RON FINALLY HAS A BREAK THROUGH !

After many mornings of drilling to create a passage  through the hull to house the propeller shaft , Ron finally bored through the metal obstacles blocking his path.




When the hull was built,the position of the engine was not clear and so nails or bolts were fixed as normal and only became an obstacle when the  route of the shaft was drilled.

 Ron has now been able to measure accurately the required prop shaft and accompanying hard wear and has  ordered the parts.
Ron grinned all morning long and planned the next phase.

Wednesday Phil had the exciting job of making the floor of the toilet section (heads). Having created a rough cardboard pattern , he used a technique taught by shipwright Dave and used a block of wood to accurately measure the edges of the floor.
The final pattern was then transferred to ply wood - drawn and cut out. 

 Welder Wally and Ron then discussed the sliding system  for  the  the cabin hatch .
It was decided the runners would be made of a hard smooth plastic  called NYLON 66  
Wally went all the way to .Sheffield to purchase it.
( He has now caught the Helen II bug ! )



Wally and Phil practiced  cutting the running grooves the Nylon 66 strips will slide on , using pieces of wood and the  circular saw  instead of a router .

Wally has the smile of confidence as the method  proves a success !
He then sanded down the grooves which Phil wrongly assumed was a snooker shot technique .