Project Managers Report - May
There is not a great deal to report this month, only that the ship continues to make good progress towards it’s completion, although it is safe to say that the nearer we get to completion the more difficult it is to predict when the work will actually be complete.
I am pleased to report however, that all plate-work is now complete and all riveting at the after end is also complete, save for odd rivets here and there that have been left because the are almost impossible to access and they therefore need special treatment. Riveting is now proceeding on the remaining rivets in the starboard paddle box area; these had been left due to their difficulty to access because of shortage of scaffolding and not because they are difficult to deal with. In fact they are relatively easy, so should be completed within a fairly short time. Once these rivets are completed the starboard Paddle Shaft and Paddle Wheel can be fitted.
Work is also taking place on the fitting of the final pieces of the Starboard Fender.
The only riveting remaining once the starboard paddle box is completed is the work on the stem, which again is relatively straightforward.
Now that plating and riveting work is complete in the After Saloon Area, the laying of deck timbers to the main deck can take place and is now proceeding. Work on laying of deck timbers to the Promenade deck would have been completed except that the final timbers on the after starboard side have not been laid because there was a shortage of timber with sufficient length. More timber has been ordered and will arrive shortly.
Deck timber, which has been previously laid on the quarter deck, has yet to be re-laid, but this task is anticipated to be relatively straightforward given that the timbers have already been laid once.
The principal tasks remaining are the caulking or paying of the timber joints, the painting, principally of the exterior of the vessel, and the fitting of the windows and the portholes. This final task will not be done until painting is complete.












