Aqua Narrowboats - Canal Boat Build

Mega Update

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:35:00 +0000

We'll it's been a while since my last update, if only there were more than 24 hours in a day!

Two weeks ago we were proud to be able to hand over the keys of n/b Eunoia to Peter & Mel for a week's snagging cruise. They couldn't wait to take her out for the first trip and all went well. Eunoia is now back for a week so we can finish off a few trims and service the engine. The boat has also had the sign writing added this weekend - photos below. Peter and Mel will be collecting the boat next weekend to head off towards the IWA Festival at Redhill Marina where Eunoia will be on show.

The sign writing was completed yesterday (Saturday) - the faint lines are chalk marks these will be wiped off once fully dry. Peter & Mel kindly agreed to have our logo included.

Although this is our 5th boat, this is our first bespoke narrowboat hence the No1. Martlet of University College Oxford.

Mike Norton's steady hand - don't rock the boat! Above: Peter & Mel tentatively taking Eunoia out for the first time.

Watch out for the gunnels!

Reversible dinette backrest so guests can be accommodated within the saloon area.

Cabin with cross bed during construction. We decided to add an upstand on the step side of the bed to stop the mattress and bedding getting dirty when entering the boat.

Above: Eunoia whilst being painted in the dry dock - Craig applying the second of three top coats. The boat has had five coats in total, including the primer coat and undercoat.

Above: Pete adding the cream antislip roof coat.

Above: Eunoia during paint preparation work. We also had narrowboat Budlaw in for a repaint at the same time - more on this work on a future update.

Many thanks to the our team who have worked hard to create a fabulous boat for Peter & Mel, and thanks to, to Peter & Mel for giving Aqua Narrowboats the opportunity to build Eunoia. We hope you have many happy years whilst cruising the system!

As mentioned at the top of this post n/b Eunoia will be on display at the IWA festival taking place at Redhill Marina (just off J24 on the M1) over August bank holiday weekend. As well as the team from Aqua Narrowboats being on board and Peter & Mel will also be there to welcome guests and answer queries from a customers perspective.

Hope to see you there!

Justin & Jane - Aqua Narrowboats

Bulkheads & More...

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:12:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:42:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:46:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:39:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:13:00 +0000

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

THE BOAT SHARE SCHEME LAUNCHED

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:28:00 +0000

Well, after extensive research and positive feedback from our hire boat customers we've launched The Boat Share Scheme. Boat share or shared ownership provides an affordable introduction to owning a narrowboat. Each boat sold is divided into twelve freehold shares. Each share provides its owner with up to 4 weeks cruising every year for as long as the share is owned or for the life of the boat. If the boat is sold then the sale price is shared equally between the owners. The annual running and maintenance costs (license, mooring, insurance etc..) are split equally between the owners - meaning that owners are less likely to be affected by rising costs compared with individual ownership. The first boat being offered for sale within The Boat Share Scheme will be Aqua Vita - our brand new, five star hire boat. After just one season of use she will be docked for blacking, engine service, touching up of paintwork, installation of hardwood cratch/cover and the fitting of a manual satellite dish and receiver. The boat will then be handed over to the new syndicate of owners. Our hire fleet will still run as normal and Aqua Vita will be replaced with a brand new boat for next years season - our 2009 hire prices will be online shortly. Over the next week or so we'll be adding an additional page to our website briefly outlining the scheme. Greater details of The Boat Share Scheme are provided in an Information Pack which can be requested by e-mail or telephone. The pack contains details of how weeks are booked, the cost of the shares, running & maintenance costs as well as a FAQ's section. Our aim is to make the buying of a share a clear and transparent process. To reassure our share holders we're currently employing the services of L A Marine of LesterAldridge solicitors to ensure all the documentation provided with each share protects the interests of all parties involved. Justin.

FIVE STARS!

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:19:00 +0000

Just a quick update to say that the VisitBritain inspection took place last Saturday and we're pleased to announce that H3O retained her five star status and Aqua Vita also scored the maximum rating of five stars too, so we're chuffed to bits. The assessor was impressed by the quality of the fitout and furnishings and stated that the boats we're one of the best fleets he'd inspected - although I'm not sure if you can call two boats a fleet?! Justin.

FINALLY A WEEKEND AWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Last weekend, with the Aqua Vita being available and with such glorious weather forecast, we thought we'd take the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of our labour and have a family weekend away on the new boat (well there has to be some perks of the job!). I'd managed to arrange with the hirer's of our other boat H3O to collect her a little earlier so we could get a few hours cruising in before dusk fell. For once the forecast was correct and we had a beautiful sunny afternoon -perfect cruising weather and not too busy either. We decided to head for our normal weekend route of Great Haywood, the kids love Shugborough Hall, and as we're National Trust members we get in free which is a big bonus too... means we can spend a little extra in the Tea Rooms next to Great Haywood lock! Left: Passing through Wolseley Bridge moorings

After a few hours cruising we moored about 1/2 a mile away from Colwich Lock and decided to do the last hours cruise up to Great Haywood on the Sunday mooring. Sunday started earlier than planned when at 5.30am I was woken at by a passing boat going a little too fast. Some folk get up incredibly early to miss the ten o'clock rush (well saunter) to the locks! After a couple more of hours snoozing, and a scramble for showers, we set off at just before 9 and within a few minutes got to Colwich Lock. We'd timed it perfectly as a boat was just emerging out from the bottom gates, and with no else waiting, we went straight into the lock - excellent. Left: Crew abandon ship near Great Haywood. As we got to Great Haywood a little earlier than planned (and also knowing that Shugborough doesn't open until 11am) we decided to carry on through Great Haywood lock, turn at the winding hole at the junction with the Staffs & Worcester canal and then moor above the lock. As usual the moorings above the lock were busy. There were around eight or nine boats waiting to go back down the lock, with some breasting up and others waiting in between moored boats. This can make it pretty difficult to work out who's waiting for the lock and who's moored or in the process of mooring. In the end I had to pass a couple of waiting boats explaining to them as i passed that i was mooring up and not queue jumping! Once moored we headed off to Shugborough and spent a few hours exploring the house and grounds. After which time we'd worked off enough calories to enjoy some goodies at the Lock House tearoom! We set back off to Kings Bromley Marina at around three in the afternoon, finally arriving back at about 7.30pm. It was another beautiful afternoons cruising with bright blue sky's and glorious warm Sunshine - the kids were happy, Jane and I had wound down from the normal stresses of family life, work and running a business - pure bliss. It's at times like that that we stop to realise just how lucky we are.

Left: The Hudson-Oldroyd clan on Shugborough Hall steps.

Left: Colwich Lock

Left: The Apprentice in training

PRIZE WINNER ON BOARD

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:46:00 +0000

You may recall that just before Christmas we ran a competition to suggest a name for our new hire boat. The prize was a free short break on board the named boat - the name chosen was Aqua Vita which was suggested by Philippa of Sandhurst, Berkshire. Well, Philippa and her family arrived for their short break last Saturday. Their destination for the weekend was Great Haywood but as they were complete novices I took them in the opposite direction towards Fradley Junction so i could demonstrate the workings of a lock. I do this with all novices as our nearest lock going north is around 31/2 hours cruise away and a very long walk back for me! Unfortunately the winding hole at Fradley is at the junction with the Coventry Canal which means that three locks have to be descended before the boat can be turned back in the right direction. The junction can get busy and there's always audience of pub goers outside The Swan waiting for you to make a complete hash of it, so I stayed on board to help guide Richard (Philippa' Husband) through the manoeuvre. He did a grand job of the turn but we just missed out on soaking couple of bystanders with our prop wash (it was pretty breezy) better luck next time! Above - Presenting Philippa with a bottle of Champagne to 'Officially' launch Aqua Vita. Philippa and family arrived back at the marina on Monday evening and although the weather was a bit dreary they still had a wonderful time. This was there first time on a narrowboat and first time exploring the canal network, and they remarked on how friendly and helpful canal folk are. I think they may have been bitten by the infamous Canal Bug (and no I'm not talking about Weils Disease!). It was nice that the prize was won by a family that until now wouldn't have considered our canals as a holiday destination - more folk to spread the good word about our canal network! Many thanks for your suggestion Philippa and here's to 'Aqua Vita' plus many more 'Water Life' boats in the future! Justin.

JOB DONE

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:11:00 +0000

Yes... I know, it's be a while since my last update but things got hectic and the blog took a back seat whilst I worked into the small hours to ensure the boat went out on time. But typically with boats, nothing ever quite runs to plan... To cut a long story shortly after filling the diesel tank up ready for the first hire, and with only 5 minutes left before our first customers arrived, I discovered a leak from the fuel tank which had left a 4" deep layer of diesel in the bilge! Unfortunately both Colecraft and our Surveyor (+ myself) had missed an unused diesel outlet pipe hidden behind the Webasto which hadn't been fitted with an Isolation valve. Luckily the leak was temporarily plugged until Colecraft could come out first thing on Sunday morning to permanently rectify the problem. This meant our hirer's had to stop in the marina for the first night of their holiday - however gales had already started to effect boating conditions which would have made cruising difficult in any case. But the boat finally left the marina on Sunday morning and a good holiday on the Cauldon Canal has had by all. The only other issue was discovering a faulty light on the Tecma toilet control panel which was rectified when the boat returned on the following Saturday. Above: Double berth with plenty of wardrobe space. Above: Single berth cabin, the bed to the right can be moved across to form a double berth if necessary. The black unit on the shelf is the additional tv with freeview, dvd/cd player and radio.

Above: our first customers finally underway on Sunday morning

Above: Week two - our next hirer's on board were returning customers having been on H2O, H3O and now Aqua Vita. Leaving the marina here you can see the boats already picked up a few scratches, a sign of a well used boat! Since this photo was taken we've now had rear aprons fitted under the stern guard rails on both Aqua Vita & H3O. These can be pulled across and attached the steel cabin sides to enclose the cruiser sterns - ideal for kids and pets. We've also had vinyl cushions made for the bow locker lids making for comfier seating. Above: Two days before our deadline the inventory is loaded on board. We spent a while at the recycling centre once all the boxes had been emptied!

Above: Loading the luxury mattresses on board with the help of Jane. Photograph by Evie Hudson-Oldroyd (3 years) - truly a family business!!

CHANGE OF PLAN!

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:15:00 +0000

Slight change of plan since my last update, I knew things were progressing too well! I signed off my last post having left the boat at Stenson for painting. Well after returning to check progress at the the end of the first week I was disappointed to find that preparation work on the boat hadn't been started and after discussing this further with a member of staff they confirmed that work wouldn't commence until the Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week. Due to our tight timescale I took the decision to remove the boat from Stenson and after a couple of calls to Kingfisher Narrowboats, moved the boat back down to Trent Lock. Kingfisher have managed to rearrange their workbook to accommodate a late notice paint job!! So work has now commenced with the paint work and is running back on schedule.

Above: John & Mick start the important preparation work by cleaning and then sanding back the green holding coat.

Left: John starts to apply primer to any areas of bare steel.

Once the steel work has been primed and sanded an undercoat or pre-coat is applied, which is the white paint in this photo. This is allowed to dry overnight and then also sanded before the final top coats are applied. Here John is applying the cream anti-slip surface to the masked areas on the cabin roof - once this is dry the whole roof will be coated with two further coats of cream International paint.

Mick removing the masking tape forming the anti slip areas. The white/green undercoat areas will be painted the same cream colour as the anti-slip surfacing.

The cabin sides are treated in the same way (without the anti slip paint obviously!). The blue and cream here are the is the final top coat - apparently the key to the glossy paintwork is all in the preparation as well as sanding down or 'Knocking Back' the paint between each coat. The amount of coats applied depends upon the type of paint and the colour of the undercoat. So far Aqua Vita has had a zinc primer, the holding coat (thoroughly sanded) a layer of undercoat and two top coats. The fine white line (if you look closely) between the blue and cream is masking tape, marking out the location for the bright red coach line.

All the major jobs on the inside of the boat are complete, I've now got a long list of 'small' jobs to sort out!

Above: The rear cabin will have a small entertainment system in addition to the TV, DVD and stereo in the main saloon area. As well as being a CD radio the unit also contains a small 7" TV screen with DVD and built in Freeview. The idea being that the bedroom can double up as an additional living space for kids. The unit will sit on the shelf in the photo which is why I've installed the 240v socket and brought through the aerial and speaker cables. The two small black panels are the controls for the inverter (top), which converts 12v battery power into 240v mains power, and the one below is the on/off switch for the diesel central heating.

Last week I spent the weekend away from Aqua Vita as I needed to take H3O down to Shobnall Boat Services in Burton upon Trent for some repair work. During the hire season the boat had acquired a bend rudder (probably from a hirer colliding with a lock cill) which needed to checked over in their dry dock. The twisted bow doors also needed to be replaced with the new ones supplied by Colecraft late last year. Andy and Mike from SBS carried out the work whilst I took the opportunity to black the hull and repaint the gunnels that had had a seasons worth of scratches!

When the dock was drained on Friday it was discovered that the damage would be difficult to repair and the rudder needed to be completely replaced. Luckily after a quick phone call to Colecraft, I was able to collect a replacement from Long Icthington first thing on Saturday morning. This was installed over the weekend together with the new doors ready for refloating on Monday. I returned the boat back to Kings Bromley Marina last Thursday after the gale force winds had subsided and she handled like a dream once again - so many thanks to Andy and his team.

Left: H3O with new doors installed, paintwork applied and rudder fitted ready for the new hire season to begin!

STENSON FOR PAINTING

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:31:00 +0000

Last weekend we (my trusty Dad & me) moved Aqua Vita from Kingfisher Narrowboat's base at Trent Lock up to the MCC boatyard at Stenson for painting. I'd planned that the journey should take around 5 hours but I hadn't taken into account the plummenting temperatures! We arrived to find over 1" thick layer of ice cocooning the boat onto the mooring! We couldn't even push the boat out and off the bank to turn her around. In the end I had to slowly creep forwards and backwards to crack and loosen the ice to create enough space to manoeuvre the boat into the winding hole immediately in front of dockyard. An hour later and we'd managed to carefully turn the boat without causing any ice damage to the other boats moored nearby. It's actually quite satisfying to be the first to break through the ice and hear it crunch and crack, definitely worth a couple of coats of blacking!!

We finally managed to get onto the river to head up towards Sawley and the Trent & Mersey canal. Although cold it was a beautiful crisp and clear day with bright blue skys - a perfect winter cruising day.

We timed our arrival at Sawley to perfection with a narrowboat just coming out of the lock as we arrived. Above: superb moorings at Crockers Marina just below Shardlow. The Clock Warehouse at Shardlow where the boat was lowered into the water just before Christmas.

Above: Just below Weston on Trent the owner of the 40ft boat in front thought that he'd be able to turn his boat around without the help of a winding hole.......needless to say he managed to free the boat twenty minutes later with a couple of barge poles - but not in the direction he'd hoped. Shortly after freeing the boat he promptly went aground again, apologised and waved us through - why is it that when you muck up there's always an audience happy to watch you make a complete prat of yourself but when you perform a superb feat of helsmanship there's not a single sole around! Anyway he ended up sharing Weston lock with us and then followed behind for another mile or so until the next winding hole. I think the lesson was learnt....well until next time.

About six and half hours later we finally arrived at Stenson where my Mum picked us up to collect my car from Trent Lock. The boat will take about three weeks to paint but I'm hoping that i'll be able to get access to her over that time to carry on with the 'To Do' list. But for the time being I've managed to have a few days off this week as it's half term and I've been looking after the Kids - and Jane who's been knocked for six by a dreadful flu type bug. But hopefully we'll be back up to speed next week ready for the final push!

Justin.

...AND ON WITH THE BATHROOM

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:01:00 +0000

I'm always extra cautious when it comes to fitting out the shower, it's definately a belt & braces job! With up to six passengers on board throughout the whole season the shower gets a fair bit of use and therefore it's important that it's water tight. I always use an alcove shower tray with three upstands, this prevents the water slipping back over the rear or sides of the tray should any sealant fail.

I then clad the walls of the alcove with Aquapanel which is a cement based waterproof board, so if water does penetrate through the shower panels (below) the wood work behind will be protected from water damage or rot.

On top of the Aquapanel is placed a decorative shower panel cut to size and sealed in place.

And finally the thermostatic bar shower and pivot door is added. Now it just needs testing!

As the shower tray is situated below the outside waterline, the waste water has to be pumped up and out over board. The waste pump opposite is positioned in the cupboard next to the shower cubicle. The pipe disappearing under the floor is connected to the tray waste outlet, once the pump is turned on, the water is sucked and then pumped up and out into the canal through the waste outlet welded into the side of the boat. The pump is covered over with wood to create useable cupboard space, this is where the vaccum cleaner will be located!

Empty space opposite the shower ready for the sink and toilet to be located. The small pipe in the boat side is the waste outlet for the bathroom sink.

Sink is built and fixed in place.

Starting on the installation of the loo. The loo is a top of the range macerator type and is very similar in style and appearance to a domestic toilet. The toilet, as it name suggests, macerates the waste and pumps into a storage tank. The hole in the bulkhead is where the pipes connect to the tank and water supply. When the tank is full (indicated by a red light on the flush panel) it's 'pumped out' at designated 'Pump Outs' stations which are in most marinas. The charge for this is around £15 but includes a member of staff to carry out the task for you! Apologies if you're eating whilst reading this, but i like to be informative!! Toilet in position and electronic flush panel installed in the side of the basin unit.

Rear of the toilet (& under the double bed). Large black pipe at the base of the photo is the waste pipe that connects into the large steel tank. The clear hose just above is the water inlet pipe for fresh flushing water - if you follow this back you can just make out the solenoid valve that controls the amount of water let into the bowl. The black wire in the centre of the photo connects the flush panel together with the power supply, macerator pump, toilet tank sensor and solenoid valve. I also install a isolation tap from the water supply just in case i need to remove the toilet to unblock it!

Storage tank. Three pipes are inlet from the toilet (top), breather (middle) and pump out outlet (bottom)

Enough toilet talk!

Kingfisher narrowboats have now completed the beds, wardrobes and stairs as well as the main seating areas in the saloon (pictures to follow when I've cleared my tools out the way!). Kingfisher have become the new tenants of Trent Lock Dry Dock and so offically we were there first customer! Good luck to the brothers Day, a website link to follow once their site is up and running.

This is the double cabin with as yet untreated wood work on the wardrobe and bed - another job to add to the list!

And the twin rear cabin (excuse the mess) as two singles....

and again as a double. The outside single has drawers that slide out from either side, so when in the double position you can still access clothes etc.

That's all for now. Many thanks for the comments of encouragement, it's appreaciated particulary right now whilst typing this latest update at 1am! We also got a mention last week on Andrew Denny's Granny Buttons blog (the grand master of canal bloggers). Thanks Andrew!

We'll be leaving Trent Lock over the weekend to head up to Stenson for painting so give us a wave if you pass by.

Cheers

Justin.

BOAT INTERIOR TAKING SHAPE

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:19:00 +0000

Apologies for the lack of updates. I'd normally update the blog once a week during the fitout but since New Year we've had a number of new bookings and any spare evenings have been taken up with sending out cofirmation letters and booking packs. These bookings mean that we've already got 65% of the 2008 season booked out!

For this update i'll just quickly bring you up to date with the fitout progress of Aqua Vita so far.

Above: Downlighters and switches fully installed - I just need to change the bulbs from the supplied 20watts to 10watt bulbs. This will reduce the amount of power being drawn out the batteries.

Left: The kitchen floor and cabinets in place. The space on the far wall (bulkhead) will be where the cooker is fitted, although some supporting framework will be required. More on this below.

Above: The water pipes brought through into the cabinets. The small round hole in the back of the cabinet is the waste outlet for the separate sink drainer. There is another outlet in the far cabinet for the sink bowl.

Above: Water pump before....

Above: ......water pump after. This is the water pump that feeds all the tap outlets on the boat. The blue box at the base of the pump is a pressure switch that senses the drop in pressure when a tap is turned on, this drop in pressure automatically switches the pump on pulling fresh water from the stainless steel tank on the far left of the photo. The black tank at the top of the picture is an accumulator tank. This evens out the water flow and prevents the pump from cycling (or pulsating) which helps to extend the life of the pump. It also allows a tap to be turned on for a few seconds without the pump switching on, handy if you need a glass of water in the night and don't want to wake anyone up with a whirring pump! The white round box connected into the pipe is the sensor for the water tank level gauge.

Above: Worktop, taps and sink in place. The tap to the left is a filtered water tap.

Above: A mitred joint has been made at the far end of the worktop ready for the cooker framework to be made.

Left: Frame work nearly complete. The hole at the top is for the gas pipe connection and the wire on the floor is the 12v supply for the cooker ignition.

Above: And finally cooker in place. I've just got to finish off with some oak trims at the sides and base of the cooker.

John & Mick Day from Kingfisher Narrowboats started work last week on the beds, steps and wardrobes and are making good progress. I'll post more details on their work in my next update.

Thats all for now!

Justin.

THE LAUNCH

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:03:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I've finally managed to squeeze in half an hour to update the blog after a Christmas mainly consisting of a poorly family (luckily the bugs stayed away whilst we enjoyed a New Year trip to Disneyland Paris!). As you can see the boat arrived safely from Colecraft on the Saturday morning at the Clock Warehouse Pub, Shardlow. Unfortunately we had a few minor hiccups, firstly the crane driver had been given the wrong time and arrived a little later than planned. However this gave myself and the driver from AB Tuckeys chance to try to track down the owner of a 4x4 who had parked right at the point where the crane needed to be to avoid an awkwardly placed telephone line! We soon realised that this was probably owned by someone that had taken a taxi home from the Clock Warehouse's Party Night and was probably at that moment nursing a hangover.... just my luck! Although once the crane driver arrived he soon calculated that he'd have enough room to park on the far side of the telephone wire, lift the boat up and over both the line and car, and then still have enough crane height to reach down and place the boat in the water. However this meant dragging the rope over the phone line - you can just make this out in the photo. The crane driver did a fantastic job of gently pulling both bow and stern ropes over without a 'hitch'! I half expected a 'ping' and a bill for a phone line re-connection but thankfully all went well and the boat was lowered in gracefully. Once the boat was in the water she listed quite severely port side. The additional ballast port side had been installed to allow for the final weight of the fittings on the starboard fitout. But she wasn't stable enough to cruise on the river down to Trentlock so we made a quick trip to a local Wickes to purchase some temporary ballast.

We arrived safely at Trent Lock late Saturday afternoon. Over the Christmas break I've managed to get started on the fitout by installing all the downlighters and switches, with lights functioning work can now progress into the evenings if necessary! More to follow shortly.

ALL SYSTEMS GO!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:57:00 +0000

Blimey what a day! I popped down to Colecraft to check on progress for an early January delivery (about three weeks behind our original schedule of mid December) and en route received a message from Dom Cole asking to call him asap. As I was only 15 minutes away I just popped into the office on arrival at the yard only for Dom to inform me that the boat was about complete and would be ready to go this Saturday! The team must had been working flat out, as in the last week the engine's been fitted, radiators installed, wastes welded in place, doors fitted, 240v electrics installed and the woodwork completed!

I'd made tentative enquires regarding the cranage and haulage for January but couldn't book anything without a firm date, so I was suddenly trying to arrange cranage the Saturday before Christmas with just three days notice! But thankfully AB Tuckey & Steve Foster managed to coax some drivers into work, as both companies break up for the Christmas holidays on Friday - I've added their links to show my appreciation! I suppose they'll both still need paying?!

So the arrangements are that Tuckey's will supply a crane and low loader at the Colecraft end. The boat will lifted onto the low loader first thing Saturday morning (or possible late Friday) . The lorry should arrive sometime Saturday morning at Shardlow to be craned off by Steve Foster - as it's not cost effective for Tuckeys crane to travel this far.

From Shardlow we'll cruise her down to Trent lock (at the bottom of the Erewash canal) where the boat will be based at Kingfisher Narrowboats until mid February. Kingfisher will be completing the joinery work for the beds, seating, wardrobes and doors etc and I'll be installing the kitchen and bathrooms as well as installing the secondary plumbing and electrics. Kingfisher, owned my brother's John & Mick Day, have completed the additional joinery work on all of our hire boats and their work is of a particularly high standard.

Once the major fitout is complete the boat will be moved up to Stenson for painting and then on up to Kings Bromley Marina in mid March ready for the hirer season.

I'll hopefully post some photos of the boat being craned into the cut over the weekend, fingers crossed!

Justin.

AND THE WINNER IS.......

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:48:00 +0000

AQUA VITA, the name of our new boat as suggested by Philippa of Berkshire who wins a free short break on board. Congratulations Philippa! The theme will be used for future boats too, such as Aqua Vida, Aqua Leben, Aqua Vie and Aqua Liv etc.. We had over 100 entries and during the weekend narrowed the suggestions down to five possibilities before finally choosing Aqua Vita. Other Popular names/themes suggested were Kingfisher (& other birds), Lord of the Rings (characters & places), Constellations/Star Signs, Sapphire (& other gems), Potteries & Potters, Rivers & Canals and Thin Lizzie! Many thanks to all those that took the time to think of a name and enter we've enjoyed looking through them all. Justin & Jane.

SPRAYFOAM & LINING OUT

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:52:00 +0000

I've not had chance to update the blog for a couple of weeks (sorry) but the boat build is continuing at a pace, although we're already two weeks behind schedule - some late nights to come me' thinks! As you can see from the photo the sprayfoam was completed shortly after my last post. A couple of days later I popped over to see Lenny to mark out all the 12v wiring locations for the downlighters, switches, pumps and alarms etc - you can just make out the pen marks on the sprayfoam. The main 12v supply will run along the cabin roof down each side of the boat (the black cable ties above the windows will secure the wiring in place). These service channels are then covered with 100mm wide oak strips which in turn will have the downlighters recessed into them. The 240v supply will be installed separately once the lining has been completed - the circuit will run out of view under the gunnel's in electrical conduit. Both circuits will have separate consumer units with trip switches located in the cupboard at the back of boat. This photo was taken the following week and shows the eventual position of the electrics cupboard hence the mass of 12v wires to be connected into a consumer unit, I hope they've been labeled correctly! The lining was by then well under way with another visit paid to mark out the bulkheads, detailed plans have been supplied but both Lenny and myself like to confirm verbally the locations. These short site visits also provide opportunity to discuss small issues that I may have forgotten! However on this visit i noticed a mistake not down to me..the wrong steel pump out tank had been put on board. Although not a difficult mistake to make as there were about ten different sized tanks in the yard waiting to be allocated to shells. The correct tank was soon in place with the help of a fork lift truck and four pairs of hands! I'll be back at Colecraft this week so another update to follow shortly. Cheers Justin.

PREPARING FOR SPRAYFOAM

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 09:21:00 +0000

It's been over a week since my last visit and the boat build is continuing to progress. The concrete slab ballast has been added and the floor laid over the top. It's important that the ballast is installed correctly taking into account the type of fitout for the boat. This boat will predominately have a starboard fitout, with the majority of the weight from fixtures and fittings being on the right hand side. This means that more ballast needs to be placed on the port side to ensure the boat doesn't list when fully fitted - although it's not unusual for a boat to require additional 'Trim' ballast when fully fitted and launched. This trim ballast is normally hidden in the engine bay or under cabinets & access steps etc. Power lifting weights (the ones covered in plastic) are ideal for this as the come in various signs and can be hidden easily, they also won't rust (cast iron) or chip & dust like brick ballast. The wooden battens have also been screwed in place. These provide screw and nail points to attach the sheets of oak veenered plywood that will line the boat. You can see from the photo that the battens and window apertures have been covered with clear tape & plastic, allowing the person sprayfoaming to totally cover the inside of the boat. Afterwards these strips of plastic are removed to leave clean and smooth battens, without the need to scrap off the foam.

The windows have been fitted too together with the steel stable doors at the bow of the boat, which look great. The windows are currently in the process of being fitted with the plastic strips that hide the rivet points attaching them to the shell. The strips are added and then left to hang oversized for a short period to allow for shrinkage before finally being trimmed to size.

I'll be back at the boat shortly by which time the sprayfoam should be complete!

NARROWBOAT STEEL WORK COMPLETE

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:11:00 +0000

The majority of the steel work is now complete and the boat has been moved out into the yard so the rest of the fitout can be completed. As mentioned before the green paintwork seen here is just a quick flash coat to keep the boat tidy whilst being fitted out. We'll be painting her in the same colours as H3O, with a cream cabin roof and sides with a full length panel of Oxford Blue with red coach lines. The paint work will be completed at the end of the fitout, which should be in early February 2008. We've had a few small changes to this shell from experience learnt from H3O. The main change is that we've decided to go with steel stable doors at the bow as opposed to timber, the reason being that we've had a few issues with the oak stable doors warping and expanding which has resulted in them being constantly trimmed (Colecraft are in the process of replacing them). The new steel doors will have gold windows in the upper sections to match the main windows in the cabin sides and they'll be lined internally with solid oak paneling to match the lineout.

We've also specified recessed side fender eyes (where the fenders attach to the boat) in the gunwales (the narrow flat sections that run down either side of the boat). On H3O the fenders hang from the cabin roof on 4ft lanyards - these work fine but have more of a tendency to catch against the lock sides and pop off! You can just make out one of the recessed eyes in the foreground of the photo opposite.

I'll be back at Colecraft early next week, hopefully the ballast will be in and work on installing the timber battens will have also commenced by then.

Over the last week or so we've been busy organising updates to the website to reflect that H2O will be leaving us shortly (more on this on the next blog entry). The site now provides photos of H3O and the layout plan for the boat featured here. We've also officially launched the 'Name that Boat' competition on the site with the winning entrant receiving a free short break on board our new boat (fully completed of course!). So why not e-mail us your name suggestion for our boat, just check out our website for further details and terms and conditions. Good Luck!

Justin & Jane.

CABIN TOP ON

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:30:00 +0000

The boat is now starting to take shape with the addition of the cabin top being constructed. The window/hatch apertures have already been cut out ready to take the frames/doors. The main fabrication work is now just about complete with the boat getting two coats of zinc-phosphate primer over the next day or so. This primer will then coated with a quick flash spray of gloss paint to keep the boat tidy while being fitted out. Once dry she'll be moved out into the yard for the ballast to be installed, floor laid and the battening out to commence.

I've finally put the finishing touches to the layout plan, this will be uploaded to our main website shortly, but you get a sneak preview! The new boat will have a very similar layout to H3O with the addition of the extra rear cabin accommodating two single berths. One of the single berths will be 'loose' to enable a double bed to be formed, providing the maximum flexibility for hirer's needs. The sweeping stair entrance to both the bow and stern will also be a feature of the boat as they have been very popular with our guests on H3O.

We are in the process of getting our main website updated to reflect that H2O has now been sold. As part of updates to the site the 'Name that Boat' competition will be officially launched, with the winner receiving a short break on board our brand new boat. In fact the winner and his/her family will be our first guests on board and will be asked to officially launch the boat with a bottle of champagne - so keep checking the site for details on how to enter!

Justin

COMMENCING NEW BOAT BUILD

noreply@blogger.com (Aqua Narrowboats) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:03:00 +0000

I took the one hour drive down to Long Itchington on Wednesday to check the build progress of our new 58ft narrowboat. Although i knew the boat had been started last week I half expected to arrive to see just the base plate welded together, but to my surprise the team of welders at Colecraft had already formed the basic shape of the hull as seen here. It's amazing to watch how the graceful curves of the boats are formed out of flat, two dimensional sheets of steel. The workshop contains another five boats all at different stages of fabrication and all with welders working on them - basically a production line. This production line continues into the industrial units opposite where there are another half dozen boats at various stages of being lined out with one being virtually finished having been painted and fully fitted. I love to visit workshops like these with all there loud noises, smells and bursts of welding flashes -particularly as I've never worked in such an environment. I suppose the novelty might wear off if you work there 5 days a week! I spent the rest of the visit with Dom Cole discussing the plan of the boat and some small alterations that we need to incorporate. I shall be visiting again early next week to take a few more photos so i'll update the blog soon after. P.s To all our customers who have already booked this boat for next year, particularly those in March & April - don't worry it will be ready in time, but bring along a painting brush just in case! Cheers Justin.