RainDance Back In The Water
I have had RD hauled out at Geoff Bagnall’s Milford yard for some winter maintenance & TCL. I always rock up with a list, the content of which makes Geoff chuckle & say “are you serious?”.
This year there were a few jobs that to most people would seem frivolous e.g. can you reduce the height of the bow rail. It was completely out of proportion for the size of RD.
I come back the next day & Geoff has done a template of the height (less than I wanted) & new shape – as always he was spot on & the finished job, to me, is perfect (not to Jason Prew – who has been telling me for years to remove it).
Thats the thing with Geoff Bagnall, he has a great eye for what is appropriate & more importantly what looks right.
It will be a sad day when he closes the shed doors for the last time & heads North. The wooden boating scene will be the poorer, great wooden boat craftsman & railway haul outs are few & far between these days. So woodys – while he is still around – use him 09 486 1445
Lots of other stuff on the list, including re-caulking an area of the garboard seam to fix a persistent wee leak, but the #1 – happy wife = happy life project was a completely new toilet set up. These days the size of a 12v electric head has reduced greatly, so we ripped the (not that old) unit out along with way too much piping / fittings & installed a new electric number + a monster electric pump to empty the holding tank (used to be a manual pump).
Still needs some shiny paint in / around the new head area, but very happy, there will have to be a ribbon cutting ceremony 🙂
Slashed some paint & Uroxsys on & in my eyes – she’s looking very smart. Still got a long To-Do list but thats 1/2 the fun of owning a woody, if you don’t like the process, buy a plastic boat 😉
RD was in good company at Milford, Nathan Herbert’s new woody – Pacific, is getting some major love & Jason Prew’s – My Girl, is very close to splashing, even sitting on the trailer, she looks very quick.
18-08-2018 Update
As requested by Jason Prew – photos below of my latest piece of bling – a Cattroll Collapsible Pennant Mast, made 25+ years ago by an Auckland company named R. Geo Cattroll. They were based a 1114 New North Rd, Auckland. The box it came in stated “Can be fitted to cabin top or deck mounting. Precision engineered from solid brass, chrome plated. Unique locking devise. Height of mast 889mm
I found it for sale on trademe, bid & won the auction – now he’s the twist. The seller was woody Nick Voerman, who owns the classic launch – Maria (ww link below). Nick bought a ‘job lot’ of old marine accessories / fittings for someone contacted to the long closed Cottroll business.
Fast forward several months & I was having 2nd thoughts fitting it to Raindance when snap – I spy the exact same fitting gracing the foredeck of Jason Prew’s launch – My Girl. Chatting to Jason, seems several CYA launch owners have acquired one from Nick. In fact the trademe listing is still live so he must still have a few. Be quick 😉
Excuse the square-drive screw, I’m doing my best to convert Geoff B 🙂 they will be replace .
MARIA
You will note in the above photos the deck was a little worn so as part of the 90th birthday treat, the decks, toe-rails, tram-top & dog-house got a lick of paint.
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But then Mike the auto closing lid wouldn’t work 🙂
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A nicely varnished woody seat and lid to crown that head would top it off Alan.
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raindance looking very smart
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Steve- pop by any time! Or anyone for that matter, it’s great to chat to fellow enthusiasts coming by the yard.
Simon: Very similar to Pal O Mine although she had an aero engine and was slightly less deep in the forefoot.
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And a holding tank too, I hope Graeme 🙂
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I have a TMC electric toilet aboard and it is extremely noisy – you feel like you are announcing what you are doing to the whole bay when you use it at night – please let me know if the newer versions are quieter
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To my eyes (amateurish) would My Girl be a close match to the L Tercel launch Pal o Mine…Could Jason answer perhaps?
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Nice work chaps – looks like a yard visit might be on the books.
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Jason – we should run a sweep on the splash date for Pacific 🙂
I’ll take photo in weekend of the new whatsit 😉
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better not be long to go, some of us need to get past your huge boat to get to the ramp 😛
Boat looks great Alan, how bout a pic of your fancy new pennant holder whatsit 😛
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Raindance looking very good- Bagnalls is a great place for winter service hauls, will be a loss when the yard goes.
Pacific has been getting some serious work so far;
-new prop/cutlass bearing
-machined up and installed an isolating coupling in the driveline
-diesel header tank removed, stripped and clear coated (litres of sediment and -water removed)
-new diesel filters fitted, valves etc replaced
-compression changeover levers/pistons rebuilt
-water pump stripped and casting/moving parts rebuilt
-complete new exhaust system
-dodger structure modified to a more pleasing style and the galley with it
-all bilges stripped and repainted
-bridge woodwork replaced with solid kauri and stripped for varnish
-new covers made
-repainting all but main cabin and hull topsides
-refitting of ballast in purpose-built trays in bilge
Phew! not long to go now
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Bow thruster, thats a bonus – had not thought of that – but will only work to port
Very quiet & I have superb batteries (GEL/AGM) from Enertec Marine 😉
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Will the electric loo double up as a bow thruster?
Will it keep the bay awake at night?
Will you need a generator to run it?
Concerned of North Cove
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