Back from Christmas stuff

Build day 113

We headed back from Norfolk and all the Christmas visiting we have been doing this year, Essex, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Norfolk again, and stopped off at the Barnowl workshop for a view of our Yarwood...
Dave Moore, Master Signwriter, had been busy doing his thing and now Yarwood was boasting a prominent 'Monica'.or moniker.

The back cabin had been scumbled

 and was just drying off in readiness for the coats of varnish and 'Roses and Castles' decoration.

 The white goods had been fitted, here the washing machine and tumble dryer in situ under the tug deck.

 and here the fridge, dishwasher and cooker in the galley.

In the shower room, the red glass basin and chrome pillar tap

When we arrived the Barnowl  team were just running up the central heating, bleeding the radiators and checking the sinks for leaks etc.

GOT AN EARLY XMAS PREZZIE

BUILD DAY 109

Went up to do the daily photo session as decreed by Erin Doors.   Peter had put in oil, antifreeze etc. and bled the cooling system in preparation for partly filling the fuel tank and running up the engine. As I was not going to be about for a few days he took pity on me and we started up the engine on whatever was left over from the Beta bench test.
Yesssssss!
Simple things for simple minds etc.  The consensus was it was a bit quiet and perhaps the silencer might have to be replaced by a bit of pipe!

Onto more mundane matters.

The doors leading into/out of the khazi (carsey to some) have been fitted.

 

The porthole liners have arrived, including tiny ones for the bulls eyes.

And last but certainly not least, Mr Moore has been doing what he does best, transforming a boring patch of paintwork into something far more interesting.    Dave had gone by the time I arrived so I cannot say how he intends to finish the Yarwood text.

GIVE ME A SIGN(WRITER)

BUILD DAY 108

I offered to go shopping for Stuart today as the the round trip to Penkridge takes up a few hours, plus it gave me the chance to take the dogs somewhere different.    So when I turned up at the workshop I found hiding round the back of the boat was none other than the elusive exclusive Mr Moore with his paint box.

 

Apologies for the poor photographs as there was no natural light and any portable lighting was moved to the other side of the boat.

Managed to get a good shot of the dust though.

WHAT DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

BUILD DAY 107

Yesterday (must stop thinking of songs as I tripewrite) there was not a lot to show. Today it has started to come together.The doors which were either clamped while the glue set or being sanded, are now in the process of being hung.

 

Some areas of the saloon have been varnished. I do like the grain on this piece of wood under the window.

 

Peter has transformed what looked like a rats nest of wires in the electrics cupboard into neatly tied layout, and will move on to sockets, lights etc.

 

Stuart has been getting on with the plumbing and has hung most of the radiators. The one shown below is in the saloon.

STEADY PROGRESS

BUILD DAY 106

Went down to the workshop early afternoon to partly assemble some steel shelving for under the tug deck. I had dismantled this when we moved house and kept it in storage as it took up very little space.  I will fit it when all the pipework under the deck has been finished.

There was a fair bit of activity but work in progress such a bench carpentry is not worth photographing, as the images would be meaningless.

Peter has pretty much finished wiring the fuse panel and inverter.

Stuart was installing the shower. If anyone has ever fitted one of these quadrant cubicles in a house, you will now how awkward it is to set the assembled frame over the shower tray.   In a narrowboat the height and width restrictions make it that bit harder.

MICKEY'S EARS

BUILD DAY 105

The propeller arrived on time and has been loosely fitted to the shaft. My first impression was that they took a casting of Mickey's ears to get the blade shape and the second was how thick and blunt the blades are. The propeller on Caxton has edges that are finer/sharper by comparison but have no dinks or chips in spite of that, so the material is obviously fit for purpose.

A 22" compensated prop

When I arrived Stuart had gone shopping AGAIN.   He must be the Emelda Marcos of boat fitters.

Richard was making a mock-up of the dining table to figure out how to position the support mechanism.

Peter was wiring the DC panel.  Unfortunately this is a bit of a pinch point and as the side hatches have cramps on the frames, it is the route through the boat.   He seems to be able to cope well with all and sundry wanting to get past.

The window looking out onto the tug deck loosely fitted (ignore the c**p on the deck and in the reflection) and admire the carpentry.

Give me the power

Build day 104
Joe has spent the day at the Barnowl workshop, another coat of paint on the stern/tunnel bands and one side of the boat has been blacked by himself.
I have been doing the 'domestics' aboard Caxton and then sourcing tiles for the Yarwood's saloon fireplace, the stone for the hearth and the galley tiles - this is important stuff obviously.....
Whilst these vital tasks have been undertaken the Yarwood build crew have been busy bees as well...

 The electrics cupboard has been occupied by a monster inverter/charger

 Here be the beast, a VETUS 120amp charger-3000watt inverter

 and here be Pete the electrician who got a hernia putting the beast in it's cupboard

 The trims to the engine room side hatch doors have been fitted and cramped

 The frame for the double glazed window that will be fitted to the forward saloon hatch doors

Richard, the maestro chippie

Bringing back the Press Gang

Build day 103
Joe was 'pressed' into service yesterday along with Richard's number one son, Jack. 
While Jack was adding  a second coat of the yellow primer to the back cabin Joe was out in the cold painting the stern bands and the bow flair and starting the blacking.  I was sorting out Lloyds Bank, but that is a story for the Caxton blog....

 Jack in Yellowville - the electrodes in his ears are not part of a  torture programme but his Ipod - mind you, the music might be torturous for the rest of the workers if they could hear it..

 The calorifier is now plumbed in

This was the start of play on Tuesday, in the saloon looking forward at what will be the home of the washing machine and tumble dryer and....

 work station!  Richard has been busy creating a home-cum-workstation for my laptop and printer. 

The bottom shelve is a slide as well, this is where the printer will live.  The top slide will be a 'desk' for the laptop.

Sorry about the pic, the flash was turned off and so Joe's handiwork is a bit too discreet..

Cross the canary with the mustard..and

Build day 102
I' m back from my nursing duties in Lincolnshire and have re-taken the helm of the Yarwood blog.  Himself has been doing a super job in keeping things ticking over but he doesn't want to continue so it's back to me..

So where are we today?
Lots of canary cross mustard paint has been applied to the back cabin and the doors/drawers of the back cabin.  This disgusting primer is the base coat for the scumbling that will cover it.

 'Yellowed' back door liners

 More 'yellowed' drawers and soap 'ole bits

 The table cupboard and bed 'ole in yet more yellow primer

Starting the framing under the tug deck - this space will house the washing machine and the tumble dryer and a cupboard with controls for the genny and the central heating.

Did you know there is a website listing hard to fit appliances?

BUILD DAY 101  (in ROOM 101 at the Ministry of Love)


"Did you know there is a website listing hard to fit appliances?"  asks Richard.
"No" says I.  Thinking he was going to get into bondage or something weird for Xmas.
"Well the washing machine and tumble dryer you have chosen is at the top of the list."says Richard.
The penny dropped and in a flash I new how to placate him. So I shrugged my shoulders and said;
"It's not my fault."
 I have been using this phrase from an early age and this time it was actually true. The white goods fairy wanted energy efficiency and large load machines are energy efficient - but large. A bit rejigging and all was sorted.

Portholes are all in place. Stainless screws are used as the thread size is a bit too small for brass screws which would probably shear before the frames were pulled tight.

Not sure what happened here - looks like someone sneezed on the lens. As it is the only one I took it will have to do. This will be a cupboard in the engine room. The grey plastic box is the header tank for the central heating. Below this is the back of the Kindle shrine (aka my bedside cabinet).

ITS ONLY 5mm. I'VE HAD CARS WITH BIGGER PANEL GAPS

BUILD DAY 100

Went off to see Yarwood expecting to see all the portholes in place and quickly noticed (I'm observant) that they weren’t. It seems something was lost in translation between Procast, Barnowl and Lambon and the two smaller back cabin porthole apertures in the cabin sides were 5mm too small. This entailed a lot of fiddly grinding to put things right. The problem with these ports is that even when the aperture is correct, the holes for the fixing screws have to be tapped at the very edge of the cut-out, so care had to be taken to ensure the holes did not become too large. On the positive side it would have been more of a problem if the holes were 5mm too large.

The calorifier - sounds like a Victorian device:

 "Grimwolds patentented Calorifier provides copious volumes of hot water on tap"

It is, in my opinion, just an unvented hot water cylinder. Try going into B&Q and asking if they have any calorifiers. No doubt someone will correct me in due course.

Anyhoo the said item is in place but not yet plumbed in.

WIN SOME LOSE SOME

BUILD DAY 99

A bit more progress. The back cabin is now complete and ready for decoration. Which leads me into my slight whinge (first this year). The back cabin is a great use of space and function but I'm losing out on my bedside cabinet where I kept phone, watch , cup of tea, Private Eye, Micro Mart, comics and colouring books. All the things required when having a lie in and getting cups of tea delivered on demand.

And now I have this. Basically a shrine to a kindle!

Sorting out the trim round the tops of the side hatches.

Basin and tap in place.

Back cabin ready for painting.