After weeks of warmth the hull is distinctly chilly, the red pads have done their job and have been switched off. It's easy to see that the hull has largely dried out by the moisture readings scribbled and crossed out all over the surface. They started off at about 20 and are now, in the main, below 5 which is where they should be before the next steps can be taken. There are just a few places where it's about 10 that are are not easy to cover with a patch and will be dried out with heat lamps over the next few weeks. As it happens there's no rush to get her finished off and out of the shed as she's fourth in line behind some bigger hulls, including a rather large lifeboat outside. Just as well as there's been a slip up and the new port lights, which are on six weeks delivery, have only just been ordered. It's all rather convenient really as it means that I'll be able to work on her in the dry over the Christmas period which will be great even if it's a bit dusty.
Now that the hot patches have gone the painting of the lockers and bilge can get going, cooking fresh Danboline is not the best way of getting a good result. After clearing out the forepeak and stern it's apparent how much painting needs to be done, there's acres of scruffy GRP to cover! Unfortunately the original owner who did the fit out had short changed this aspect and too many areas such as the stern lockers have to be painted out for the first time. It's not all hard work and surprisingly satisfying when it's done; the insides of the lockers gleam after a fresh coat of paint making the effort well worth while. Keeping with tradition it's now consistently white for the lockers above the waterline and grey elsewhere, what a difference!
The highlight of the weekend was discovering the burger van just outside the yard which does some excellent bacon rolls for lunch which went down really well with a generous mug of tea! Just seeing a few other people makes a welcome break from solitary confinement down in the bilges.
Prior to painting I've tried to make sure that the holes in the dividers and bulkheads are all there for the cable and piping runs. The wiring is fairly easy to locate, the hot & cold water supply not too difficult either but the hot water from the boiler is a bit more of a challenge. Apparently plastic, push fit, domestic piping and fittings are the only real choice as the water temperature is 80 degrees centigrade. The only flexible piping that can stand this temperature is some special silicon stuff which is about £25 per metre, don't fancy using much at this price the way the budget is going! As space is so limited in key places, it's going to have to be a combination of the two; it's guesswork a this stage though, be interesting to see how it works out in practise.
I've spent quite a bit of time over the past few weeks on the Contessa forum gleaning some useful tips from the experience of other folk who've done what we're planning before. The technical papers have proved to be useful, it's interesting to know exactly what's under the floorboards and how I should have taken the windows out, for example. I'm particularly indebted to the owner of Waratah who has fitted a fridge, heater plus hot water system and found some ingenious places to locate the bits. He explained how the compressor unit can be fitted behind the cooker, the calorifier in the locker and the heater in the engine compartment - thanks Paul! Much of the planning is now complete, it's just a question of getting bits at the lowest price and getting on with it.
This weekend's work has been a bit on the boring side cleaning out all the lockers, rubbing them down and preparing them for some coats of Danboline. They all look rather sad so a fresh coat of paint everywhere should make quite a difference.
For the first time I've been able to find out where the mast is, and, despite it being in a rather precarious position, take a good look at it. Not the best of news, on close inspection there's more work than I'd anticipated that has to be done. The survey had identified that no wedges had been fitted between the mast and the deck allowing it to move and wear underneath the waterproof gaiter; the surveyor had assured me the mast could be repaired without difficulty. What wasn't mentioned was that there was corrosion under several of the fittings, the standing rigging was undersized and that the lights needed to be replaced. It's an Isomat mast rather than the usual Kemp mast and, of course, it's no longer possible to get sections or spares for it. One of the riggers that took a look just wanted to sell a new mast, the other was more helpful and accommodating but it was clear that there's a limit to how much patching is economic. I'll have to take off the fittings, let him see how far the corrosion has gone and then we'll know if it can be repaired with a sleeve or not. I'm hoping it can, a new mast would add a significant chunk to the already strained budget!
A further hindrance came in the shape of the bulkhead compasses; one was leaking oil, the other badly chipped. They both looked in need of replacement, which, according to the forum was easy using a Contest 130 which was of similar size. Trouble was that Plastimo (the manufacturers) had gone bust and although they were probably going to be bought out, production had ceased for a while at least! Few chandleries had any stock and the bargain prices had evaporated so to get a pair I had to pay premium prices - or wait six months or more to see if production re-started; not a great choice.
Father Christmas visited the Contessa rather earlier than usual as you can see, the main cabin is now full of equipment awaiting installation over the holiday period. It all came together last friday after a disappointing series of calls with suppliers, especially the electrical bits. With several uninterrupted and peaceful days available to work on the boat between Christmas and the New Year I'd planned to do all the wiring but was told that many key parts such as the Blue Seas DC Panel and the Hager AC consumer unit would not arrive before the yard closed at 12:30 last Friday. 
It doesn't last long though, next day it was back to reality finishing off the locker painting. In total 10 tins of Danboline have disappeared into the interior, much more than I'd expected or allowed for. There's also been rather more repairs to the bulkhead bonding than I'd anticipated or that had been identified by the surveyor; in all ten areas have had to be sorted out. They ranged from some significant delamination around the stiffeners in the bow to some relatively minor movement around the internal dividers. The minor problems are easily addressed by squirting in resin with a syringe and screwing the glass matting and divider back together; the more significant areas need cutting back and re-glassing which I'll leave to the yard. Yet another learning experience, I should have realised that it was such a big job that just can't be short changed if we're going to end up with the result we're seeking.
