Now you see it.... now you don't - part 13

Hello! I am here to tell you some more fings bout developments wiv regard to the Atlantis and our journey of turnin her from stinky fishin trawler to beautiful trawler yacht! I fink I said last time we are in the year 2008 (aka Year 5) now.  Operation Bedroom - check! Operation Wheelhouse - check!

You can see all da ova posts ere and there includin when me and mum an dad first got togeva and how da whole boat fing come about in da fing on the right wot dus be called da Archive!

Any road up enough of this twaddle. Let us continue wiv dis bloggy and tell you wot appen next! Mum and dad (and me) was very appy wiv our new lovely bedroom. Dad had builded little seat fing in da corner and mum put ma bed on there for me to relax in. You can see ma bed in the corner ere! There was lots of dust in the room too as you can see, mum slowly vacuumed it all up but we woz all sneezin for a bit!

Dad had put in some lovely stairs wot we could use to go up and down whenever we liked! Mum was mostly usin them for going to toilet in the night - we did larf me and dad - coz mum didn't like to wake us up so she buyed a headtorch for her nightly trips to the toilet! Heehee. Interestin to note: dad did not use headtorch, he just turn on the light and make us all suffer! Tsk.

Now dat we all comftily sorted in our new bedroom dad decided to top off da luxury wiv brand new 32" flat screen telly and delishush heater so me and mum can watch our favourite filums and be all cosy! 

Now he cuds to turn attenshuns to removin da wheelhouse.  When they originally buyed the boat, they had fort they wud just refurbish the wheelhouse becoz dad was not sure he was skilled enough to build new one! Err hello!! Earf to dad ... earf to dad! Are you mad or what!!! So mum say, yes do it!  

Ere dus be pictcha of da wheelhouse wot we gonna get rid of! Oh look at dis photo and you will see ma bestest pal wot dus be Jared in da corner.

Mum an dad also say they be so appy to see the back of da wheelhouse as it ugly and remind them of freezin winters and boilin summers tryin to sleep! First of all they stripped da inside back to da bare metal on the back wall. Dad's plan was to cut the back of the wheelhouse off so they could easily remove everyfink inside. He had to decide what instruments we woz keepin like da radar, depf sounder and dat kind of fing. This photo shows some of the early walls comin out - dad is pretendin he is gonna get rid of it but woz mum wot dun it all!

First fing he dun was to pull out da walls at da back. Then he just cut the back off! Just like dat! Well maybe not just like dat but pretty quickly!! He was using his gas axe as it can be done wifout worryin bout burnin dat ova parts coz they all bein disposed of anyways! Wot is Gas Axe I hears you arks? Well, I tell you! It dus be a Oxyacetelene cutting torch.  It be called dis becoz of it run on gas  air an it cut fings really quick.

Once the back was off da wheelhouse, was possible to start removin da rest of all the fings inside like da walls, seats, shelvin an fings. They did use big sledge hammer to get rid of lots of fings. I was not impressed dat my beanbag had taken a bit of a kickin!! Pftttt dey forgot to move it! Mum didn't seem to appy bout her rug eiva ;)))). That is dads for ya!

More strippin work continued frewout da week. As you can see the wheelhouse was built to a high quality! heehee. The more they pulled out the happier they woz wiv da decishun. Speshully when dad did find holes all along base of da wheelhouse dat woz filled wiv builders foam. ;)).

During the removal phase dad had to make sure he knew if there was any wirin and cables wot he had to keep for da new one as well. Here are some wires wot he had to fink about (rather im dan me):

Dad wanted to get the wheelhouse off in a munf (dat be four weeks to you landlubbers - oh no wait we seafarers also says dat!)  becoz he didn't want to have too many sleepless nights worryin bout da structure. He was also worried becoz we wud have huge hole straight down to the engine room so he was concerned about da weava too. They agreed that they wud work until it was done and mum took some time off work to be there every day and elp wiv what she cuds. Of course, dis did include relaxin wiv da Lexie ;)).

Dad wod work on smashin everfink up and den mum wud take it all to the shore where they wud put fings in skip or, where possible, burn the wood.

Every time mum goes off to make a cuppa or some lunch or wotnot dere be more stuff to get off da boat!  Not sure she was expectin so much of dis! She had to walk across those precarious planks! As we all know only too well, not somfink mum too good at! Den down the ladder,off the boat to the shore, then back an do it all over again! Many times. She was certainly gettin a workout dad say to her! Rassssspp she say to dad.

Slowly but surely da wheelhouse started to get cleared out an dad cud start finkin bout cutin the rest of da wheelhouse off!

Ere dus be front of wheelhouse. This dus be tidy compared to ow it started! Mum did get very sore hands and arms (even though she was wearin glves) coz of all da fibre glass around. I was not allowed in dere for obvious reasons. Dus you see dat fing on the right hand window? Dat is a whirly fing wot go round really fast and was so dat if was raining the helmsman could see frew it! Dat was the fishermens wot had that.

Here dus be some more of da wheelhouse comin out. You can see here is da fibreglass wot I telled you about wot give mum da itchy arms. It also did make them cough a lot!

Ere dus be da bonfire wot they woz puttin all da wood on. Here is just a small pile of da wood wot mum piled up on da shore. Dat is mum and dad powerboat behind wot was 007! Or James as mum liked to call it ;).

I fink overall did take about 2 weeks to completely strip da wheelhouse. The weava was not great eiva but me an mum did av some R&R walkin around enjoyin da mud! Well, I say we, I mean me!! Heehee. Dis ma muddy boots and ma sheep look - all da rage in 2008 I can tell you.

More in da next chapter bout wheelhouse removal. Mum become da family crane operator and dad realises he can do anyfink if he put his mind to it. I continue to enjoy walks and relaxations wiv da family.

Down the wooden hill to bedfordshire at last - part 12

Hello! Fanx for continuin wiv reading bout our story. Here quick refresher: da year is 2008 and will become known as Year of the Bedroom! Is also known as Operation Wheelhouse!

Now last year we was all sposed to move into our new bedroom but fings bein as dey dus be, it didn’t appen. Wot I fink I explains now is dat boat building time not like normal time. Fings always end up bein more complicated dan first imagined. Sometimes some big problems come up wot dad has to deal wif before he can finish somfink else.

Like the time when they did strip out da bow bedroom in the early days and den they accidentally broke da pipe wot did go from da galley (dat is kitchen remember) to da outside of da boat. It was unrepairable coz of bein so old, so dad had to fabricate new one and weld in place!

Anyways, before we cuds move into da bedroom dad had to have somewhere where he could do a lot of the bedroom preparation work. He needed a big room to build the bed, parts of the walls and make the doors. He did make the doors himself from scratch! They decided that first of all they wud ave to do some work in the saloon to get ready for making fings for da bedroom.

They worked in da saloon all frew da early munfs of 2008 – January frew to March. Was very cold there and to access the saloon at the time, they did av to go outside and walk along the walkway to the back door. 

There was no direct access from the galley or wheelhouse at dat time so it was a cold walk from the galley around the outside of the boat to the newly installed back door in the saloon! Mum and dad considerately put annuva dog flap in for me but I preferred to stay warm in da galley during those winter munfs! Plus I had builded up ma coat to protect me ;)). I calls it da  Larry the Lamb look!

Dey was workin on puttin da walls in place and workin on the doors. Was very cold in there as the windows let in lots of cold air so they work hard and fast to get everyfink ready. Dad was concentratin on da walls and the curves, den he started  building the bed frame along wiv a small wardrobe wot they cuds keep mums clothes in.

Dad didn't need to keeps his clothes in dere coz they too dirty and orrible he say! Is for mum's work stuff so she can keeps it all clean. You can see da wardrobe and part of the bed in dis pic. Not very big wardrobe is it? Dad say space is always at a premium in a boat, even one as big as Atlantis! I fink is his way of stoppin mum buyin too many outfits!

All da walls are gonna be has cherry veneer wot dad dus then stain and lacquer an den polishes (mum dus that bit) to bring to a bootiful colour and shine. Here is da befores an afters pics of wot dad dun wiv da walls to the en suite shower. You can see wot dad dun step by step to get a bootiful colours wot you can sees your face in it! Pay attenshuns, here come the science bit (heehee I nicked dat from advertisement wot I seed one time).

Step 1 - laminate da wall out of plywood
Step 2 - sheath in veneer (North American Cherry and very expensive!) using contact adhesive
Step 3 - give Lex a sossidge (haha just put dat in for fun, so I check you readin!)
Step 4 - stain orange
Step 5 - stain brown
Step 6 - laquer
Step 7 - colour-sand (make it smoove) and polish
Step 8  - do all of dat again (from step 3!) about 10 times

Hey Preston! You has your bootiful walls thusly:

So tick tockety tickety tick ---- bedroom is coming!!!! Mum and me gettin really eggsited bout it too! Dad workin really hard and tryin to get everyfink done quick. I fink I mighta said dat already ;). Here dus be the bed all ready for da mattress wot gonna be put on top! Mum never telled dad til later but she imaginin herself fallin off it! Dad built everyfink himself. He has to custom builds everyfink coz you can't buy dis sort of stuff in da shops. Da more obserbant readers will notice that dad has been testing the bed out (pillows and dad shaped dust!) for size!

Mum not overly impressed wiv da access dat dad has had to hastily arranged! She finkin of those nights when she has to go to the loo up the ladder. Mum an ladders are a deadly mix!! Dad tell mum she just has to put up wiv it! He has not the time nor the inclination to put in a staircase. Deal wiv it he tell her. She get da hump dat is for sure and go off in a strop!

Wot dad dussnt tell da mum is he wanna surprises her. She has to go away for a few days to do some training and he bin tellin her dat the bedroom not gonna be finish for a few more weeks, so she just has to be patient. Patient she say! Ha --- she bin sleepin on a floor for 5 years, dat is patient ain't it?! Harumph and off she go for her trainin.

When she gone, dad an Jared (wiv some elps from da Lexie - mainly testin fings and dat) finish off da bedroom double quick. Dey put some nice lightin in and finish off da wardrobe wif rail and lights inside. They dus some shelvin so mum can put her nice fings on dem like her smelly candles wot she like. Dad get a new telly and dvd player so she can watch her favourite movies in bed if she likes. Dad finish off by puttin in da mattress and makin the bed up all nice. Mum gonna love it we finks!  Don't it look cosy!

Den he and Jared work hard to builds new staircase for runnin up and down as much as we likes! I test it and it is all good! Better than the ladder. Dad was only doin ladder for joke and know wiv mum track record she cant be goin up a ladder in the middle of the night. They finish off da staircase and everyfink ready  for when mum come home. She is now officially got a real bedroom complete wiv bed and staircase access!  Hoorah!

So they offishully move in an spend their first night in their new bedroom. I be in there too but I am free to go up and down the stairs when I likes. Mum has put ma bed nearby so I can sleep in it if I wants but I lie wiv dem anyway ;)). You be pleased to know she has never fall out of dat bed yet! Although she did spend a fitful night wonderin if she would! Silly moo!

Tune in next time to find out about how they finally gets rid of dat old wheelhouse and open up the back of the boat when dad removes the upper engine room.

Abbysinya! (there is a joke about dat but I forgets it now!)