Just weeks away from launch

So what has changed since our last visit to the boatyard?

The ply lining covering the sprayfoam is itself covered by ash faced ply around the portholes and hardwood panels between them. At the same time the dinette is taking shape with raised seats and cupboards underneath. Cushion fabric has finally been chosen, rusty reds replacing blue because the choices are far greater.

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Galley cupboard doors are now in place but they won’t look their best until the Corian worktop and T&G hardwood flooring goes down.

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The saloon’s double glazed roof hatch is now in place together with its wooden lining.
The spaces for hardwood wall panels can be seen between the portholes.

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The bedroom roof hatch has a two way cassette flyscreen to ensure complete privacy at night when the hatch is closed and a mosquito net after dark for use in the summer months when the hatch is open for ventilation. Caravanners will appreciate this.

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The same hatch with flyscreen drawn.

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One of the two bedroom cupboards.
No, the rectangular hole at the bottom of the cupboard door isn’t a letterbox, it’s the inlet for fresh air ducted into the cabin through the bow lockers outside, much better than a bow door vent blowing winter gales straight against the bed.

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Haven’t chosen the door handles yet.

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As near to a mix of the square characters of the name on the original ship Pass of Balmaha and a popular Celtic script as we felt we could go. Difficult to imagine the colours and shading before it was painted but we are very pleased with the result using shades of the ‘gold’ used in the double stripe.

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Can’t believe the skills of boat painters, no attempt to draw the outline first, straight into the scrollwork with just an idea sketched on paper, absolutely amazing.

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Next week? Wall panels and cupboards, perhaps a multi fuel corner fire and radiators. Roof vents have to be cut and lights to be set into the T&G ceiling.

Pass of Balmaha background:-

Pass of Balmaha, 3 masted US sailing ship, built 1888 captured in WW1 renamed Seeadler, wrecked 1917 in Pacific.
Pass of Balmaha British tanker, built 1933, torpedoed 1941.
Pass of Balmaha, tanker built 1942, previously Empire Damsel, scrapped 1967.
For pictures of the latest Pass of Balmaha see www.merchantnavy.btinternet.co.uk

Has anyone got news of her current whereabouts?

I know, you could hardly wait. Well here it is, the latest changes to the 60' narrowboat for the canals of England (and maybe elsewhere - later).

In the bedroom - our very 1st cupboard doors. Surface mounted instead of flush, no cracks to see. Sprung hinges and hydraulic buffers.

Now here’s a clever idea. The bottom half of the dinette seat panel hinges up, legs drop down providing support for the cushion which extends a 5’ dinette into a 6’-3” bed. Ahh, you say, why not let the seat back hinge down to extend the bed? Well that’s a slot-in board which can slot in either side of the seat cushion so you can use the dinette seat nearest to the lounge as a recliner.

Something you don’t see very often – the calorifier. Now just how do you pronounce it? Is it calorie-fire or calorr-rifier or clorifier. Why has everyone got a different way to say it. Oh, it’s the thingy that makes the water hot, you know, the clory-what-cher-ma-flip. Or the doo-flicker with the hot pipes, the heat exchanger nurplie. Anyway it’s under the worktop in the galley, that bit at the back where it’s too dark and out of arm’s reach, just perfect for an upright hot water tank.

Remember I told you there was an engine? It lives in an enclosure which keeps it out of sight.

Has anyone ever enjoyed choosing tiles, curtains and upholstery fabrics?
The tiles around the solid fuel fire might one day look like this

Next week – more cupboard doors, maybe a corner bath.