Rhyddid - live the questions now

Weekend update

Well finally I have started fitting the Thinsulate insulation, only a few weeks behind plan. Surprise, surprise it is taking longer than planned, but I have started. The gedo hatch has been dispatched by Channel glaze, only 10 weeks late!! Why is it that everything to do with boat builders is late, they just have no concept of time or of sticking to the agreed time frame!
Dave came over on Monday and helped me fit a temporary front door to make the front weather tight. It is the same style as the final one, but made of ply just to try out the design and see if it works. It also means the final one doesn't suffer during the fit out.
It is good to be starting work on the inside, but I am still very frustrated at the progress on the outside. I heart to heart with Steve is needed I think.

Patio door things.

As you can see from the picture the front door frame is in place. The idea of having an opening that big did raise a few eyebrows, but Steve has used some large pieces of angle to maintain the strength at the front. The locker on the rear deck is finished as well. This has been made to take 2 gas bottles so if someone wanted to add gas at a later date there is a space for the bottles. I started adding battens on Saturday but that was all that I got done. The insulation has arrived so I should start putting that up on Saturday.

This is excellent news

Excellent news about the Freesat service reported on the BBC News site this lunchtime. The project has been approved so that is TV and radio sorted for the boat! It also means I can buy my self-seeking satellite dish.

Floor and windows!

Saturday saw the last two windows fitted and the floor finished. It all took a bit longer than hoped but as I have said earlier I have fixed the floor so I can remove panels easily for things like the shower and checking the bilge. The Thinsulate insulation is ordered from Diverse Marine Solutions who offer excellent service. So finalise the electrical plan this week and start the insulation next Saturday.

Windows in!

Well it's taken longer than I hoped, but I managed to get four windows fitted last evening. I had intended to start on Tuesday, but they didn't quite fit! Steve had to do some tweaking on the corners, much better to small than to big or I would have had a problem. Hopefully I will get a couple more in tonight.

Good weekend on the boat

Got off to a slow start on Sunday. The landlord locked the gate saying people shouldn't be working on a Sunday! Steve arrived at 10 and sorted things out so I only lost half an hour. My next two Sundays are taken up with other things so hopefully it will have been sorted properly by then.
As can been seen by the recent pictures things on the outside are progressing and even better, things are moving inside at last. I did rather overdo things on Saturday, not with the beer, but I hadn't realised how dehydrated I had got and later on Saturday evening I felt very odd. Anyway lots of water over a hour or so and health was restored and I didn't make the same mistake on Sunday. As I said things got off too a slow start but when we got in I pressed on and the floor is getting on. I have cut the panels to allow access to the blocks as I want to ensure the bilge is dry and I still am planning my wine cellar! I also will need to locate the shower pump under the floor. I must say a big thanks to Joe who came over Sunday to assist, a big help. The plan is to get the battens for the window fixing cut tonight and then stop by the yard one evening, landlord permitting and maybe get a window or two in place. We will see.

Good day on the boat

Well Saturday and I am relaxing with a pint of Bumble Bee Fairtrade honey ale. Very good it is too. I felt I owed myself a beer after a very successful day on the boat laying the floor, well to be more accurate starting to lay the floor. So early night tonight and more floor tomorrow. Pictures on Monday.

3 tonnes of ballast

So Thursday dawned bright, so I arrived at the boat yard just after the blocks to ballast the boat. 3 neat stacks each weighting a tonne. Now being someone who works sitting at a desk and who's main exercise is walking into Reading at lunch time this was a slightly daunting sight! Anyway taking things easy too start with and moving ten at a time I gradually filled the bottom of the boat. By mid Thursday afternoon I had moved half the pile, so I called it quits for the day and made my way home as I was entertaining friends for the evening. Anyway back at the boat on Friday for another fun filled day moving concrete! All finished by jut after lunch so to finish the day I gave the hull another coat of blacking, you can't have to much blacking you know!

So the floor is on order and should go in next weekend so long as it stays dry for the week.

Budget windows!

Well more boat progress, as you have seen in the pictures the engine is in, I have also put plastic over the windows to try and keep the inside dry until the real thing goes in, but as a cheap alternative the double glazed plastic might catch on! This week will hopefully see the rear door started and when Ian has finished the engine fit, Steve will start on the rear deck. Thursday should see me starting to install a large number of concrete slabs as ballast!

The engine is in

Well at last the engine is fitted. At the time of the picture it is connected to my propshaft, they use an old one to line up the stern tube and things so it does not get bent! Well that's what the Ian the engine man said. The rear deck will be put inplace over today and Friday and then I can decide where the control column and deck lockers are going. Things are certainly on the up on the boat front at the moment.