Katona

Rebuilding a narrowboat.

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Nick

Nick

Unburdened

Remember the water tank? I forgot something: the level sensor. Previously I knew the water level through vibes, but they’re not always accurate and too many times I’d be mid-shower and hear the dreaded churn of a water-less pump. That arrived this week, and I’m now waiting

By Nick 28 Jul 2024

To comply, you must pay

There’ve been a few checklists during this project for major milestones, the first being “move back onboard” for getting the bow habitable last year. No stranger to camping, on Tuesday I did that again, airbed and sleeping bag in tow. It still feels a bit homeless but compared to

By Nick 21 Jul 2024

We grind and clean some more, and then we paint

When I pressure-washed the water tank last Sunday, I dried it out but not quickly enough: it started flash rusting… but this time I only needed a quick angle grind with a wire brush, followed by a regular vacuum and wipe-down before it was ready to paint. The paint I’

By Nick 14 Jul 2024

We clean

The car won’t start, it’s falling apart. — Shania Twain But I was not late for work: I took Monday off this week, starting with a trip to Tamworth — an hour away — to pick up some extra insulation. Not long after leaving I fell slightly forwards as the clutch

By Nick 7 Jul 2024

We grind

Hello, and happy June’s end! Chaotic is an understatement, as I’ll be moving back onboard a little sooner than I thought: 2 weeks to get all the messy work out of the way, with final bits of insulation ready for the re-build. To start with on Monday evening,

By Nick 30 Jun 2024

A grippy, non-slippy roof!

Roof or bust, I spent most evenings during the week getting it ready to paint, like masking it with the help of a duck: And on Monday I also picked up the vents which I had powder coated, now in matt black: Those I installed on Tuesday evening, and I

By Nick 23 Jun 2024

Just let me paint!

Hello! This week, roof painting! Or attempts at it… because I’ve chosen to do it with 2 different colours, and some with anti-slip grit, that’s 3 combinations, each needing 2 coats, drying time and good weather. The paint I’m using is Sigmadur 520, a 2-pack that needs

By Nick 16 Jun 2024

To Shakespeare! With handrails.

28 weeks later, I made it! Katona is permanently moored for the first time in a year, what a trip. I spent a few evenings hopping up the river, reaching Stratford on Wednesday. I called a taxi to get back to the car — Tom’s taxis, in Bidford — and told

By Nick 9 Jun 2024

The diminishing marginal utility of sandpaper

My neck, my back… happy June! As of writing I am nursing some herbal tea after a long day of sanding, painting, and re-floating Katona for a cruise: The last few days have been a crunch, but it all started on Monday with a 12-hour sanding sesh, stripping back another

By Nick 2 Jun 2024

Devastatingly meaningless, excruciatingly meaningful

There are many things where in order to do the thing, you spend a lot of time doing another thing in prep for the main thing. Painting is like this, just like welding, or sales. Eventually you need to pick up the phone, or a brush, yet this week I

By Nick 26 May 2024

B'day boating

Hallo! This week I finally unpacked the welder, to then find it was plug-less. The manual insisted you find a qualified electrician and only use a 16 amp circuit, so I wired it up to a 13 amp lead and hoped for the best. And it’s a wonder. But

By Nick 19 May 2024

Post-salvage paint quests, and giraffes?

Hallo! After the cleaning sesh last weekend, Monday morning felt light; it was satisfying to pressure wash again, although the engine oil was stubborn. Even with a few degreasing rounds it was truly soaked in, but everything is spick compared to last week and I’ll go over it with

By Nick 12 May 2024
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Katona

Rebuilding a narrowboat.