Bathroom

The maccerating toilet is installed and the washing machine is in place. The quadrant shower is tiled brick pattern with pale blue crackle glazed tiles, which looks lovely against the oak.

The stove

We have started installing the stove today. It's placed on a fireproof sheet, with a steel hearth underneath. The walls behind the stove will be also be protected with fireproof sheeting and then covered with marble tiles. Here is an image of the stove.

Flooring

The customers have chosen a really solid engineered oak floor which is hard wearing and substantial. This is laid throughout the boat.

Next job, bulkheads

The bulkheads are installed with solid oak posts. We have machined eleven posts, each with one of nine specific profiles to fit where they are required, for example, at the corner of a construction or as part of a doorway. These will slot into the floor and up into the ceiling providing a structural support to build walls onto. The finished walls are oiled or painted.

Engine installation

The engine installation is nearly complete. Photos to follow...

Central heating

We are putting four radiators along the starboard side of the boat, plus a heated towel rail on the other side in the bathroom. The plastic pipes are clipped along the floor and will be joined to the radiators with copper pipe.

Diagonal

The tongue and groove in the bedroom and bathroom area is diagonal above the gunwale. This accentuates the curve at the front of the boat, and will look great when the windows are trimmed. The back of the boat will have pale painted panels above the gunwale.

Lighting

The wiring has been laid in for the lights in each room space.

Ceiling

The solid oak prepared for the ceiling is now ready to install. We're starting in the centre and working out towards the side in each room space.

Subfloor

The sub-floor is laid on top of timber bearers which are attached to the steel ribs running across the boat at 2 foot intervals. We've laid a silver backed bubble-wrap insulation layer over the brick ballast, and the 18mm ply is laid on top of this. Then it's much easier to walk up and down the boat.

More preparation

We've protected the shiny new paintwork from scratches and built some staging to make it easier to load materials onto the boat.

The boat is in the shed

The boat has been moved into our shed today so we can start on the interior now. We've decided to put the windows in first, these have neoprene strips around the rims which provide an air and watertight seal when the windows are clamped in.

Paintwork

The boat is currently being painted and should be ready for us to begin lining sometime this week. It will be painted blue with a cream roof.

The engine

The engine has been lowered into the boat ready for full installation.
Picture to follow.

Painting

The boat is now in the painters' shed and will be painted over the next week or so. The windows and portholes have been powder coated to the customers' specification (not many people realise that this can be done in any colour for no extra cost.)

Ballast

We ballasted the boat on Thursday with around 3500 bricks. That's around 9 tonnes.

Grit blasting

The boat is leaving Soar valley's shed tomorrow and being moved to the slipway where it will be shot blasted. Then into the painters' shed.

Prepping the wood

There are over 300 lengths of soild oak tongue and groove to be oiled and sorted. Two coats of finishing oil before they're installed makes everything easier. Luckily we've got quite a big shed.

Wiring the 12 volt circuits

We've started laying in the wiring for the 12 volt equipment such as the water pump, shower bilge and horn/ nav lights. Picture to follow.

Sprayfoaming

The sprayfoaming has been done by a team from Websters. We tape up all the battens first and then the walls and ceiling are sprayed in a substantial coat. It smells really fishy.
The tape can be peeled off the same day. We then trimmed back the solid foam before we line out the boat.

Battening

The first job on the boat is to batten out the interior to provide wooden surfaces to attach lining to.