tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40595387322738081612024-02-07T22:26:01.324-08:00Widebeam Build BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-13230500511667997982013-05-22T09:32:00.002-07:002013-05-22T09:32:40.365-07:00Right.....time to update this blog :)
(sorry again).
I know a blog without pics isn't that great, so I'll do a quick update and then come back with pics in due course.
Having bought a sailaway, the initial surge of activity was to make it liveable, within a marina, on shorepower.
This soon changed to....making it warm in winter, which we managed to do by installing a coal stove.
This then changed to....making it ready to cruise without shorepower......which we managed to do by adding 6 x 110AH batteries, and wiring up the leisure alternator (175AH)
Keeping the batteries charged, was done by running the boat engine, but I soon realised that on a widebeam, it's about £2 per hour running, and it's a bit loud at times....so I looked at adding some solar. I eventually bought 4 x 230W panels from Navitron.com, and 2 seperate 30A MPPT controllers, which were wired up about a week ago. Since installing it, I then decided to cut the 6 batteries into 2 seperate banks, and connect each solar controller to a different bank. This means that we can liveaboard in the day, most living off free sun power, while storing power for the teen to run his desktop PC and do college homework at night, (using his own dedicated set of batteries which he manages himself, without me having to worry about it.) If he runs out of power, he cant come running to me for more, which is wonderful :)
Since splitting the banks, I've been concerned that His bank (even using 5hrs of desktop PC each night) is doing well, and retaining a charge, and recharging well. The other bank however, seems to show fully charged in the daytime but as soon as the sun goes away, it shows quite a low voltage on the small digital display I installed on the wall. I'm convinced it's the fridge sucking all the power, but as part of testing things, I've removed 2 batteries which are full, leaving a remaining 2 batteries to carry the load for the night. I want to see if the two batteries I've removed from the circuit, still show a high voltage in the morning. This will prove those 2 batts are ok, and my focus will move to the remaining two...the digital display might be showing me a low voltage simply because of the load from the huge 3000W invertor I'm using and the 220V fridge. More on this little adventure later :) At the moment the sun is shining brightly and the wall is showing 13 V.
I'm planning on putting a fan to blow cold air from the bilge up through the back of the fridge, to stop the compressor kicking in all day...and I need to put a back on the cupboard so the fridge doesnt feel all the hot air from the coal stove...which we use to dry clothes at times.
Overall we are loving the boat life, and have been cruising the Bridgewater canal, and then back to Manchester where we have a mooring, but....we're only revisiting our mooring in Nov 2013. I'll post some pics soon. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-45383145776772568502012-12-10T13:54:00.003-08:002012-12-10T13:54:38.002-08:00Right...due to popular demand I'm going to try and fill in the blanks from the last time I posted to now :)
The reason the blogging stopped, was that the family moved on board, so where previous photos would show empty bed bases, those now have mattresses, sheets, duvets. Floors which had carpets, now have computers, waste baskets, kids toys. Walls have picture frames. Empty cupboards have plates, cups, cutlery. Empty floors, have sofas, tv tables, rugs.
The point is...it's very easy to live in a boat, and furnish it, without everythings being "ready for cruising". My initial goal was to make the boat functional to live in. We've achieved that with flying colours. The coal/stove went in...cutting a hole in the roof with a jigsaw was simple...much simpler than I thought it would be...and "anyone can do it". I decided to install the coal stove in the centre of the boat, so the flue went straight up, and didnt need any bends to accommodate the curvature of the roof. Pics will follow.
We've put up curtain rails on the windows, and the curtains are being sewn by a friend. The shower cubicle has been tiled with ceramic tiles.
I've running the toilet flush, the shower waste pump, and the boat water pump (the only 12V circuits currently running), using a battery stored near the bathroom, and permanently on charge using a 220V battery charger.
Before Feb, to turn the boat into a cruising boat, I'm going to have to:
1. Connect up the 3 leisure batteries I've got lying in the engine bay.
2. Connect up the leisure alternator.
3. Install a 12V fusebox.
4. Install the 12V drop lights and wiring.
5. Buy/install an invertor.
You dont need any of those things if you are on elec hookup.
Right now the challenge has been to keep the boat warm as the temps begin to drop. We're using coal in the fire permanently, with a small elec fan blowing the warm air down the boat passage. We have 2 elec heaters which we use very occassionally on cold mornings. The kids cabins are warm enough because their pcs generate quite a bit of heat.
The boat shower is wonderful. Instant hot water from a gas heater. We have no need to run the boat engine for the next 3 months. Hopefully it'll start in Feb/March when we need it to.
Even a new boat has condensation. Every morning the windows have droplits. Where I cut away insulation under the gunnel to run gas piping, condensation forms. (I'll use some sprayfoam soon to stop it.)
I'll try and keep the blog up to date and add some pics soon. :) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-35848668905153998072012-09-07T12:55:00.002-07:002012-09-07T12:55:53.799-07:00I havent posted anything, because since my last post, the family all came on board :) I'm using a battery under the bed to power the shower pump, water pump and toilet flush temporarily, 1 spot light in each room, and temp elec cabling. Other than that, everything is working. Gas appliances are in, hot water to the shower, etc etc. Main problems have been water leaks....my own fault. We have a sink with 3 sinks...all needing the outlets to be joined and sent out of a 1 and a half inch skin fitting. I used a hole saw and cut a hole for the sink, one for the basin and washing machine, and one for the shower pump outlet (3/4 inch skin fittings.)
I promise to take pics once the boat is cleaned up a little...dont want to go sticking up photos with clutter in the photo....
We received the sailaway on the 10th Aug ago, and began living onboard, with all the basic services intact, from the 23rd...about 2 weeks....a great accomplishment.:) Since then I've added a cupboard in the main bedroom, a desk, connected a dishwasher, washing machine, shower.
Still need to do the following:
1. install coal stove.
2. fit flooring in bathroom
3. properly fit the electrics
4. fit the 12v lights
5. fit the batteries properly, with isolator, fuse box etc. Currently on shoreline so have no need for 12V system.
6. Carpet main bedroom.
7. etc... :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-31859773686607511642012-08-23T00:22:00.002-07:002012-08-23T00:22:10.911-07:00I think it's about Day 10 now:)
The boat flooring has been laid, plus carpeting in the kids cabins.
I've fitted the Morco gas heater, and drilled/hacksawed through the roof. It wasnt the nightmare job I thought it might be....drilled 1 starter hole, and jigsawed my way around using cutting spray......great! Connected up a few gas compression glands.
Last night we retrieved the last of our appliances in storage (fridge,freezer,cooker etc), so I get to wire them up/pipe them in today.
This weeks tasks are:
1. drill and fit skin fittings for basin, shower, washer, sink,dishwasher.
2. connect up/assemble the shower.
3. connect up the cooker gas supply.
4. assemble a sofa.
5. cut kitchen tops to size and fit sink
6. make a plan to connect 3 sink outlets into 1.
7. cut bathroom wall to size
8. move toilet into boat.
9. connect temporary battery to water pump/shower pump
...all before Satureday, which is when we move ourselves off our old boat onto the widebeam, so we can start preparing the old boat for it's new owner, who picks it up a few days later.:)
Not a minute to lose....busy drinking a cuppa, and then I'm getting started. Pics will follow :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-76471520816125585532012-08-19T01:07:00.000-07:002012-08-19T01:07:48.712-07:00Day 8 :)
Yesterday we got to grips with putting down the flooring in the kitchen, saloon and passage...which was a great success, but really much harder than I thought it would be. Beware starting in the wrong corner:)
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Late last night we added underfoam for the kids cabins and put in one carpet. Doing the other today, and getting started on the kitchen cabinets (I think). Water pump is also semi installed.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-41413517627121707082012-08-17T10:23:00.003-07:002012-08-17T10:23:51.691-07:00Day 7...installed some of the gas piping under the gunnel/gunwhale..
It's 1/2" Imperial. Single run all along the boat to feed a cooker and water heater in the galley.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-24994342258137788392012-08-17T10:04:00.000-07:002012-08-17T10:04:36.060-07:00day 7....we brought the mattresses in to see if they fit :)
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-16438825870069466372012-08-17T06:43:00.003-07:002012-08-17T06:43:40.069-07:00cont Day 5,6,7
This is the top of the double bed..it's a frame built on top of a lovely set of drawers we picked up at a charity shop. The bed, therefore...will be about 80cm off the floor, and gives a lot of storage under it.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-7936881169705001692012-08-17T06:38:00.000-07:002012-08-17T06:38:17.270-07:00continuing the update of Day 5,6,7.
I built a bunk for the younger kid. I built 2 beds under it (at 90degrees). (Imagine 2 cabins...mirror image of each other, seperated by a bulkhead, with beds against the bulkhead....both feet under the bunk bed.
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The pic below, shows the carcass of the bunk over the bottom beds. I've already built side walls so the 3 kids are seperated, so they have their own space.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-34514152097711023782012-08-17T06:33:00.001-07:002012-08-17T06:33:18.773-07:00Well....havent updated the blog for 2 days, because I've been rather busy :) I'll comment on the pics one at a time.
Day 5,6,7.
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This pic shows how I had to make a space between some bricks to run the water lines across the passage to feed the shower, basin and toilet. The next pic will be the completed job. I kept the one pipe without any fittings...to avoid more risk of leaks. I used a T-Piece on the cold water pipe which was unavoidable.
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The pic below shows where the pipes pop up out the floor..ready to receive T-Pieces..to supply the shower..and contine to basin..and toilet.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-78840731945089318372012-08-15T02:48:00.000-07:002012-08-15T02:48:53.730-07:00a few more pics...end of day 4.
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an offcut idea for a kids desk.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-66926908460109277092012-08-15T01:14:00.002-07:002012-08-15T01:14:41.232-07:00Some pics from the ipod
This is the tool I used for measuring the porthole cuttings :)
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and here's the progress up till yesterday morning.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-6143597626541118482012-08-13T14:03:00.001-07:002012-08-13T14:03:12.111-07:00Day4:
Started using an IPod to take pics..but the battery is dead, so will upload new pics shortly once it's charged. Ceiling ply is done. Started the top side ply boards today, which meant cutting holes for portholes and windows. Half done. Will finish the rest tomorrow, meaning there's hardly any spray foam to look at any more, and it's time to start doing bulkheads (walls) to seperate the different rooms. Discovered I forgot to clean the sprayfoam under the roof vents before putting up the ceilings, so will need to use a holesaw and cut holes from the inside out, ...and then fit some bug filter material, and end off with an inside vent cover for each. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-50000268300703477632012-08-12T15:14:00.001-07:002012-08-12T15:14:08.155-07:00Day 3:
Started installing the ceiling boards today. Big job cutting more sprayfoam away. Had to screw small support strips of wood onto the side of each board, so where each board meets, they can be secured properly from behind...invisibly...keeping the seam quite neat. I had the help of my teenager, who has longer arms than me, and held each board up, while I frantically screwed it into place.....along each edge...(side edges) as well as where it met the previous board (across the boat). It all looks decent enough, and I'll eventually screw some beading to hide any joins that werent perfect. I drilled all the holes for downlights before installing the ceiling boards, but as the downlighters havent arrived from Ebay yet, I thread string through all the holes, so I can pull the 12V cabling through later...all connected in a central duct...running down the boat in the middle of the ceiling....pics will come later....unfortunately the teen is off to a youth camp for a week, and he's taking our camera with him...thus no pics unless I can get my netbook to use the webcam tomorrow :)
I think it's been a good 3 days..Sprayfoam cut back. Bottom side ply is in. Ceilings done. Tomorrow I'm hoping to do all the cutouts for windows etc, and install the side top ply. That will really mean the interior bulkheads can start going in...plus kitchen cupboards.... Nothing like having a deadline of 2weeks to get it all done...before the family take up residence.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-76415132484620676602012-08-11T15:06:00.002-07:002012-08-11T15:11:28.940-07:00Day 2:
Another busy day. I had to install battons along the bottom sides..This involved drilling through the metal side plates with a 4mm drill, then half drilling with a 5mm in the same holes..and then screwing the wooden batton onto the metal with self tapping screws....
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Then I screwed the plywood sheets onto the battons. Today I finished almost all the bottom ply sheets. I tried mounting 1 ceiling board...had some trouble, until I decided to nail on a wooden plank all the boat...stern to bow....along each top corner....This gives an easy way of identifying where to screw from beneath when holding up the ceiling board (6mm ply). I then screwed the centre of the board to the top centre of the boat roof...direct onto the battons provided by the boat builder. Pics of this tomorrow. 1 installed, and looks good. I spent the rest of the day cutting back more ceiling spray foam...as it was in the way of the ceiling ply edges.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZJSZEqzeFKDgxMMRlczDLIjxbWyQ_iiOvAXmAGVmWISXS4o838jeIu2j-KUbGBX1HedpclhRh_aOUZasygoFjjYc8jTdiPlnZNC3PJjxr0sETkU5Mt-bNRfXR4AkLxkHxxholloQpDpO/s1600/IMG_5039x.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZJSZEqzeFKDgxMMRlczDLIjxbWyQ_iiOvAXmAGVmWISXS4o838jeIu2j-KUbGBX1HedpclhRh_aOUZasygoFjjYc8jTdiPlnZNC3PJjxr0sETkU5Mt-bNRfXR4AkLxkHxxholloQpDpO/s400/IMG_5039x.JPG" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-8967951578930357852012-08-10T13:21:00.001-07:002012-08-10T13:21:42.239-07:00Well. What a day! Got stuck into the sprayfoam. Here's my early morning selection of "instruments".
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVya-mLWpqyJL00LNpGRLJVMRpp91OMqgccSkPnAdQtOYBWLpPLj812zoskPbXgg7KZWVCMyCvAelU_MEfRRN6tsZxR0qkL2Sdx4MAFmeAGQ0QwN28a8eYS8BJFEFnITQlbjWWIHUHM0A0/s1600/IMG_5025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVya-mLWpqyJL00LNpGRLJVMRpp91OMqgccSkPnAdQtOYBWLpPLj812zoskPbXgg7KZWVCMyCvAelU_MEfRRN6tsZxR0qkL2Sdx4MAFmeAGQ0QwN28a8eYS8BJFEFnITQlbjWWIHUHM0A0/s400/IMG_5025.JPG" /></a></div>
I very soon found that these 3....were the best for the job.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l0LG_sFsq3-7MKTsn43q07Im_kQfaxmKQwEBtB6-Fl5TJZSG3xhySWXUMnHmsRSoLm1Coo6_6BpLuMJgoY88VPxHioswic1D2svPtuJcGth0lvW8I051F-PUJWsBBnWYD-1cLuErdVxR/s1600/IMG_5028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l0LG_sFsq3-7MKTsn43q07Im_kQfaxmKQwEBtB6-Fl5TJZSG3xhySWXUMnHmsRSoLm1Coo6_6BpLuMJgoY88VPxHioswic1D2svPtuJcGth0lvW8I051F-PUJWsBBnWYD-1cLuErdVxR/s400/IMG_5028.JPG" /></a></div>
The cheese knife has been wonderful. Sharp. Spiky. Cuts through harder bits with ease. The scraper cleared up behind the cheese knife, and the breadknife did a good job of getting behind strips of foam and "pinging" it off. After a few hours...I had cut back most of it......but still a bit to do on the roof tomorrow...which I figure I'll do as we put on each ceiling board.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRmnkRjAH2r9dWdhbabeH21Whwnn3qx_X1X8mj-LoVNr3VQmoP_ju7uQQ1JBD7lZX-DyKtUxnCMFq0FxPfG3whf4RHxY9HmjGWOYKl8d2v2UUi6Y9dfhMRSgYjk6k0CFueFE3ZrEz3BIZ/s1600/IMG_5031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRmnkRjAH2r9dWdhbabeH21Whwnn3qx_X1X8mj-LoVNr3VQmoP_ju7uQQ1JBD7lZX-DyKtUxnCMFq0FxPfG3whf4RHxY9HmjGWOYKl8d2v2UUi6Y9dfhMRSgYjk6k0CFueFE3ZrEz3BIZ/s400/IMG_5031.JPG" /></a></div>
This afternoon the wood delivery arrived, but he only delivered to the marina gates, and I had to put 11 x 18mm ply, 20x9mm ply, and 12x6mm ply...on a small trolley ..and wheeel it to the boat. Took ages...and my body is dead. Had to get wife to help me load the whole lot into the boat through the stern doors...but eventually all done....ready for tomorrow. Planning on putting in some lower battoning..and screwing the bottom ply in place on both side.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TGJJUaxqnBTWz_LJjV7R8qjWiSmPfHTjUfMyMJXvjl4g5MOk5vgeSRrRRaLYqgwzVy7dAaYZK6_I5iMxKIG_DYDzf4eGPw1m6WQjJK73cThMsbpuXyavfbZ4tkGxxBjhVKMLGeSruUSU/s1600/IMG_5038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TGJJUaxqnBTWz_LJjV7R8qjWiSmPfHTjUfMyMJXvjl4g5MOk5vgeSRrRRaLYqgwzVy7dAaYZK6_I5iMxKIG_DYDzf4eGPw1m6WQjJK73cThMsbpuXyavfbZ4tkGxxBjhVKMLGeSruUSU/s400/IMG_5038.JPG" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-11015854110035062282012-08-09T13:14:00.002-07:002012-08-09T23:55:04.887-07:00Some more pics from today.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jG1n6M4eAislfy2oticMbHWS5bA-6Yt4bKO9i54Ua_XjkcTtBcFoy9er9hlT0EWvEXXVatuJmNvsZzl7As8TxcSBjasj0Xup61L_pm4N_GGT3DpAVynX42xAeY1mcvMRTczNEACaKN2i/s1600/boatmarina.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="233" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jG1n6M4eAislfy2oticMbHWS5bA-6Yt4bKO9i54Ua_XjkcTtBcFoy9er9hlT0EWvEXXVatuJmNvsZzl7As8TxcSBjasj0Xup61L_pm4N_GGT3DpAVynX42xAeY1mcvMRTczNEACaKN2i/s400/boatmarina.JPG" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-55365352490796977792012-08-09T13:09:00.001-07:002012-08-09T13:09:54.048-07:00End of a long day moving the new boat back to our marina. :) Very exciting...Now the work can begin. Day 2 will be the start of cutting back the sprayfoam. Here's a pic of the inside of our boat.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89cfYTvvs0HxV9nnmR0SBCJzG5ZTqWIr5fsMHXjmkGlUp5CTEbxlBk3PUSpiwAGx7AFbZOzU6AJI0OENDxaoTuVTsofLbCqvIggiN0BoZ0q8w2sAkM8vNKoSZzZ11fDmHDcL4s89cS8Gb/s1600/IMG_5004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89cfYTvvs0HxV9nnmR0SBCJzG5ZTqWIr5fsMHXjmkGlUp5CTEbxlBk3PUSpiwAGx7AFbZOzU6AJI0OENDxaoTuVTsofLbCqvIggiN0BoZ0q8w2sAkM8vNKoSZzZ11fDmHDcL4s89cS8Gb/s400/IMG_5004.JPG" /></a></div>
Here's a happy girl, leaning on her new palace :)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Dd2C8EZSEpuDEIh5rhEWQTnZzZrp011gcKNjRixiFmPaPN-896R05AnSNt_k8L5piUu5kC_Eu5QRLWoJqn83s_P3Wt30dd7lrEPvKCHnkshi883haFn0944u9KyP4am8fEGD-LM0ZOLa/s1600/IMG_5022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Dd2C8EZSEpuDEIh5rhEWQTnZzZrp011gcKNjRixiFmPaPN-896R05AnSNt_k8L5piUu5kC_Eu5QRLWoJqn83s_P3Wt30dd7lrEPvKCHnkshi883haFn0944u9KyP4am8fEGD-LM0ZOLa/s400/IMG_5022.JPG" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-44808715935941876342012-08-08T23:56:00.002-07:002012-08-08T23:56:48.429-07:00Day 1:
Very nervous. Have to get a few things together, and go down to collect boat. It has no front or back buttons at this stage, but I found some old tyres to stick on the bow so it doesnt scratch the lock gates :) Pics later. Thought I'd do a running daily account, with progress, so anyone interested in doing this kind of thing, will be able to follow some sort of time line.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-65417387146545196882012-08-08T11:27:00.000-07:002012-08-08T11:27:52.153-07:00Visited the new widebeam shell today :) It was ordered in June, and it's ready by August. That's good going. An affordable, economical shell, built to the builders spec, means there was nothing much to go wrong. They pump them out at about 1 per month at the moment, and no funds passed hands until the boat was actually built. <a href="http://lmbs.co.uk">Lymm Marina Boat Sales</a> I had the handover this morning, ...and although I havent taken my own photos yet, these ones are relatively what I'm fetching in the morning.
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<a href="http://www.lmbs.co.uk/boatphotos/gallerywidebeamsailaway/photo13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="480" width="640" src="http://www.lmbs.co.uk/boatphotos/gallerywidebeamsailaway/photo13.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lmbs.co.uk/boatphotos/gallerywidebeamsailaway/photo11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="480" width="640" src="http://www.lmbs.co.uk/boatphotos/gallerywidebeamsailaway/photo11.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-34826290576441162642012-08-04T16:39:00.003-07:002012-08-04T16:39:28.005-07:00Sailaway shell arrives in 1 week. <br>We have a lot of appliances, kitchen tops, sinks, taps, cookers, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, plumbing piping and fittings, solid fuel stove, mattresses, etc in a little storage room. Just ordered about 40 items on Ebay...only to find that a bank card cuts off after 15 items...so we had to break the purchases into smaller groups....the courier is going to be driving back and forward permanently to our boat this week....let's hope everything arrives....just off the top of my head, some of the things arriving should be,,,:<br><br>
stove flue, collar etc<br>
electrical plugs<br>
light bulbs and switches<br>
electrical box and isolators<br>
wire connector crimps and crimper<br>
hole saw set<br>
new jig saw<br>
blades<br>
drill bits<br>
threading taps set<br>
3x110V batteries<br>
Gas fittings and piping<br>
Fusebox<br>
<br><br>Got a few more things to order this week:<br><br>
Water accumulator<br>
Paint<br>
Plyboard for the ceiling<br>
Spotlight holders<br>
Some things arriving after the boat arrives:<br><br>
Flooring<br>
Plywood for walls<br>
all the things I've so far forgotten<br><br>
The idea is, get the boat, get all the basics in as quickly as possible..so the family can move on board, and have the basics....them being:<br><br>
electricity<br>
water<br>
cooking<br>
beds<br>
workareas for tv/pcs/xbox/printer/filing
:)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-66736685392336314732012-07-13T06:21:00.000-07:002012-07-13T06:21:09.685-07:00Yes I know...it has been ages since I have blogged :) But there's a reason....I'm in limbo.....waiting for my new shell to be ready....so you'll have to wait. What I can confirm is, my wife has been shopping on Ebay for these:
220V fridge
220V freezer
220V dishwasher
handbasin for the bathroom.
shower enclosure and base
We went to Ikea and found they had a 25% sale on kitchen doors, so we've bought all of those...all waiting to be fitted.
We've got the shower pump and the main boat pump.
I had to catch a train all the way from Manchester to Liverpool...and then a connecting train to some little town, where I met a man on the platform, who gave me a 90 degree corner sink....for £50....the trains back only ran every hour and I ended up having to walk back through Manchester with the sink on my head :) Took the 12yr old with me on the trip, and visited a museam in Liverpool but he got nauseas and ended up being sick in a plastic bag with holes in it on the train home. FUN :)
We are officially beginning the big clean up and packaging of all our existing "stuff", ready for an orderly transition onto new boat in a few weeks. Not an easy task. First day in new shell, will be a lot of fun......5 people....in a sailaway shell....air mattresses on the floor...no lights, no water, no gas, no toilets.....but as usual, yours truly has a master plan. Instead of them all moaning, I'm setting them all to work as my building crew..."You want to make coffee?"...."you better build the kitchen then :)
This may sound mad or even humouress...but the truth is, that without a strong bond between a family, you cant attempt crazy things....which is why we've coped living in a narrowboat..and why we'll be very happy in a widebeam.
Things I have to buy in the next month are:
elec cabling.
lights
1 leisure battery and cabling to connect to the alternator.
plyboard.
plumbing piping and fittings
boat fenders
gas piping and fittings.
tools
On a personal note, we've decided we no longer need our little runaround car. The tax, MOT and repairs (gearbox and clutch need replacing) would be a few hundred pounds. The council has also decided it would be fun to charge us back charges on council tax...all the way back to October 2011 when we first arrived in the marina, although we only officially received a postal code this year in June. We've been fighting with them, and the final decision with the Valuation Office will be in the next 14days. Am I hopeful.....well I do believe in miracles...so lets pray for one:)
Things are beginning to get exciting now.....planning where the shoes go is a question I still dont have an answer for..............Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-30322898164009914832012-06-19T03:26:00.002-07:002012-06-19T03:26:51.871-07:00RamblingsEven 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. <br>
Here's an interest post I've stolen, mainly in order to try and remember to do the same on my boat.<br><br>
Talking about battery terminal posts...<br><br>
<blockquote>
<i>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.</i></blockquote><br><br>
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.<br><br>
<b>I have a master plan for day 1 on the boat.</b><br><br>
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.<br><br>
<b>
The backup master plan</b><br><br>
Empty shell.<br>
Family on board.<br>
Run a temp elec supply using extensions down one side of the boat.<br>
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.<br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-84712903427021065942012-06-13T16:50:00.001-07:002012-06-13T16:50:58.335-07:00Nerves are beginning to rear up recently. The thought of having an empty shell, little time to fit the basics in order to survive, and getting things installed in the correct order etc...is quite daunting...HOWEVER....we're a family that performs well under pressure, so I've no doubt we'll get through it....blog will take off at that point with much to post. Until the shell is ready, there's not much to blog about, except to say we bought a 220V freezer for £60 at an auction....a small dishwasher on Ebay, and the stove from a forum member (still to arrive). Tomorrow we'll pick up a small 220V undercounter fridge from Argos. Since we only plan on doing any cruising next March, I'm fitting everything for 220V through an invertor or shore power plug. When we cruise, the freezer and dishwasher will be unused.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059538732273808161.post-68777332725811997492012-06-08T16:27:00.000-07:002012-06-08T16:27:03.073-07:00nothing much to report today, as we're waiting on the boat builder for confirmation of a possible early delivery date...which would be nice...but we shall see. Aug is the planned delivery date of the sailaway shell, and I'm trying to spend the next 2 months getting answers to any niggling questions I need answered BEFORE rather than LATER. I also have no real storage space right now to prebuy much...so it's a bit of a time-based game at the moment. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0