Wetwheels is back on her berth at Gunwharf Quays after her
annual refit at Cheetah Marine in Ventnor, IOW.
So what's new? Well, the two most obvious changes you will see
from the photo above is the addition of the words SOLENT under our
Wetwheels logo and that our liferaft is now mounted on the cabin
roof from its old position on the aft deck. However, by
mounting the raft on the roof, Cheetah had to raise the stainless
steel gantry on the roof so the Raymarine radar can see over the
liferaft.
Under the water her hull was completely re-antifouled to keep
weed growth to a minimum. Even a small amount of weed can
reduce our speed by up to 5 knots and cost us an extra £50 / trip
in extra fuel. You can see why we like her to have a clean
bottom.
Regular users will see when they come we have updated our
deck-mounted tie-down points for wheelchairs, thereby removing the
old trip hazards. We have a new deck hose pump so we can
clean the decks (useful after those fishing trips) and we have
fixed the heating so we can at least get out of the cold if
necessary.
We have fitted wheelchair seatbelts in the drivers / helming
position to stop wheelchairs moving about and we have added a
stainless grab-rail by the helmsman's seat to make it easier for
people unstable on their feet when getting into the steering
position.
This week we are fixing a highly-sensitive, micro joystick
steering system for those with minimal or no hand movement - it can
be chin operated. We are awaiting a new thermal imaging
camera and hopefully we will have some new drop-down seats fitted
to where the liferaft used to be on the deck enabling more people
to sit in comfort.
All of the lifejackets have just been serviced and the boat has
been given a deep clean and polish.
Thanks to everyone at Cheetah and skipper Keith for putting in
their time and effort. can all future visitors please ensure
they wear clean shoes or arrive with clean tyres on their
wheelchairs. If not, we will unleash the Boss with her Mr
Sheen and duster.
