NARROWBOAT BUILD CONTINUES

Jan 23, 2007   //   by admin   //   BLOG  //  No Comments



Progress continues well on H3O. Paid another visit to Colecraft today. Picked the perfect day lovely blue skies but very chilly! The batten work inside the boat has commenced and should be completed shortly, ready for the arrival of the spray foam contractor this Friday (26th). I shall then go back and pay another visit next Monday or Tuesday to start discussing in detail the location of the wiring tails etc. As you can see from the picture the windows have also been installed, we’ve gone for the traditional gold finish. I did contemplate a chrome finish, but thought that sourcing chrome mushroom vents and tiller extension might prove expensive! Perhaps on the next boat? The concrete slab ballast can also be seen on this picture, Dom is recommending leaving a couple of floor panels loose so we can easily add additional ballast once she’s in the water and being fitted out.
The outside of the boat has also had an undercoat applied. This really just keeps the boat tidy in the fitout stage. In late March we shall cruise the boat down to MCC boats on the T & M at Stenson for the full paint work to be done.

Since my last visits the pedestal for the throttle control has been welded into place. You can just about see this on the photo opposite. We have upgraded the throttle control to a stainless steel Vetus type as we found the plastic controls don’t hold up to much on a hire boat! We replaced the plastic control on H2O during the second season.
The lid for the hatch as been added too, the doors will be put on later today to make sure is just about water tight, apart from the great big holes in the bow and stern bulkheads! These are covered with sheeting until the doors are fitted.

The boat should be ready to be craned mid-late february. We will be taking her to Blue Lias

marina for her to be put in the water and to be cruised back. This gives a chance to ‘shake’ her in, and saves £500 in transport and additonal cranage costs, but this didn’t have any influence on my decision?! That should just about pay for the stainless steel water tank upgrade…

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