Heavy metal changes our lives

What a week that was – a week that’s wrought a change we’ve dreamed of ever since we bought our boat in 2018.

For years now we’ve battled daily with the heavy main stern hatch, which extends the full width of the boat. We open it in the mornings to head out into each day. We close it at night to cocoon ourselves away, and every time in between, when we leave the boat or the rain starts or stops, we open and close it. 

It is incredibly useful to have such a large hatch – made getting a full-sized washing machine on board as well as making it easier for us and visitors to get on and off than a standard half width hatch. 

However, for every plus there’s usually a compromise and for us it was the sheer weight of the hatch. It is 80-90 kgs worth of solid metal which has to be opened from underneath so yanked with arms upstretched – a good work out but utterly exhausting.

We’ve talked to various boat builders, boaters and friends to see what they suggest and everyone comes up with cutting it off and fitting it with rollers.

We spotted that marine welder and fabricator Kev Kyte had done something similar for another boater, so we turned to him last year. The earliest he could do anything for us as we also needed the front bulkhead plated too (in its current state, it compromises the structure of the entire boat) was May this year. That gave us some saving-the-pennies-time, and then this week – it happened!

During my 26.2mile Virtual London Marathon, I was eyeing up good spots to get the welding work done. This week, we positioned the boat on a towpath mooring I’d identified with easy access to a car park for them to get their gear to us, and they were with us before 8.30am.

As I write this blog there are angle grinders and welders going at opposite ends of the boat. Kev’s dealing with the hatch at the stern whilst Ben does a sterling job sorting the bulkhead at the bow.

To give them access we (with the invaluable help of Wobbly Boater Al) had to remove doors, wood panelling, insulation and everything combustible near the work sites, and clear everything out of the cratch so the whole boat is crammed!

Kev discovered he needed to cut part of the handrails off to get access to cut off the hatch cover.

Once removed, it became apparent it had at one time had rollers. They look pretty small and gungy next to their stainless steel replacements and had long since stopped working. 

It’s only been a week since we were joined by our new crewmate, and she’s been absolutely amazing during all this noisy upheaval. After welcoming everyone, she stood overseeing the works for a bit from her vantage point on a wall before heading inside for a snooze despite the din! Her first selected nap spot was in the shower – in a bucket full of things we’d moved out of the way!

By 1pm all was done – the bulkhead is going to last for another 30+ years and Steve can demonstrate that this massive hatch can now be opened literally with a finger.

This is going to change how we feel and live aboard without a doubt. It also means unsuspecting visitors looking for an east handhold to get on and off the boat won’t get covered in oil from the hatch runners.

As for me – I just can’t stop opening and closing the hatch – wonder how long the novelty will last?!