Improvements and restoration of the houseboat facilities continues, time permitting. Relatively dry periods are especially helpful for maintaining wooden craft. In July, Heather was pulled round to Royall’s undercover wet boat shed (a scarce commodity in modern local boat yards) to carry out repairs on the main doorway and sliding roof hatch. Located on the port side, it is the principal entrance and leads into the vestibule, or lobby, where coats and hats are hung. This small space links the front and back end (fore and after part) of the houseboat.
Paul,
the stoical assistant at Royall’s, who marked thirty years of
service at the boatyard this autumn, removed the worn
framework and makeshift threshold. With some
thought, Paul redesigned the setting of the door, building a new
frame, a threshold that slopes outboard and made new hardwood trim around the hatch.
The
chunky, though diminutive door (shades of Alive in Wonderland) had
been ill fitting for several years and much of the hastily made
1950’s woodwork was decayed. It is believed to have been cut out of
the 1920’s solid cabin side, which may have had a fixed plate
glass window, adding symmetry to the three window arrangement on either side of the central cabin house. The horizontal teak timbers of the door are believed
to be mostly composed of recycled timber from the original Dutch
flushed deck lighter ~ the utilitarian vessel conceived around a
century ago. Some of the grey painted timber is visible inside the door, pictured above.
Curiously, an old brass rim lock is sandwiched inside the carcass of the door. This
was removed and cleaned and new keys were cut. A
simple, small steel spring inside the lock was duly replaced,
enabling the catch to work; meaning the door can close properly for
the first time in decades.
A new step into the vestibule is now being finished. Sitting on this and laying against the saloon bulkhead (nautical speak for wall) will be a detachable ladder. The ladder is handcrafted from spare oak and mahogany timber by retired Sprowston engineer and joiner,
Graham. This should enable direct access to the roof and also
provides a handle for visitors, when boarding the houseboat.
Chris, Paul
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