Alone once more

It looks as if I am alone on the boat once more.  There have been no mouse visits for a couple of weeks.  One of them fell victim to the apricot trap but I guess the others have either fled or died due to the poison.  There havn't been any nasty smells, so if they have died, I suppose they have dried out quickly before any decomposition can happen.

It is time to finish the bathroom which means getting rid of the pumpout tank.  This is something that has been causing me a bit of a headache since I got the boat.  At least I have managed to almost empty the thing which is the first hurdle overcome.  The hand basin and the old toilet are out, so its now just a question of moving the tank.

Unwelcome guests and a table

Some uninvited guests have arrived on board.  Mice have found their way into the space between the roof and the ceiling.  I reckon they came in via one of the mushroom vents.  They are having a wonderful time running around chewing all night.  I can't get a trap up there as there is only about 30mm room.  I did manage to slide a little foil tray of rodent bait into the gap but as yet they don't seem to have touched it.

I like to sit at a table to eat my dinner and have for a while been trying to work out a way of using an off cut of the worktop to make a fold out one.  Its not quite right yet, but the principle seems to work ok.  I'd really like to round the end off but for that I'll need a high quality (expensive) router bit and at the moment I can think of better things to spend my budget on.

Bathroom is the next project.  First job is to get rid of the old pump-out toilet that doesn't pump-out.  I made a start by removing the toilet itself.  The tank remains half full and I will at some point need to don protective clothing and do that by hand. Yuk.

I had planned a weekend cruise but the weather put a stop to that.  I did manage a sneaky half hour before the sun went down on Friday.

Worktop repair

The wood I used for my worktop was, in a previous life a kitchen island.  As such it was made up of several sections glued together with biscuit joiners.  Sadly, the piece that over hangs the fire has distorted with the heat and has parted company with the rest of the worktop.

I have, for a while been wondering how to fix this as now that it is all in place, I have no way of clamping it.  In the end, I drilled a hole about three quarters of the way into the wood from beneath and screwed a bolt in to act as an anchor for a ratchet strap.

I'll leave it for a few days and hopefully it will all remain glued where it should be.

In other news, I have at long last started running again.  I'm taking it very slow, following the Couch to 5k program.  Three runs in and I am still alive so I'm doing well.

Bit of a chilly morning

Poked my head out of the boat to find everything crisp and white.  Lovely and warm inside tho thanks to the Boatman.  Currently burning 'Blaze' smokeless fuel at £3.99 / 10kg from B&M.

By the way, Homebase sell exactly the same bags for £7.99 

Too long I know

Yes it has been far too long since my last blog, but so much has been happening.  Firstly, I am now an official boat dweller!  After a lovely quiet cruise up to The Lazy Otter on the day after Boxing day, I started moving all my stuff from the flat and onto the boat.

Three days after moving, I then went on holiday to Lanzarote  for ten days.  Not ideal planning but sometimes you've just got to do these things.  A week later and I am still finding homes for things on the boat and am working out what I do and don't need.  

I have to report that everything has been working well so far, the stove in particular is proving to be excellent.  You can put up with mess and anything so long as you are warm.

I am also finding that cooking on the stove works really well and saves on gas at the same time.

Bathroom bling

I took the shower out quite early on in the refitting process.  I had intended to leave it as it was so that I could have a shower while working on the boat but I couldn't get the heating pipes behind the side panel without removing it.

The tray was refurbished and set 75mm lower than it was when I got the boat.  I would have liked to go lower still, but the base plate stiffening beams ate too close together for it to fit between them.  Anyway, I can at least now stand up in the shower.

The walls are clad with 'Red Sparkle' pvc panels.  These are easy to cut and fit and being only 250mm wide are a lot more manageable in a tiny space than 1 meter panels.  Not quite finished and as yet not plumbed in but looking good.

Also, I managed to keep the fire 'in' for over 12 hours, so I must be getting used to it now.

Project Cool box

The boat came with a large 12v Shoreline fridge.  It was not really what I wanted so I sold it on ebay.  I replaced the power supply for a fridge with something a little more substantial but current funds do not allow for the purchase of a new one.  12v fridges are very expensive and what is particularly galling is that they are only standard 240v ones with a retrofitted 12v compressor.  As I am planning to stay off grid, I would not be able to run a fridge in the winter anyway so I decided to make a cool box to see me through until I can afford a fridge and generate the power to run it.

Off the shelf cool boxes can be good but the better performing ones can carry a hefty price tag too.  A bit of research indicates that performance is directly related to the thickness of the insulation.  I also wanted a box that would fit in a kitchen cupboard, the best option then was to make one.

It is built from 100mm foil backed foam, (found in a skip) glued together with silicon.

I then wrapped the whole thing in parcel tape.

And then in foil tape.  I am not sure this adds to the insulating properties, but it was a quick easy way of getting a nice finish.  The sides of the box had to be trimmed down to 75mm in order for it to fit in the cupboard.

The lid is a piece of mdf hinged with a bit of recycled piano hinge, with a foam 'plug' that fits snugly in the top of the box.

The whole thing is mounted on a couple of old drawer runners so it is easy to move in and out of the cupboard. 

It will be interesting to see how it performs.  It only cost me the price of the foil tape (£5.99) so I cant be too disappointed if it is not very effective.