I’m not sure Monday was my most romantic of valentine’s days – a lot of it was spent in a small hole, 2ft by 5ft and 3ft deep – namely our boat water tank! Anyone who has ever done this job says it is a once in a lifetime experience. I had been pre-warned by watching a You tube video on ‘how to derust your steel watertank’ and even though in my book it is a definite ‘blue job’ (apologies for being sexist) in reality there are few men who can fit inside a small sized watertank, especially R at 6ft 3″! For those who are not familiar with this subject, on purchasing Naomhòg I was a little perturbed to read that ‘boats with integral steel water tanks should be painted on the inside every 4 or so years to prevent the build-up of rust’. On asking the previous owners if they had ever done this they said ‘no’, which came as a slight surprise as they have been meticulous about most of the boat maintenance. Perhaps, because they didn’t drink from it, they didn’t feel it was an issue. I meanwhile, with my vivid imagination, had visions of a rusty tank that would eventually rot and leak and we’d sink! So with the tank still dry from being emptied as a protection against freezing I suggested to R now was as good a time as any to look inside. Much easier said than done. The screws had been painted over and even after we managed to remove them the 1m square lid was firmly stuck. It required a hammer and crowbar and the extra muscle of our eldest son G, who happened to be passing en route with his fiancée to Scotland last Saturday. We did reward them with lunch, after a blowy and muddy walk to the local pub – we had hoped to take them on Naomhòg, but R decided the wind was to strong and we might have difficulty returning to our mooring (we are learning that you can’t be too prescriptive about how you spend your day on the boat – all sorts of obstacles get thrown at you).
However we were pleasantly surprised that the tank did not look nearly as dire as I had imagined, for its 15 years of age, and I resolved to set about the task of pinging off as much rust as possible with a metal scraper. Fortunately I have discovered I am not claustrophobic, nor am I too big to wiggle around inside the tank to attack all five surfaces. A very useful beanie hat with an integral light ensured that I had plenty of illumination and that my hair did not get too rust laden. The rest of my clothes bore the brunt of a very messy job so I am wearing the same ones each time I enter the dark hole to complete the task. I expect they’ll end up in the bin! Trying to work with protective googles and a mask is nigh on impossible because the glasses steam up and you can’t see a thing! However I have upgraded both mask and googles in a recent trip to Screwfix as I don’t think my swimming goggles are really up to the task! Still after two long sessions I thought I was nearly through when I made the mistake of asking someone else’s opinion. I was told to get flappers (not the 1920 variety!) on to a drill end and get the surface well prepared, which I thought meant shiny steel which would have taken me forever! Then I rang P who is going to supply the anti rust coating and the top coat, which should keep the tank good and the water suitable to drink for over a dozen odd years provided I have prepared the surfaces adequately. His advice is that I have to pop all the small rust pockets (like acne says R!) so the rusty water escapes. Then I use the flappers to remove the loose rust, leaving a pitted surface for the rust protection to adhere to. That doesn’t sound quite as difficult as getting back to the bare metal, so that’s my job for tomorrow! P was incredibly helpful so anyone reading this who has a watertank to maintain look up Specialist Coatings GB Ltd!
The job also requires a wet/dry vacuum as the watertank after prep needs to be clean and dry. I wasn’t going to bother with a vacuum on Naomhòg as the floor space is minimal and a brush suffices. Also, where do I store it – not a top priority for my precious boat space. Still, hiring one would be nearly as costly as buying one and R didn’t want to ask to borrow from another boater in case we wrecked it, so a compact K’archer arrives tomorrow. It could be useful for keeping the bilge pump area dry – R spent half an hour with a mop and bucket this morning drying the engine bay due to the plentiful rainfall over the past couple of days. Hopefully when we have our new outside cover that won’t be such a problem.
Monday wasn’t all work and no play. We met a lovely couple, S and A, who we had been put in touch with by a friend who thought we would get along well. They are living on a narrowboat nearby, having returned from Africa a couple of years ago, and having a distinct message that they feel this is what God wants them to do. So they are exploring what kind of Christian ministry awaits them. I got the impression, through their amazing life story, that they have always been ‘doers’ and now they feel Good is asking them just ‘to be’. To wait and see what he has in store for them and that that is ok. So often we feel guilty if we are not achieving something every minute of every day. I think it’s ok to rest. To take time out and try to figure out what life is about. As I get older I see time as a gift and each new day hopefully has a moment when we can ‘stop and stare’. I know I spent over 40 years rushing around like a headless chicken!! Yet it can be equally hard to allow oneself to do nothing – time to think can be uncomfortable. Perhaps that is why we often have constant noise around us from a radio or TV for when we have time and silence to think, subdued thoughts rise to the surface, which we may not want to deal with. Yet I think resolving inner conflicts can be of benefit when witnessed by other people as well as a blessing to oneself.
So today we have had time to think – a day off from the watertank as the weather beckoned us to go for a walk and get some much needed exercise. It was a bit windy at times but we enjoyed walking around a local resorvoir called Draycote Water. It was £3 for two hours parking or £5 all day. We decided if we walked fast we could get round the five miles in two hours and infact did it in an hour and a half, thus having enough time to enjoy the Draycote cafe!
NarrowboatTLC 