Flashdance (What a Feeling)

Progress has been pretty slow of late due to other commitments, however, we have made some steps in the procurement and design department - attending the Crick Boat Show was crucial, as we purchased a lot of hardware and made many decisions regarding the design.

This week we've been laying the floor (a dedicated post will follow when it's complete), while today we have employed the help Colin aka the project manager and Terry the engineer. Their main task was to improve the engine bay doors. In their original form they consisted of two thick steel plates, that did the job but were hard to lift and were not lockable. We wanted a more elegant way to accessing the engine room.

The solution was to hinge them on removable pins that are retained by 'R' clips. The pins then slot into sockets that are welded into the deck's drain channels. Gas struts were mounted, which takes the weight out of lifting the lids and hold them in the upright position. Secondly, they installed a flush fitting lock, which we purchased from Timage, a company that makes parts for high end yachts. We do not intend to keep this locked when the vessel is carrying passengers as this would be unsafe should the engine room ever need to be accessed in an emergency, however I like the idea of having the ability to lock it when we are away for any extended period of time. As a finsihing touch, the fellas have added a 'finger pull' handle, welded into the lid.

Another key bit of progress is the steel shelves we had welded in. These will house the 75l calorifier (hot water tank), Hurricane heater (diesel fired boiler) and the battery banks. The inlet/port welded into the diesel tank will provide the route for the boiler's fuel return feed.

With all the exposed metal caused by welding there's a fair bit of priming and painting to do to tidy things up. On the plus side the welder was quite impressed with our Jotun paint job, as it didn't come off easily.

Insulate

Boaty's floor will be made up of reclaimed floorboards and while these will be clamped together as tightly possible leaving minimal gaps we are still aware that cool air can travel up from the bliges into the cabin. So the solution is a layer of thermal insoluation boards. Cut to size and suspended between the floorboards and the ballast.

To access the bilges floorboards can be removed to reveal 20mm thermal insulation board. The thermal insulation board is cut and joined by foil insulation tape, which can be removed to allow the boards to be lifted the bilges to be accessed. The boards are cut down the centerline of the boat and 60cm either side of the center line.

We have decided to employ the expertise of a Marine surveyor. On his first visit to the boat he informed us of the essential requirements in order to meet the RCD (Recreational Craft Directive) and offered lots of advice on our build. Anyone embarking on a self build projet should get RCD compliance, although not everyone does. We believe employing an expert will prove to be invaluable in the long run.

It's Not Unusual

After doing much research into heating, electrics and other aspects of our build we came across a fellow blogger called Tom, who has written extensively about his own build and beyond.

His blog can be found here www.narrowboat-waiouru.co.uk

Tom and his wife Jan have a beautiful and exceptionally well designed boat. You can see the passion and attention to detail that they have put into their boat and it she repaid them handsomely. As non-natives they have explored England via the waterways and now could be qualified to write the Britishness exams if they should wish.

With their adventure coming to an end we wish them all the best in their next adventure.

Get on the floor

Today we took our first meaningful delivery. Our first steps towards fitting out. We've managed to get hold of some reclaimed floorboards, which we will sand, recondition and stain. We have enough for the kitchen and lounge but not for the master bedroom. So we will have to either find a similar batch or look at other options.

Long term family friend Rob, who owns Castle Antiques in Bedford, gave us a great deal on these boards and they were very kindly delivered by our new friend Peter who generously passed on his floorboard laying expertise whilst helping to unload the boards.

The picture shows the boards laid loose.