< September 2006

October 2006

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Wednesday 25 October

We visited the boat again at the Stephen Goldsbrough Boats (SGB) base at Fenny Compton to see how much progress had been made and took lots of photographs.  Click on the thumbnail photos for a larger image.

The first photo is looking towards the stern.  The forward berths will be on the right hand side at the front of the picture with wardrobes opposite.  Just to the rear of the berths will be the small bathroom, then the washing machine and cupboards between the small bathroom and the rear wall.  Opposite the second bathroom will be the second berths on the left hand side as we look.

The second picture is taken from further forwards, but still looking towards the stern.  The space at the front right corner of the photo will be the dinette.  Further back on the right will be the kitchen, with the sliding window for feeding the ducks and letting the heat out.  The opening side hatch is opposite the kitchen.  Beyond the kitchen is the main bathroom, then the bedrooms.

The third picture shows the outside view of the boat.  You can see the bows start to slope upwards from the front of the cabin.  The drawing shows these remaining level, following the line of the gunwale, until the cratch (which will be just in front of the t-bollards).  This raised height of the bows will reduce the forward view.

The fourth picture shows the front cockpit.  The locker will have a lid which will become a seat.  The plans for the boat show the forward cockpit being 4 feet 6 inches long but it has been built just 4 feet long and this reduces the seating space.

The fifth picture shows the stern of the boat, looking forwards.  The doors to the rear cabin are in the centre of the picture.  The lockers on each side will have a top which will form a seat.  The raised area on the right forms a step to make it easy to get on and off the roof.  At the front left of the picture is the panel for the controls to be fitted.  The plans shows this recessed so that the controls will not be accidentally knocked by someone walking in or out of the boat.  The panel is not recessed and when we asked we were told the whole of the port (left) side had been recessed instead.  The picture shows it is symmetrical and it looks just the same as the starboard (right) side and we don't understand what has happened.  Requests for further explanation have not produced any response.

We are disappointed that the hull does not match the drawings in three areas we had specifically discussed and agreed with SGB during the design and which had been recorded on the contractual drawings.  Despite requests, we have not had any explanation of why this has happened.

Stephen Goldsbrough Boats (SGB) have stopped work on the boat and are expecting us to make a full stage payment despite the three significant defects and the stage not being satisfactorily completed.  We have made many offers to compromise about the defects but SGB still insist on full stage payment.

Monday 16 October - Part 2

After visiting our new boat in the morning we headed off to Banbury to see if we could find No Problem and Moore2Life.  We had rung Sue and left a message on her mobile to call us to say where they were.  While we were waiting for the return call we walked the length of the visitor moorings at Banbury to see if they were there.  Later on we discovered that we must have only just missed them.

Guessing they were south of Banbury we also headed south and were just driving over a canal bridge when the phone rang.  Where are you? we asked Sue.  Just approaching bridge 177 said Sue - where are you?  Just driving over bridge 177 we said.

No problem was quickly moored alongside the towpath, followed by moore2life and Sue produced tea and cake in record time.  It was lovely to see everyone again, and to see Lucy so happily following the boat on the towpath.

Then we helped them through several locks and Vic was proudly showing off his ratchet windlass which was very useful on some of the stiffer paddles.  We left them at Aynho lock, heading for Somerton Deep lock, where they hoped to play the "Granny Buttons Game" with a photo like this.

Monday 16 October

We visited Fenny Compton today, to see the boat for the first time since arrival of the hull 2 weeks ago.

The windows had been fitted and, for some reason, that makes it look much more like a boat than an empty hull.

Inside, the insulation had been fitted to the walls and roof, with Ian just finishing some of the fiddly curved bits of insulation near the stern.  There was a temporary floor in place and the partitions were loosely fitted giving us the first feeling for how the space would work.

I'm glad to say it matched our expectations.  I was always a little worried that the front saloon would be too small and it is small, but not too small.

The partition which forms the back of the desk was in place at 4'6" high so we could see just how that looked.  It had accidentally crept up on the later revisions of the drawing from the original 4' high and we wondered just what the right height should be.  It certainly needs to be less than 4'6".

We had a discussion with Ian about the size of the base for the shower,  then a discussion about tiles when Ian expressed his preference for large ones as they are quicker to fix and much less grouting.

Friday 13 October

I was delighted to receive an email from Sue on No Problem yesterday evening.  Sue, Vic and Lucy are cruising southwards on the Southern Oxford Canal and passed the marina where our boat is being built.

They stopped off to look at the boat and have a chat with Ian about progress.  They took several photographs and Sue kindly uploaded them to her website and emailed me a link so I could download them.  So here are some of them - Thank you Sue.

The windows are all fitted along the sides which makes it look more like a boat than just a hull.  The windows at the front are waiting for the windows to be made from templates to match the cut-out shapes exactly.

The insulation is fitted to the inside and that is what Vic and Ian are discussing in the photos.  The mushrooms are also fitted along the centre line of the roof.

We will be visiting next Monday so we should see even more progress then.

Monday 2 October

We launched the boat today - well at least the hull.

We got up early and left home about 05:00 to ensure we were at Reeves before our boat was to be craned onto the lorry.  They guaranteed that this would not be before 08:00.

There was even less traffic than anticipated and we arrived at 07:30, which is just as well as the crane was already parked with the outriggers in place and the jib was just being raised.  The boat was soon lifted up, the lorry backed in underneath and the boat lowered gently and secured in place - all before 08:00.

We dashed ahead of the lorry to film it passing through Stockton village.  The lorry has to go the long way round to avoid the hump back bridge over the canal.  Then we followed it south it down the A423 before turning into Cropredy.  It was craned into the water and we were left with our shell in the canal.

A quick phone call confirmed that Ian and Ron weren't far away in Ron's boat heading south to collect the hull and I walked up to meet them at Cropredy lock.  Ron winded his boat and ours was soon hitched up behind for the journey north.

We travelled with them to help work the pair of boats through the 8 locks and 5 miles to Fenny Compton where the boat will be fitted out.   There is no access for a crane at Fenny Compton and Cropredy is the nearest place with suitable access.

Now the boat is safely moored at Fenny Compton and Ian is waiting for the windows to arrive from Channelglaze.  Once they are in place and the shell is watertight he can start fitting out the inside.

----- oo OO oo -----

If you read the last blog you will remember we had a problem with the bows being constructed too high.  If you look at the last picture on today's blog you will see the drawing and a photo of the bows side by side.  The gunwale (that's the horizontal line below the windows) is clearly drawn straight from the front of the cabin to the cratch (that's half way to the bows).  It was built with it sloping upwards by 3-4 inches.  The whole of the forward section of the bows are 3-4 inches too high and that blocks the forward view which we so carefully specified not to be blocked.

We were assured that it would make little difference once the boat was in the water and ballasted to its proper depth.  I looked from inside the shell today while it was in the water.  I know it isn't ballasted to the proper depth yet, but I think makes a big difference now and I think it still will when it's finished.

And now the stern area has been completed we've found that the recessed panel for the controls has not been recessed - so that's not correct either.

----- oo OO oo -----

If you think you've seen the fourth picture before then compare this with Granny Buttons

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