More boat renovations

Every week sees more progress on the renovation of MV Cerego.  It's taking longer than we hoped, but we knew we were being overoptimistic when we originally said six weeks, so we are not surprised. 

I'm getting a bit jaded now as Hubby stays late after work to get more done, then weekends are filled with him on the boat and me looking after the children.  In the beginning we all went down to the boat, but now it's too smelly, wet-painty, messy and dangerous for the kids.  I love my kids, but 'solo-parenting' can wear you down!

When I get like this (whiney), I start trying to spend five minutes a day writing down the things I'm grateful for.  Like a healthy family, a good job, the opportunity to live on a boat, down to the ridiculous - like being thankful that ALL the chickens went into their pen without requiring chasing!  It works to remind me to get over myself. 

On to the boat pictures.  Above is the newly replaced belting, complete with a coat of primer.  This bit of wood was completely rotten, but it's not structural, instead it's designed to rub against docks etcetera and so is 'sacrificial' as such.

The top deck had a few rotten bits too.  They've all been replaced now and everything sanded back ready for fibreglassing.  The boys have got over half of the fibreglassing down now.  This really needed to be done as there were a few leaks coming through from up here.  Not good!

Here's my dear Hubby in his fibreglassing coveralls - pretty flattering aren't they?!  Don't worry, he never reads my blog.

Beside him is the wall where my sewing corner is going to be.  It had a funny cupboard and bench thingy built to cover the pole in the middle.  The cupboard and bench were even more awkwardly shaped than the pole so they've been ripped out and there is heaps more usable room now.  You can see where we've ripped off the ceiling panelling too - these beams will all be painted glossy white.  Below is a before pic.

Talking about glossy white, here is the former dark, dingy, dirty fish hold!  It's all shiny and bright white now and ready for the carpenter to come in and start building floors and walls and bunks.  Once the building is finished then everything will get a last coat of paint.

I snuck in a thread holding unit that was just MDF timber and the magic spray gun painter has turned it a pretty white too.  My friend gave me a giant sized thread cupboard last year before she left the country but I don't think it will fit on the boat, so I'm getting other options ready.

The carpenter couldn't start on the walls and floors, but he has started on the doors.  He's made two cabin doors and the square one is for the engine room.  They will remain as a timber finish, like the one on the left.  On the work trestle in the front of the picture you can see the small door he's working on for the engine room hatch.  Can you see the double thickness?  They are all constructed like that, as will be the walls.  Very substantial.

That's it for the update.  I'm looking forward to when I can show cabin construction, then I'll really feel like we are making progress.

Have a great Sunday everyone.