Bulkheads & More...

A quick progress report, these photos were taken a couple of weeks ago so things have moved on either further than the photos below. The galley units are now in place and awaiting the team from Plan It Granite in Burton on Trent to template them up. The boat has also moved into the Dry Dock for painting, so when i get chance I'll update the blog again.

Above: The pigeon boxes are now complete and have had a first coat of vanish.

Above: All the windows are now in place including the side hatch and bow door windows (below). To match the portholes these are also double glazed.

The solid oak panelling is now mostly complete and the porthole liners have been installed. The framing has really brought out the crispness of the white oak veneered panels. We'll give these panels another coat of eggshell at the end of the build as they will inevitable be marked when carrying items in and out of the boat.

Above: The major bulkheads are now in place, this is the view from the saloon forward through the walk through bathroom into the sleeping cabin beyond.

Above: half bulkhead that will divide the galley from the Pullman dinette.

Above: Saloon area.

Above: Eye-level oven installed in a galley unit. Above the oven will be a storage area for pots and pans. Underneath will be a 240v fridge. Above: Both 12v and 240v circuits starting to be connected to separate distribution boxes.

The cutouts above will accommodate the engine panel and the Victron Combi panel.

Above: We wanted to maximise the space in the galley so we decided to bring the stair bulkhead back towards the stern. Unfortunately this interfered with the hatch so we came up with the idea of creating a solid oak packer to lead you into the stairwell whilst accommodating the profile of the bulkhead below...with a bit of thought most problems can be solved and resolved!

Back to the grind stone now I'm afraid! I'll update the blog again when i get chance. We thoroughly enjoyed helping out on the BMF/CBA stand at Crick, we even managed to get a bit of a sun tan! Thanks to all those that dropped by to say high and book in work your support is appreciated.

Justin, Jane & Team.

Narrowboat Build Update

Progress with our bespoke boat build has quickly gained pace, Peter & Mel hope you're happy with the progress so far!

Once the internal ballast, floor and battens were in place the next job was cut out the porthole apertures. We decided to cut these ourselves to provide a bit of flexibility with the internal layout. We are fortunate enough to have a Plasma Cutter so once a jig was set up the window apertures were completed within a couple of hours.

Below: Jig still in position just after plasma cutting. Below: Job done - net, clean and accurate. Once the porthole locations were cut out these were masked up together with the face of the timber battens. Wilsons Sprayfoamers then got on with the job of insulating the boat. The making tape is removed once the job is done, leaving a clean surface to screw to. After a tidy up the layout of the boat is marked up with masking tape on the floor. This provides a visual guide to our customers to make sure that they are completely happy before the main fitout work begins. Once we had the thumbs up work has progressed quickly. The next main job was for Stuart to install the first electrics for both the 12v and 240v circuits. Below: The double glazed Portholes installed, these will soon tarnish - but we'll remove them when the boat is painted. We'll then take the opportunity to polish and possibly laquer these to ensure they stay bright. Cabin sides and top lined in Oak veneered ply. Our customers want a clean and bright look to the boat, so top sides and roof are being painted with a off white Eggshell. As opposed to the paint being flat, the grain of the wood will be allowed to show through creating an attractive finish. Below: Before painting begins. Below: Just one more coat to add once the bulkheads have gone in. Notice all the cables for lights, sockets and switches. Stuart is installing two way lighting so the lights can be turned on and off from different ends of the cabin. Below: The pigeon boxes provide light and ventilation through the cabin roof. Taken before Jordan lines these with oak. Below: Nearly there, Jordan made a superb job just a little more oak to be added to the porthole lids. That's all for now, lots to get on with... We'll be on the British Marine Federation Stand at the Crick Boat Show over this coming bank holiday weekend, it's also the open weekend at Mercia Marina, so hope to see you there! Justin, Jane & Team.

Aqua Vie

Thanks for your patience, i've finally got round to adding new images of Aqua Vie to the Blog....and yes the new hire boat was completed on schedule and went out for the first time on the 11th April. The team have made a fantastic job of the boat, many thanks to both Jordan & Stuart for all their hard work. We're already well underway with the fitout on a brand new bespoke narrowboat, updates to follow!

Handover completed and the hirers sent off on their first narrowboat holiday after joining me for a glass of champagne to launch the boat. A fantastic time was had by all.

Aqua Vie just before our first guests arrive

Job done and no rest as our next shell arrives from Colecraft for a complete fitout and engine installation. This is a 57ft semi trad stern with reverse layout, two sets of side doors, pigeon boxes and portholes.

Ballast, floor and battening in ready for sprayfoamers.

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Lastly, we'll be launching a new boatbuilding and repairs/maintenance website within the next two weeks this will have lots of information on the prices of new boats as well as the cost of standard repairs and engine services etc. As part of the new website we've also redesigned our logo which will be used on future advertising, we hope you approve of the new look!

More Progress

Just a few more photos of Aqua Vie's build. I'm actually writing this on the 23rd Feb having uploaded these photos nearly two weeks ago, so there has been a lot more progress since. We've been very busy with both the boat build as well as carrying out a lot of maintenance and repair work on boats moored within the marina. We've also been busy planning ahead for the bespoke boat fitout that will take place immediately after Aqua Vie is complete, the Colecraft shell for that build will be with us within the next few weeks. As promised in my last blog i've included a couple of photos of Stuart's (our marine engineer) engine and battery installation. As well as the engine and batteries Stuart has also installed all the electrics on board the boat and all the plumbing and heating circuits. Just like Jordan he is a meticulus worker and has an eye for detail, even on wiring and plumbing hidden behind boarding!

Battery bank x4 11oah domestic batteries and x1 starter battery. Like most battery installations the starter battery is on a separate bank so there is always power to start the engine.

The Isuzu 42hp engine with twin alternators to enable the charging of the battery bank whilst cruising.

The rear cabin is nearly complete just a few trims required and another coat of varnish. This is one of my jobs as head varnisher!

Step lights in the rear access steps. These are LEDs which use a fraction of the power of halogen lamps. Therefore they can be left on for a number of hours without the worry of major battery drain - great for children sleeping in this rear cabin.

On Aqua Vie we're utilising the space underneath the steps for additional wardrobe space. This will have a hinged door installed shortly.

Sink in, together with soon to be connected ceramic toilet.

Aqua panel installed in shower this will be covered with tiled panels. Should any water get through top joins the waterproof aqua panel prevents the wood becoming wet and consequently marked.

Middle cabin with double bed just about complete apart from more varnish and trims.

More photos to follow shortly!

OPEN WEEKEND SUCCESS

Thanks to everyone that came to see the new workshop at Mercia Marina during our open weekend - particulary those that travelled from as a far as York & Peterborough! It was great to see everyone and I hope I managed to say Hi to you if you came along - apologies if not, it was fairly busy at times! Due to the success of the weekend we intend to have two a year - we'll be having another in early November after the end of the hire season. Thanks also to all the moorers in Mercia Marina for the support and encouragement they have provided to us during our expansion. Stuart our Engineer has already been busy in the marina, carrying out engine and diesel heater services, as well as plumbing and electrical work. There's been rapid progress on the fitout on Aqua Vie - what a difference the machinery makes to the fitout productivity! Aqua Vie will be our third hire boat for the 2009 season. Both Jordan our cabinet maker and Stuart have been working hard to ensure it's on target for completion in March. I'll be joining them on board shortly to lend a hand (or hinder!) with the fixtures and fittings. Progress photos below: Shortly after arrival windows installed, ballast and floor laid, followed by battens for oak veneered ply to attach to. The surface of the wooden battens were taped up and then the sprayfoam insulation applied by Websters. The tape is then pulled off afterwards to leave behind a clean surface. Shortly afterwards lining work is commenced. Here you can see Jordan cutting the window apertures in the oak veneered ply. The ply is put in place, the window is removed from the outside and template holes are drilled in the ply following the window aperture (you can just make these out below Jordans hands). A compact router is used inside the boat to join these holes together to form the window opening. The window is then reinstalled. The solid oak trim panels have been added to the oak ply. You can just make out the solid oak plugs that have been inserted to cover the screw heads. These will be cut back flat against the surface and sanded before a varnish is applied. The window surround will be finished in solid oak trim shortly. All the 12v and 230v wiring looms have been installed too. Looking towards the bow of the boat from the rear cabin. The first compartment, after the rear cabin i'm standing in, is - the bathroom, followed by the double cabin, then galley and finally the saloon. Rear bulkhead where the sweeping stairs will be installed. The pipework on the floor is for the hot and cold water supplies and also central heating returns to the bathroom towel radiator. Stable front doors lined in solid Oak. The hole at the bottom will have solid brass vents installed.

Side hatch with windows to allow light to flood into the galley area when closed. These are also lined in solid oak but the hatch has not yet been trimmed up.

Stuart's also installed and commissioned the Isuzu engine - which runs like a dream! I'll take a photo for the next update. Hope you enjoy following the progress of our latest fitout! Back soon...

Justin, Jane & Team.

UP & RUNNING

Just thought I'd quickly update the blog with what's been happening since my last post. Apologies as this is will only be a brief update.

Jordan our Cabinet Maker and Stuart our Engineer started work with us in early November and have been busy getting the workshop ready. The first job was to make an office/reception area to ensure we could greet customers in a safe and quiet environment if the workshop machinery is in operation.

Area before...

Getting there..

Our machinery arrived in late November, we didn't know where to start!

....but we're getting sorted gradually.

Our new shell from Colecraft also arrived at around the same time, so its been busy! Jordan and Stuart quickly got on with fixing the windows in place and battening out. The boats already been sprayfoamed and roof linings are in. More fitout photos to follow.

The boat will be put into our hire fleet for the 2009 season, so we'll be operating three boats next year. She'll be named Aqua Vie.

Aqua Vie was the first boat to be craned in at Mercia Marina.

We're pleased to announce that we've also taken an order for a bespoke boat build - work will start in Febraury!! Many thanks to Peter & Mel for there valued order. The team can't wait to get started on the boat - it's going to look fantastic. The boat will be available to view at the IWA show at Redhill Marina in August 2009.

Lastly, as we feel like we've not enough stress in our lifes just yet (yeah right..), we've organised an open weekend on the 3rd & 4th January - poster below. Please feel free to pop for a chat and look around our workshop and hire boats!

Until then have a very merry christmas!

Justin, Jane and team.

WE'RE ON THE MOVE & EXPANDING!

Apologies for the lack of updates during the summer. It's been a bit hectic to say the least, not only with the hire business but we've also been busy planning our expansion.... In September a huge brand new marina was opened in our home village of Willington, Derbyshire. Mercia Marina is now one of the biggest inland waterway marinas in the country with a staggering 585 berths. Since the spring we've been in discussions with the Marina management to move into the brand new workshop on the site and to move our hire boats down to the site too. Our expansion into the workshop will enable us to provide a full engineering and repair service to both internal and external boat owners. The workshop also provides us with a professional base from which to offer a warm welcome our hire boat guests and enables us to fitout both our own hire boats as well as offering a bespoke boat build service. The workshop whilst in build - it's been a wet summer! We've already recruited a superb Marine Engineer and a talented Joiner/Cabinet Maker both of whom will be starting work with us shortly. We hope to be in the workshops by the beginning of November and are currently in the process of investing £.........well, quite a few quid in brand new woodworking and engineering machinery. A bit drier and nearing completion. The red pipework is to empty and fill the dry dock - the concrete area next to the workshop. The dry dock will have a building surrounding it within the next few weeks. This will be run by the marina independently. We're also pleased to announce that we are the first inland waterways business to be supported by the East Midlands NTI who have awarded us their maximum grant of £10,000 towards the cost of our machinery purchases. Which as you can imagine we're absolutely thrilled about! So a big thanks to them without their support our expansion would have proved difficult. We'll be straight in at the deep end (no pun intended!) as soon as we open as we've a brand new narrowboat shell being delivered from Colecraft in mid November...no pressure there then! Once complete in spring this will go into our hire fleet for the 2009 season. The workshop entrance - plenty of hardstanding for a narrowboat if necessary! So hopefully you'll understand my lack of updates until now, but i do intend to keep you all informed of our progress with moving into the workshops. We'll also be having an open day some time in November.....blimey another thing to add to our 'To Do' list....So if you're about pop in for a cuppa and a chat! Date to follow.. Justin & Team