Velvet Glove - Alden 50
Osmotech Refit December 2007

Work on the Velvet Glove is well underway and despite a brief break over Christmas, she’s now in our paint shed and Matt and his team have already made a big impact.

The entire hull was blasted and then the long, diligent process of hand-sanding began; stripping it right back ready for the application of osmosis treatment, anti-foul and multiple paint layers that will protect her for a long time to come.

The original bow thruster has been removed and a new tube has been bored, closer towards the bows. This will make the new Sidepower thrusters more effective and will give the boat the ability to rotate almost within its own length. To that end the aft transom is now being stripped to accommodate a new stern thruster tube that will enable the boat to manoeuvre and dock from any angle with ease – even crabbing in sideways.

All the teak on the decks and the capping rails has been sanded right back to bare wood and have already received the first of the ten coats of new varnish. The wooden doors and companion way trim have also been removed, sanded and given the first few coats of varnish. All the chrome fittings and trim, as well as the mast, have been removed for renovation and cleaning and the fly-bridge furniture taken off to be re-upholstered.

All the port lights and the main saloon windows have been removed and the frames stripped and resealed, ready to receive the new glass that will be fitted towards the end of the re-fit.

Inside the cabin, everything that can be stripped and removed – has been including all the interior upholstery, toilets, basins and shower units. The team have made a detailed inspection of the complex electrical system, wiring, relays, looms and control panels and the unnecessary or obsolete parts removed. The galley has been stripped and the ‘white goods’ removed for repair or replacement.

The bulky, malfunctioning water-maker has been consigned to the scrap heap and with it the old heating system. In its place the team has fitted a new, smaller and more efficient Webasto heating system that will not only keep the cabin at the right temperature, but the fly-bridge too. Under advice from the Osmotech team, the client decided not to replace the water-maker, but to rely on the large freshwater tanks that are capacious enough even for a long voyage.
The next steps will be to apply the first of many protective layers to the hull and topsides and while Osmotech’s engineers begin the overhaul of the engines, the French polishers will continue the long, careful varnishing process.