Weed hatch repair

One of the things we had done while Briar Rose was at Heyford Fields being blacked was a repair to the weed hatch.  I really like the Tyler Wilson design of weed hatch, which is completely separate from the engine hole, so you can't sink your boat by forgetting to tighten it properly.  Rather than a lid clamped on, there's a plate which sits over the prop, held in place by a bar and screw mechanism.

The problem was that over the years, the hole in the box section on top of the plate had worn larger and larger -- to such an extent that the screw could fit through it.  This meant the plate would usually fall off when I tried to lift the mechanism, and I was terrified of it hitting the prop, or of losing it through the hatch.  Putting it back on was also tricky.

So Heyford Fields have welded on a couple of semi-circles of metal to restore the hole to its original size.  They've also gone to the trouble of painting the whole thing.

We've been pretty impressed with Boating Leisure Services at Heyford Fields.  They did everything we asked them to do, and nothing was too much trouble.  It's not surprising they always seem to be busy.