Restoration of GPA 9398

[richardfs]

Happy New Year.

With a couple of weeks off over Christmas I am at last getting some body work done on my GPA.
Nothing like getting back into practice with a MIG welder and an angle grinder.
One tends to forget (With good reason) Just how long it takes to weld up holes in a GPA.

Repairs to the bow are progressing well with a new panel fitted to the rear of the bow (Drive tunnel) another peice fitted in to the bottom of the bow, and a new peice in the side.

If the teperature will drop below 40 C I will try to turn her over and fix the other side.

Here are some photos. 8)





About another year or so and the hull should be close.

Best regards
Richard

[GPA2196]

Good on you mate ;) Glad to see your hull coming along.

Cheers,
Tony

[Ian Grieve]

Richard

Hi there. Happy New Year. Say hello to the family.

Great to see 9398 coming back together. Making a start is the first big hurdle, but it is great when you see things happening. Interestingly, you are not sand blasting the hull prior to adding new steel. It looks good.

It has been raining fairly heavily up here for the last week, with a tropical low off the coast. It has been windy and cold and not in the 30's as expected at this time of year.

Keep up the good work.

Ian

[richardfs]

Hi Ian,
I hope all is well with you.
On my first GPA I decided to sand blast it first. Main because the burning paint work was a killer.
This time there is not that much paint left on her.

The are two other disadvantages with sand blasting early on:-
1) They start to rust too quickly, and force you to rush a head.
2) It is really depressing when you thought you had a resonable floor only to discover half of it is pin holes.

I think I will repair all the sides and battery boxes before I sand blast.
Then I might not take it so bad when I see all the rust holes I still have to deal with :cry:

"O" well I try not to think any further than the bit I am fighting with.

Take care.
Best regards
Richard

PS Di and the girls say "Hi"

[GPA2196]

Richard,

We did the same thing with my hull... we did most of the body work first then sandblasted and then did the smaller finishing work.





Cheers,
Tony

[Carl Watt]

Thanks Richard, good to have the inspiration.

As soon as our temperature rises above minus 15 C we are also going to get back to work!

Carl

[Carl Watt]

Thanks Richard, good to have the inspiration.

As soon as our temperature rises above minus 15 C we are also going to get back to work!

Carl