Part 12 - Building the Boat
July 2015 came and went and then into August. We were travelling back and forth to London and when we had more work to do on the boat we would stay on Miss Ellie 1 at our marina - then travel up to Hillmorton.
I was constantly driving between suppliers in Rugby, Braunston, Daventry, Northampton, Nuneaton and sometimes further away. The research for materials needed and constantly trying to stay within budget of the original plan drove me insane at times. The ligaments in my hand slightly repairing, then I’d bang it again and it would remind me to slow down. We had taken a loss after all the administration was complete with Hudsons, so hopefully doing as much as we could on our own, we could save a bit and get back on budget.
Liam had finished working in the BMC and we were very pleased with the finish - the stove was now installed and the control for the throttle and gearshift cables fitted. We would have opted for the speed-wheel and gearshift lever that is commonly fitted on a vintage engine, however as the headroom would have been reduced in the BMC we opted for the modern set up. Most of the brassware was now fitted so only a small snagging list was left, we finally had a compartment finished.
The Rear stove is a Lincoln, the usual set up would be an Epping stove but we opted for a smaller stove so we could increase the bed opening width.
With the BMC now complete, the propellor was fitted along with the propshaft, stern gland greaser, support bearings and gearbox output flange. The propeller was custom made to match the power of the engine and gearbox ratio.
The fitting of the propellor signalled for the first time that the boat would soon be able to move under its own power, although there was still much to do. I was getting excited at the prospect of finishing, we would soon be ready for the paint shop.
The picture here shows the shower quadrant fitted opposite the sink and toilet with cupboard above.
The light just forward of the cupboard on the ceiling is a purpose made light with integral extractor fan, this helps to remove moisture inside the boat when using the shower.
As can be seen below this picture is the waste tank in position before the floor or toilet & sink were fitted.
The 2 white pipes that can be seen in the sink cupboard are attached to the waste tank, these pipes rise up to the roof of the boat with a collar fitted to each on the roof, one is used to vent the tank and the other to draw out the waste externally when the tank is full.
The toilet is a "dump through" quite simply waste is removed from the bowl by pressing a lever, seen on the right hand side of the toilet, this opens a sealed flap and the contents drop in to the tank, at the same time the lever operates an electrical solenoid valve which opens and flushes water into the bowl.
Liam was now making the cupboards, wardrobe and dressing table for the main bedroom (cabin) and the bed frame. Again, we made a change here. We had the bed rising up sideways on gas struts with large twin drawers on rails pulling out as far as possible - this allows easy access to the rear portion of the drawers. The rails on the drawer can take up to 250kg, and we got these from Handles & Ironmongery in Nuneaton and the gas struts from SGS in Derby - the door knobs from Zara Home.
The heating control panel was positioned near the head of the bed...positioned so we don’t have to get out of bed to switch it on - luxury!!
There was so much work involved in making the bedroom units. Raw oak timber, cut and prepared, moulded to shape and then each unit and door handcrafted. Below is one picture of the bare units fitted, then the one in the middle with the doors and handles fitted. All of the units were handcrafted in solid oak by Liam Smith, the resident joinery specialist at Granthams.
The vent holes were later extended by cutting slots between the holes, allowing more movement of air under the mattress.
We also fitted vents at each end of the bed and also through to the next cabin to allow better movement of air and reduce condensation.
The gas struts had to be specially by made by SGS engineering to allow for the weight of the mattress, bedding and bed base so when lifted it took most of the effort out, all they needed was the weight being lifted and dimensions of the bed base. The pictures here show the bed complete with ventilation holes and under lighting fitted, also the porthole liners were fitted, the bedroom was now complete. We just needed the mattress.
The bathroom would have to be finished at our marina.
We are now back into the engine room. I was able to fit the fuseboxes into the now formed cabinet. Liam was busy making the internal door liners for all the doors - 6 pairs, 12 doors!! The heating system was filled with an anti-freeze mixture - radiators were bled and the system turned on, after securing some minor leaks - we now had heating at last.
Whilst we were working on the bathroom and bedroom, Chris, one of Grantham's engineers had fitted most of the ancillaries to the engine, the heating unit, the battery bank, isolation switches and inverter. The original Lister engine exhaust port was capped off at the roof and a new outlet formed at the forward end of the engine room. When you see the boat you will notice it has 2 brass exhausts on the roof. The small one is on the old Lister port and is for cosmetic purposes only.
As each room was near completion I wired up relevant circuits to the fusebox. Something we needed for the business side was to install CCTV - a recommended requirement for premises selling alcohol. We had to install 2 extra lengths of CCTV cable that had not been fitted by Hudson's - this proved to be harder than expected as the insulation behind the walls meant it had to be routed elsewhere, taking longer than expected.
The picture above shows the engine room prior to painting the walls and ceiling.
The BMC was now complete. The engine was room was very nearly complete - the bathroom finished except for the tiling and floor and only the floor left to complete in the bedroom.
Another job to do was to have the rest of the internal portholes (windows) lined with oak surrounds, we had these handmade by a specialist via Midland Chandlers, after extensive research, measurements and quotes, Midland turned out to be good for us on quality and price.
Liam's work was done, we opted to finish the kitchen (galley) ourselves and the living area at the front (saloon) - but this would have to be done back at our marina.
The next stage would see the engine test run, then....at last...we would be booked into the paint shop for December 2015 to be painted in Mauritius Blue, Manchester Red, Honeysuckle cream lines, Raddle red decks and a light grey roof.
