NB "Discovery"

I've had to make the best of some tiny spaces on boats over the years but the bathroom on "Discovery" is as tight as they come.

 This large cupboard isn't really used much for storage, but it gobbles up space in this tiny bathroom making it uncomfortable to use the toilet.

Elbows get banged whilst getting dry after a shower.

The whale pump is boxed inside the shower cubicle reducing space and preventing maintenance

The owner has developed a pathalogical hatred of shower curtains from using this space! (apparently it attacks your legs when the water is on!)

The stained walls make the bathroom very dark and dingy, and the plastic wall fixtures are a bit dated albeit functional.

This bathroom seriously detracts from the owners enjoyment of his much loved boat, and I've been given the task of sorting it out.

The customers' requirements seem uncomplicated... 

1. It must look modern

2. The shower must be bigger

3. It must be brighter

4. It must be done on time

5. It must not break the bank

Oh dear... Those of you who have attempted stuff like this before will know what I'm on about! I haven't even removed the old fixtures yet to work out how long the piece of string is!!!

"Youve got a lot of leeway to do what you want in there, but basically; i want to walk into that room and say..... WOW! "

 The customers parting shot is either very brave or...... OH SHUT UP AND GET ON WITH IT!!

 Having removed the trees the wood dosen't look too bad.. no nasty surprises thank goodness.

The problem with a blank canvas and freedom to experiment is making sure the job turns out right!

The plan is to fit a new stone resin shower tray which is larger that the old fibreglass one, increase the leg room around the toilet by about 4 inches (assuming a suitable sink can be found), paint the ceiling and fit new LED lights, and cover the whole bathroom in light plastic cladding of the customers choice.

The new larger shower means the switch for the whale pump needs to be relocated 5 inches to the left...... that'll be easy then!

 Skipping straight to the finished article is best as this job was a real challenge, you can see immediately that the room is brighter and has the impression of being more spacious.

The sparkly cladding is quite something to behold.. from wearing a head torch on the toilet it is now more advisable to don the welders mask!

The new showering space is much larger and more comfortable complete with a new thermostatic mixer. The whale pump is tucked inside the angled cupboard on the left which removes the elbow whacking risk whilst allowing access to the pump.

The shower awaits a custom made bifolding glass door from Wesley Marine Windows which at the time of writing is yet to be delivered. (Come on boys!) At 790mm wide it will provide easy access, and the owner wont have the shower curtain sticking to their legs anymore!

New LED's in the ceiling throw a veritable riot of photons in all conceivable directions! Its quite grown on me this stuff... but I'm not about to re-do "Bardens" bathroom just yet.

If you're not keen on having to wear sunglasses in the shower, there are many styles of plastic cladding available... some are a bit more subdued. Check out the NB "Quercus" post on this blog.

That's the wow factor the customer was looking for alright!

NB "Kismet"

Painting time again!

 It's been a while since Kismet had a coat of paint... With a space booked in Stafford boat sanctuary I've got a good chance to get stuck in and make a proper job of it

Preparation is key. Once all the windows and cabin fixtures have been removed there follows a mad scraping, rubbing and scrubbing session.. The equivalent of 10 days solid work before we even see a paintbrush!

Sand painted non slip areas must be completely stripped and all other areas are rubbed back flat either to smooth sound paint or bare metal as appropriate.

One solid day stripping sand from the roof has been known to induce stigmata! The whole area was sanded back to bare metal in this case too.

 

The dock being ankle deep in dust and smeg, I pulled the boat out once prep was complete to clean the facility before opening any paint! (half a days work on its own!)

 Buckets of primer are in order to begin with. Here you can just make out the stem post, T-stud and hinge straps undercoated for red.

 I dare you rust.... to creep back from behind the windows after this treatment!


All coats are brush applied using traditional technique.

Gentle sanding between coats leads to a good finish, and ensures plenty of paint is left on the boat.

Serious logistics become involved to make sure all areas are undercoated, sanded, glossed... sanded and glossed again allowing for adequate drying time (I like to leave at least 24hrs between gloss coats), and ensure the boat is dry and ready on the deadline. 

 Inhaling vast quantities of paint fumes and thinners in an enclosed space is bad for your health.

 In this case a strange apparition has manifested itself in the stern door....! Hopefully its gone by the time the customer arrives to collect the boat!!

Windows and cabin fixtures reattached, Trevor Counsell arrives to practice the art 

of sign writing.

 Being more glamarous, signwriters always attract more attention than us in the lower orders of paint related activities! 

Coachlines and rear panels are as the customer specified. Windows are resealed with self adhesive neoprene tape which makes for neat clean edges on the finished job.

 

The view from the back of the boat is brightened up a bit with a hearty scallopy slide.

Probably have to keep the mug of tea (or dare i say tinny of beer) on the side now.... I don't want any marks on it!!!

 That's Kismet smartened up and ready for boating!

More paint jobs will be posted next year. All slots for 2016 are now booked, but I have availability in 2017 at the moment.

I wonder what I'll get asked to do next?  Job could be anything??!!  Feels like a bit of plumbing coming on!

Nb "Shropshire Lass"

Nb "Shropshire Lass"

Anyone who's done one of Terry's popular RYA accredited hemlsmans courses on "Shropshire Lass" will have noticed that she's started to look a bit tired recently. I've been asked to smarten her up with a paint job. 

These jobs being all about the preparation i think well forget about sanding for the moment and start with a hammer and chisel!!

 Removing all the windows and cabin fixtures for the first time in decades exposes some exciting rusty bits.... luckily the toy box is well stocked with a variety of abrasives to play with!!

Preparation develops into a two man job and "Electra's" captain (formerly of the black pearl) has come over to join in the fun at Stafford Boat Clubs excellent wet dock

 

Luckily the dressing up box contains plenty of dust masks!

Former "Black Pearl" captain still looks like a pirate!

 

Large portions of the boat were completely stripped back to the bare metal before sanding could begin.

After five days of rubbing down, the wet dock was a good inch deep in dust and rust. It made sense to pull the boat out and hose the dock down so that the painting could begin.

I use the traditional coach painting technique of brushing on and sanding down between coats by hand. 

Especially on older boats, working with a three inch brush enables you to quickly and efficiently paint large areas with much better coverage than a roller.

The finish between coats is also much better, meaning that you don't fall into the trap of sanding off all the paint you've just applied before the next coat. More efficient use of paint coupled with cleaning and re-using your brushes and not having dozens of rollers to discard arguably make this a more environmentally friendly way of tackling a paint job.

With the cabin sides nearing completion its time for a touch of the signwriters art. Trevor Counsell has signwritten boats in his own distinctive style for years, and is something of an institution on the "Shroppie". 

In this case Terry just wanted plain lettering. To see some of Trevor's fabulous shading look at the Nb"Owl" post on this blog.

 

 Could do with corporal Jones shouting "DONT PANIC" whilst carefully removing the masking tape from the finished coach line. Any cock ups in the preparation will bite you back at this moment as the top coat can be pulled off with the tape.... Both sides were unmasked without any problems!

Windows and cabin fixtures refitted the boat is ready to go the evening before the dock has to be vacated.

New Chromed vents and deck boards complement the shiny new paintwork.

I hope the next few training courses manage to steer away from the bushes Terry!

 

Engineer Spotting

It is quite normal to uncover massive problems when indulging in a spot of narrowboat maintenance! Deadlines make matters worse, and its very useful to have reliable contacts in that illusive and rare group of canal characters known as "Marine Engineers".

A spot of wire brushing on "Shropshire Lass's" back deck has led to large sections completely disintegrating. Peering down the new hole expecting to see Alice having a spot of tea with the Mad Hatter...... all I see in the murky bilge water is another attempt by one of these individual and quaint craft to induce despair and hopelessness in the silly person who has had the audacity to try and improve it!

The whole deck where it joins the back bulkhead is completely corroded, and needs sorting out sharpish. 

Cue the arrival Barnaby Reeve. Skilled engineer, good friend, and veteran of the battle twixt boat and person.

With the naughty boat being taught a good lesson at Barney's hands I am free to get on with a bit of preparation. A comprehensive range of punishments have been prescribed for this disobedient craft.... including but not limited to electrocution, heat torture, abrasion, and being chastised intermittently with larger and larger hammers!

Super Job, thanks Barney!! Follow the link on my homepage to see more examples of unruly boats with behavioural issues that have been rehabilitated  at Barneys hands!

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All this commotion seems to have attracted the attention of another, albeit extremely illusive and rare member of the engineering fraternity.....

We were treated to a fleeting glimpse of the "lesser spotted Ricardus Blackhandius" (aka Richard Milligan). It is very rare to see this species emerge for any significant length of time due to his attraction to oily engine 'oles and high productivity levels. 

If you see either of them be sure to approach them cautiously and not offend them....... you never know when you may need them!!

 

 

NB "Jemima" (again!)

Having refurbished "Jemima's" rear cabin earlier in the year she's back.... seem to be getting quite a bit of repeat custom at the moment!

Its bathrooms again! my second this year where the old and rather thin original shower tray has succumbed to the passage of time and cracked in several places.

You can only cope with remedial measures like putty and sticky bandages for so long in the shower!

The straw that broke the camels back.... the entire flange for the drain has cracked and fallen out.!

.

Careful stripping out reveals the usual hornets nest of problems one encounters by having the audacity to attempt a repair on a narrowboat....

-Services have been laid under the old tray.  Replumbing the boat is not in the customers budget so the new tray will have to be raised by the minimum amount possible to maintain headroom in the shower on a sturdy plywood base

- The old shower tray is an unusual size (no surprises there) so I had to increase the width of the cubicle by 20mm and the depth by 100mm. 

The larger cubicle now accommodates a new stone resin shower tray. These trays are available in a wide range of sizes... usually one is near enough to the now obsolete fiberglass caravan style trays. They are also cheaper and much more solid.

White wall tiles brighten up the new cubicle, and are given a contemporary flourish with a strip of pastel coloured mosaics and a new shower rail. The existing shower mixer is in good condition, and refitting it helps to keep the cost of the job down.

Chocs away.... the new sanitation station is ready to go. Time to say "Tra" to the boat tan... 
(glossary of liveaboard boating terms available on request!!)
Cheers, Kris.