Week Twenty One

Painting of Rear Doors.

The rear doors and the doorway surround have started to receive their paintwork with the yellow base coat ready for scumbling. Quite a lot of the scumbling inside the cabin which had been left until she was in the paintshed has also been finished off.

Start of Cabin Door Castles.

Tina has progressed with the castles on the rear cabin doors throughout the week.

Cabin Door Castles Progress.

As with the castles she painted inside the cabin, they are built up gradually, waiting for each layer to dry before progressing further.

Cabin Door Castles Progress Further.

She has also sanded down the roof, cabin sides and the counter stern. She has also primered the roof.

Freshly Primered Roof.

Week Twenty... Hadar is Craned Out to go into the Paintshed

Hadar is Craned Out to go into the Paintshed. For any boat owner this can be a tense time, but it actually went really well.

Hadar is Craned Out.

Hadar was craned out yesterday, to be lifted into the paintshed for her external paintwork. she creaked a bit, but everything went very well. At least we know she weighs less than 25tons, as that is the limit of Rogers crane!

Jetwashing the Grime Off.

Before the final lift into the paintshed. Tina needed to get the grime off of Hadar, which had built up since her launch, it had to be jet washed off. Then after lunch she finally slid the last few feet into the shed, where she will stay until her paintwork is finished.

The Final Push.

Week Twenty

Another week of high excitement.

Painted Engine Room.

The final coat of paint was applied to the engine room, the green is to match the engine and the background of the roses in the boatmans cabin. Keith spent sometime with Tina the boat painter to choose the colours for our Grand Union Canal Carrying Boat, we are going with the Red, White and Blue colour scheme, and have choosen from International Paints obviously White, the Blue is Bondi Blue and the Red is Rochelle Red. It will look fabulous.

Diesel Generator ready to be Installed.

The diesel generator was installed in the engine room today. It took quite a while to prepare the night before, removing all the soundproof casing, as it would not fit in the engine room with the casing on. It took quite a lot of effort and careful maneuvering to ease it in through the engine room doorway. Once inside the engine room it then had to be maneuvered around the engine to the other side of the boat, and the corner where it will reside.

The Generator goes Slowly in through the Engine Room Doorway.

The generator is to supply the power requirement for the washing machine and/or the tumble dryer, which is higher than that which the invertor will supply. But the major reason is that it will be used to charge batteries when moored in a location for a few days, rather than running the vintage National engine, I would rather wear out an easily replacable generator than a very rare vintage engine.

Installed in the Corner of the Engine Room.

Week Nineteen.

We have had another week of excitement with the fit out of Hadar and with the boat we live on Misty Lady. Roger had been making the door for the shower, and the top half of the walls in the engine room got a coat of Ivory Gloss (photos to come next week).

Water Tank Goes In.

The water tank was fitted this week. The weather was right so we could drop the sheeting to allow access, but also Roger wanted to make room in the shed for a steel delivery which was due, so the tank had to go in. With a little heaving and hooing the water tank moved into it's home.

Water Tank in Postion in the Bow.

We put Misty Lady up for sale with Longport Brokerage and no sooner was Misty Lady on the market, than we sold her, it only took one week. It is one less worry for when Hadar is completed knowing that we have a new owner for Misty Lady . Once Hadar is finished and we have moved on to her, the new owner can take over Misty Lady. It will be sad to see her go as she has been our home for 2 yrs and our first boat. But we will be fulfiling a dream with Hadar and that is extra special.

Misty Lady Sold

Week Eighteen

Shower Cubicle Tiles.

Roger has now tiled the shower/toilet cubicle, and we are very pleased with the way the tiles compliment the colour of the timber.

Toilet Cubicle Tiles.

The granite then arrived for the galley work tops and Roger filled those and began the tiling of the galley walls. The green and cream tiles go really well with the Cherry timber work.

Port Granite Worktop and Tiling.

Starboard Granite Worktop and Tiling.

The galley now has a country kitchen feel to it, and that is exactly what I wanted. Yes that is me in the back ground. Keith and I are so pleased with the way things have progressed so far. Roger has worked really hard on Hadar and we look forward to another exciting week ahead.

Week Seventeen

Completed Roses & Castles.

Tina has now completed the Roses in the Boatmans Cabin. She still has some of the small Castles to do, but she will do these once Hadar is in the paintshed.
Roger has now lined and framed the galley side doors. This now completes the major carpentry in the fore cabin. The galley side doors are for ventilation and light only, there is no physical access through them as they are above the galley worktops.

Galley Side Doors.

Roger has tiled the toilet floor and has started tiling the cubicle walls. He will leave the grouting until she is brought out of the paintshed, as craning her in and out could cause the grout to fall out. This cannot be avoided with a full length boat with an open hold, there will be a lot of flexing when she is craned out. In future we will only be able to dry dock her for maintenance purposes.
Tina has undercoated the engine room, and this is now ready for the gloss coats to go on, the upper walls will be cream and the lower walls green to match the engine colour. Tina is off next week, but upon her return the following week they hope to put Hadar in the paintshed, providing everything is completed that Roger wants done before she goes in there. It could be a busy week for him next week!

Toilet Floor Tiles.

Week Sixteen

Start of one of the Castles in the Boatmans Cabin, a pencil sketch.

Tina started painting the Castles in the Boatmans Cabin. She did 3 to begin with, the one on the table and the 2 on the cupboard doors over the bed'ole. I was very priviledged to be allowed to sit in at each stage to take photographs, always trying to make sure I did not get in Tina's way.

Sky and water is added first.

Once the basic castle and surrounding area is sketched out with a pencil, Tina then began adding the paint. The sky was the first to go on, blending blue and white . Tina then added the water. I found it fascinating to watch how the picture is built up.

Grass and Mountains added.

Once the water and sky were dry, it was then time to add in the mountains and grass, again blending in different colours.

Castles.

At each stage the paint is allowed to dry before heading to the next stage. Once the grass was dry, Tina then began adding the paint for the castles. It is a real skill to paint free hand like this and very impressive to watch. What I find amazing is that each castle and picture although similar is not identical and that is what makes each picture unique to each boat painter.

Fine details being painted in; grass, plants and swans.

I dare say a lot of people look at the castles on boats but never really appreciate how much work goes into it and the finer details. The work to build up the trees, bushes and flowers is wonderful and it does look very real, whether you are looking at them from near or afar.

Finer details added.

Both the swans were added along with the reed beds and boats in the background. The castles had roofs added to their turrets, and flag poles.

Bed 'Ole Castle painting all done.

Final details added are flags on flag poles, sails on the boats, brick work added to the castle walls, and tiles on the roofs. You can sit and pick out all the other things added and look in wonderment at how wonderful it looks. Both Keith and I absolutely love the work Tina has done so far. She will be doing some of the roses next so keep watching the diary for those pictures.
Roger in the meantime has also been very busy with the rest of Hadar's fit out. He made and fitted the door panels for the doors into the hold. He has also been adding the edging strips around the timber work.

Doors into the hold.

Our stove plinth was tiled with quarry tiles from the yard, they looked nice and aged. The wall tiles have a picture of Coniston hand painted on them, and although they were quite expensive at £8 each hand painted tile, they look fabulous and our only major extravagance. Once the stove is fitted into place it will look amazing.

Tiled Stove Plinth.

Roger then set about varnishing all the woodwork in the saloon and making the stable doors which are going between the engine room and galley. We chose stable doors so that we can have the bottom doors closed to keep Paddy (collie) shut in, but have the top doors open for ventilation when on the move. This past week has been wonderful and very interesting especially for me as I was given the opportunity to sit in and watch Tina paint. I did make sure I thanked her for allowing me this priviledge because I am well aware that not all boat painters would do this. So please always ask first.
Once all the paintwork is complete in the boatmans cabin I will make up an album of each stage, so you can sit and browse at your leisure LOL. So another week of excitement has drawn to a close ready for another to begin, and you can follow each step with us by coming back again next week to see the next installment.

Week Fifteen

Final Two Cupboards in the Saloon.

The last 2 cupboards have now been fitted in the saloon. This now completes all the major carpentry.

Tina has nearly completed the graining of the scumbling in the boatman's cabin. Once all the graining has been completed it will all need a couple of coats of varnish.

Keith has been resting as he put his back out on Tuesday, Ouch!! Still it is getting better.

Cupboard Table Grained and Knotted.

On Tuesday Roger and I took a trip to Nettlebank Granite People, in Stoke-on-Trent to select the granite for our worktops in the galley. Keith and I had already decided on the Emerald Pearl Granite, and thankfully Nettlebank did have some in stock, so now we wait for it to be cut and polished to fit our galley.

Emerald Pearl Granite

Week Fourteen

Display Cabinet

The display cabinet, which is next to the TV/computer cabinet, has now been installed. The glass panels for the front have yet to be ordered.

Work then commenced on the bookcase which goes opposite the display cabinet on the portside. It has been built and has been varnished before fitting inside the boat.

Work also commenced on the final bulkhead between the coal stove and the last galley base cupboard.

Stove Plinth and Bookcase

The stove plinth, bookcase and the final bulkhead have now been installed.

Final Overhead Cupboard.

The final overhead cupboard has now been fitted in the galley, and soon all the cupboards will have doors.

Tina has been progressing with the painting in the boatmans cabin having done the primer and yellow undercoat, she started on the scumbling. I was even given the chance to have a go. So when your looking at the scumbling I dare you to spot the piece that I did LOL. I am amazed how Tina does the scumbling and how she copes in such a confined space with the paint fumes. It is very exciting to be able to watch an artist at work.

Tina Scumbling.

We now have to decide what granite we want for the galley work tops, such decisions and so much to choose from. Watch this space to see what we decided on.

Weeks Twelve and Thirteen

Fridge-freezer Installed.

Week Twelve started well, with the fridge-freezer being installed and the start of the cupboard above it.

The major news is the start of the painting. At the end of last week, Tina started filling the woodwork in the boatmans cabin ready for painting, which she started yesterday with the primer coat. The cabin doors have been done with aluminium primer, as will all external woodwork which will be exposed to the elements. The mast, stand and top-planks were similarly primed, as was the slide hatch.

Start of Painting in the Boatmans cabin.

Week Thirteen and the whole fit out is moving on at a huge rate.

TV/Computer Cabinet and Overhead Cupboards.

Things have moved on rapidly in week thirteen. The TV/computer cabinet has been built. The TV sits on top of the unit, the printer/scanner/coppier sits in the base of the unit. The 2 lower slots are for the 2 laptops and the upper is for the freeview box and the 2 external hardrives. The smaller slot on the gangway side near to the cooker is for the cd player/radio.

The overhead cupboards will give us extra storage space for the galley and for all the computer bits & pieces. We have chosen to have overhead cupboards to increase our storage space to the maximum to conpensate for the compactness of the living area. Many people would find this too claustrapophobic but I think it helps that both Keith and I are not tall! But from Keith's experience of having lived for 6 months in the boatmans cabin on Pisces he got used to it and we have tried to carry through the same efficient use of every little space for storage in the boatmans cabin into the living area.

Roger is now tackling the display cabinet to go next the TV/computer cabinet which will house Keith's model trains from his Exhibition Layout Holmehurst.

Tina has been busy painting in the boatmans cabin with the undercoat having gone on and the start of the scumble base yellow. Scumble for those who do not know is a painting process used in narrowboats which, by painting, simulates grained wood. The base coat is a very bright yellow, followed by the scumble, a brown colour, which is applied using a scumble comb, which gives the effect of wood grain, then the whole lot is varnished to protect it. The effect it quite good in appearance but gives a very much stronger, colourful surface.

Start of the Scumble Base Coat of very Bright Yellow.

Week Eleven.

Work recommenced on Hadar this week after the Christmas and New Year break.

We hope you had a wonderful time and enjoy reading Hadar's progress to completion during the beginning of 2007.

The installation of the automatic bilge pump under the forecabin floor.

Bilge Pump In Place

With many water appliances installed in a boat these days a bilge pump is a neccessity should any of them fail and discharge water into the bilges in the galley/shower/laundry area. Also the main water pump and the shower tray pumpout pump were installed along with all the associated pipework for supply of hot and cold water and disposal of waste water.

All the plumbing for the Galley and Bathroom

The stove for the saloon arrived and it is lovely.

Aarrow Acorn Multi Fuel Stove

The pipework was completed and the platform for the toilet to stand on was built. Roger then worked on the remaining wall and the door into the shower/toilet area.

Shower and Toilet Area

We have had a very good week, and things have moved on apace. Roger has been extremely busy on our boat this week. The shower/toilet cubicle is now completed, awaiting tiling and the sink to be fitted.

The washing machine and tumble drier have now been installed on the opposite side to the shower/toilet. The fridge-freezer was installed in its final position, next to the washing machine and drier. The cupboard above the drier is completed apart from the doors.
The Inverter/charger has arrived along with the generator. This now completes all of the large purchases apart from the stove for the boatmans cabin.

Utility Area

Tina Paramore the boat painter also began the paint work in the boatman cabin. Her first job was to paint knotting compound on all the knots, she then filled over where all the screw heads were showing. Her final job for this week was to sand it all down ready for priming. Having spoken to Tina I am amazed how much work and paint has to go on before we get to the Roses and Castles. You can follow the progress here in Hadar's Dairy.

Week Ten

The upper walls of the saloon and the first part of the galley have now been fitted. It is taking shape rather nicely. Despite the sloping roof of the 8 ft saloon there is plenty of headroom. Well there is for Keith and I as we are both short!
The wood panels are ash, with cherry bordering. We have seen the effect on a previous boat Roger built whilst we were moored here, and we rather liked it. The ash will be painted with a thin layer of ivory coloured paint and the grain shows through which we liked.

With the wall lining being completed, work started on the shower/toilet cubicle, and the laundry area. The walls in the shower/toilet cubical are thicker (18mm ply) as these walls will be tiled and need a firm base to be attached to. All the various water pipes needed to be installed as things proceed. With the temporary installing of the major appliances (washing machine, tumble dryer and fridge-freezer) to calculate the bulkhead positions, Keith's calculations were spot on

everything fitted, he had been worried that they would be wrong but these fears were soon dismissed, Pheww!!
Mind you there isn't a lot of room to spare, they all just fit in with millimeters to spare. It is all going to be very snug. We are both so excited it is all our Christmases coming at once.

Over the next week things should really change. So please pop back in to have a look.

Week Nine

What a fantastic week we have just had with the fitout of Hadar. Having chatted to Roger and worked out where we wanted the wiring to go, he set about lining out the main cabin, where the bathroom, utility room, galley and saloon will be. All of it is being fitted into an 18 foot space, so it will be very cosy. Like the boatsmans cabin and engine room the ceiling is tongue and groove timber through out.
It was only whilst seeing the wiring being fitted that you can appreciate how much there is behind those walls! Things are really moving along at a pace. We have gone for down lighters throughout, with switches for pairs of lights, so we do not have to have all the lights on at once. in the galley and saloon, thus giving us the chance to have some mood lighting if we wish.

With all the wiring done. Flooring down and ceiling timber up Roger will be starting to fit the upper walls. By the time I post the next round of photographs you will really see a difference. Keith and I have already sat down and worked out what fixture and fittings we want for the bathroom, galley and saloon. We already have our washing machine, tumble drier, fridge freezer, and cooker. We cannot wait to see them in place, it is very exciting.