The Bosun's Store
It used to
lean drunkenly against the clubhouse and was full of things that 'might
be useful one day' but never were. Finding anything in it was a
nightmare and it had become an absolute shambles. It was of course our
Bosun's Store.
Then mid January Bodgitt & Son set about its
refurbishment and replacement of the foundations. A good percentage of
its contents went straight to the tip.
Concrete pads were set under each corner of the building
with steel legs set into the forward pads and cemented in. A cross beam
was bolted across the top of the legs. “I” beams were
passed over the cross beam and under the building from front to back.
Using these beams the building was then jacked up and slid forward
approximately 20 inches. The actual support beams were then slid in to
rest on the rear concrete pads and welded to the front cross beam. The
building was then lowered onto its new foundation.
Restored and moved Bosun Store.
Note the old step position
compared to the new door position
The store was diagonally strapped and tightened to pull the
structure upright. Held like this, the interior was then panelled out
with plywood so the building could not revert to its usual leaning
posture. The upstream end was repaired and strengthened together with a
reinforced door. A bulkhead light was also installed to illuminate the
door area. The front of the store, below floor level was panelled in.
The next job was to reposition the entry steps and erect a guard rail
around the open river end. This involved a lot of welding and concrete
work. While this was going on new shiplap was applied to the front
exterior to bridge the gap between the existing building and the bottom
panelling which covers the new steelwork. Bryan Clements is now working
on reinstalling the work bench and Nigel's carefully monitoring
everything that goes back into our Bosun's store to ensure it never
reverts to the 'hell-hole" it once was.
Mike (Over Easy) Baker
