Sparkling, shiny paint job!!!

1st September 2015

We went to visit Ella yesterday and were mightily pleased to see the progress that has been made.  Although the paintwork is not yet finished we are very happy with the choice of colour and the effect so far.

Door with blind

These doors are very clever as the windows are all double glazed and the blinds are between the panels of glass.  This means the blinds don't swing about and even more importantly don't get dirty!!!  See how shiny the paint is, my reflection is very clear!

Stern of Ella

Here is Dave standing at the stern of the boat. You can clearly see the propeller under the boat and the rudder in front of it.

Flag pole attached!!

Dave is very pleased to see the bracket for the flag pole and how it will look when it is attached.  
There is also a bracket that we can attach a bicycle carrier onto when we are ready.

These are the various control panels which will help us to look after the boat and the engine. We don't really know what they all do but Daniel will explain everything during the handover and there will be documents in folders for everything on the boat.  Exciting bedtime reading!

Hob

The three ring hob has still to be placed in the work surface, but it has only just arrived.  This and the oven are the only appliances to use gas.

Lounge lighting

Wall lamps in the lounge along with spotlights in the ceiling.  All the lighting is LED so power consumption should be very low. 

Kitchen work surface and sink

The work surface is made from the granite slab we went and chose from Derby.  We are very pleased with the colour and the way it lightens the kitchen area.

Tap

Wayne is holding the tap in place to give an impression of what it will look like when finished.  Simple but effective.

Bathroom sink

The bathroom is most impressive with the shower, sink and enormous mirror in place.  It does look lovely.

Bedroom television

The bedroom has it's own small TV with a dressing table area underneath it.  Wayne is going to put some additional lighting under the frame of the television.

Dave in the kitchen

Door design

Here you can see the red and black clearly.  There will be a cream coach line between the two colours.

Beside our boat is another boat that is being worked on as well. 

Brackets

You can see the brackets clearly here, the flat one is for the flag pole and the upright one is for the bicycle carrier.









What next?  The signwriter appears to be on holiday, so that will have to wait until he reappears.  We are away on holiday ourselves during September, so are unable to take delivery of Ella until the end of the month.

Once everything has been finished, the boat will be covered in polythene sheeting to protect it and left where it is.

The date for launching the boat is 28th September 2015, an independent surveyor will then survey it and hopefully pass it, and a safety certificate will be provided.

We are visiting again on Friday and if Andy Russell is available we might get to meet him.  If not we have given Daniel drawings of what we want painted on the boat.  

After so long it feels amazing to know that the boat will be ready for us to cruise away in before the end of the month!!  So exciting!!

Ella in the paint shed

31st August 2015

Ella has been moved into the paint workshop and work has begun on her decoration.

Before paint shed

All the grey protective coating was removed from the boat and the black undercoat was applied.

In the paint shed

Once that was complete, the black paint was 'flattened' - not sure what that means but I think it is in preparation for the main colour application.

Flattened undercoat

The final coats of paint were then applied.

Mercedes Red and Black trim

Doors

The doors have been painted in Mercedes Red.

Houdini Hatch

All wood work on the roof is also Mercedes Red.

Engine

Finally the engine has been delivered and is still under wraps until it is time to load it in to the engine bay.

Ella's Appliances

14th August 2015

The last visit to see Ella was 25th July 2015.  As reported at the end of the previous post we have received our registration number so that the signwriter can paint the sign onto the boat. 

Mug shot!!!

We were so excited when these came through.  It really felt as though things were moving forward.

Airing Cupboard

Hot water tank is beneath the slates on the left hand side.  The water is heated by the diesel so as long as we are cruising then there will be unlimited hot water.  When we are moored up and not cruising then there is an electric immersion heater for the water.

Space for TV

The television will be mounted into the top space and the shelving beneath can be used for DVD and book storage.  To the left of the photo is the  woodburner.

Sweepovac

We have chosen not to have a vacuum cleaner on board as they are bulky and difficult to store.  There are no carpets, just rugs, so the floors will be swept and the sweepings will be sucked into a space saving device mounted under the units in the kitchen. 

Fridge

In the galley there is a full sized fridge with a small freezer compartment.  Ample space for two people.

Oven

There is a full sized oven with a baking compartment and a full sized grill.  I do like my toast grilled perfectly!!

Wine cooler

The wine cooler is on the opposite side from the fridge and will be great for chilling wine and keeping bottles of water cool as well.

Space for hob

The hob will be above the oven and is going to be three rings in a linear design. The hob and oven are the only gas appliances on the boat.

Composting toilet

This is where the toilet will be positioned.  It is a separator arrangement, solids kept separate from liquids and there is a fan unit attached to kept the solids tank aerated and any smells out of the boat. Fascinating topic of conversation!!!

Shower unit

Full sized shower unit with pie shaped tray and sliding doors.

Towel radiator

Small radiator for drying towels in the bathroom, there is also another radiator on the other side of the bathroom, so important to keep to warm.







As it stands Ella was moved into the paintshop this week and they are in the process of stripping the exterior back to bare steel and putting a new coat of primer on her.  Once that is done then the top coats of paint will be applied.

We are looking forward to seeing this and meeting with the signwriter to discuss the painting of the name decorations onto the sides.  

Once this has been completed we believe it will then be a matter of weeks before she is put into the water.  It is all very exciting!!!
















































  

We have windows!!!

Thursday 4th July

We were very excited to visit again, we weren't sure where the boat would be or what would have happened to it since our last visit.

Ella remains in the yard as there is another boat being worked on in the workshop, but the fittings have come on a lot.  

Toby at the foot of the steps.

Toby still can't get on board yet so he was tethered to the steps when we first got there.  Then the rain started so one of the joiners took him inside the workshop where he lay down under a huge machine!!

The bedside cupboard.

The units beside the bed have drawers in them and the fronts are in the workshop completed and waiting to be put on.

Washing machine

The washer / dryer has been installed and yes there is just room to open and close the door!!

Bedroom Television

Opposite the bed there is installed the casing for a television.  The televisions will use signals provided from a TravelSat system that will be on the roof of the boat whilst we are moored up and stored in the engine compartment whilst we are cruising.

Kitchen drawers

The units in the kitchen are having drawers fitted and the fridge will go beside them.

Television unit

This is the unit which will house the television set in the lounge area. There will be space to put books/DVD/CD's on shelves as well.

Airing cupboard

This is a cupboard at the stern of the boat which has the hot water cylinder in it.  It will be an airing cupboard as well as an area to dry off wet clothes.

Houdini Hatch

Pigeon Box

These two are going in the kitchen and the lounge to give added ventilation.  These are the frames to go inside the boat.

Window

Window frame

All the windows are in now.  We have chosen rectangular shaped windows to allow for maximum light in the boat.  Each of the windows will be finished off with a wood frame.

Bathroom storage

This is storage beside the shower where you can keep spare towels.  It also shows the panels of leatherette material which will go on the sides of the boat where there are no windows.

Woodburner

Ready to go down the steps

The woodburner is from Clearview stoves.  We installed a larger one in our home and liked it so much we decided to have the smaller version on the boat.  Wayne was a little over awed by the size, but we are happy with it.  The other problem he had was that it wasn't black!!!

Here is the woodburner on the boat in about the right position.  We need to choose some tiles to go under and around the fire to make it fire retardant and safe.  The space underneath the burner is ideal for storing logs before they go on the fire.

Side Doors

Here I am looking out the side doors showing the panelling on the doors.  There will be another set of doors on the inside which will be double glazed.

Cratch

This will be attached to the bow of the boat and will have a tent like affair on it to give extra shelter to the bow seating area.

Bow doors

These are the doors to go at the bow of the boat, again with windows to let in maximum light.

Windows

These are the windows to go in the bow doors.  They are very clever as the blinds are inside the double glazed windows, what a great idea!!!








Friday 10th June

We have successfully pre-registered Ella with the Canal and River Trust!!!  

This means we now have a unique number for Ella.  Our number is 523355 and we wanted the number early so that the signwriter can paint the number onto the boat instead of displaying the aluminium plates.  The overall effect is much more pleasing. 

Next visit is Friday 17th July.