Author: Erik Bradshaw

Tyge and Christine return to the re-installed Crown Basin Turk. The black thing with the angled top is a heat wall. The ventilation system will draw warm air through this to heat the gravel under the floor (not quite completed). Crown Basin Turk re-installed On the 20th of May the original Crown Basin Turk (the first ever made) was removed because it did not meet the consented design and engineering standards. Last Sunday on a stunning blue-sky day with no wind, it was replaced. 17 people were split into two teams - one group flew to "Coronet Saddle" (not an official name, between Deep Creek and Coronet Creek) to complete the vegetation assessment (requirement of the Resource Consent) and roughly position the foundation frame and deck before joining the other group at the Crown Basin. Glenorchy Helicopters successfully lifted the Turk from Arrow Junction and lowered it gently into place. The positioning went well with the corner bracing of the pre-leveled foundation frame acting...

Recreation permit achieved! I'm pleased to announce that the Mountain Turk Club has been granted a 20 year permit to have 6 Turks on the Coronet Peak and Glencoe Station Crown Pastoral Lease land. The permit is issued by LINZ who have the statutory authority to approve non-farming activities on Crown Lease land. This was the final piece of approval the club needed before we can go ahead with Turk installation. There is a reasonable list of requirements that all fit in the category of "reasonable and to be expected". The process has taken a while longer than expected because of Covid, but it's very pleasing to get past this milestone. An excellent video about Turks Below is an wonderful video prepared by club member Grant Johnston. It provides an excellent explanation of a Turk and provides a great idea of what they are like inside and some of my thinking about the design and club. Well worth watching. Revised install date My initial hope of installing...

Install date set  (Actually this didn't happen. I was being much too optimistic) I am confident the Turks will be completed and ready to install on the weekend of the 4th July. The plan is for as many members to be involved as possible since this will be a celebration as much as a work activity. I'll have more details next week. Current Turk status Last weekend saw solid progress on the internal fit-out. This involved fitting the benches, bunk ends then bunk horizontals. The internal trim was also completed as were the mattresses. In progress Fitting doors and windows Plastic welding guttering for water collection Fitting bunks Fitting internal shelving To be done Plastic weld door and window shades Attach solar panel, internal lighting and other wiring Install ventilation system Build outside waterstands Build and attach outside seating Make outside ski rack Make door and window stop with weather seals Becoming a member Some people were struggling to work this out. It is quite simple. Decide what...

Progress Last Saturday and again on Monday saw 20+ people on each day continue to assemble the Turks. It is a rewarding (and at times stressful when you are the designer and in charge of quality control) to see the Turks take shape. Installation of the wall paneling, felt and ceiling fabric went smoothly and suddenly transformed an industrial spray-foamed tank into something of beauty! To do: Complete installation of benches Install bunk horizontals and ladder Assemble and install shelving Finish ceiling and wall trim Install lighting, solar panel, battery Route, seal and paint doors Assemble and hang doors Cut door and window stop, install weather seal Complete and stuff mattresses Fit inside seating Make and install coat rack Plastic weld guttering onto tank Build water tank stands Plastic weld tags and assemble outside seating Erik Bradshaw 4th June 2020...

Preparing gravel loads in Skippers Canyon. The original plan was to find gravel up high in the mountains but Covid time restrictions have changed our plans. Easier to have it prepared and fly it in when required. Each Turk is anchored by 3 tons of gravel between the tank base and the floor.       Photo by Lewy Edwards Next build dates: Saturday 30 May 10am The Hangar 182 Arthur's Point Monday 1 June 10am The Hangar 182 Arthur's Point NOTE: If you're not going to be at the Saturday build day please email/text/call me before Monday to check tasks/skills. It's difficult to predict how much we will achieve on Saturday and therefore what skills will be required for Monday. Things to do: From my newsletter last week we got most of the way to stage 4. We were a bit limited by running out of some materials. Here is the list again: Trim and tidy the spray foam insulation. This is a low skilled and messy job. It...

Mount Vanguard site from a visit earlier this year.                 (photo by Lewys Edwards) Next build day: Sunday 24th May 10am The Hangar 182 Arthurs Point What's been happening Turk progress While the Covid restrictions were at level 3 (construction activities permitted) a small group of us completed preparation and had the Spray Foam insulation applied. Previous Turks have used a flat sheet insulation similar to a sleeping mat that is cut with a knife and fitted to the walls. The spray foam allows for the insulation to be bonded onto the tank (yes it does stick) with no interface for moisture to accumulate. It also allows for insulation to be applied to the domed (complex curve) ceiling. While a bit more expensive, I think the result will be vastly superior in warmth than previous Turk builds. Materials strategically positioned The goal is to get the Turks in place for use this winter, however it might arrive with vengeance any day...

Turks in the time of Coronavirus Now that we are at level 3 things can get moving again. This week should see the spray foam insulation applied to the inside of the 5 Turks at Arthurs Point. With this bottleneck task complete we are on the home straight for Turk completion! My experience over the last week has indicated that nothing is easy to achieve at the moment. Many purchasing tasks have gone from a simple phone call to a complex arrangement that might take several weeks. On the bright side I have a cunning plan. On the dim side I don't think it is realistic for the Turks to be completed until mid to late-June. Trying to get them done sooner with the restrictions on materials and people gathering will result in a sub-standard product. Now for the cunning plan. I am hoping to fly in the foundation frames, toilets and decks within the next two weeks since this would be a legitimate...

Race to winter What more can I say except the Corona virus has thrown a spanner in the works! I have made a video of our progress to date. As you can see, the Turks are ready for the insulation to be applied. Once that's complete it's a matter of installing the prepared internal fittings. Turk progress video Before the lockdown became enforced I managed to share out some jobs such as making mattress covers. I also moved a stack of materials home so I can start making the toilets. I've made progress on these, so will share an exciting toilet video in the next update. :-D The question is how to succeed within the current restrictions. I am hoping the restrictions will reduce to level 2 or 3 by the end of the month. This would allow us to get the Turks completed and ready to install by late May. I had previously stated that installation needs to be completed before mid...

Turks in various stages of construction. The foundation frame, decks (not shown), sub-floor framing and 4 or 5 door jambs have been fitted. One Turk is a different colour as required by the resource consent for Mt Vanguard. Next build day Sunday 22nd March  (changed to Sunday - weather looks bad on Saturday) 9:00am The Hangar, 182 Arthur's Point (note slightly later start time) We need to get the Turks to a stage where the spray foam insulation can be applied.  I anticipate we will get 90% of this completed by lunchtime (assuming 12+ people). Progress The arrival of the tanks brought home the reality of Turk building. Last Saturday (14th March) 25 people made the tanks useless at holding water but started their illustrious journey to being Turks. Overall we are about 1 week behind where I would like to be. This is not for lack of enthusiastic people but more because of delays with the tanks. The bottleneck from here is getting the spray insulation applied....

Newsletter #15 - Second build weekend   Chris Phoon and his two kids Solomon and Manny build one of the 5 decks Build day #2 Saturday 14th March. 8:30am The Hangar, 182 Arthurs Point ** Please check your emails on Friday evening in case of any late breaking changes (like the tanks not arriving) *** As I mentioned in my previous update, the first build day was a great success with 50 people completing all that was possible without the tanks present. Some great photos of the day by Shane Galloway and Lewys Edwards can be found here http://mountainturk.org.nz/build-day-1/ If you have an orbital sander then please bring it. We could have done with more last weekend. The experience of the first weekend has caused me to make a few minor changes to how things are organised. With such a good turnout it is difficult to plan two days since so much might be achieved ahead of schedule.  My plans is to schedule just a single day with...