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lexicon

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Hi Folks

 

well i have decided to start a build blog on my current project the restoration of a narrowboat i purchased a few months ago. her name is Lexicon and is a 40 foot cruiser with a bmc 1.5. built by meerkan knight in 1978. steel hull with wooden top.

 

so the story so far.

 

bought in may 2011 as a project from knowle.

survey showed a few issues but soundish hull with some pitting and lots of cosmetic work. no floor in cabin galley area rotten units etc inside.

 

paintwork a flaking mess. engine ok and few issues with stern gear.

 

planning to strip out and renew most areas internally.

 

progress so far

 

travelled from knowle to milton keynes which was an adventure. no running water or services inside boat except cassette loo.

 

discovered stern gland leaked massively and bilge pump not functioning. had to put into willowbridge for a few months to get essential work done as had over 300 gallons of water in engine bay at one point, so engine and gearbox serviced. bilge pump fitted and new batteries as they died quick death.

 

have stripped and primed some areas to improve external look a little.

discoved roof leaks like a colander. removed much of floor and rotten units etc. fertaned steel as some rust (classic understatement.)

 

then travelled from milton keynes to packet boat marina. another adventure involving a busted water pump and overheated engine.

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hi bliz

 

it was the stern gland, absolutely no packing and a dodgy greaser when the coupling turned it was like a mixer tap with both taps open full.

weed hatch is ok as is the stern gland now its properly packed and greased. although having said that i am having the stern tube shortened and a new modern gland fitted

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ok folks here are a few before pitures

 

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these are showing how big a job is ahead of me lol

 

here are some images showing how its coming on

 

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Edited by lexicon
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at a frustrating point in proceeding as im waiting for a quote to get a steel top for the boat.

cant do anything really constructive till its done.

 

and im away from the boat for a week due to work.

 

will be spending a few days next week stripping out the interior and ripping out all of the frankly frightening wiring and piping. hope to get lots done if possible.

 

will be changing the design to a centre corridor to use limited length better and dropping the roof slightly as have 38 inches floor to gunwhales and 4 foot above and struggle to see front when steering.

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well im finally back from the northern isles and progress is again being made.

 

have now removed the paloma boiler and donated it to a friend for parts.

have cleaned out the run off channels/gutters under the deck boards

 

finally got round to finding the cap from the header tank which had been dropped into the engine hole.

 

removed all the unneccessary tools and equipment

 

now today to begin stripping out the bunks and interior doors and as much else as i can get done today.

 

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Edited by lexicon
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  • 2 weeks later...

well the project is in a uncomfortable holding pattern at present stuck between a rock and the preverbial hard place.

have been working away so not much time to get anything useful done.

will be having a steel top fitted asap but finding it difficult to get the quote right now which means im not entirely sure how much money i need to have and when i need to have it by.

until this is resolved progress will be slow as can only strip out so much before i have a date to put the boat in for the work.

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  • 2 weeks later...

well i am happy to report that progress is being made again. have stripped all the interior above gunwhales in the forward area of cabin and can now see insulation which i will remove when i have a means to dispose of it. the bunks are gone from the area too removed ready for disposal in the coming week when the bonds of working life loosen for a week or so.

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Much to report after a successful Sunday on the boat

The bunks are gone completely and tipped.

 

The doors and corridor facings from the shower and toliet area are removed and tipped leaving only the shower tray and partitions to remove there.

 

All the cupboards are out in the cabin area leaving only the fireplace to remove

 

Hoping for more progress at end of week :)

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so heres another update

 

have removed the lining completely in some sections and have discovered the lack of decent wiring or insulation.

 

under gunwhales polystrene of less than half inch, massive gaps under linning to insulation. and 12v and 240v wiring just hanging in mid air behind panelling.

 

on the plus side the boat is now feeling bigger and looking better inside (except for the area near front doors where all the wood awaits dumping lol)

 

will post more pics if anyone wants to see.

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well here are some new images of the inside and the width of the hull side insulation under gunwhales

 

also am beginning to think that there is no recession on the canals in the area i have the boat.

 

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times like this make me thankful of an estate car. have removed 3 full car loads of scrap/rotten interior so far

 

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and this one shows the thickness of the under gunwhales insulation.

 

the wood battening looks wrong and wasteful of space any expert opinions please folks.

Edited by lexicon
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well here are some new images of the inside and the width of the hull side insulation under gunwhales

 

2caa6361.jpg[/img]

 

and this one shows the thickness of the under gunwhales insulation.

 

the wood battening looks wrong and wasteful of space any expert opinions please folks.

 

What the fitter has done is ensure that the sides of the boat under the gunwales are vertical. This means that there will be inevitably more space between the lining and the insulation at the top. It is, of course, possible to save a bit of space and have the lining leaning at the top, but this makes fitting out much more difficult, if, for example, you want to butt a kitchen unit up to the side of the boat. When I was fitting out the butty, where the sloping sides are quite pronounced, I did the same thing.

 

 

 

 

IMG_8314.jpg

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managed to get a few things done over the last few days.

 

the dodgy steps have been removed from the rear of the cabin only to discover 2 problems no floor underneath and the floorboard i had ready didnt fit as the strengthener was not the same distance as all the others thus far (typical really)

 

this lead to nothing to put the temporary steps on and a struggle to get out of the boat.

 

then returned today with a longer temporary board and put it in place.

 

can now get out of the boat and in safely without the hazard of dodgy steps

 

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temporary steps

 

now to use the new wet and dry vac to clean/dry the bilges in the cabin and vactan them to give some protection.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Time for a update

 

much has changed in the last few weeks

 

have decided to rebuild the roof in wood.

 

have booked a wet dock to complete the process. (and arranged helpers/advisers)

 

am currently constructing the laminated roof members from the wood that arrived monday 500ft of variousa sizes of iroko.

 

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the beam jig

 

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in use

 

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3 beams done

Edited by lexicon
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