Panels and painting

The wall panels on Skylark are almost complete so I went over to carry on with the painting. Mick had given most of them a coat of primer so I applied a second coat of white primer/undercoat. A few panels at the stern required priming so I did these too. After five hours of arm aching exercise, I ran out of paint so decided to call it a day. The following photo gives an impression of all the hard work that's gone into getting to this stage - much more still to do.

While I was painting, Mick was in his workshop fabricating the kitchen cabinet that will house the sink and carry the main worktop. Before he started gluing and screwing, he asked me to see if it was what I had in mind. It was. It fact it was exactly what I had in mind - how does he do it?

The shower tray and its glass door should be arriving later this week, the portholes are almost ready to go in, the exterior painting is waiting for a break in the wet weather but, before all that happens, Mick is continuing the rest of the fit out.

I am planning to do as much painting as I can this week, before I head off to Scotland. As there are still loads of things I should be doing to help get the boat finished, I may shorten the time I am away. I will be able to do this by taking a few short hops by train - decisions as go along.

Anyway, we now have to give some serious consideration to the colour scheme for the panels. Because all the T&G surfaces are painted in buttermilk, the panels and their frames must be another colour otherwise the overall effect will be like sitting inside a giant banana! We still favour 2 tone green - a very pale green for the panels and a darker green for the frames. This will complement the pale yellow of the buttermilk and link to the dark green on the exterior. We think a test run is called for - I would not want to paint the whole thing just to find out we don't like it!

Before we complete the panels, I confirmed with Mick and Gena that I want a thin moulding around each panel. This will complete them in a simple yet professional way. Mick offered up a couple of samples from his workshop and we decided a 12mm beading was needed.

Before I left, Mick advised me that the completion date is likely to slip by a week because Graham Reeves' steel supplier has let him down. Mick still wants to tie the delivery of his new boat in with the launch of Skylark because it will save on his transport costs. I can understand this and while I am disappointed, I am not entirely surprised. In my experience of project management, it's essential to have a plan with a clear vision, overall aims, specific objectives, a detailed costed work programme, etc., etc., but flexibility is vital to success. A delay of one week in completion will really not make any difference to anyone. If we were planning to join the Queen on the Thames for her Diamond Jubilee, I would be more worried!

However, Mick and Gena agreed to let Graham know ' their client is not pleased' and ask him to overcome the problem in some way (while keeping on his good side). Mick will continue working hard to complete his work by 9 April, rather than a week later, and we'll just see what happens.

What fun!