Nearly there....

I have lost count of the number of bruises, cuts and unexplained pains received during the build of this boat. Everything from big welts across my legs to minor purple swellings received after too much enthusiasm (and not enough accuracy) with the hammer. I am also surprised my children bother to remember who I am or even admit to their friends who I am when I stagger home after a 12 hour day looking like a bag lady with my tatty and torn clothes and not so fetching beanie hat. I think my coat was once upon a time brown but now it's hard to see through all the paint and at first appearances it might seem that I have a French manicure until you see its actually sufafix. But I wouldn't swap a moment of it because even when my fingers have been so cold I can't grip the Jigsaw properly or I have nearly lost my hand from an out of control circular saw, the laughter, the friendships made and the enthusiasm that has gone into building a solid and homely vessel has made it all worth it.

We have been engrossed in putting the vessel through the RCD process in the last few weeks. All new build vessels require this certification, which stands for Recreational Craft Directive and it is a stringent and arduous process to ensure that the vessel meets the safety and build regulations required by this European Directive. We have had the assistance of an excellent marine surveyor throughout this process called Steve Hands www.handsonmarine.com and we are now nearing the final stages before sign off. 

When we first started the build we seemed to make huge leaps of progress and the vessel appeared to come together quickly when we were insulating and lining her. Then everything seemed to slow down whilst internal structural supports were positioned for doorways and creating the bathroom. It picked up the pace again when the kitchen and fireplace were installed but the most time consuming task has been completing the internal trim to ensure the vessel has a high quality finish and looks aesthetically pleasing.

In the next couple of weeks we will be putting the finishing touches to this at the same time as linking up all the electrical and gas appliances from the engine. She is due on the water next week and we will take some video of this moment. In the meantime, thoughts move to the next project as well as taking note of efficiencies of build, what can be improved and what is the most desirable design and size of vessel.

Through the square window...

This post is mainly focused on the fitting of the windows from Wesley Marine. We have 4 standard hoppers with mitred top corners in matt black and 4 portholes down each side of this 50ft vessel. On the port side there is a also a set of hatches so it makes for a lovely light boat. We have also chosen a light oak effect window liner, which finishes the effect very neatly and ties in with the modern feel we are creating. We have had to do a fair bit of grinding to smooth the metal before it receives the window but this is just to ensure a snug fit and thus prevent any future leaking - and we have had plenty of opportunity to test that in the last few days! We have used a router and grinder to tidy the hole cut in the lining wood and cut the depth of the liner to fit.

Then we have moved on to begin fitting the floor in a walnut/dark oak laminate. This will contrast nicely with the white and varnished finish that will be put on to the walls as well as the chosen kitchen doors and units.

Cracking through it

The early pictures in this post show the insulation acquired via Ebay at £125 for 2 rolls. It has been glued to the metal with spray adhesive. We have then created the framing from un-planed three quarter inch batons ready to offer up a lining board. The horizontal batons are secured to the metal with self tappers drilled directly into the metal. Risers have been secured to the floor ready to receive the wooden under-floor and the ceiling has received half inch batons in preparation for the ceiling lining.

On the fifth image down this shows the under gunnel lining board and the under floor lining board. The block wood separating them is to allow space for the wooden laminate flooring that will be put down on top of the under-floor.

The ceiling board has been given two coats of white gloss paint - although more will be needed but we have yet to run the electric cables so final coats will be completed when this work has been carried out and the cables boxed in.
The final image sees the window apertures being created for the portholes and the side hatch. The windows and liners have been delivered so we will begin fitting those asap.
The engine has been balanced and lined up to the prop shaft, although we won't be putting the propeller on until the final hours before she is lowered into the water. The calorifier is in position on the same side of the vessel as we will be linking up the water (hand basin, shower and kitchen sink) as the other side will be running the gas supply. The toilet we have chosen is a Thetford cassette but no fresh water supply will be needed for this so it will be positioned on the partition wall rather than an exterior wall.

The bathroom items are on delivery with a 900mm Quadrant corner shower and double vanity unit, along with the Thetford making up the bathroom furniture. The kitchen has also been sourced and colour co-ordination agreed upon. Am soon to place an order for a small range LPG oven, which will become quite a focal piece in the galley kitchen.  

Currently sourcing the wood/coal burner, which will turn the saloon into a cosy and relaxing seating area - so only one more hole to cut through the roof metal! As you can see we have already cut 5 for the mushroom vents.

It will soon be time to invite the boat safety examiner aboard to ensure we are complying with the boat safety and RCD. 

And so we begin...

After too many months of waiting around, we can finally begin the fit out. We experienced numerous delays for a variety of reasons but the new shell is finally here and we can begin to work on her. For more links to our service providers follow our Tin Can Narrowboat Website blog.

You can see video of her being lifted on the Lifting her onto dry land onto our little patch of England (apologies for the video quality - not sure that was going on there).

We had great service from Nigel Cullis the crane driver who knew exactly what he was doing on the very misty morning she arrived and we have since painted her with several coats of International Toplac in Mauritius Blue, which is a favourite colour although final painting will take place closer to the end of build as there will probably be a fair few scratches on her by then.

We have ordered windows from Wesley Marine. They came out to meet us and see the new boat for themselves and gave some great advice. We have gone for the clamp fit range, which is slightly more expensive (by about £15 a window) but much easier to fit. They are just normal hopper style in matt black powder coated.

Whilst we wait for delivery on windows we have started to insulate the inside and chose to begin this on a hot day. We took the insulation materials outside eventually but they are double sided air filled foil and reflected very strongly off the sun - nearly blinded. Anyway, we are most of the way to finishing the insulation now and have purchased the wood for battoning. £40 for a few bits of timber you won't even see - that price has gone up a bit!

Next project is fitting the engine. It has a Barrus Shires 2.2 and we are just pricing bits at the moment, including the calorifyer and propellor. Hope to begin this next week as well as complete the battoning.

See the Video

Here is Tin Can coming into berth after a re-paint. More videos to come soon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4T1UVcPu78&feature=feedu

It's a dream!

Having lived on a narrowboat for a couple of years it always puts a smile on my face when people tell me it's their dream to do the same. I instantly image how I would design their boat, full of creature comforts, no bathroom where your elbows hit the wall, pumps that run silently, inverters that don't trip when you try to run a washing machine, microwave and hairdryer at the same time and space to put the kid's hamsters where the cat can't lick his lips at them! I learned a lot about designing boats from living on them and each desirable design feature is encorporated into our hire boats. We avoid setting them up to squeeze as many people on as possible but create them like mini holiday cottages. The cosiness of a boat never fails to win me over. Whether it be the warm wood, plump bed or telly right next to the radiator.
The ideas charging round my head at the moment for the new boat won't let me sleep. I know that I have to plan it correctly right from the beginning. At least with this boat we have put the windows and side hatch where we want them. With Tin Can, the windows and hatches were already created so we had to design the boat around them. Doesn't sound like much of a problem until you realise the shower will be built over a window (great if your 20 - but i'm a bit past that!)
So planning it is at the moment. With Tin Can we put masking tape on the floor to indicate where bulkheads and appliances would go - but the dog was a puppy then and she chewed them up so who knows what Tin Can was originally supposed to be designed like inside.
My mind is going towards a Scandinavian look for the new boat. Clean lines, bright white interior, spacious and simple. What do you think?

Bits and Bobs

Have been organising the last few items for the new boat this week, namely fitting the engine, prop shaft and creating dimensions for the stainless steel water tank. We are again fitting a Shires 2.2 engine into this boat as we have had no reliability issues with the one currently in Tin Can and they are powerful enough to do river cruising should any of our customers wish to travel that far.
Can't get my hat on with the price of stainless steel though. Just this alone - excluding the cost to fabricate the tank - is over half a grand! Time for a bit of haggling I reckon.
Finally found a transporter to bring her down to the Midlands as this time we have decided not to cruise down and build on the water as we did with Tin Can but to build her on dry land. Just finalising the crane at this end to lift her off the transporter. If its ok with the transport people I will publish their contact info on here at a later date as these kinds of services can be difficult and expensive to come by.