Owengriffiths

The xternal wall has only 8mm ply above gunwhale on it I would have thought ceramic tiles would be too heavy and not cope with any flexibility, hence looking for alternative. A

Have got very fed up of tongue and grooving having fitted most of the boat out in it. I have purchased pvc laminate dumalock panels for behind the shower but am undecided what to do with the other wall finishes- paint? Someone suggested laminate floor covering pasted to the walls? Not really sure what to go with but it will need to be wipe clean and moisture resistant. Any suggestion? Andrew

I did the spraying myself, I reckon I saved 400€ on a 42 by 8 barge from the quotes i got. Its very messy but not that difficult. You get two large pressurised canisters and about ten nozzles. I did all the spraying in one go and only used one. Just make sure you wear goggles a mask and full coverage overalls"!

I've just bought Pvc panels that look like tiles, the panels slot together and should give greater flexibility than tiles, and hopefully will be easier for a cack handed craftsman like me. They are called dumalock / Dumapan. and came to 80€ (about 60 quid ) for a corner shower 800 mm. Cant tell you if they work cos they are still in a box though........

ON monday i went to a stonemasons down the road to get a pice of stone cut for under the boatman stove. Whilst there I discussed stone for ballast and walked away with loads of stone slab offcuts which weigh alot and will make great ballast. Only problem was the guy wanted to tell me the history of every piece. I now have irish limestone, italian marble and english millstone slabs under the flooring! I pointed out that all the damaged old gravestones and headstones would be a perfect size but he said this would be bad luck (the irish are very superstitious). So he gave me instead a church alter which would bless the boat. Seems a shame to have all this beautiful stone under the floor! But it was free and is certainly very heavy. So those of you discussing ballast have a word with your local stone smith; A

I recently battened out and struggled above the gunwhale as there was no steel; stuck the battens on with sikaflex and in one case i needed to remove and i cant get the thing off the glue is so strong, so dont worry about using glue!

Yes like that, isnt it pretty? I also bought a fan thingy so I will print off your photo and hold it up infront of the shell of the boat I have to see what it will look like! Andrew

I just bought a blue boatman but its not arrived. So i cant tell you how it works. But it is a pretty colour. A

jus about to fit a large stainless steel water tank into the boat shell under the bow. Is it worth getting some sort of level meter for this (if so any advice appreciated) or do you just fill it up until the overflow starts to do its job???? Andrew

i can get 18mm marine which i was going to use for beneath the toilet room. Should the WBP be treated with anything to imporve water resistance.... A

I have been unable to source 25mm Marine ply in Ireland, apparently the builders dont use it as its more expensive. I have been waiting over two months now, last pallet returned to malaysia as it was poor quality. For the flooring would it be wise to wait (possibly another two months, its holding me up now~) or can I go with WBP Ply- hardwood faced and treat it with something? If so what should I treat it with...... A

Rang them up on friday and made a big order. They couldnt have been more helpful, guess I must of been on the phone an hour discussing. I had checked some things for prices elsewhere, with 20% off the only thing I had decided to but elsewhere was a toilet. The 20% was given for everything, they deliver most of the stuff to ireland for 23£ and the rest to my brother in law in Lancs for nowt. I cant complain. Apparently they will also send me a discount card which gets me 10 or 20????% of subsequent order Happy camper

Have spent the day cutting up 2 by 1 wood and glueing and drilling it in place. I can't get the damn sticky black glue off my hands/ clothes/ face / children . Have now spent the evening reading the build blog provided by pippa. Omg I am not worthy and can only dream of such build quality and beauty, but yes it was helpful thanks.

Hi, am in process of battoning out the boat prior to spray foaming insulation. There are metal conduits down the side of the boat but I intend putting in wire ducting wherever I need wiring before the spraying. This is mainly the ends of the boat and down the middle. I have two thoughts- put it in now...but is it better to use metal or pvc ducting, both seem available???? Or alternatively I tack wood where i want the wiring and then remove later leaving a clean area for wire ducting to be inserted later.?? I found the cable calculator thing very useful, will go and get the dual core wire and the ducting tomorrow, And i should add do i want LSF coated or PVC sheathed or does it make no difference??? A

Ah Rich advice indeed!!!. That may well mean I dont have to learn how to weld......I'll have a look at how that might work. Its from Lombon Hull (if I spell it right) so it came from the UK. Probably a bit wider than usual in the UK at 8 ft as we have bigger locks here in ireland.....>A