New Season - New Look

 Category: Hull, Interior & Engines 

Maintenance/Repair Details: With the start of the 2025 season we have decided its time for a major refurbishment of the deck & superstructure beginning with repainting the wheelhouse interior ceiling as following a cold & wet winter the paintwork is showing signs of cracking and discolouration.

We plan on lifting the boat, she stayed in the water this winter, and locating her on a trolly for a few weeks in order to do the following:

• Repaint the saloon, wheelhouse and aft cabin superstructure.
• Strip and relay the decking (not the aft sun deck).
• Strip, re-stain and vanish the rubbing band.
• Re-varnish the mast.
• Tend to any interior woodwork issues as required.
• Service the engines.

Let work commence!!

Lift Out 15th April 2025

With the lifting of Kevayling work can now start in earnest with the first job of removing all the external fittings and masking up any fitting that cannot be removed. 

Wheelhouse roof stripper of old paint, sanded down and two
coats of primer/filler applied. looks good already.

Front window eyebrow's & side air intakes removed, taken
home, stripped, undercoated and in the process of gloss coating.

 

Removed all fittings from the cabin roof
Rubbed down and applied two coats of 
undercoat/primer.

We had planned to keep a daily diary of all the work that was being carried out but we soon realised that if fact there was so much to do it was keeping us busy between 6 and 7 hours a day. Work actually commenced on the 18th April 2025 and re-launch will finally take place on 27th May 2025. With only odd days off due to weather or being exhausted we were committed to making the boat gleam again.

So here's the story in pictures.

Wheelhouse roof stripped and given 4 coats of painted .

Saloon roof stripped and given 5 coats of paint.

Old decking removed as best we could!

Midway through the work.

Final coat of paint applied.

Beginning to look smarter.

All equipment reinstalled on the roof.

Just taking a tea break on a hot day.

Work steadily progressing.

Lots of climbing included!

New deck laid...

...all round.

New coat of anti-foul and she is beginning to look really smart.

Just a few small jobs to do and she can return to the water.

 

Winterised For The End of Season

 Category: Engines, Exterior & Systems

Maintenance/Repair Details: With the changing weather pattern over the last few days we decided to winterise the boat and prepare her for the winter months. As per previous years the following steps have been taken to safe guard the systems.

• Fresh water system and tank emptied and blown through to remove water in the piping.
• Chemical loo emptied and cleaned, header tank emptied of fresh water.
• Bedding removed and vacuumed bagged.
• Engines run up and checked for leaks or issues.
• Anti-freeze pumped through the raw water cooling system.
• Mast removed and stored internally.
• General wash of boat and check of fittings.
• Anchor winch sprayed with WD40 and winter cover applied.

Due to the lack of use of Kevayling during 2024 (like many a year full of issue in life) we have only used 32 ltrs of diesel⛽(16 ltrs per tank) and as such do not require filling the fuel tanks to avoid condensation.

Over the winter we plan on refurbishment of internal woodwork and possible renewal of cabin(s) and wheelhouse carpets.

Boat Safety Examination 2024

Category:  

Full examination of fuel, gas, electrical, ventilation and safety equipment.

Maintenance/Repair Details: 

Examination carried out by Graham Daniels (BSS Examiner) and as one would expect with a classic vessel of 56 years on the water there are a few things we need to put right before issue of a new certificate.

To date have already started by correcting the issue with the saloon ventilation vents by removing the blocked fly mesh. Sourced a possible replacement of the LPG cooker due to the current one not reaching current safety standards and slowly worked our way through the short list of tasks.

20th Aug 2024: All jobs completed. 😊

• Remove blocked ventilation mesh in saloon roof vents. (Advised)
• Fit new CO alarm in rear cabin.
• Replace old cooker for new one with flame cut-out.
• Securing wobbly pipe work Gas/Fuel.
• Replace fuel filter drain plugs with metal ones.
• Reposition fuel tank vents to remove U bend likely to retain diesel fuel.
• Remove disused fridge gas pipe and valve. (Advised)
• Seal gas pipe outlet in gas container.
• Replace gas bubble tester fluid. (Advised)

* Faults to rectify        * Work in progress to correct fault        * Fault corrected

Updated protective recess & new
cooker now connected.

Vent pipe on fuel tanks

repositioned.

Greasing, Leaking & Cat Housing

 Category: Engines, Deck work & Cat

Maintenance/Repair Details: Finally got round to greasing all the grease points on both shaft universal joints, the main shaft bearings and the rudder stocks and joints. 

Also dealt with a large water leak which originated in the centre of the windscreen, travelled along the bottom of the screen on the starboard side, entered the wheelhouse in the front corner then ran along the stbd side dash top dropping smartly on to the onshore power box (!) before running down the wheelhouse side and disappearing into the stbd engine bay. Have now completely renewed the water seal along the total lower edge of the screen.

Lastly, having had a display case especially made to protect our boat mascot who's been with us since  2007. 'Vann', our fake Turkish swimming cat, is safely covered to prolong his 'good looks'. He may be getting on but there's no way he's jumping ship using the age card.

New Season Preparation

Category: Woodwork, Hull Work

Maintenance/Repair Details: Now into the New Year and some 6 weeks to lift-in for the 2024 season work has begun on prepping the boat in readiness for lift-in.

22 January 2024: First thing was to remove the old anodes, clean the area where they were fitted and wire brush all the nuts and bolts. The new anodes won't be fitted until the hull has been anti-fouled,

26 January 2024: Next the hull has been washed down, marks and abrasions removed and then given a light polish to protect it from the elements until the final wax and polish just before re-launch.

28 January 2024: We have decided to remove all vanish  from the wooden rubbing band as by the old of a year its flaking and looking shabby. The rubbing band has been sanded down to bear wood, given a water proof treatment and any chips; knocks and dents duly treated.

31st January 2024: Using cutting paste and polisher the starboard side of the hull was completely cut back, then a coat of Teflon polish was applied and buffed off.

2nd February 2024: Fitted lost 22mm pegs in rubbing band, prepped port side hull ready to cut back, removed 'Chatham' stern location named (from our time moored in Chatham Marina 2016 to 2020) and replaced with 'Medway' plate and cleaned and rubbed out toe rail on the deck.

3rd February 2024: Cut back and polished hull and scrubbed all fenders.

10th Feb 2024: Recoated all deck with a new coat of Plasti Dip paint & scrubbed off faux teak aft deck and hatches.

3rd March 2024: Commenced anti-fouling the hull with first coat of paint.

9th March 2024: Completed anti-fouling of hull by applying third and final coat. Checked all systems onboard & around the boat in readiness for lift-in on 11th March. Preparations Complete. 

Parts and/or Items Used: Boat Wash, Wax, Wood Filler, Cutting Compound, Teflon polish, Anti-foul paint.

Boating Fun

Back In The Water!

Wheelhouse Roof Re-Vamp

Category: Woodwork, Deck Fittings

Maintenance/Repair Details: It's been sometime since we refreshed and repainted the wheelhouse roof, so August Bank Holiday was spent doing just that. The roof has always been painted white rather than the soft cream which is Kevayling's hull and saloon colour since we have owned her. So it was decided to repaint the roof to match the rest of the boat. First some of the fittings were removed to make the job easier, then the roof was sanded down with a rotary sander and then the odd hole here and there was filled and made good.

The following date the roof was then repaint in the hull cream colour.

Left to dry over night the fitting that were removed were replaced.

Job done.

Parts and/or Items Used: Cream paint. Gelcoat filler.

All The Better To Reach You!

Category: Electronics

Maintenance/Repair Details: Having installed a new VHF radio and antenna in July 2022 it became obvious during the following months that the whip spring antenna that I installed was not up to the job of maintaining adequate communications with other vessels or shore bases.

As such, as a birthday present, my wife supplied a more fitting replacement which has duly now been installed.   

Also installed a Nebo Link onboard which now fully automates our online logging system, enables us to monitor onboard battery levels plus a few other security features. Check out the link. 

Parts and/or Items Used: New 1.5m 3db Antenna.

Spring Refresh

Category: Woodwork

Maintenance/Repair Details: With Spring upon us it was time to refresh the woodwork on the boat. We started with a good polish & dust of the interior to remove the winter grime, overall the boat is in amazingly good condition after the cold wet winter we had.

Today we rubbed down and repainted the inside of the wheelhouse roof which was the only paintwork area that really needed attention and I think this was partly due to the bad condensation the wheelhouse suffered over the winter, which is a first we have had.

Parts and/or Items Used: White paint. Interior polish. Yacht varnish.

Mast Replacement

Category: Woodwork/Deck Fitting

Maintenance/Repair Details: Having had to restore our original mast each year at the end of the season, due to its age and ever degrading state, this year restoration work required is finally beyond my capabilities.

As such we have purchased a brand new one from Sheriden Marine and will be installing it on the boat in the spring. The new mast is solid mahogany and weighs considerably more than the old one. All the old fittings have been removed from the original and fitted, including the forward navigation light which was on the wheelhouse roof but now on the mast yardarm as intended.

The original mast, which stood proudly on the boat since 1968, has been given to a fellow Freeman owner who intends to completely replace rotten wood and restore. If this is successful we have told him to install on his Freeman and replace an out of place stainless steel one in situ.

Tuesday 21st February 2023 - Now the weather is improving the new mast has been presented to the mast base on the wheelhouse roof and checked for fitting. The mast is slightly wider than the old one and was a tight fit in the base. Removed, sanded down and re-varnished ready for final fitting. 

Monday 27th February 2023 - New mast installed on wheelhouse roof. Just a bit of wiring to tidy-up when the weather improves.

Parts and/or Items Used: New Freeman 30 Mast.

The New Mast

Test Fitting

New Mast Installed

Wheelhouse Refurbishment (Project)

Category: Woodwork

Maintenance/Repair Details: With the end of the 2022 boating season arriving soon we have turned our attention to refurbishing the woodwork in the wheelhouse, something we touched lightly earlier in the year with the repair of a window frame and darkening of the engine bay side panels. The plan is to now refurbish all the woodwork and roof as there has been a move around of various pieces of equipment leaving areas in need of repair, repaint and filling.

The first job has been to sand down the panels in the wheelhouse that have been re-stained earlier, with a satin base varnish, these have now had 2 coats of gloss yacht varnish to bring out the grain and shine of the wood.

Parts and/or Items Used: Wood Preserver, Wood Stain/Varnish, Yacht Varnish.

Overview of the wheelhouse after re-varnishing the side panels.

Close of side panel.

Engine bay side panel work in progress.

Re-covered Deck Hatches

Category: Deck Work

Maintenance/Repair Details: Having some faux teak decking left over from the renovation of the aft deck we decided to strip off the old paintwork on the forward saloon hatch and the aft gas storage hatch and match them in with the aft deck. Several hours were spent stripping off the old deck grip and paint layers so that we had a solid base to stick the decking too. The original hinges on both hatches were taken home, wire brushes, primed and sprayed with liquid chrome to give them a new lease of life. 

Hatch edges were then gloss painted. 

Parts and/or Items Used: Remnants of faux teak decking from previous aft deck project. Chrome in a Tin spray paint.

Work in progress - aft hatch.

Forward Hatch Completed

Aft Gas Hatch Completed

Marine VHF Radio Replacement

Category: Electronics

Maintenance/Repair Details: Due to the failure of the Navman 5500i chart plotter to find and hold GPS satellites it has been necessary to bring the whole electronic side of navigation up to date. As such both the chart plotter and Navman 7100 radio, both at least 20 years old, have been removed.

Being that we now use a Navionics tablet based navigation system the only new item required was a new VHF radio with built-in GPS positioning to give us the most up to date distress positioning system. 

Completely recovered the top of the helm dash to complement the new streamline look to the helm. 

21 July 2022 - Installed a new whip antenna on wheelhouse roof, removed old fibreglass antenna and made good the area.

Parts and/or Items Used: Cobra VHF FF77 GPS Marine Radio. Supergain Target 530mm Antenna.

Old electronics removed with the new radio in position. Replacement and repositioning of the
antenna cable still to do.

New whip antenna in place.

Dash top panel recovered before fitting.

Replacement Battery

Category: Electrical

Maintenance/Repair Details: Replaced Number 4 battery (stbd) due to it's age (11 years) and the poor performance of equipment connected to it. 

Parts and/or Items Used: 110ah 12v battery.

Aft Deck Covering

Category: Deck Work (Work in Progress)

Maintenance/Repair Details: It appears that the aft deck has suffered some degrading during the winter months and although the deck was covered with a rubber coating to prevent cracking it has still occurred. So, after deep consideration and thought we have decided to strip all the rubber deck coating and plastic based paint and cover the aft deck with a faux EV teak decking in middle grey.

22nd March: First step to start removing old paint and deck coating.

24th March: Continue with stripping the old deck coating and start sanding the edges. (It's a slow business!)

26th March: Completed the stripping of old deck coating, washed deck, filled irregularities with gelcoat filler and sanded down.

12th April: Following a few weeks of appalling weather we have finally been able to lay the new faux decking. Applied with additional heavy duty spray glue, as well as the self-adhesive backing, so hopefully will stay stuck for sometime yet.

Parts and/or Items Used: Paint Stripper, 3 x Rolls of Faux EV Decking, Gelcoat Filler, Paint & Sealant.

First day of stripping old deck coating.

Third day of deck preparation.

Decking Laid.