All the parts of the boat arrived on separate 8 x 4 feet marine ply sections - a bit like a big airfix kit...
28 Sheets of ply in my back garden - I need a bigger garden!!!
Each part of the boat is cut from a separate sheet of ply.
After quickly realising my garden was a tad small
for the job, it was time to strap the parts to the
italian rocket and take them to the boat yard
kindly offered by Dave Bedford at Hampton Ferry Crossing.
When the italian rocket protested against carrying boat
parts and threw an engine mounting I had to resort to
trusty old japanese 2 wheeled technology...
This set of photos shows the assembly of the boat including glueing, sealing and painting. A special thankyou should be mentioned to Dave Bedford at The Hampton Ferry Crossing for providing me with the space at his boathouse.
The bow section.
The cabin section (from underneath).
The keel added.
The middle section of Rita.
The transom where the rudder is mounted.
All 3 sections together (front view).
All 3 sections together (rear view).
All lower sections glued and sealed.
Close up of glueing and taping.
Shaping of the bow.
Sealing of rear section.
Sealing of hull.
The hull covered in 9 coats of sealer.
The hull showing the underwater primer (silver section) and the epoxy primer (white section).
The boat is finally turned over and ready to add the cabin sections.
Assembly of the wardrobe.. Ahem, front cabin...
Assembly of the bedroom.. Ahem, rear cabin... Where i’ll be hiding from the sharks!!
Plenty of room!! Lucky i won’t have a cat to swing...
These photos show Rita entering the water for the first time and not sinking! We had to move her from the boat house to the trailer via the river.
Rita finally emerges into daylight!
Bloody ‘eck, it floats!!!!
lovely and comfy, fit for a king!
“What do you mean there’s no engine?” maneuvering to the trailer..
On the trailer - A big thankyou to Cath Allaway for the loan of the trailer
Thanks to the Southall fire station for letting me store the boat before the final fittings.
