Silurian gets some TLC
Silurian, our research vessel is a hard working boat and throughout the year is gifted some TLC. Here one of the team, Brian, updates on recent efforts to keep her shipshape.
Silurian works hard. She must operate safely throughout the entire year and there's always maintenance to keep up with. The fabled “jobs list” is endless and lots of work must happen between trips and during the winter. Because our volunteers are “on effort” on the foredeck most of the day, the deck gets a lot of foot traffic and consequent wear.
At the end of April, Boat Manager Charlie put together a volunteer working party to get the decks painted and other work done including oiling the capping rails (the nice wooden bit round the edge of the decks) and painting hatches. We were blessed with the weather - sunny and dry and not too hot or windy.
Pippa:
“It was really great to meet the HWDT team and to give Silurian some TLC and a coat of paint to help her look her best ready for the season ahead!”
Brian keeping everyone fuelled
Boat painters sit on a spectrum; at one end are the “precision painters” who need every last detail to be right and take a more time than available; at the other end, the “slap it on merchants” who don’t like prep but get the job done quickly. Which one are you? Also, some people really like doing the prep and others can’t stand it!
We achieved a happy medium. Charlie and I spent a couple of “big days” on the prep - scraping and sanding with Pippa arriving to help with finishing and spot priming. Then we had a bigger team for a major push on the painting adding Hannah, Caroline, Sadie, and Jenny at various points over the weekend.
We got a lot done. The bits that need to be shiny are shiny and the bits that shouldn’t be aren’t. This is important. When you’re on Silurian, you’ll notice that the decks have a “flat” matt finish. We use special (and wildly expensive) non-slip paint on surfaces our crews walk on. So, as well as looking good, the right paint protects the boat and contributes to safe working.
Hannah:
“It was a lot of fun being involved with the maintenance of Silurian. The sun was shining and we had the music from the festival to bop along to whilst painting the boat! It required a lot of acrobatics to climb around the wet paint on the deck, but it was really rewarding to see how beautiful she looked at the end of the weekend!”