Prepping for the next colour

Build day 43-44

The masking is off of the rear panels and Yarwood is beginning to look like a Royal Mail van - but not for long thank goodness.  This mustard (polite yet again) primer will be covered by a coat of scumble and include a light cream border so we will go from Royal Mail van to Morris Traveller in a trice.  Those of you who remember the Morris Traveller will know what I talking about.

Joe and Mike admiring the new corporate livery...

And, in preparation for the next colour, the forward bulkhead has been painstakingly masked in the traditional scallop pattern.

Borders

Build day 42

The rear doors minus all that masking.  The light cream paint shows up very 'buttery' in the lighting of the paintshop but I am assured that it won't be so in natural light... you can just glimpse the design I prepared for the livery taped to the side of the boat in the bottom right hand corner.

The whole side has been given a blast of cream paint even though it is only being used as a panel colour.

The masking of the name panels begins.  These panels will have a border of primer in readiness for the scumble borders and sign writing that will be done by Dave Moore.

The 'mustard' - polite description of the colour - primer now applied and the rest of the boat wrapped up like a brown paper parcel.

Prepare the border

Build day 40 - 41

The red name panels fully masked.

Last Friday the red paint of the handrail and name panels was left to cure (harden) but come Monday the paint shop was busy preparing to apply the light cream borders.  This involves extensive masking with tape and brown paper to protect the areas that have already been painted and create the crisp lines of the border.

Rear panel prepared for the 'mouse ears' design

Rear doors similarly masked to create the 'mouses ears' design.

Colour my....boat

Build day 38-39

We arrived today to find that the painters had added the first colour to Yarwood's cabin sides.

Rear door sporting a bit of colour

And the Bright Red also applied to the hand rails.

Primed

Build day 36-37
There was no progress made yesterday on Yarwood, the paintshop was awaiting delivery of the primer, thinners and topcoat paints and these didn't arrive until late afternoon. 

However, this afternoon when we paid a visit they were just starting the fourth coat of primer.

Tomorrow they will be flatting (rubbing down) and preparing to mask up for top coat paint so we won't visit again until Thursday.

Masked -up

Build day 34-35
Joe and I/me went up to the paint shop yesterday to see the progress made on Yarwood but first we touched base with Stuart Harper (Barnowl Narrowboats) to discuss the galley layout and battery chargers; you might hazard a guess at where Joe's interest lay...

Earlier in the week we had met with Jim Holmes of PB Batteries to agree the size of battery bank he was recommending for Yarwood and now Stuart and Joe were on the hunt for the appropriate battery charger to suit.  There will be more on electrics later but I might get Himself to blog about that subject.
Anyway back to Yarwood and paint..

Masked up in readiness for the application of three coats of epoxy primer to the cabin.  The reason for the masking of the hull sides is that the primer reacts with blacking i.e. the blacking softens the primer and it lifts off, taking the blacking with it of course.

The hatchway into the hold is masked to protect the paintwork in the hold.  Three coats of grey primer and a topcoat of grey gloss have completed the job inside the hold.

On Monday the rest of the paint arrives so late next week we should begin to see Yarwoods's livery emerge..

Painting started

Build day 26 - 33

Yarwood was moved into the paintshop a week last Monday.  All of the first week was spent in cleaning and preparing the shell for painting on on Monday this week the first paint was applied.  A coat of buff coloured primer was sprayed on the inside of the boat, see below.

 The primers waiting to be applied - best part of £900's worth - ouch!

Looking into the hold through the deck hatch/lid; grey primer throughout

Applying the 'zinc' based primed, the first of three coats.  This paint is so thick it has to be pumped to the spray gun and when dry it is very hard. 

Cabin top (above) and forward hatch (below) after two coats of Zinc primer

After the basecoat, the zinc primer, has gone off three coats of epoxy primer will be sprayed on before they even think about the top coats.  We will visit again on Friday, day 35, to review progress.

Fabrication complete

Build day 26

We went to see Yarwood on Tuesday to sign-off this stage of the build and make the final payment to Lambon Boats.   Yarwood has now been moved out of the Lambon workshops and is now residing in the Barnowl Narrowboats unit until Monday when she goes to the paintshop.  We are told that the first three days next week will see Yarwood cleaned and prepared for painting and then a coat of zinc based primer will be applied.

Yarwood's rudder, a chunky affair with steps to aid you to climb out of the 'drink/ditch' should you be unfortunate enough to fall in..