Hardware mode

Hello! Happy Sunday, happy February :)

On Thursday the 29th January, dismantling my piano and packing for London, I felt excited about the boat for the first time in months. Excited to work on it again!! To build a wardrobe, finish the bathroom & re-sand those shelves, finish the kitchen (my friend had some excellent ideas for lighting), the heating system, re-wire the engine, yada yada. I moved down on the Saturday, but 3 days later came back to housesit which meant BOAT WORK.

And instead of doing the gas (it was cold, and I don't need it), I've decided to do a final pass from bow to stern, finishing everything along the way. For the bedroom/cabin that's the wardrobe, a blind and door + window trim. And while there I started on another light switch, accessible from the bed:

Threading it behind the panelling felt impossible (I tried 15 times) , so I'll need to go back with a thin, rigid wire to pass some string through.

Then, wardrobe.

Engine oil for ballast.

And a dry fit before chamfering and sanding, sans hinges:

Cutting the side piece was finicky, but it felt great to turn the boat back into a worksite:

There's something special about carpentry in front of a wood burner on a cold day. And I started varnishing the panels, but 2 coats each side, 24 hours to dry — I need another string of days to finish that. The door fronts I'll paint blue like the chest of drawers and skirting boards, with a mirror on one internal side, and obviously fancy lighting when it opens.

Sat here in a finished house I have felt antsy, but it's nice to focus on work things and forget about boat logistics for a minute. And with the weather turning, I'll be back regularly for my worksite fix. It then dawned on me that 3 months to finish is not happening... (I also promised to help dad with his front cabin, as that needs completing by the summer solstice).

Until next month!

- Nick