NB Barden

Barden is my current boat, and our Third in a Colecraft shell. This boat is a similar design to Isis a with couple of notable differences, namely a 9 foot open "hold" area at the front of the boat designed to be covered with sheets.

Oh no not again!!!

Spray foam and underfloor insulation ensure good heat retention without condensation, though Ive nothing against other forms of insulation such as rockwool, polystyrene or celotex having used all of them in the past.

Jumping a bit to the line out; grooves routed in the plywood cabin lining provide a pleasing effect that wont shrink!! Panels are recycled from the offcuts from each sheet.

The boatmans cabin will benifit from a 4'6" wide bed (may not mean much to you house dwellers but to a boatwife that means luxury with a capital L")

This reconditioned rayburn has already had a winters use with this gravity fed system. It provides all of the heating, hot water and 90% of the cooking for our family of four and costs on average about £2 a day to run
. Once the system is up and running it is totally maintenence free and requires no external power source.

This galley is 2' shorter than the Isis version at 8' but we still managed to squeeze everything in.

The colour scheme however is no longer in my hands!

NB Isis

Isis was a new Colecraft shell commissioned by me in 2009. It was designed as a family liveaboard with a traditional appearance, benefiting from solar power and a gravity fed central heating and hot water system powered by a Rayburn solid fuel range. This avoids the need to run the engine daily which not only prolongs its life but is also more environmentally friendly.

Craning in at stretton

                                                                           

This rayburn is installed to run a domestic heating and hot water system completely by gravity. No circulating pump is necessary to heat the water in the calorifier or central heating system. This type of installation is more suited to a liveaboard boat, with a good solar array you have no need to run the engine to charge batteries or heat water... even in winter! Using large pidgeon box apertures in the roof you can control the heat well in summer too, extending the use of the Rayburn well into the summer season.

This galley is unusual even for a narrowboat, but affords good use of storage space while still allowing convenient access through the boat while it is in use. Most boats suffer from a "pinch point" in places like this meaning someone has to stop what they are doing and move to allow someone else through to the back.




 The interior is finished in a light egshell paint which gives the impression of light and space in a portholed boat.

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From bare shell to finished boat

Box beds

These beds were based on traditional welsh box beds and made to fit in awkward mezzanine landings in Plas y Wern holiday cottages Standard double beds would not fit in the available spaces, but these built in king size beds are very popular and novel!

Built into the bannister this bed is a hit with guests

Tucked up in the eaves of the cottage

Holiday cottage refurbishment

These kitchens in Plas y Wern holiday cottages were dated and in need of refurbishment.

Granary before

Granary after

Hayloft before

Hayloft after

Both kitchens had all of the doors and drawer fronts removed and painted. The base units were beyond repair so installing new ones gave me the chance to re-arrange the positions of the appliances. The worktops are new beech blockboard, as  are the appliances, sinks, taps and handles.

NB Hazel

Hazel is another Ron Turner boat. A 70ft boat powered by a Lister JP2 its an enthusiasts dream, but suffered from the traditional boatmans problem of a leaky wooden cabin! In 2008 I was commissioned to replace it.

Ahem! No wonder the captains feet were wet!

The Boatmans cabin interior had to be preserved which meant cutting back all of the rotten structure then scarfing in replacement roof beams before recladding the cabin in sturdy 1" tongue and groove.

The whole cabin was then securely clad in marine plywood coated with west system epoxy resin.

A satisfying bit of traditional detail in the new hardwood slide runners

The completed work sealed with two coats of red oxide complete with new handrails and brassware.

NB Hazelnut

Hazelnut was an interesting little boat by Industry Narrowboats. I took it over in 2008 as an abandoned project. The unusual bow cabin area took a bit of head scratching to work out what to do with!

What do you do with a blank canvas like that?

Why This of course! The dinette in the bow area also forms a king size bed under the houdini hatch if you fancy a bit of star gazing.

Despite the project being under a tight budget again I could just squeeze in this attractive little stove.

Narrowboat Owl

 Owl is a 45 foot Ron Turner Tug. A well known and popular little boat around the canal system, I took it over in 2006 to refit it and give it a new lease of life. The boatmans cabin had been pulled out years ago, and the boat needed significant restoration inside and out on the tightest of budgets.

Back cabin area after gutting.

New back cabin in bare wood.

Finished decorated back cabin.

Boat finished with a full repaint.