JawsOrca

Hi Robin, I didn't know the background of this chap. I think if the viewer enjoys watching (I'm actually still stuck watching! I love these things!) then I'm sure Dylan would welcome any donations. P.S I think the little history bits he's done.. be good to see on yours maybe

Someone from my yacht club posted this on the clubs forum (the person isn't in the video). It's a series of video diaries following the chap sailing around the UK. Something which I hope to do someday. I've just watched a couple (day off!) and seem really interesting and well made. We had a sailing boat for a bit although didnt get much use out of her it brings back a few memories. There's some norfolk broads bits and a good chunk of east coast. http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/category/sailing-around-britain/ktl-3-alde-southwold-and-the-broads/

Hi Mark, Thanks for this, these were actually the guys who quoted this (I found them from google and a few positive reviews on the internet), to be honest it isn't a bad quote for the whole boat (considering its a 6 berth boat really) and is roughly what I feared it would be! But I did find the foam cheaper (£280+) They guesstimated £550+ ish) and I want to carve it myself anyway really as there's a few angles and I'm thinking I can then give them a few cushions and it should be much cheaper. I'll let everyone know how I get on (for a laugh I emailed a couple marine upholsters.. be funny what they quote!), I think we will go with Ann Rose though, I just need to get the price down a bit more .

Unfortunately nothing special happened this weekend. We pretty much finished off the wiring which took most of the weekend and got a few instruments installed (although the units have been removed now) The electrics are all in and need a testing now. Really annoyingly we had a leak above the dining room?!? It took some working out but it seems (well it can only be) a leaky screw in the wheelhouse window, so half the ceiling had to come down but we got it I think/hope and all back up. No damage just very very annoying. I also installed the final headlining board in the large kitchen cabinet above the fridge. Midweek I had a quote in for the cushions! £1250.. yeah dream on!.. I quoted the foam up myself and I got to £350 (all fire resistant or close cell for the back).. so we will do this and cover the front bunk ourselves and give thedinette and rear seat foam to someone that should bring the cost down a bit (If anyones any good and fancies doing it just shout!). The push now is to get the BSC completed, I'm aiming for doing this in 3 or 4 weeks time, we need to make up a drip tray and install some stupid signs for it. I've done a mock BSC exam and I think we should pass. I'm a tad worried about the ventilation percentage but hoping we can use the "Sea going boat" clause which just means we need to install "open vents before using" signs?!, worse case though drilling through bits to put in more vents (Which doesn't sound "safe" to me). We also hope to get the kitchen in as soon as the sink arrives (Before the BSC) and hopefully we can grab the timber for the swimdeck next weekend. I also need to order the tank fittings for the loo tank (which are vetus and gulp aren't cheap!) and the last few parts.

Iain.. Just to say.. if you need to take any action against my mum, I will look the other way.... (I'm sure my dad will to..).

Hi Monica, I'm looking at cushions at the moment for the boat. The only advice I can offer is to buy the foam separately and cut it yourself (Use paper or cardboard as a template). You should find lots of places to get foam (although this online company look ok - http://www.efoam.co.uk/).As Clive kindly stated, you will want close cell foam which stops water ingression. Once you cut the foam from your templates you can then take it to any upholsters. To reduce the cost try companies away from Marine, Caravan trimmers or even google "Upholsters near your town" should be much cheaper. Saying this though, my folks used "Creative covers" and they did a good job on some bits for them so I'm sure they would recommend them. Alan

So last day on it for the festive break Dave was over early again I followed on a bit later, thankfully it was much warmer so Dave started on fixing the masthead light, which he did pretty quickly. He then went on (this is when I turned up !) replacing the spot light which I got him for xmas (I know kind ey!).. the one we had on there was a poor quality Stainless steal one and didnt do to well so I got a nice better grade stainless removable one. He had to remove half the headlining and was using expletives constantly apparently it wasnt an easy job.. although at least its done.. looks much better to. I neatened up the waterline with the copper coat primer, I've kinda guessed where it is and looking now I think it's a little off but I can't tell, we need to put her in the water to see, which we will do in a few weeks time. Finally the rest of the day was spent doing various electrical terminations and I can see that they take ages so there's a few days work here but that's Dave's domain..I couldn't even work out how to switch the multimeter on?! I admit earlier in the year I thought we would be finishing over this break although recently it was clear that wasn't going to be the case, largely considering we have done a better finish than I dreamt of all those months ago, Although I tihnk we have done really well this week alone and there's not a lot left to do! No pics today, I took some of the waterline although we are so close to other boats now it's hard to see and cables are cables Weekend will hopefully be more cabling and possibly putting some timber on the swimdeck!

Andy I thought I was going mad there for a moment! Looking forward to seeing where this was though, I sware it was hoo hill although if it is up near you I've only been up there a couple of times

Lol I think he edited after I posted I am a follower on facebook but leave this to someone who deserves Andy's kind 10% discount.. I think I was kinda right though

Looks just upstream of how hill before the first windmill?!

Hi Alan. (And Gracie ) Happy New year!! Thankfully we can now say they boat will be finished "This year!!" I'm hoping it doesn't take too long now! We are still thinking about the table and have a few bits of material left which we can use. I thought of getting a nice teak table with a compass design (from marine teak) but Dave wasn't sure and I'm a bit worried that this would add too many woods in there if you get me.. I know when you look aft you already see oak, mohog main door from (although that could't be avoided) and dark teak flooring.. although maybe teak will match the flooring.. not sure. I'm not sure I want it the same material as the floor though as that will feel like eating from the floor.. and I want to focus now on getting it ready for BSC as we can go on for ages So to be honest, it will probably be oak with a nice oak trim just simply made for now and then when I can play later when I get some more ideas.. I think it needs some design but I just cant work it out at the moment But yes it will definitely be another bunk (and a huge double actually) I'm sure will have the odd visitor so it needs to be. Good to see you had a good evening grace, I didn't stay up, hate being at home for new years I better get to work... Back to boring work tomorrow (although it's only a one day week!!)...

Today was another white one. Dave ran out early to grab some better hinges for the wardrobe any by the time I wandered over he had put the door on. The rest of today was spent doing all the tiny trim work. Dave learnt quickly how to do the trims with the table saw and with the offcuts we managed to trim all the inside. I also carpeted the wardrobe the door and cheated slightly and made up little foam back inserts in the dining room but they look good. Finally all this trim work got a good coat of varnish. So my hope to get the boat finished this week didn't really happen (But it was never going to happen), although in the cabin there's really not much left 90% of the trimming has been completed. These pictures really don't show it but it feels finished inside We are just left to do cushions, curtains, kitchen (awaiting a sink on order for 14th jan), dining room table. All little jobs so this week we really didnt do too badly. (back to work friday). The all round light but brought in the winds a few weeks back as the fitting was just rubbish plastic so we brought a flagpole socket and have some stainless tube left so we will reconstruct that tomorrow and fit the actual flagpole socket which appears missing?! I'm also thinking of neatening up the waterline which I didnt do earlier.. it's meant to be warming up tomorrow and that paint is instant drying so a good time to do it I think. I'll try and get more pictures too.

I'm back from the boat.. Sitting right in front of the fire were I will stay.. (I am going on 60 really).. We normally do something for NYE although its not my favourite day of the year for various reasons, also this pesky boat project has put a dampener on life for the last 13 months! but next year we will be spending it afloat in norfolk at least! (The other boat is much warmer than this houseboat even infront of the fire! But Happy new year to everyone (Happy Hog Iain and fellow northerners) ! Look forward to catching up with more forum members next year!

Lol , as easy as that I don't think it needs a refit but both the bathroom (it has a bath) and kitchen cabinet fronts could do with updating but that's it and that's easy enough to do.. you could both do and I'll sit and point lol. I still think you should invest in a decent canopy for the flybridge then you can use it in the colder months. .. (I don't want to go over to the boat today.. it's all white out there )

Lol sorry Paul! I think it makes a lot of sense to have a lit wardrobe.. you should think about it! I'll have a think about setting up a tour company, although bring a beer sounds good?

Pics from daves phone (He installed the door above the fridge).

Thanks Steve, I must admit, I'm trying not to worry too much about a mooring at the moment. We need to get all these time consuming jobs ticked off, then get the boat ready for BSC exam and a quick sea trail but I am aiming on being up there for easter so we probably should get up there again and look around. Maybe we will aim for a weekend up there end of Jan!

lol she was funny though. her voice was just like someone treading on a cat Christmas seems ages ago now (Although I've only this evening found time to make my sausage rolls).. We only had the one day off from work though (Work as in paid work and boat work) but we are getting lots done! We got lots of boat bits for xmas which is all good and some spending money for it! Sounds like eveyone else had an enjoyable conventional christmas lol

Thanks guys We did quickly run out this morning but back for 10. Annoyingly we did use any of the bits we brought! Thanks Alan, I've always meant to get one of those although but each time I forget. Thankfully we shouldn't have any more plugs to make now but I will get one as soon as I remember! (for "next time"!) Good idea Neil, although I think for now we just need to hit the finishing line and then make further improvements but good idea. We do have a large area above the half wardrobe though.. I did think of doing a shelf below the front windows but I want make sure I have room for my feet But I'm sure further shelving will go in later. Today, as a fidderly day! I wanted to install the multicoloured LED lighting in the front cabin but I need a bit more it would look a bit odd, so I need to order some more. Dave wanted to play with the table saw again and make up some more mouldings so started to tackle the top lip on the wardrobe, the mitre there was tough to say the least so this took a couple of hours to get right .. it's not perfect but good enough considering we aren't chippies really. Next onto the door, again this wasn't straight forward and took a few hours, then we couldn't quite get the hinges right so I need to order larger ones We then installed the LED lighting in there (We had some left over so decided to use this up instead of ordering a silly little light. It has a door switch so comes on when we open the door.. Looks neat.. I hate not being able to see inside a wardrobe. (This took a few hours because I kept putting staples through the strip lol so had to be cut back and soldered. Oh you may spot little vents in the wardrobe.. the wardbrobe also has heating to keep things warm in there, like you do?! Tomorrow probably more little jobs. Pics attached

Thanks Grace, It's feeling a bit weird to be honest...slightly tearful.. The light at the end of tunnel is well and truly shinning.. It really does feel like we are on the home run now! Today was a long day. Before going over I emailed a few upholsters to get an idea how much these cushions will cost Dave managed to separate the steering linkages from the spares we brought over the year (Poxy grub screws) so we now have one decent steering linkage, which is all good. Next we managed to get some mouldings trims done (First time with the table saw doing this) but these went in fine around the wardrobe.. Miltred too and looks good. I then stock my head in it and carpeted the inside of the wardrobe, which took me all day, although it's not small and I did a tidy job (and I had to stop to get some oxygen). Whilst I was doing this dave built the cupboard above the fridge, this was no small job and took the rest of the day. Finally before finishing we made a shopping list for bits for tomorrow and it pretty much fitted on the back of a postage stamp!! (Brushes, Hinges for wardrobe, Push lock for wardrobe and some glue)!! Not brilliant pictures attached but it's hard to capture these bits due to shadows (That's my excuse anyway!).

Thanks mum and thanks for bringing them down.. that saved me £30 and/or lots of hassle.. I would sharpen them for you but I don't think they need it..

Another good day.. cold, but I'm getting used to the cold now!.. and I worked out the heater has a turbo button ... useful! So inside (infront of the heater) for me today.. mum and dad came down with some proper scissors which did the trick and I managed to neatly trim the tops of the carpet on the bunk sides, It came up alright.. I think the way I done the sidelining has worked well (i.e bringing it below the gunnels). I glued these down together with bits of the sidelining which I left until I got more glue (Note to self.. any clear adhesive works you don't have to get conned by certain companies.. so toolstation £1.38 glue worked well (Instead of £8 a tube!)..also an empty icetea bottle is perfect for supporting the material whilst the glue sets! I also reglued up the led strips in the loo which fell down before (I glued up before just using the glue on the back which didnt last - It's stuck now). Also chiselled out the plugs on the door frame so that's ready for varnishing. Finally I measured up the area for cushions so I can start getting quotes. Dave, had a longer day than me (too cold lol!), he started early installing the 12v ciggy lighters inside, then temporary installed the stern drive so he could construct the swimdeck/"sterndrive protection device for norfolk stern on moorings".. despite it's flimsy appearance its actually already strong.. we just need to get some timber for it and it will be better than the chinese imports which was the alternative. Leg off and painted with primer... He then started doing more electrical work and apparently used a ton of cable. Tomorrow we hope the get on with the cupboard above the fridge sorted.. I hope to also get the hull primed up to the waterline (which I need to guess!).. to be honest though.. the jobs are running out for me now but I suspect there's lots left for Dave, although even for him it's nearing completion... I think we are well on the way to be up there "soon".

Today started with a shopping trip as we needed the odd thing, but we got everything to get us through the week hopefully. Although we still got 7 hours work in. Dave played with the table saw and managed to make up the door frame and trims for it and got it installed to be honest I think he did a good job.. I should let him do more timber work. He also got a coat of primer on the stern drive. I tackled the carpet on the bunk sides in the front cabin and got very high doing so (I still am!) It's a nasty feeling. I also glued up some of the vinyl sidelining as I found some glue and that was a nice a job to tick off.. I just need to trim the top of the carpet but I'll need to find some decent scissors as I daren't use a blade on it.. I think it looks ok in there although it's hard to tell for sure as we finished under candle light (or near neigh).

Sorry Iain, as much as I love blue, the carpets a charcoal colour but the phones not picked it up well and I'm colour blind and dave said it's green so I don't really know lol I'm hoping we will get away with it, although cupboards are full (so much so that stuffs even making its way over to this boat!) and the heatings working so doesn't really matter! Although it will be nice if it warms up as so we can get a ton of work done! I want it finished lol!

Lol thanks Guys.. Iain.. This forum seems easy lol So good to get back to work today after a short week lol. Thankfully the snow forecast didn't arrive although it was cold. We didnt get over too early which was nice though. I tackled doing some sidelining carpet, I had to trim back the vinyl one first and remove the form and glue that back first. Then glue up the carpet (I used the same glue as on the foam backed stuff), I did in a 4 sections to make sure it stuck and it was easy I've trimmed back most of it apart from the top edge which will need some clear glue as this stuff is green and cant be used on visable edges. We also put in three ciggy lighters (One 12v for general use, 1 USB, and one for a TV if we get one. Whilst I was doing this Dave tackled rebuilding the sterndrive, All bearings are good he said and he installed the new lower oil seals and bolted it together. He also installed the steering and thankfully the transom mounted bracket I found on ebay for a couple of quid (and new old stock) fits perfectly. Tomorrow, more carpet, if theres no rain we may epoxy paint the stern drive and start on the swimdeck (Although we need some parts). Pics attached of the carpet and the dining room is looking finished (The trims came off to make the carpet go on.. I took pics before they went back on but looks even better with trims on