Tag: refurbishment

Vlog 413: Go with the flow

Posted on September 30, 2026 by David Johns

After months of painstaking procrastination, the time finally came to paint some gelcoat (and then flowcoat) onto my rebuilt transom on the project boat, Twiggy. However, it appears Twiggy has cellulite.

Vlog 408: Bleep!

Posted on August 9, 2026 by David Johns

Honestly, it’s nearly done, I swear, but Twiggy’s bottom needed a final layer of fibreglass to bump it up a bit, as well as some chopped strand mat around the corners, then a load of filler to join up all the gaps. This was filmed over two trips and with a very windy day, lead to much swearing (which I have bleeped, for your delicate ears)

Vlog 403: High Fibre

Posted on July 1, 2026July 1, 2026 by David Johns

It’s an event that few thought would ever happen but I have finally applied three (so far) sheets of 1708 biaxial fibreglass over the back of my project boat, Twiggy, and this video documents that sticky process, using Atlac 580 vinylester resin.

Vlog 399: The Transom of the Opera

Posted on May 20, 2026 by David Johns

For those who thought this day would never come, prepare to have your world shaken to the core – I have finally slapped resin all over the new wood core for Twiggy’s transom, and pushed it into place on the back of the boat. Now I just need to fibreglass over the top of it.

Vlog 396: Gunge Tank

Posted on April 24, 2026 by David Johns

I had to pop back to my project boat Twiggy to fetch something for use at home, so while I was there I put some better filler in the cabin holes, as well as trying to install a new bilge pump. But that’s about the extent of it…

Vlog 393: Well Gel

Posted on March 15, 2026March 15, 2026 by David Johns

Getting some quick ‘hits’ done on my project boat Twiggy, which included attempting to use gelcoat filler to patch up some holes inside the cabin.

A man leans into the end of a large iron cylinder, using an angle-grinder to cut away at small metal tubes inside.

Vlog 387: Hot Stuff

Posted on January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 by David Johns

In 2025, over a period of some months, two steam narrowboats, called Tixall and Emily Anne, had their boilers removed and their pipes taken out for replacement. This is the story of that epic job!

Vlog 382: Super Ply Guy

Posted on November 9, 2025 by David Johns

After being called away unexpectedly when I was last working on my fibreglass project cruiser, Twiggy, I was able to return a couple of weeks later to continue shaping the second chunk of wood that will make up the new transom core.

Vlog 380: The best laid plans…

Posted on October 11, 2025 by David Johns

This was supposed to be a very productive day when I almost finished the new wood core for my fibreglass cruiser’s transom, however part-way through I was called away. So this episode documents what small progress I managed to make on that occasion.

Vlog 377: Mind the Gap

Posted on August 30, 2025August 30, 2025 by David Johns

Having not been able to do any restoration work on my cabin cruiser Twiggy for a while, I finally got back to the boatyard to do final preparation before fitting the new transom core. This involved a bit more fibreglass work as well as mixing up thickened resin to seal the join between the top and bottom halves of the hull, which were coming apart.

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