Full steam ahead

It's been 3 weeks since my last post because nothing much has really happened in that time. I have paid the second stage payment, Mick has completed the fit out of his new workshop including new electrics, it's been very cold everywhere and I have booked the train to Edinburgh for my epic return journey by bike (more about that some other time) but there's not much to see on the boat.

Kay and I went to see Skylark today and found the engine boxed in and the control panel fitted. The washing machine is in place and the first bedroom wall has been installed. Mick has also completed the t&g walls to the engine room and tidied up the edges to the rear door hatch so I shouldn't be too disappointed with progress. He tells me that he will be working on the boat pretty much full time from now on in order to complete on the provisional date of 9 April.

A few of the latest photos...

Looking towards the stern, the main bedroom wall is in place. This will form the back wall of the wardrobe, with a door filling the gap between the 'sleeping' area and the 'working' area. I was pleased to see Mick had used a substantial thickness of ply (18mm) to make sure the walls don't wobble or creak. They should also help to absorb any sounds from the adjoining rooms. In fact the whole fit out is proving to be very solid with no weak joints or wobbly bits (Kay to take note).

The engine and utility room has been fully clad in t&g boards to give it a traditional engine room feel whereas the rest of the living area will be panelled between the gunwales and ceiling. The t&g that forms the ceiling throughout the boat and the proposed laminate flooring are expected to tie the whole thing together.

The controls are fitted on the starboard side of the rear door. All the controls are in place: engine control panel (top right), the gear/accelerator lever (middle), inverter (bottom right), main fuse box (top left), 12v/230v selector (middle) and individual fuses (below). As you can probably see, the wires are yet to be connected. I'm quite impressed with the way Mick has designed this to be compact and functional. I have seen many boats where the controls are far too complicated and strung out over a wide area. Skylark is being fitted out to achieve my primary aims - a boat that is good quality, simple and traditional looking. I'm pleased so far and everything is on track.

On the port side of the boat, the exhaust pipe is fitted and insulated but needs to be boxed in.

The portholes are letting in loads of light. At the moment we don't have the brass fittings in place but I don't think they will make too much difference. The light colour scheme helps I'm sure. And doesn't that paintwork look professional!

Over this next week, Mick aims to complete the engine room and start moving into the bedroom. If all goes according to plan, he should complete the boxing for the wardrobe and bed. We should see some significant progress when we visit next Sunday.