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.

Weeks Seven and Eight of Hadar's Fit Out.

Hadars fit out is progressing at a great rate now and the boatsmans cabin is almost finished. Roger made the double doors into the engine room.


The four drawers which go underneath the bed cupboard and seating were made up ready for fitting.

Roger then went onto make the wooden hatch slide, which was then covered in aluminium, and an aluminium strip screwed around the edge.

The final thing to be done was the lining and detail to the back doors of the cabin. We are so pleased with all the work done on the boatsmans cabin, it is just the way we imagined it would be.

So with the boatsmans cabin fit out completed, it was time to start on the engine room. With the doors in place it was now time to line the engine room out.

Firstly the ceiling was lined out with tongue and groove timber, holes were cut for the pigeon box, lighting and exhaust.Then the walls were lined out with plywood and edging strips for that final detail. The whole thing looks fabulous.

With the engine room almost complete, we will be sitting down next week, to discuss the fitout of the front cabin. This will involve putting in the shower/toilet/laundry area, galley and saloon. We are keeping it all very simple and tasteful, so keep popping in to see the changes happen. And no the cover over the engine is not my new curtain material LOL.

Weeks Five and Six

I must apologise to all who have been waiting for the latest pictures of Hadar's fit out. Life at the boatyard has been pretty hectic this past few weeks, with other work being done at the yard.
Hadar's fit out is coming along really well, and we are so pleased with the way her boatmans cabin is looking now.


There are doors with hinges on all the cupboards . I just love the tongue and groove panelling on the cupboards.


The table-cupboard door hinges down, and there is a handle on the crumb/cutlery drawer. The bed cupboard is now complete, and awaiting it's mattress. It is all very exciting. I know how daft we are, lol, getting excited about a bed cupboard, but it will be where we will sleep for the rest of our days, so bear with me if I get over excited at something so silly.



Roger has been working really hard on the cabin. As you can see there are now shelves on both sides of the rear door, and he has also put in the partition between the bed area and living area. With a fake beam across the ceiling.

We have a coal box, which sits under the top step and doubles up as a second step. We will be able to get loads of coal in that box.


Under the shelves is the radio box, where boat people used to store their radio. I dare say we will find a good use for it.

So as you can see it is all going incredibly well, the next stage is making and fitting the drawers under the bed.

Weeks Three and Four of Hadar's Fit Out

Weeks Three and Four have been another exciting time in the fit out of Hadar. Her boatmans cabin is really coming together now as you will see from the photographs. It is so nice to see how the cabin goes together, it is just like putting a jigsaw together when you sit and watch Roger do the woodwork. It is a real work of art when done properly. Keith and I both find it fascinating to watch just how much work goes into fitting out a boat, and it is certainly something we would never have done ourselves.
The beginings of the ticket draw have begun with the frame work.
The platform for the stove is in place and so are the shelves beside the stove. We have yet to buy the stove but we know the one we want.
The cupboard carcass with shelving is now in place, ready for the draw and table top come door to be made and fitted.
Seating and draw space has gone in on the right, and the hide away bed is now going in. We have gone for a four foot wide bed, rather than the 3 foot bed which they had in the original boats, after all we do not want to be cramped.
Roger has begun the doors for the cupboard over the bed which has a shelf running through the middle. Below the bed there will be two draws, so plenty of room for clothing etc.
It is wonderful to have the opportunity to see how our fit out comes together, the benefit is that we will know where every wire, screw and piece of pipe is fitted.

Week Two Of the Fit Out

I thought as a few things had been happening with Hadar's fit out this week I would give you another update. The boatmans cabin is coming along a treat.

Having done the floor and part way up the gunwales, Tongue and Groove was then fitted to the wall of the cabin, and a hole for the port hole was cut out.Then the lining out of the other wall began with hardboard, to this the bed and cupboard will be fitted, and there are of course wires dangling ready for connecting up when the time comes.It has actually got exciting seeing her boatmans cabin begin to come to life.The Hardwood Step went in and it really is a solid piece of wood. I have no idea what sort of hardwood it is, but it looks the part anyway and will definately see alot of footprints on it over the years to come.See what I mean, it is a substantial piece of wood.

The ceiling has been panelled out with tongue and grove timber. The bulls eye and mushroom vent holes have been cut out and holes for the lighting wires have also be cut out ready to take the lighting wen the time comes.The beginings of the boatmans cabin cupboard shell have gone in. So a very busy week with the fit out. Both Keith and I really enjoy taking in all that is going on, we will definately know where every wire and screw is by the end of this journey.

First Week Of the fit out.

We have been told by others with boats that when having a boat built, the fit out always seems to be the slowest part of the whole build. Well we will let you know if we agree now that the fit out has begun LOL.
For us the process of the fit out began this week, after discussions with Roger our builder about where the electrics were going, he began with the electrical wiring in the boatmans cabin, the pipework went onto the cooling tanks, and the timber work began in the boatmans cabin with the flooring and walls.
It is important at this point in the fit out to make sure all the wiring is in the right place, because once the walls and bulkheads go up it is difficult to change the wiring without taking it all down again, so along with Roger we are making sure everything is right from the start. Thats where being near the boat yard is a real help because we are on hand if Roger needs to know anything.Whilst we were out on Friday the flooring went down in the galley, bathroom and utility area. It is really quite exciting seeing her come together already. I hope that you enjoy following the fit out with us and for those looking in who are thinking of having a boat built, it gives you an idea as to what goes on and what you can possibly expect.

Hadar's Fit Out

Hiya welcome back, there have been a few weeks of nothing happening on Hadar. Keith and I took off to go cruising our way up onto the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, we then paid a visit to the Shackerstone Festival Weekend after a couple of days back in Stone. You can read about our exploits on Life Afloat. We are now back at our mooring in Stone and Hadar's fit out has begun, so remember to keep our blog diary on your desk top to keep up to date with a blow by blow account of things as they happen. Because fit outs can be slow I will do an update probably every couple of weeks depending on whats happening, so don't get disheartened if nothing appears, it just means nothings happening right now LOL.
At the moment Roger is working on the wiring and putting the floor in the boatmans cabin, we will take photos, so you can see her in her naked state so to speak.
Keep you posted, Happy Cruising.

HADAR's Launch

The final Preparations to launch started early, some padding was attached to the arm of the dumper truck, and this was used to nudge the boat forward out of the shed until the start of the baseplate was over the fixed roller in the slipway. The winch cable was attached to the bottom of the rudder post, this would be used to stop her from rolling out on her own. The stern was then jacked up until the bow rested on the fixed roller. Unfortunately at this point it was discovered that the pivot point of the boat was too far back for the remaining rollers to support her clear of the concrete at the top of the slipway.The answer was to build 2 ramps up out of wood and steel plate to shift these rollers back behind the pivot point, this took quite a while as Roger wanted to be certain that she would roll down them without breaking the ramps, or falling off them! But once he was satified with the setup, the boats moored in the basin were all tied together and then drifted out of the basin across the canal out of harms way. A large piece of wood about the size of a railway sleeper was tied against the opposite bank where it was expected for her to strike the wall. Roger then gave me the go ahead to name her, which I did, " I name this boat HADARm godbless her and all who sail in her" accompanied by the mandatory bottle of champagne.

Ceremony over, the cable winch was detached, and the final holding chocks removed, and she started to roll forward. It could not have gone better as she slipped out of the shed and into the water. However as was expected due to her size and weight the far bank took quite a wallop as can be seen from the photos, the Wooden plank was snapped clean in half!!!

A moment never to be forgotten, a definite one-off experience. We then moored her up against the bank and returned all the boats to their moorings in the basin.We would like to thank those people who came along to watch HADAR's launch, we hope they enjoyed what was a special moment for us. A huge thank you must go to Roger and everyone at the boat yard who have built HADAR. She is everything we wanted and more. All photographs of the launch are in Hadar's Album in the diary menu. We now look forward to her fit out.

Because the fit out will take some months we are going to take a trip away on Misty Lady, so Hadar's diary will be quiet for a few weeks, but if you would like to catch up with our exploits on our trip you can follow us on www.ladyjogearman.blogspot.com

We just could not finish the day without a photograph of us with Roger Fuller and our new boat "HADAR".

Week Twenty Five

Monday 19th June 2006.
Steve 2 undercoated the engine room, with dark grey at the bottom and cream at the top.I climbed into my overalls (sexy huh) to finish painting the mast and the cratch with Mauritius Blue Gloss, I really love that colour. The Red Oxide Enamel and the Mauritius Blue will be the final colours, but they will be rubbed down and reapplied when "HADAR" has her final paint job, and that will be done by Tina Paramore after "HADAR's" fit out which comes next.Roger and Keith unpacked the sheeting and set about putting the side sheets up in the open hold, firstly they checked that they were the right length, they then laid a black mastic strip along the metal fixing strip the length of the open hold. They began to lay the side cover over the mastic strip and then battened them into place with oak battens, which were screwed to the metal work of the open hold. So we had a sandwich, metal fixing strip, mastic strip, side sheet and then oak batten all screwed together. Not the sort of sandwich you would want to eat though LOL.Having completed both starboard and port side sheets as far as they could go, they put the newly painted stand and planks into place.

Tuesday 20th June.
Roger and Keith finished fitting the side sheets over the saloon. They were a little more difficult to fit. After they were in place the painted Mast, cratch and remaining planks were put up. The side sheets were roped into place over the planking with blue nylon rope for now, it will be replaced before we take "HADAR" away. The top sheets were rolled out, and placed over the top planks along the open hold and over the saloon, checking all three sheets to make sure the eyelets matched up with the fixing loops on the gunwales. It all looked fantastic, and fitted perfectly. Keith sat down and made eye splices to tie the top sheets into place. Once they were tied into place we roped the top sheets down. Standing back and looking at her all done, already for launching, bought a lump to my throat, because this was the day we had been waiting for. She is all ready for launching.

Wednesday 21st June.
Roger and Joel (on work experience) started to move "HADAR" across to the centre of the shed ready for her launch on Thursday. All this was done with the use of rollers, a dumper truck and brute force. It took pretty much the whole day to get her in the right place.

Weeks Twenty Three and Twenty Four

Monday 5th June 2206.
Nothing happened on “HADAR” to day.

Tuesday 6th June.
Roger began working on our cratch. We decided to have it made of tongue and groove timber, so we could have it painted.

Wednesday 7th June.
Roger finished our cratch.

Thursday 8th and Friday 9th June.
Nothing was done today.

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Monday 12th June 2006.
Nothing was done today.

Tuesday 13th June.
Work began again on “HADAR”. Steve 2 starting fixing in the flooring joists in the bathroom, galley and saloon.The final plank was made and put into place in the open hold.
Roger and Keith measured up for the side sheets and top sheets for the open hold.
Roger then placed the order.

Wednesday 14th June.
Steve 2 and Keith began fitting all the brass works on i.e.: Mushroom vents, and cabin steps.
Steve 2 used sealant to put the glass into all the portholes and the bull’s eye.
Steve 2 and Keith fitted the waste pipe fixings for the shower, basin, sink and washing machine.
Keith and I primed the mast, stand, planks and cratch. I then began under coating them in grey.

Thursday 15th June.
We moved all the planks into the open hold to paint them. I finished under coating the mast, stand and planks.Steve 2 and Keith fitted the portholes and bulls eye. They then set about fitting the gas pipe and electric trunking in the open hold from the gas locker.

Friday 16th June.
Keith and Steve 2 did the electrics for the head lamp and front navigation light.
Steve 2 fixed the TV Ariel box onto the cabin roof along with the CB and Marine Ariel’s fixings.
The cratch brackets were fitted onto the cratch, and Steve 2 made up the top and bottom bands for the mast.Keith painted the weed hatch with Red Oxide Enamel.
I spent the day painting the planks with Red Oxide Enamel, and the Mast, Stand and Cratch with Mauritius Blue Gloss.
Steve 2 then sealed the weed hatch with tape, packed the stern tube, and attached the stern tube greaser and greased the stern tube.
The side sheets and top sheets arrived, now that’s what I call go service Roger had only ordered them Tuesday. We had a very busy week, but both Keith and I really enjoyed helping out. It was lovely to have hands on and be able to put our mark on “HADAR”
Here’s to an exciting week coming up so watch this space, as we hope fingers crossed to be able to launch her, ready for her fit out. All photographs will be in added to the diary.

Weeks Twenty One and Twenty Two

Monday 22nd May through to Friday 26th.

It has been a quiet week, there has been no work carried out on Hadar, we are waiting on timber and te sheeting for the open hold.

Monday 29th May through to Friday 2nd June.

Another quiet week on Hadar, however the timber has arrived for the flooring and the cratch.
I will update you further when we have something to report.

Have a great week in the sun, but remember to slap on the sun screen.

Week Twenty

Monday 15th May 2006.
Steve 1 had out the newspaper and masking tape and set about masking up the gunwales, and the open hold ready to spray paint them in what can only be described as chocolate brown mmmmmm and lovely it looked to. You can certainly understand why they wear masks whilst spray painting the smell of the fumes is enough to send anyone high. I have to say though it did nothing for me. But I do love the colour.

Tuesday 16th May.
No work done on Hadar today.

Wednesday 17th May.
Roger began work on the holds woodwork, the planks, mast and stand. His first job was the rear cross member, he then made the top plank block which sits on the cabin roof, he also started on the stand.

Thursday 18th May.
Roger spent the day making up the stand, he put them in place with the cross member. He also made up the mast box and then arranged the top planks and cross member.

Friday 19th May.
No work today done on Hadar, they are waiting for the tongue and groove wood to arrive for the cratch.













Over this past week Keith has enjoyed helping Roger with the woodwork, helping with measurements and the carrying of the timber, which is very substantial. The planks alone vary in length, but are 1 ½ thick by 11 inches wide. We are now getting very close to Hadar’s launch. Once the timber work for the hold is done, Roger can measure up for the sheeting. That can be got then fitted and yayyy we get to launch. We cannot launch until the sheeting is fitted. Because if it rains and the hold fills up she will sink Eckkk as there are no drain off holes in the hold. Anyway another week of activity and plenty more to come so please keep popping in for a read and a look at the photographs.

Weeks Eighteen and Nineteen

Monday 1st May 2006.

No work today as it was the May Day Bank Holiday.

Tuesday 2nd May.
Outlets were cut for the drain holes, for the basin, shower and galley sink under the port side window in the galley. The outlet for the washing machine was cut on the starboard side. The battening out continued ready for the foam insulating, which was booked for Wednesday. Once the battening was completed, all holes ie: port holes, chimneys, drain holes, etc were covered and sealed ready for the foaming. Holes were also cut through the bulkheads to take water pipes and electric cables, they were then covered and sealed. Also all the battening had to be covered with tape, so that once the foaming was done the tape could be taken off to reveal the wooden batten. The bulkheads in the engine room were covered with newspaper and taped up, they are not insulated as they only need insulation one one side only. Steve 2 had the messy job of rubbing down the cabin tops read oxide coat, ready to take a coat of gloss, so Hadars body work will be protected once outside. A top coat of gloss is added because the red oxide alone is porous. Once Hadar is ready for her final paint job, all this will be stripped off.

Wednesday 3rd May.
The guys from A & K Insulations Ltd (www.insulationsprayfoam.co.uk) arrived around 8:15am and prepared their equipment for the task of insulating Hadar's cabin. James was doing the spraying whilst John his partner was in charge of looking after the pumping equipment. They had to make sure there was at least a 1" even coat of foam through out the boatmans cabin, bathroom, galley and saloon. They finished it around 11.45am and then set about packing everything away.

Thursday 4th May.
There was no work done on Hadar, as Steve 2 had injured his ankle, and was taking a few days off to recover.

Friday 5th May.
Steve 1 started to clean the battens after completion of the foam insulating, where the spray foam had come into contact with them.

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Monday 8th May 2006.
Steve 1 continued the job of stripping back the foam insulation off the wooden battens. He also had the job of cutting back and sawing off the excess foam, where it was protruding over the wooden battens. I found that the sawing of the foam put my teeth on edge ewwwwww.

Tuesday 9th May
Steve 2 is still off work, with torn ligaments in both sides of his ankle, we wish him a speedy recovery. Steve 1 was again cleaning the battens this time in the boatmans cabin. Once that was all done he then painted the floor in the boatmans cabin.

Wednesday 10th May
Steve 1 finished rubbing down the cabin top that Steve 1 had started before his ankle injury.

Thursday 11th May.
No Steve 1 today he hurt his back on Wednesday. The mast and stand timber arrived. We sat down and worked out where we want all the electric sockets and lighting fitted.

Friday 12th May.
Steve 1 was back, all be it a little stiff, he finished rubbing down the cabin top. He then altered the sheeting fixing rail. Finally for this week he spray painted a coat of ice blue gloss paint over the red oxide. The gloss coat is there to protect the metal work, once outside until the final painting.

Weeks Fifteen, Sixteen and Seventeen

Monday 10th April 2006.
Hadar was lowered back to the shed floor, back on safe ground. Steve 2 was back on rivet duty, and it was the turn of the roof edge, doors and bulkhead. These rivets were much smaller than the hull rivets, so much more fiddly to put on and weld, in fact I think Steve had the patience of a saint. All in all on the Starboard side he welded on 221, see what I mean the patience of a saint.
Tuesday 11th April.
Steve 2 was again on rivets, this time on the port side, and in all he welded on 231 on the cabin tops doors and bulkhead. Believe it or not I actually counted all the rivets after he welded the remaining bow rivets on and amazingly there are approximately 1315. I say approximately because after counting them all twice I was ginging up the will to live. So if we meet up on the cut and you want to challenge my total feel free to count them up Ha ha ha. Believe me it is not easy, I was seeing double by the end, so goodness knows what it like to have to weld them all on. I will apologise to Steve 2 right now for putting him through that torture LOL... Oh heck I was forgetting he got paid to do it LOL. Steve 2 also fitted 4 fold up brass foot steps which are on each corner of the cabin top. So when we are both to old to climb onto the cabin top we can use the steps. Don't laugh we have to think of these thing's now after all I am coming up for 44 LOL. We maybe spring chickens now but as Hadar is going to be our only boat built from new, we are having everything fitted now for our more advanced year's. Forward thinking pay's, so if your thinking of having a boat built, think about what will happen when you are getting older and what you would like fitted now.Back to the boat, I was getting side tracked. Roger begain working on the swan neck, he had the steel on the lathe. Now that was an interesting thing to watch, look at the photo's and the one with the hole in the wall where the steel pole comes out. A great bit of design work LOL.

Wednesday 12th April.
The letter box vents for the boatmans cabin were screwed into place on both sides of the cabin top. When the boat's were first built with them in the 30's, the vents were open and used, but on our boat they will just be for affect. It all just adds to the over all affect. Steve 2 also welded into the open hold the mast base box, which will take the main wooden mast.

Thursday 13th April.
Steve 2 added more framing out steel in the cabin around the port holes. Both Steve 1 and Steve 2 then stated the bending of the swan neck, using a blow torn and brute force.
Friday 14th April. Good friday so nothing happened today it was a well earned day off for everyone.

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As it was the Easter Weekend no body worked Easter Monday 17th April.

Tuesday 18th April 2006.
Back to work and the swan neck was made, fitted and painted with red oxide. The screw holes for the navigation lights were drilled in to the saloon bulkhead. The head lamp post was welded into place above the gas locker at the bow.

Wednesday 19th April.
Steve 2 was busy with grinding back of the hull. Ariel fixing points were drilled out on the roof. Roger sorted out the gearbox, which had been in one of his previous boats, it had had very little use. The Top Hat was made and fitted on to the rudder post, above the rudder tube.

Thursday 20th April.
Steve 2 started spraying our cabin top and roof with red oxide paint. The fumes alone were enough to make anyone high LOL.Roger cut out the battens, for the framing out of cabin. Steve 1 cut out and welded the plate to the gearbox, that will hold it all in place.

Friday 21st April.
Steve 2 all masked up finished spraying the boat, doing the open hold and the bow, then both he and Roger began blacking the bottom with 2 pack. Hadar will have 2 1/2 coats of the 2 pack.

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Monday 24th April to Friday 28th April we were away. You can read about the fun few day's we had at http://www.ladyjogearman.blogspot.com/ Work was still taking place on Hadar over the week and it was as follows.

The port holes for the cabin top and pigeon box arrived along with their glass. The bulls eye also arrived along with the mushroom vents. All the holes were drilled into the cabin top to take the afore mentioned. The battening timber was screwed into place through out the boatmans cabin, engine room, bathroom, galley and saloon. The sheeting eyes were welded into place along the gunwales of the open hold. They will hold the ropes in place over the sheeting. 2 vents for the diesel were put into place in the walls of the engine room. The day tank was also fitted into the engine room. We discussed the outlets for the shower, basin, galley sink and washing machine with Roger. The yellow Pine for the open hold top planks arrived they are each 11" x 2". So it was a very busy week whilst we were away.

Week Fourteen

Rivets and more Rivets

Monday 3rd April 2006.
This is a week of rivets and more rivets, so many so that Steve 2 is now dreaming about them LOL. On the port and starboard side 440 rivets have so far been welded on the hull, and they look fabulous. The ring and rails were made by Steve 1, and will be welded to the outsie wall of the galley bulkhead. The propshaft, and propeller were married up, but there was a problem with the alignment, so the shaft had to be changed.

Tuesday 4th April.
Bow fender brackets were welded on the bow. Steve 1 fitted the propshaft and propeller.The fixing plates for the false front cratch were welded into place. More rivets were welded on by Steve 2, infact in all between Steve and Roger they have welded on 781 rivets. There are still quite a few to go as well. The Anode beackets were welded on, and the Anodes were fitted.

Wednesday 5th April.
Today it was the day when Hadar was jacked up, ready for welding underneath. They used hand held jacks at each end, whilst using wooden blocks to hold her up. Jacking one end at a time they found the pivot point so they could block her up little by little. It was a bit like trying to find the centre point of a slide. But gradually they got her a few feet off the ground, and set about welding the base plate underneath, and the lowest rubbing strake.The timber arrived from Jewson for the framing out.

Thursday 6th April.
Both Steve's spent the day welding and grinding back, on the base plate and hull.

Friday 7th April.
Both Steve's again were welding and grinding back, they also did some work on the stem post, ready for the false rivets to go on.

Both Keith and I can now see how Hadar will look, now that the hull is almost complete. For us seeing Hadar come this far, means that soon she will be launched. The next phase will be the fitting out, that's when the fun will start for me in particular. It is always a woman's dream isn't it girl's to have thing's fitted the way we would like them. Keith and I have pretty much decided on the detail's for the fit out, but like with most thing's there is always room for change or improvement. So keep watching this space, because it is an exciting time.

Week Thirteen

Monday 27th March 2006
Steve 2 cuts out the positions for the 7 portholes. Steve 1 finished the sliders for the boatmans cabin hatch. Roger began marking out and welding on the dummy rivets along the port side starting at the bow. Each rivet is place 41/2 inches apart. The rivets Roger uses are his own design, so if I tell you his secret design he may have to shoot me LOL. Steve 1 did the planking on the rear bulkhead of the boatmans cabin, to give it the effect of wooden planks. By the end of the day Roger had made and welded into place 198 rivets. I dare say he will be seeing them in his sleep. Steve 2 welded on the weather strip over the window in the galley on the Port side. Steve 1 cut out and tacked on the hinges for the rear boatmans cabin doors.

Tuesday 28th March.
Steve 1 welded on the rear doors for the boatmans cabin, he also cut out the hole in the engine room roof for the pigeon box, which has already been made. After checking with keith and I about mushroom vent positions and bulls eye position Steve 1 then set about cutting the holes in the roof. Steve 2 spent the day welding up and grinding back along the length of the boat. Roger continued welding on the dummy rivets, and had added another 85 by the end of the day. The pate we will stand on for steering was also welded on by the end of the day.

Wednesday 29th March.
The hole for the engine exhaust was cut out in the roof of the engine room, and the fitting put in place.The handrail for the starboard side of the roof was made and welded into place. The Port side weather strip over the galley windown was welded on. Steve 1 set to adding all the steel frame work for the boatmans cabin floor. The Saloon stove flue hole was cut out.

Thursday 30th March.
Fender brackets were welded onto the stern of the boat. Steps for the inside the open hold, were being made. Today the Tiller arm, propeller, anodes, propshaft, stern tubing gland, and navigation lights arrived. Framing out was taking place inside the boat for the woodwork.

Friday 31st March.
The steps for both sides of the open hold were welded into place. Steve 2 started welding on the dummy rivets on the starboard side he did 221 by the end of the day. Two chimney collars were bolted into place in the boatmans cabin and saloon. Door securing nuts were welded onto all doors and windows. One of the two ring and rails was made for the saloon bulkhead.
Another exciting week for us, having sat and watched it all going on. Hadar looks like a real boat now and she has her own personality.

Week Twelve

Monday 20th March 2006.

The bulkhead between the engine room and our galley was tacked into place ready for the final welding. The strip of steel drilled for wood and screws, that will hold the canvas in place was welded along the gunwale, where our under the canvas saloon will be. Roger had begun to cut out the beginnings of the handrails that will run along the roof top, port and starboard.

Tuesday 21st March.
Steve 1 was busy cutting out the hatchways on the engine room. Roger was scoring a line 2 inches below the gunwale, to make it look like wood was planted on the gunwale. We know it is only fake, but it does finish it off properly. Roger like’s to make sure all the detail is correct as do we. Roger then took off the temporary bracing that was throughout the hold. It looks massive now that it is completely cleared.Steve1 then make the sides for all the hatchway’s ready for the lids.

Wednesday 22nd March.
More scoring of the imitation wood along the gunwale was done on the port side. To do this scoring a line is drawn with chalk, 2 inches down from the top of the gunwale. Then a straight, flat piece of steel is tacked to the gunwale, and an angle grinder is then used to score in the final line. The doors were made for the engine room on the port side.Back doors for the boatman’s cabin, engine room starboard side doors, and hatch lids were chalked out on a sheet of steel ready for cutting out.

Thursday 23rd March.
Steve 2 cut out the galley window door’s for the port side, tacking on the hinges and grinding them all back. Port side engine room doors were welded into place. Roger finished cutting out the handrails, he then set about welding on the posts.

Friday 24th March.
Port side window doors are welded into place. The Starboard door’s for the engine room were welded on. The handrails were tacked into place on the roof of the boatman’s cabin, shower room and galley on the port side. The doorway of the rear boatman’s cabin was reinforced ready to take the doors. Also the sliders were welded on for the hatch when it is made.Roger cut out, bent and welded into place the beam holders in the open hold. The holders will hold the wooden beams that go across the hold and cover up the shackles. Roger also started welding on the half rings which the shackles will be attached to. I stood watching as the beam holders were cut out, and it totally amazed me how quick and easy it is to cut steel with a torch. It’s like a hot knife through butter. It also makes you realise when they always wear safety gear such as goggles etc, because it is also very dangerous. As you have read it has been a very productive week, it was hard to know where to take the photographs next, but we had a great time watching all the work going on and will continue to enjoy this journey as it unfolds.

Week Eleven

Monday 13th March 2006.
Another week and more work to be done on Hadar our new home to be.The edging strip along the roof line was tacked into place. This strip with take the dummy rivets.The doorway uprights have been tacked into place between the boatsman's cabin and the engine room.

Tuesday 14th March.
Steve 1 was off poorly. As we are well aware at this time of year, there are plenty of bugs going around.Steve 2 spent the day welding up and grinding back.

Wednesday 15th March.
Much the same as Tuesday.

Thursday 16th March.
No progress today as Steve 1 was still off poorly and Steve 2 was on holiday.

Friday 17th March.
Steve 1 was back at work feeling a little better, but not 100%.Firstly he started out by marking out and cutting out the bulkhead which will be between the boatsman's cabin and the engine room.He then proceded to tack them into place.

Whilst this week seemed like a slow week progress wise, we are still enjoying the process of watching new things happen every day. When all this is over, and we are crusing the system, we will be able to look aback on the diary and photograph album and smile, because we are watching our dream grow. For many they may find this the boring part, but for us it is pure joy. It also makes it more pleasureable because our boat Hadar is being built by a great team of people.So here's to the following weeks, and to more memory building.

Week Ten

Monday 6th March 2006.
Both the Steve's spent some of the day welding and grinding back some of the tacked steel shell.Roger had gone off at 9am to collect our National engine, from Tony Redshaw at Braunston. Whilst he was there he asked for it to be run for a little while so he could hear it, and also take a video of it for us. Roger was back by early afternoon, and they set about taking the engine off the trailer. They had to remove the mounting blocks before lifting and positioning the engine into place in the engine room. Keith and I are so pleased with the engine, Tony and his son Paul have made a fantastic job of her, she looks fabulous with her shiny top and brass.

Tuesday 7th March.
The engine was moved so that the engine bay could be painted out with white paint, and the engine fixing points were welded into place on the fuel tanks, it was then a matter of waiting for the paint to dry before putting the engine back into place.Steve 2 was also busy working on the gas locker. He was squeezed into a small space welding in the floor.We also discussed the position for the water tank.

Wednesday 8th March.
A day tank for the diesel was made ready to go into the engine room when the time comes. Because there is no fuel pump we need a day tank, which we will have to hand pump every morning before setting off. The pigeon box was also made ready for the engine room roof.Steve 2 finished welding the floor into the gas locker.They then put the engine back into place.The final side for the boatmans cabin and engine room was lifted and tacked into place.

Thursday 9th March.
The gas locker was painted out.With the sides for the boatsmans cabin in place the shape was then cut into their tops ready to take the roof.

Friday 10th March.
The roof had its strengthening bars tacked on and was then lifted into place and tacked. So now the boat has its cabin sides and roofs. Hadar does already look fabulous, and we are so very happy with her progress. We feel very priviledged to have the opportunity to watch her being built, and thank Roger and the two Steve's for allowing us access to be able to take photographs, and ask questions about the build.Here's to another week of fun and games, and to further progress.

Week Nine

Monday 27th February 2006.
The start of week 8 and major things were going to happen this week. Firstly the two Steve's tacked into place the roofing for the galley and bathroom, so we have the beginings of a roof over our heads.They then put up the first sheet of steel for the boatsman's cabin, little can be done to the boatsman's cabin, until the engine come's back.In the mean time Roger was working on the prop shaft and couplings.

Tuesday 28th February.
The last day of the month and brrrr a cold day with snow flurries but inside the workshop it was a flurry of work going on as the two sides and roof for the saloon are tacked into place.We also had discussions about the size of the portholes, we are having 7 in all.

Wednesday 1st March.
The doorway and the bulkhead for the saloon opening into the open hold was added. We were also told that our national engine was due to come back on Monday, which will be very exciting, to see it in its new livery.

Thursday 2nd March.
With Steve two off poorly, Steve One was busy welding and grinding back the new cabins.

Friday 3rd March.
Steve One spent the day cutting out and tacking into place the door's for the Saloon, these doors have been done as stable doors, so they open into the open hold. We have also had hinges fitted so that the top doors can be taken off in the good weather. Steve's final task for the week was to red oxide the floor of the engine room, ready for the engines return on Monday. That was it would have the weekend to dry out, as it is very cold in the workshop.

It has been a fantastic week for seeing progress, and imagining where everything is going to go once fitted out.Atfer the the boatsman's cabin and engine room, we have added an extra 10ft of cabin space to accomodate the bathroom and galley, with a further 8ft for the saloon, which will be unseen under the canvas. The idea for extending the cabin top by 10ft for the galley and bathroom, were taken off of Warbler a Willow Wren boat also a Star Class, we saw her down at the Canal Crusing company when we were having Misty Ladys bottom blacked, and having looked at Warbler we realised it did not look out of place and actually solved a few of our space problems, as we had originally decided to have everything under canvas, but they caused problems for the head room in the shower. So now with the problem solved with the 10ft extention, we can have what we want, but still keep the outside looking in proportion. Our excitement is building as you can well imagine, especially with our engine coming back. Look out for the next installment when I will post photographs of the engine in her new livery.

Week Eight

It was another fantastic week in the building of Hadar. I have now numbered the two Steve's LOL. Far better than saying old Steve and young Steve hahaha, if I did that they may down tools and stop work lol, you know what men are like (whoops sorry guy's)

Monday 20th February 2006.
Steve 1 completed putting the baffles in cooling tank, the baffles in the coolong tanks are cut at two different lengths, so the water has to pass around them, allowing the water to cool in the process, he then welded the face of it on with pipe fittings, top and bottom.Steve 2 spent most of the time welding the hull on the inside.

Tuesday 21st February.
We had discussions with Roger about canvas and the position of the steel strips, that will butt upto the cabin sides.After the discussions Steve 2 began tacking steel strips along the gunwale, these strips have been pre-drilled, for taking the canvas which goes upwards from the gunwales, and will be held inplace with timber screwed to the steel work.Steve 1 set to and did the second cooling tank with baffles and outlets.

Wednesday 22nd February.
The steel strips were welded to the gunwales and ground back.The final 2 cross members were welded into place in the boatsman cabin floor.The two cooling tanks were then pressurised and tested for leaks, and both passed.Discussions were had about the cabin tops and planking.The first of the bulkheads went on at the stern,and was tacked into place. The boatsman cabin rear wall with door hole, will have planking grooved into it at a later stage to make it look like wooden planks, which was used when the small northwich was originally built.

Thursday 23rd February.
Steve 1 made up and fitted the rudder post and rudder.He also made up and bent the cross members for the roof.There was lots of grinding back for Steve 2.

Friday 24th February.
Steve 2 added the fourth and final rubbing strake was tacked on along the bottom of the hull.Steve 1 was working on the rudder post and skeg.They all set about lifting and putting into position the first of the cabin sides for the bathroom and galley, that was then tacked into place, and side number 2 was put into place.Finally they bent the roof into shape and tacked the crossed members onto the roofing steel.It's all set for another exciting week to come.

Week Seven

Monday 13th February 2006.
The begining of another week, this being week 7 we were expecting to be just watching all the joints, being welded, but as you will notice from the photographs, other things took place as well.For a starter they completely welded the fuel tank tops on, they were then both pressurised to see if they leaked externally. The internal test had already been carried out. The external tests were done and no leaks found.The excess base plate on the bow was partly cut away, giving the base of the hull it's final shape, and very nice it looked.

Tuesday 14th February.
The rest of the hull was completely welded and the remaining base plate at the bow was cut away. Even just the small things, makes a big difference to the final shape.

Wednesday 15th February.
It was purely just lot's of welding and grinding back today make sure all the surfaces, had a finished smooth appearance.

Thursday 16th February.
Yet more welding and grinding, sounds boring, but if its not done, the final effect will not look so great, not to mention the fact that hadar will sink LOL.

Friday 17th February.
Today the two Steve's set about straightening the hull out, making sure all the lines of the body work were straight, which ment alterations in the gunwales, and yes yet more welding. Hadar would look pretty silly if her hull was like a banana, so it is important. Again there was alot of welding going on throughout the hull, but vital even though it will all be unseen.Finally for the week, the metal work has started to go in for the cooling tanks. All in all another good week.

Week Six

Monday 6th February 2006.
The beginning of week 6, and a warmer start to the week, even though it was dull. There was nothing done to Hadar during the morning, as Steve was working on Typhoon, blacking her bottom ( I bet she loved that LOL). But during the afternoon, he tacked the remainder of the top rubbing strake along both sides of the hull, heading towards the stern

Tuesday 7th February.
All of the top rubbing strake was welded into place right the way around Hadar's hull.

Wednesday 8th February.
The two Steve's then set about adding the other three rubbing strakes to the stern of the boat, firstly bending then tacking them into place, they then using the cutting torch cut off the excess 15mm steel off the base plate, giving Hadar's Stern her shape, and very fine it looks too.

Thursday 9th February.
The 3 remaining stern rubbing strakes are all welded in to position and ground down to make them nice and smooth. A connection pipe has been welded into place to connect the two fuel tanks, and a leakage test has been done. (So fingers were crossed).

Friday 10th February.
With no leakage found on the fuel tanks, tops were tacked into place, and a pressure test valve fitted. Any of the remaining stern welding was done and all ground back to give the stern it's final shape.

Although we thought this may have been a quiet week, due to all the final welding which needed to be done, we have actually seen a huge change in Hadar's Stern, as you will see from the photograph's in her album, so here's to another fun packed week. I will see you same place, same time next week, all being well.