Ramblings

Even though the boat shell will only be ready for collection in July/August, time moves very quickly, so there's no time to waste getting things prepared. I normally spend most of my time on CanalWorld.net forums, getting answers to a range of questions, from spray foam thickness, wall sheet thickness...to battery terminal tips.
Here's an interest post I've stolen, mainly in order to try and remember to do the same on my boat.

Talking about battery terminal posts...

I have always used vaseline over the entire post and have no trouble despite high currents from our 175A alternator and 2.5kw inverter. When the boat was new, the posts were not well vaselined (in fact possibly not at all!) and it was not long before acid fumes started to corrode them. Fortunately I caught it early, bathed them in sodium bicarb (much fizzing!) and then applied vaseline to the exposed metalwork including the entire post surface. It has been great ever since.

My wifes got numerous items on Ebay watch lists....from taps, basins, gas cookers...and more. Today our undercounter fridge from Argos is ready for collection. No where to store it, but have to make a plan.

I have a master plan for day 1 on the boat.

Basically, you need to picture this in your head....the boat builder says...your sailaway shell is ready. I put the family on the train..get to the boat, start the key..travel 8hrs and get the shell back to the marina. Right...where to moor it...I have an arrangement with the marina management to stick it on visitor moorings for a month...(our old boat will still be using our berth). I need to get elec to the sailaway...so I'm going to try and negotiate a connection from one of the unused berth bollards :) I'm hoping there will be a few weeks between receiving the new shell, and having to move onboard, which will let me get the basic flooring/walling/ceiling boards up...however thats not guaranteed...which is where this master plan comes into play.

The backup master plan

Empty shell.
Family on board.
Run a temp elec supply using extensions down one side of the boat.
Run a temp hosepipe from boat water tank to temp water pump, connected to a temp 12V battery. This will supply the toilet flush and a temp tap near the kitchen for kettle refilling.
Kids bed mattresses on the floor in their "section". Double bed mattress near the bow. The stern doors and area of the boat will be the building zone, and I'll start on the walling, flooring, ceilings, kitchen worktops and fitting the appliances (washer, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, cooker, microwave, kettle, toaster). The workzone will run to the first bulkhead, which of course wont actually be there, but it might go up quite quickly so I have a work area border to work to. This will later be the seperation of kitchen/saloon, from the kids bedrooms etc. Once the kitchen/saloon area is relatively acceptable, we'll move our double mattress to that end, and I'll move the workzone to the bow area of the boat.

I'm thinking of fitting carpets down the passage, and in the kids rooms, and the master bedroom. Ikea flooring in the kitchen/saloon and the toilet/shower area.

Thats the plan. I'll run all the official electrics/12V supplies in a trunking under the gunwhale...and fit proper plug points, lights at a later date.