On Schedule !

Week 48

Week 47 was spent almost as far away from the boat as possible whilst still remaining in mainland England. We were in Cumbria, visiting relatives - the very people who we plan to take the boat near to next Spring when we hope to get to Skipton.

However, before we went north on the previous Sunday, we'd managed to grab a short while on the boat on the Saturday. The emphasis really was on short, because we only managed to move the slab on which the stove is to be mounted, into position. We also managed to break up the other two slabs that we'd bought and move them on to the boat, where we placed them on the fore deck temporarily - we'll put them under the floor later. We also managed to fit the last remaining piece in the washing machine water supply jigsaw, a (further) valve that connects to 15mm plastic pipe at one end and accepts the female thread on the end of the washing machine's hose at the other. It has to be a valve, because this is all that is obtainable, but the valve will be left permanently open as it is behind the washing machine and can't easily be accessed. We'll use the valve that we'd fitted earlier if we have to shut the supply off.

By the time that we'd finished these tasks we'd run out of time and had to migrate to the trip boat for the rest of the day. We locked the boat, and that was the way it stayed until the following Sunday.

Sunday

We had hoped to spend a while on our boat before we moved over to the trip boat but, as is always the case, preparing the trip boat first, always seems to leave precious little spare time. When we eventually got on our boat, just after 11.15am, we discovered that the boat opposite us was out, so we had an opportunity to move our boat over and gain access to the outside of the hull to aid installation of the skin fitting for the drain for the washing machine.

We'd already marked where the fitting was to go inside the boat, being careful to avoid the vertical battens that support the plywood lining. We quickly drilled a 50mm hole and found that we'd got it just right, clear of the steel strengthener on the hull side. Next we opened up the hole so that we could get access to the nut that was to secure the skin fitting to the hull side. Finally, we drilled the hole in the hull side, completely forgetting that there is a rubbing strake in the vicinity. Luckily, we'd missed it, but only just.

We pushed the boat across, found some sealant and set about installing the fitting. We were about half way through the process when the moorer returned and wanted their mooring back. Fortunately, we are good friends with them, so they were happy to wait for five minutes whilst we finished off what we needed to do - we need access to inside and outside of the boat so that we can hold the skin fitting whilst we tighten the securing nut.

It was time to adjourn to the trip boat once we'd pushed our boat back. We can't fit the hose to the skin fitting just yet because the washing machine (and fridge) both need moving away from the bulkheads so that these can be varnished several times before the Corian is installed, hopefully within the week.

Having since thought about it, we may need to fit an extension on to the skin fitting so that it is easier to reach the Jubilee clip securing the hose. If we connect the hose direct to the skin fitting, we may not be able to release it (if we ever need to) once work top is in situ - the hose is not long enough to enable us to get behind the washing machine and undo the Jubilee clip.

Monday

It was an early start on Monday, arriving at the boatyard just after 7.30am and making straight for the boat, in the rain! The first job was to look at the freshly tiled area around where the stove will fit. There is an intentional gap between the end of the tiling and the edge of the coal box. This is to marry up with the edge of the slab, which is to have a 19mm wide piece of Ash fixed around the two exposed edges. The fitter found a piece of Ash that was of a similar thickness to the tiles and wider than 19mm. Unfortunately, if also had a slight bow in it, so this had to be removed. The fitter would have used the planer at home, but tried the hand plane on the boat with some success. Next he marked up the actual width and then put the piece of Ash to one side until after Offcut arrived - there is a table saw at the boatyard but the fitter won't use this unless he has a second pair of eyes and hands with him at the time.

Next he started work on the trim that will edge the bulkheads that have been erected at the end of the kitchen. There were four pieces of Ash of suitable dimensions. Unfortunately they all had some rough parts, but the fitter managed to pick out the two best, cut them to length and then glue and nail them in place. The nail head holes were then filled and the lot rubbed down at the end of the day, prior to being varnished.

We removed the plinth on which the washing machine will stand so that we can get to all of the adjacent bulkhead to varnish it. We also decided to replace the angle brackets holding the bathroom side wall to the bulkhead between bathroom and kitchen. We removed the brackets, clamped the two panels together and then drilled, screwed and plugged the holes. We trimmed the plugs and sanded that area, and the adjacent Ash trim just before we went home so that we could varnish it and leave it to dry until Wednesday.

We finally got round to screwing the hip bath to the adjoining walls. We want to seal it as well, to stop water getting between bath and walls, but we didn't have any sealant. We'll try and secure some on Wednesday morning on our way to the boatyard and then remove a few screws at a time from around the edge of the bath and apply the sealant before refitting the screws.

The final major job for the day was to cut and install the panel on the port side of the shower area. This panel, which goes from top of bath to ceiling, will cover the pipework associated with the shower. However, we had to install the tap unit before this panel could be fitted. We offered the tap unit up and decided that it needed to be mounted about 25mm off the cabin wall, so we took a piece of 18mm softwood and an offcut of 9mm plywood, cut them to a similar length and screwed them together. Next we screwed them to the cabin wall, just above gunwale height, but as low as we could go, so that we stand a chance of being able to reach the couplings from the access hatch in the shower's facia panel just above the floor,

We then screwed the mounting plate for the tap unit through the plywood and softwood into the cabin wall. There was a small amount of flexing in the wall panel which we cured by adding a packing piece under the gunwale, effectively replacing part of the cover for the under the gunwales service duct. We've removed this cover wherever it can't be seen so that it is easier to get to the anything in the duct if the need arises.

It was then possible to fix the tap unit to the mounting plate and we spent a fair while trying to work out exactly how the tap unit will need to be re-assembled (eventually), to make sure that we had the mounting plate the correct way round.

Before we could install the plywood panel we had to replace a narrow piece of plywood that we'd removed from the edge of the ceiling over the shower. We'd removed this when we mistakenly thought that the area that the plywood covered would be behind the panel that we were about to erect - we'd completely overlooked the fact that the top of the panel would be in the corner where the ceiling and wall panels meet. Unfortunately, we'd used the original piece of ceiling plywood elsewhere, so had to go hunting for a ready cut replacement, which we couldn't find, so we had to cut a piece to size.

With the ceiling now repaired we could turn our attention to the wall panel. This is 12mm thick WBP as it will be hidden from view behind whatever we eventually line the shower area with. The fitter called the Corian supplier and was told the estimate had been sent by e-mail at the start of last week, but we'd never received it. The Corian supplier undertook to send it again during the afternoon so that it would be with the fitter when he got home. Unfortunately it wasn't, so the fitter tried to contact the supplier again by telephone but got no answer. It has now been nearly four months since we started down this path and the fitter is getting very frustrated by the lack of action. The supplier indicated that it would be a further three weeks after acceptance of the quote before the Corian could be fitted. We planned to go to London in mid October by boat - something we can't do until the wash basin and sink (which are integral to the Corian) have been fitted. The Corian will also line the shower area and cover the panel that we are about to install.

We cut the panel to the correct length and width and measured the position of the tap unit and transferred this to the panel. We cut the hole using the jigsaw and then tried the panel in place - it has to be lowered in place behind the hip bath and then fitted over the tap unit and finally pushed up into the corner where the ceiling and wall panels meet.

The panel went in, but the hole was slightly too low. This was caused in part because we'd measured the position from the ceiling to the centre of the tap unit, at the front of the tap unit. By the time the panel is pushed home, the centre line of the tap unit is a little higher. Fortunately, the hole was large enough and will be covered by a plate that will disguise any excesses in the hole's size. We also had to trim the panel to fit around two angle brackets that secure the front and back walls of the shower to the side wall of the boat. By the time that we'd done this and planed a slight angle on the top edge of the panel, the discrepancy in the hole's position was reduced a little. We'll probably still need to open the hole out a little, and this will be done before the panel is finally secured in place, once we've installed the plumbing.

It was getting near to going home time, but we needed to sand the bulkheads and get the first coat of varnish on them so that they'd be dry and ready for another coat the next time we were at the boat. We set about this whilst Mrs. Fitter, who had been around during the afternoon for a trip boat duty, disappeared to see friends on another boat who have given us some curtains. She wanted to see how they had been fitted.

The fitter and Offcut finished a long, long time before Mrs. Fitter returned. Offcut went home and the fitter waited for the domestic manager. We'd had a reasonably successful day, apart from the problems with the Corian supplier. We hadn't totally confined ourselves to the boat, having helped friends manoeuvre their boat in the high winds, assist in the removal of part of a tree that had come down in the wind and blocked the local road and, as far as the fitter was concerned, had a trip to the local station to collect Mrs. Fitter for her trip boat duty.

Tuesday

The fitter was in London again on Tuesday, so no work was possible on the boat. However, having returned from London, the fitter made a few telephone calls, trying to sort out the Corian situation. Having spoken to a few people he managed to find someone who stirred our supplier such that we now have a price from him which we've verbally accepted. We will be making that confirmation in writing which we may well hand deliver to the premises to make sure that there are no excuses for getting anything wrong.

Wednesday

We had been hoping that the grease monkey would be able to spend some time working on the flue for the stove on Wednesday but the water levels were low on Tuesday, so he had to postpone a couple of jobs until today. Consequently, our flue has been postponed to a yet undecided date!

The fitter left home around 7.15am and headed straight for B & Q, primarily to purchase some sealant. Whilst there, without Mrs. Fitter and, consequently, the OAP's 10% discount, he decided that he should buy the plumbing fittings that will allow him to fit the shower controls once the panel mentioned above has been installed. He also had a quick look at waste pipework as he had laid awake for part of the night wondering how he is going to run the sink and wash basin wastes. The drain points on both sink and wash basin are both going to be at or below the 250mm minimum height above water level for external drains. As a result, there seems to be little option but to try to feed both into the Attwood Box under the shower. This will save on hull side fittings but at the risk that if the Attwood Box fails, we'll not be able to easily dispose of any water on the boat. The jury is out at present on a solution because running standard waste pipes would not be too easy from the kitchen and almost impossible from the bathroom as the toilet tank is in the way.

Armed with his purchases, he headed towards the boat, arriving at around 8.10am - a recently opened bypass has had a major impact on journey times between boat and home and we no longer need to worry about school buses either. A quick up of tea and a few minor jobs around the boatyard, plus the inevitable chat, meant that it was nearly 9am by the time the fitter reached his boat.

The first job was to apply sealant to the top of the hip bath. The fitter doesn't always learn from his mistakes! A few weeks back, when we were assembling the bathroom walls together, he'd used 16mm long screws to fasten the angle brackets to a panel of 12mm thick plywood. The result was that the screws broke the surface on the other side of the panel, which is visible when the door between kitchen and passageway alongside the bathroom is closed. He'd done the same thing with the screws that fixed the bath to the same panel, something he'd also realised whilst lying in bed earlier in the day.

The screws around the hip bath were loosened, a few at a time, the relevant 16mm long screws replaced with 12mm long screws, and the sealant applied. The screws were tightened up and the excess sealant - most of what had been applied - was removed. Offcut arrived whilst this was going on and after realising that there was little he could do to help, took himself off to sand down the two bulkheads in the kitchen, ready for varnishing later in the day.

The fitter soon had the hip bath sealed and all the excess sealant removed, some of which was re-applied in the corners, behind the bath, where the curved corners of the bath leave a small area in front of the two adjoining walls which could be a source of problems in years to come. The Corian man says that he'll sort this out but we want to see if we can add our own solution as well, just in case.

Our labours were interrupted briefly by the grease monkey who called in to explain why he wouldn't be with us today. We did spend a few minutes with him discussing what needed to be done, before we returned to the relative warmth of the inside of the boat. Autumn appears to have arrived, with a generally sunny day but biting northerly winds.

Most of the rest of the morning and the early part of the afternoon was spent working on the panel at the end of the hip bath. Our first job was to notch out a small part of one edge so that the panel would slide over one of the corner braces that we've used to hold the facia to the cabin wall. We did have some fun trying to release the panel which we'd pushed home a bit too enthusiastically. In the end we had to push a piece of 18mm square softwood through the access hatch at the front of the bath and up behind the panel. This forced the panel away from the wall, from whence we could tease it out further and then remove it. We immediately attached a piece of string over the top edge and through the hole where the shower control will go so that we could use this to release the panel in future.

We'd marked the walls at either edge of the panel so that we knew where the panel was to go. We then cut and fitted a piece of 18mm softwood to each of those walls, so that we could screw the panel to them. We temporarily replaced the panel and marked out where we needed to enlarge the hole for the shower control, removed the panel - a lot easier this time, enlarged the hole and them put the panel back up again. The panel is what is known as an interference fit and doesn't need securing in place for any test fits.

We discovered that the shower control was too far forward and was forcing the panel away from the softwood fixing studs that we'd just fitted. We took the panel down, examined the control and decided that we could probably dispense with the piece of 9mm plywood that was part of the packing that we were using to project the control further into the shower area. The other piece of packing was a piece of 2x1 planed, which means that it is only about 18mm thick and 43mm wide. This latter measurement is too narrow to fully support the shower's mounting plate so we replaced it with a small piece of 18mm thick blockboard, cut from an offcut.

We used the original 18mm packing piece as a template for the screw hole positions because we knew that we couldn't alter the position of the control or the hole in the panel was likely to be even further adrift - we didn't trust ourselves to move it in exactly the right direction, by exactly the right amount so that it fitted better through the hole in the panel. Besides which, we'd now enlarged the hole so the fit was no longer a problem.

Before we reassembled the shower control we decided to investigate turning it through 180° so that the pipework between control and the valves on the supply pipes didn't have to be crossed. After much deliberation and discussions plus dismantling of the side connections, we decided that we'd risk it. And then we read the instructions and found that it would be alright!

We re-assembled the control and test fitted the panel again temporarily. We'd solved the problem. Down came the panel so that we could install the plumbing. We cut a couple of lengths of 15mm plastic pipe to the relevant lengths - trying to get them spot on when you can't really have test fits because the push fit connectors don't lend themselves to this without a special tool, is not easy. We made three attempts to get the first one right, trimming a few millimetres off between each trial. In the end, we dismantled the valve so that we could cut the pipe to the new length and then re-assemble the valve and connect up to the shower control. We'd had to take the vac to the open ends of the valves to remove some dust and shavings that had managed to lodge themselves therein. We wouldn't have noticed this if we hadn't had trouble fitting the pipe into the first valve and decided to investigate why. We didn't find out why, but did see the rubbish that needed to be removed.

The fitter had bought what he thought were the right connectors at B & Q; A couple of adaptors, some pipe and two elbows. Looking at everything in the cold light of day we realised that we could do without the elbows if we fitted elbowed adaptors, some of which the fitter had seen on display at B & Q. Not only that, but these adaptors would mean less pipework and that we could connect all this up before the Corian man comes, leaving him to cut holes in the Corian at exactly the right places. Rather him than us.

We decided to go no further with this plumbing for now and to get the elbowed adaptors within the next couple of days. In the meantime, we fitted the panel into place and screwed it to the battens in the hope that the fairly heavy bow in one edge will straighten out a bit (and also to get the panel out of the way).

It was about now that we broke off to help with some boat moving around the boatyard which, because of the wind and low water level took quite while to complete.

We returned to the boat and started on the panel over the toilet pipes in the corner behind the vanity unit. There are two panels, mounted at right angles to each other. One is permanently fixed and part of the other is to be similarly treated. The remainder of the other panel will be removable to allow access to the pipework and connections. We'd cut the panels some while ago, permanently fitted one and push fitted the other, knowing that we needed to return to it in due course. Finalising the arrangement is on our To Do list before the Corian man comes, because the permanently fitted part of the panel has to be in place before the Corian is installed for the wash basin as part of the Corian's upstand (or splashback) will be fitted against this panel.

We decided where we needed to cut the panel and did so on the (manual) mitre saw. This saw has a fairly narrow kerf so we won't lose too much out of the panel's length. We then spent a considerable amount of time trimming the two parts of the panel to the right width, planing a bit off here and there and re-checking the fit after each attempt. The panel had been such a tight fit that it was moving the other panel. We also fitted a small piece of plywood on the back of both halves of the cut panel so that the fixed one would stop the removable panel from falling into the void between panel and pipes. We debated for a while about how we would hold the removable upper part of the panel securely in place. We initially thought of a magnetic catch but then considered doing something with the trim that we will have to install over the joint between panel, walls and ceiling. At present we are sticking with the trim based idea but the fitter is beginning to see snags with this.

It was around 4pm by the time we'd got this far, so we stopped for afternoon tea. We had a bit of a tidy up when we returned to the boat after tea and Offcut ran the tack cloth over the bulkhead that needed varnishing. We both tackled the varnishing. We limited our activities to the bulkheads because Offcut had forgotten to rub down the bathroom wall area that the fitter had varnished on Wednesday. If we started rubbing this down now the air would be full of dust and we'd not get a good finish with the varnish on the bulkheads.

We packed up just after 5pm and made our respective ways home.

Thursday

Thursday was a bit like the old days, for it included a trip to Braunston! However, first, not being sure if Braunston would have the push fit connectors that we wanted, and having seen them in B & Q, the fitter called there on the way to Braunston. He was also hunting for a pipe support, similar to those that sometimes come with washing machines. The ¾ inch plastic pipe that empties the Attwood Box, holds water once the pump is switched off. The weight of this water has distorted the pipe where it changes from being almost vertical to almost horizontal, near the skin fitting. As there is water in the pipe permanently, there appears to be a danger that this distortion will get worse and the inside of the pipe will almost close up, putting a strain on the pump in the Attwood Box. If we can ease the transition from vertical to horizontal we might be able to avoid this problem.

We're also looking for curtain fittings. We don't want brass and nobody on the High Street, so to speak, appears to sell chrome (or silver) rods or tube that is only 12mm in diameter. B & Q go as low as 15mm,and Braunston only sell brass, which is the right dimension. We'll have to try the Internet.

Alas, the search for the pipe support was unsuccessful. Fortunately, Mrs. Fitter has found one around the house, so we'll try using that. Anyway, from B & Q it was off to Braunston. There was a long queue of traffic heading the opposite way near Towcester and the signs of roadworks about to start near Weedon. Sure enough, having left Braunston on the way back, the fitter got caught by both but, luckily, not for too long.

Our intention had been to fit the more standard knob style valves into the boiler circuits when we add the branch for heating the cylinder. However, someone on the forum has suggested fitting lever valves as these provide a more visual indication of whether the valve is open or shut. Braunston hadn't got any of these lever valves, although the fitter was certain that he'd seen them there in the past.

So it was back to B & Q on the way home, to see if they had them - they did! Next it was hunt the Corian man. We had his address but it was a bit rural and took us about thirty minutes to get there and a little less coming back. By now it was approaching midday and the fitter wanted to do some woodwork before going to the boat. He also had the hedge to cut, something he'd originally planned for Saturday morning when he thought he'd be working on the trip boats for much of the rest of the day. One of the trips is now cancelled, so he'll have time for his own boat, so the hedge was promoted to Thursday. The hedge isn't too big and wasn't too wild, so the job was complete within about forty five minutes.

And so to lunch, taken over the PC, whilst mails and the like were checked. Finally, it was down to the garage to prepare four pieces of timber. One, a piece of dark hard wood, was for the grease monkey and required the use of the Triton based saw, the router and the planer. The other three pieces were Ash and needed to be cut from what was left of our board of inch thick Ash. One cut piece will cover the un-veneered edge of the 12mm plywood panel that we put between the corridor wall and one end of the hip bath. Most of this side of the panel is hidden from view. There is a strip about 20mm wide that protrudes beyond the facia towards the door and this is the area for which the piece needed to be produced. Two further pieces are for use as trim around the bathroom door and the final piece, which will be cut into two pieces on the boat and have one corner mitred, is the trim for the slab on which the stove will sit.

Because it is only possible to have one appliance in use at a time due to space limitations in the garage, the cutting, routing and planing all had to be organised to minimise the number of times that the machines had to be changed. As a result it took almost three hours to produce the finished items, partly due to a reluctance to saw wood too thinly, which means more needs to be taken off on the planer, and because the fitter prefers to take several shallow cuts with the planer rather than fewer but deeper cuts.

It was just after 4.30pm by the time that the fitter finished. He had a quick sweep up (or brush over) and then got changed, loaded the car and headed for the boatyard. He just had time to put the wood and the purchases on his boat (and to test fit the grease monkey's piece of dark hardwood) before he had to turn his concentration to the trip boat for an evening trip. The ftrip didn't return until 9.30pm and, by the time that our guests had left, none of us felt like going to the pub so we missed out on the weekly quiz.

Friday

Despite not getting back home and to bed until 11pm, the fitter was awake again not long after 4am. Instead of lying in bed, getting uncomfortable and thinking of all the things that need to be done, he got up quietly, made himself a cup of tea and spent the next three hours on the PC. He spent a while writing up this page and then unsuccessfully looking for the chrome curtain poles / rods that we want.

The fitter eventually left home around 8.15am and was at the boatyard by 9am. The place was almost deserted - the tourists and the like are on the verge of hibernating for the winter. The fitter made himself a cup of tea and went off to clean the interior of the trip boat, a job postponed from Thursday evening. This was soon done and the boat secured again. By now a few more people had appeared so there was a brief bit of chatting and then the fitter disappeared onto his own boat.

The first job was to complete the plumbing of the shower. We cut a piece of 15mm plastic pipe and fitted the metal inserts that stop the pipe from distorting when pushed into a fitting. Next we fitted the first elbow to the shower control unit. We then fitted the second elbow to the wall fitting to which the shower head hose is connected. We could now fit this to the piece of plastic pipe and, finally, fit the whole assembly to the shower control.

We measured the position for the hole for the wall fitting, transferred this to the plywood wall panel and cut the hole with a forstner bit. We then refitted the panel, screwed it in place and teased the shower's wall fitting through the hole. The hole was a few millimetres adrift but the fitting is OK. All we need to do now is wait for the Corian man to do his bit and we'll be able to have a shower - we wouldn't currently have a door on the bathroom (nor any shower curtains) but we could have a shower (if we run the engine to generate some hot water first). We finished off in this area by screwing the last end of the bath to the recently erected plywood panel and applying sealant between bath and panel before we tightened the screws.

We had, by this time, and after a quick test fit, decided to delay fitting the trim to the door post until just before we went home. This was because we needed to clamp the trim to the wall and the clamps were likely to get in the way if we were wandering about the boat. Needless to say, we now realised that the next job that we planned to tackle from our outstanding job list was fitting the plinth to the underside of the kitchen cupboards. Consequently, we wouldn't be in and out of the bathroom so we could fit the trim first, together with spring clips to hold it all together and leave all in place for twenty four hours.

We'd expected that fitting the plinths would be a reasonably quick job and that we'd either cut away a bit early for a change or crack on with something else. We should have known better. For a start, the plinths were too wide and had to be trimmed on the table saw. Then, having been quite conservative with measurements and cutting, we had to trim a little more as they kept jamming on the uneven floor. Because the plinths come in 2200mm lengths, we'd marked and cut the bits we wanted before we went to the table saw as this made the pieces more manageable.

We started with the starboard side cupboard as this was the smaller run. We soon found that we'd got a problem with the corner unit as this has its exposed corner cut at an angle, an angle that the plinth fitting instructions didn't seem to take any notice of. We played around with ideas and eventually decided to mitre the two longer piece - the front and cupboard side pieces, We then cut a short infil piece with square ends that the other two pieces would hold in place. We cut the mitres on the mitre saw, which isn't big enough for a single cut of the plinths, so we had to turn them over part way through the cut. Then we found that the top of the leg on the corner unit was fouling the infil piece and we had to chisel out a V shaped notch so that the piece fitted around the leg. Finally we applied some glue to one of the longer lengths to hold the smaller piece in place as the usual leg clips can't be used on this small piece.

Amazingly, after only the normal refreshment breaks (plus about ten minutes to fix a slight leak in the boatyard's toilet), the time was now approaching 4pm. We made our afternoon cup of tea and then returned to the boat to varnish the bulkheads - Offcut had rubbed them down earlier in the day and just had to wipe them over with a tack cloth before we could varnish them. This was the first full strength coat of varnish on the bulkheads. There are four more to go before we can refit the plinth to support the washing machine and then plumb the washing machine in, all of which has to be done before the Corian man arrives.

With such a small area to varnish we were soon able to shut the boat up and proceed on our respective ways home, just after 5pm.

Saturday

Offcut was supposed to be painting his own abode so was unavailable on Saturday (and Sunday). Mrs. Fitter was supposed to have joined the fitter on Saturday but had a bit of an upset stomach on Friday so she decided to stay at home. Consequently, only the fitter made the journey to the boat and he was only around for part of the day as he had a trip boat duty during the afternoon.

The fitter was at the boatyard around 8.45am and on his boat just after 9.15am following the usual cup of tea and a chat. The first job was to drill the holes for the plugs in the two pieces of Ash that will go around the front and side of the slab with the stove on it. The screw holes themselves had been drilled at home on Friday evening, but we only have 50mm long stainless steel screws so we needed to use the plug cutter to start the hole for the plug, then change to a 9mm drill and drill the plug hole deeper so that the screw would extend far enough beyond the Ash to get a good grip on the floor panel. This seemingly simple job took longer than expected because all three battery drills had flat or nearly flat batteries - that's what comes of not using them as much as we did at the start.

The Ash was test fitted and then removed so that it can have a couple of coats of varnish applied to the bottom and two sides before it is screwed into place and the screw holes plugged. The top face will be varnished once the plugs have been added. The initial coat of varnish was one of the last jobs of the day.

The Ash had been prepared on Thursday at home and then cut to length and mitred on the boat on Friday. It took a while because we cut it slightly over size and had to trim it to length once both pieces had been cut and mitred. We also had to add a groove at the end by the tiles so that the Ash fitted around those tiles. The Ash had then been taken home and the necessary screw holes drilled. The Ash is 65mm high, so the holes had to be drilled part way through from each side as the fitter doesn't have any long enough drills to enable him to drill the hole from just one side. Fortunately, in each case, the two holes joined up so that we eventually had three through holes in each piece.

Attention was now turned to the piece of Ash that we'd stuck to the bathroom wall on Friday. Off came the clamps and out came the filler - there is a slight gap between the new Ash and the trim on the end of the side wall. The fitter filled this gap and left it to dry. Just before lunch he rubbed it down before rubbing down the bulkheads in the kitchen. He reasoned that if he left the air to clear while he had lunch, the dust would settle and he'd be able to wipe the bulkheads over and varnish them before he had to depart for his trip boat duty.

Saturday's next job was to finish off the plinth under the kitchen unit. The piece that will go under the washing machine and sink had already been cut to length so all that was needed was for it to be trimmed where the washing machine goes - the underside of this has to be nearer to the floor than the cupboards to get the machine under the worktop. Then a piece was cut to fit under the oven and two further small pieces were cut to link the pieces under the cupboards with the the piece under the oven, which is further forward than the cupboards to hide the enclosure under the oven in which we will store the pots and pans.

After lunch, taken with some speed as time was running out before the trip boat departed, the fitter wiped over the bulkheads and then varnished them and the two bits of Ash for the fire surround. He finished with almost no time to spare, put the brushes in the Brush Mate, grabbed his gear and shot off to get changed after locking the boat.

When he got home he popped into the garage and cut some plugs for the fire surround. It is safer to cut this on the bench drill and there are some offcuts at home that are a better match with the Ash that the surround was cut from.

The trip boat season is winding down and the fitter currently only has three more trips scheduled for this year. One is on Sunday so apart from a bit of rubbing down and varnishing of bulkheads and fire surround, the fitter plans to spend some time at the grease monkey's place, fitting trim around some partitions that the grease monkey has been altering. Hopefully, this will encourage the grease monkey to get on with our stove so that we can put the ceiling panel back up to get it out of the way.

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