Insulating, flooring and lining out
Meanwhile...
Before I start the section, here's a quick plug for Graham Booth's excellent Narrowboat Builder's Book.
While all this engine shenanigans was going on, I had started work inside the boat and also had to get the BSS certificate, which is like a boat MOT.
Keith Aldterton of Ely Boat Chandlers came down for the inspection. I wanted to get this done as soon as possible, before I fitted anything that could fail!
Keith was very helpful and friendly, and I certainly recommend his services if you are in the area. There were a few things that needed fixing on the boat; the exhaust needed heat-proof lagging; one of the flexible fuel pipes was too old; the starter battery wasn't secured properly.
Keith explained what was needed and gave me lots of useful advice. He came out again two weeks later for nothing, ticked off the repairs and gave me the certificate. Boat owners worry about the BSS, but my experience was positive and easy.
Insulation
John had already painted the inside with Waxoyl and done the insulation of the cabin in 50mm rigid polyurethane with foil coating (known as Cellotex / Kingspan / Xtratherm). This is quite easy to work with and a very good insulator. I finished off the walls in 70mm and filled all the gaps with expanding foam.
One tricky bit is insulating under the gunwales, as there is nothing to fix to. I had to attach a batten to the bottom of the cabin wall that projected down to take the insulation and lining in the area.
Layout and services
I spent ages faffing about with the plans of the boat and bits of cardboard to find the best layout. This was constrained by the positions of the doors, windows, water tank and chimney hole. I was unable to find a decent compromise, but my Mum solved the problem in about 30 seconds!
I wanted a clean, open plan layout with none of the silly little rooms and corridors you sometimes see in narrowboats. The answer was the kitchen up the front, with lots of light and the doors going directly to a central aisle.
Next is a living area with the wood burning stove, open plan to the bed area and finally a bathroom in the stern with a short corridor to the rear door. This solved all the problems I had in a stroke.
Next, I planned out the water, gas and electrics (see next section). These were all recessed into the insulation, which is a very messy job. I ran all the wires through plastic conduit although it's not strictly necessary with non-polystyrene insulation.
Lining
I'm not a fan of the ubiquitous tongue-groove you always see in narrowboats. I wanted a modern look and settled on birch-faced WBP ply lining. This is a nice light colour and the large panels have a clean look. The exposed screws (in neat cups) mean all panels can be removed for maintenance and changes.
Bradnams of Haverhill supplied the wood, 26 8 x 4 foot sheets of various thicknesses cost me around £600. The ceiling was 7mm to allow it to bend into the gentle curve of the roof. The walls are 12mm which is nice and stiff, and the bathroom partitions are single sheets of 18mm which is strong enough to be used as a wall on its own. The bathroom and kitchen area were lined in marine ply as I was planning to tile them.
For the finish, I fine-sanded the surface with 400-grit garnet paper until it was as smooth as glass, then gave it three coats of Danish Oil. The last coat was done with a nylon scouring pad to get rid of the nibs.
This took ages!
Danish Oil is strange stuff to use, and smelly, but has a lot of advantages over varnish.It soaks into the wood to make it waterproof, and rot proof with a soft sheen. It will not peel or split, and if it gets faded or scratched you just apply another coat. This partly dissolves the old oil to give a really good finish. And it has a funny picture of this 70s bird on the tin.
Floor
The front half of the boat had and 18mm marine ply floor over a bilge, and the rear half was solid engineering bricks covered with horrible bitumen stuff. I was relieved to find the bilge under front section clean and dry with a spray-crete ballast. The rear section we tried to smooth with a self-levelling screed but only had partial success.
The first task was to build the hearth. I cast this out of concrete directly onto the ballast so there was no wood involved. I tiled the hearth with red and brown quarry tiles, having designed it just the right size not to have to cut any.
TIP: when laying the floor, do not fit the planks too tightly and do not fix them down in any way. They will expand from heat and moisture and if there is no slack they will erupt upwards!
Next I put down a layer of 3mm vapour-barrier foam under floor insulation followed by the 18mm solid oak tongue and groove floor boards. Running them across the boat, along with all the wood grain of the walls, is easier and helps the boat look less narrow.
The stove went in next, as it was starting to get cold.
Most boats seem to feature Morso or Boatman stoves which are very expensive. I found a company called Natural Heating in Norfolk with a great range of stoves at bargain prices.I settled appropriately enough, on their 'Narrowboat Deluxe' design. This is nice and slim and as well as the usual glass front door it has a side door that will take logs up to 50cm. Plus it has a hotplate on top, all for £180.
