We've noticed these cracks appearing in the base, but have concluded that the material is some sort of wood, and that the fault lines are probably where different segments have been cut to fit. That's less worrying than the thought of a metal base cracking.
We'd been getting frustrated with the chimney. It was forever leaking tar onto Erin Mae's roof, with the resultant staining that the photos demonstrate. And then chimneys seemed to have a very short life, with rust quickly getting a hold. We've decided a chimney project is in order!
Firstly, we've bought a stainless steel chimney which will have paid for itself as soon as one ordinary steel chimney needed to be replaced. Secondly, we've bought a galvanised steel liner which will fit inside the flue, and usher all tarry condensates back down said flue.
I don't expect the liner necessarily to last any longer than the old chimneys, but it's much cheaper and cleaner, and, anyway, it was all that Midland Chandlers had. Perhaps there are long-lasting liners out there somewhere. My main issue is that it's specified as 6 inches diameter. You compress it to insert it into the flue, but my flue, as you can see from the photo above, is considerably less than 6 inches. I think the MC man said it's one size fits all – and the MC website lists only 6 inch models – but I'd like to be certain before I go ahead and render it unreturnable.
Thirdly, we've scraped the rust and residues off the collar and its base, prior to applying a wood filler to the cracks, treating the collar with Rust Eater, and then giving the whole lot a paint with something black. I'll report on progress tomorrow.
Had you noticed that I'm actually getting to grips with some of Erin Mae's body work!
Interesting post. This is the third Aqualine boat of a similar age that I know of with the same issue within the last couple of months. The issue is the wooden base which has split and the last one totally disintegrated when the collar was removed. You may well want to check your chimney and flue where they enter your stove. The last one had rotted close to the joint due to water having seeped through the cracks in the wood and run inside and having nowhere to go. That ended up with a whole new chimney and flue all because of the split wood. Best of luck with it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. The flue seems find, and the wood doesn't show any signs of deterioration apart from the shrinkage. But I think I'll apply some preservative, to be sure.
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