Work continues event though we are waiting for the flooring to be delivered.
The mushroom vents have been fitted to the roof:
Lots of lovely brass to polish!
The engine room floor has been fitted:
It's going to be a tight squeeze for the shoe cupboard we have bought from Ikea.
The propellor has been fitted and the front deck hatch has its last coat of paint.
The bow thruster has been fitted. Opinion among boaters differs as to whether narrowboats should have bow thrusters. Some call the bow thruster control "the girly switch". I think it could be useful for handling the boat single handed.
Inside, all the lights work and the 12v electrical sockets are live (Yes, S and I ran around turning all the lights on and off). There are a few more detailed pieces of woodwork completed:
(Houdini hatch surround and swim cover).
It looks even better in reality. Syncopation has her final coat of paint on and the rear panels have been sign-written. There's still some blacking to do.
Here are the original concept pictures for the panel lettering:
The cratch has been temporarily fitted so it can be measured for a cover.
The steerer's heating ducts have been fitted and the bathroom tiles have been cut ready for fitting.
The coach painting is still in progress and the kitchen sink has been delivered so the templates for the granite worktops can be completed.
We set out this morning for the Crick boat show. Arrived at half past twelve looking forward to lunch and then a couple of hours looking around the trade stands and maybe a couple of new boats. We even had a shopping list (Fenders front and rear, lifejacket for small boy, Sea Searcher magnet for recovering lost metal objects from the bottom of the canal, small sofa bed, window blinds etc.) but the show had closed early due to high winds.
Disconsolate we headed over to Braunston for lunch hoping to find the Admiral Nelson but failed and instead found the Millhouse; a different pub entirely but we've enjoyed a pleasant meal there before when we went to Braunston to visit DB Doatfitters (web site appears to be broken). However when I tried to order lunch I was informed that the kitchen was too busy and it would be two hours before an order could be placed. We left.
After another half hour we found our way to the excellent Wharf at Bugbrooke which I cannot recommend highly enough. We arrived home at 4.00 PM having achieved very little in the day.
Syncopation is now in the paint dock being coach painted. During the last week the coach lines have been masked and the sides, panels and handrails have been undercoated. Even in undercoat, Syncopation is seriously shiny:
Inside, the curved doors have been fitted in the kitchen:
The exhaust has been fitted through the side of the hull, the electrical cupboard has been built and the controls have been fitted to the outside of the cupboard:
Side hatch glazing from the outside:
Syncopation's systems are being commissioned. The woodwork will be completed in the next week and she will move to dock for painting.
The heating system has been filled and tested. Most rooms have finrad type radiators at floor level except for the bathroom and the central bunk room. These two have towel rails:
The side hatches have been glazed. The glazed panels open as a bi-fold door:
Closed
Open:
The saloon woodwork now has nearly all the trim strips in place and the light fittings have been put in place.
The cross-bed is just about complete with the ledge in place to support the slide out sections. The hospital silencer has arrived, as have many electrical components. The toilet has been fitted:
The vacuum cassette is located under the bed in the main cabin - as near to the door as can be arranged.
The plumbing for the shower is now complete and the waterproof panels have been fitted:
The Door frames have been made and fitted. In this picture you can see the coving fitted so that the frame can be put in place:
The chimney collar has been fitted, ready to accept the stove pipe from below:
Next week, Michael will be busy fitting electrical equipment in the engine room, where the batteries have been placed on the uxter plate to see how they fit. Jason has completed all the flat doors and drawer fronts and will start on the cratch next week. Alan will be doing more varnishing of the interior.
Steady progress this week.
The stove surround has been clad in Masterboard to protect the woodwork from the heat from the stove.
The shower doors have been fitted:
The window liners and side hatch liners are in:
The bedside cabinet carcases have been installed.
Left hand (tall) cabinet:
Right hand (low) cabinet:
Saloon cabinet:
The cross bed base has now been built:
There are two pull out sections (on the left of this picture) that extend the bed across the cabin for use. The toilet cassette and spare will be located beneath the foot of the bed and any remaining space will be used for storage drawers. Coming soon: bedside cabinets and wardrobe.
The saloon now has the carcase for a tall cupboard installed, with some small shelves adjacent. On the other side of the door the base has been built for the stove:
Syncopation's bathroom is taking shape. The bulkhead that covers the cabin side and hides the pump is in place. The shower tray has been sourced. The carcase for the cabinet that supports the bathroom basin is in place. More varnish has been applied to the interior so that all the new woodwork is now protected.
The carcasses have been fitted in the bunk room. The children were excited by the end of bed bunk ladder.
The dinette has a sliding base at one end that solves the problem of the seats being too short to fit comfortably under the table that is the same size as the gap between them.
The table fits between the two seat bases to make a flat bed. It lifts out and attaches to the wall above and slightly forward of the gap it comes out of. The rear-most seat base then slides forward and slightly under the rear edge of the table to make a more comfortable sitting position.
The kitchen is taking shape with the carcases having been fitted.
The bunks in the bunk room behind have been fitted with an attractive ladder at the end. We've delivered more fittings to the boat yard, including the shower screen and some electronics that need measuring for the entertainment cabinet. The skin fittings have been attached and the plumbing from these has been attached. The cold water supply system has been pressure tested.
