planking to how it should be.
Hopefully at the next TV adverts I'll go into the worksop to find some varnish and start painting.

[Neil]

The first coat of Teak satin varnish has been given to the deck of the Barnett this lunch time, and has given the boat a warm glow and fealing to it all.
I will "scub" in a second coat in an hour or so, and see what it looks like after that

[Neil]

It has had its 2nd coat now and a lot of the patchiness has been taken out.
 
 Perhaps a final coat after tea and then a gentle rubbing down with wire wool will bring out a nice smooth level sheen in the deck.
 
 So hopefully by later tonight it will take on a nice smooth finish.

[Neil]

The deck has been varnished, and was cut with wire wool between the 2nd and 3rd coats and after the 3rd coat with two grades of wire wool and has come up very nicely.

Whilst I was waiting for the 3rd coat to dry, I sorted out two prop shaft universal joints to fit the already strange but very workable ends to the shafts.

These I probed but could find no apparent way to take them off the shafts and so decided  just to adapt them for use, as they must have done many years ago.............why try to fix what isn't broken.
The hull is now ready for more sanding with different grades of abrasive paper in readiness for masking up and for the initial coats of primer.

[Neil]

Next job on the deck was to put in the none slip sections to the main decks........ on the modern classes of lifeboats it is around the well area such as on the Severn Trent and Tamar, but on the older classic wooden boats it was usually around the lowest part of the hulls sheer line as closest to the surviver in the water, the mid ships section.

As is the case with my Barnett I simulated this main area using 120 grade wet and dry abrasive cloth cut to size and glued to the deck using 2 part epoxy and pinned to the deck with masking tape. Once cured and set it will be given a couple of coats of sealer to protect it from the water whilst sailing.

There are two smaller areas towards the bow which fit close to the anchor davits port and starboard, but until I assertain the exact possition of these, I'll leave gluing those until sure .

[Neil]

Both areas of none slip coating on the deck have now been glued using epoxy. all turned out well.
But work has stopped as the next step is to take the model in to the workshop but as it has been so cold weather wise, I. loathed to go in but i must as have promissed some stuff to two people. .....may be a little sorting tonight, bnefore MASH comes on.

[Neil]

I have been stuck for things to do on the boat for the past week or so due to the very cold and wet weather, and have done all i can whilst it is sat on the chairs in my TV and computor room, which is a tip anyway.
 
 However this afternooni decided to look at the two cabins that had been crasted in timber all those years ago and to see if they were suitable for using on the boat.
 
 The smaller bow cockpit has potential to be used with a little titivating up, but the aft cockpit has been damaged so much over the past years that even I have decided that it is beyond my capabilities to restor it, but!!!......
 
 Hopefully I might have a solution in the new year to remedy this problem.

[Neil]

what is wrong that i cannot post photos with the script that i am writing without the  whole lot being deleted please/ thank you for any explanation, but please make it simple for me to understand. thanks.

[Neil]

for those following this build, without being able to post photos at the moment all i can do is post a link to a face book  build 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/250346325375748

[Neil]

the motors have now been packed with blutack from the top as well, and are truly stuck well in place.

[Neil]

Well, the time has come to stop work on the Barnett and close the chapter on it until the new year when I can meet my friend for a special reunion, and shall talk about that once we have seen each other and had a chat.


So today I decided to keep the old grey matter by taking step by step the job that I least enjoy doing and that is getting ready the electronics for the bosat and link everything together, motors to batteries and the  ESC's that arrived from Component shop earlier this week.

It might have taken me most of the afternoon, taking each step by step to get it right and testing each section as I soldered them all, but in the end, EVERY part worked with the other as it should.

Finally came the last stitch in the suit.......cutting in to the red lead to the battery from the ESC to incert the holder for the  fuse and the shrink tubing once the leads and fuse holers had been soldered together..................foiled again, I couldn't find find the shrink tube and by now the shop had shut, so will have to wate till tomorrow for completion.

However I did complete opening up the very limited space that the original builder of the hull had left, and now the batteries and esc's have a space unhindered.

[Neil]

And finally to put the Liverpool class to bed and ready for the sailing season now that I have got the radio gear working I have finally named the boat, as the last thing Ialways do as the final action on a new model.
 
 She is the RNLB MARIA NOBLE, and station name at the stern is BLACKPOOL LIFEBOAT.
 
 
 She was stationed there  at Blackpool Lancashire on the northwest coast of England where the world famous Blackpool Tower is situated  from December1961 to June 1970.