The refit (part five)

Work on the boat is continuing and things are starting to come together. That said, there is still a lot to do.

 

We have reached a stage at the moment where we can see the difference. This is also helped by the weather which has meant that we have been able to get on with some projects which have been waiting for the rain to stop.

 

Epoxy repair on the hull - the reaction is slowed by the cold

The kitchen is currently progressing. The kitchen sink has been fitted. This was no simple task and involved a calm day, a canoe and both of us on different sides of the hull. Drilling a hole in the bottom of the boat is always interesting but the water has to get out of the drain somehow.

The skipper is now repairing the soft bits of hull on the other side before starting on the new worktops. The galley/kitchen is looking much emptier since the oven was taken out. At the moment we are using the hob, toaster and microwave to keep the deckhands fed. There is also a new window/hatch fitted over the space that will house the hob. It was intended to help with ventilation but lets in loads of light as a bonus.

Looking out from the galley drainhole to the skipper under the boat

The heads/toilet has a new shelf and sink too which look much nicer. It has also been split making two smaller rooms, the second acting as a drying room and storage for wetsuits/walking boots and things that never seem to have anywhere to live but need to be hung out of the way.

The living room table is now fixed and extends; making room for plenty of people to sit around it. We are yet to host a dinner party but the extra space is nice. The living room floor now has cork tiles. They are lovely underfoot and brush clean easily. They were fixed to the floor with contact adhesive and are sealed on top. These should be tough enough for this floor area, able to keep damp out and easy to keep clean. We like the look of them better than the previous laminate in this space too.

These tiles can be purchased specifically for boats but we got ours from a local DIY store. Chandlers (boat shops) are brilliant for many things. It is however worth looking around as sometimes identical items can be found in other shops which are kinder on the wallet. We have a rug over part of the floor which may need to be changed for something that marks a lot less at some point in the future. We chose pale blues and white to be fresh and light but they seem to be showing up just how much through-traffic there is.

The new flooring - excuse the sawdust, Skipper working!

 

 

The skipper has also been fitting new light switches. Although this doesn’t sound particularly thrilling, being able to turn the lights on and off more conveniently will be very nice. Especially on dark mornings.

 

Outside she has had a good scrub all over. This got rid of the winter build up and made her look a bit better. It also helped us have a good look and see which bits are solid and which need replacing. Once the soft bits have been sorted we will be able to paint her and get rid of the patchwork effect she is currently wearing.

New port light showing the British summer weather outside

 

So that is where we are at the moment. The project cloud is certainly bulging and work will be ongoing for a long time yet. Finally though, we can see progress and that makes it worthwhile.

Have you seen the other refit updates?

The refit (part four) - the one with the chess board

The refit (part three) - the one with the heating system

 

The refit (part two) - the one with the Dorade box

 

The refit (part one) - the one with the octopus in ink