"Right, let's just be violent." Most appropriate quote ever for dealing with shoddy work by previous owners.

I can't help but think of when Father Ted tried to tap a small dent out of a car's bodywork and utterly destroyed it...

Twiggy was a canny buy David. With the amount of rain we've had in the UK lately, a boat is going to be more useful than a car.

That is one hell of a rabbit hole there you have dug.

“It’s like some sort of cloud city up there.” 😂😂😂

Taking off that dark carpet has made the inside look loads brighter and bigger!😂

I appreciate your 'have a go' spirit to DIY. Honestly, you have inspired a klutz like me to do things around the house. And so far we still have a house. Result!

Please consider snaps for floor carpet install. Cleaning is so damn easy when you can unsnap and take it outside. Good luck.

'I thinks it is important to have properly chilled refreshments...' words to live by. lots of good RV type ' actual real compressor type' fridges to choose from too.

There's something liberating about pulling out decades worth of wall and ceiling coverings. It looked like the ceiling carpet was held on with pancakes! Have fun with the next step David.

I love listening to your thought process.

The amount of times you've pulled at something on this boat and found that someone at some point glued it down is my favorite bit😂

Hi David. I applaud your approach. Strip it all out and start afresh. With condensation and other water ingress likely, removing carpet and replacing with something water tolerant is a very good idea. Thank you for taking us along and good luck. 👏👏👍😀

😂 I love it..... 'I'll just get this one piece out'..... turns into 2....3....7... a dozen pieces. 'What have I gotten myself into'.😆 The comments are great to read, and it appears that many, many people have gone through a similar experience, and we are all enjoying you taking us along through your experience. Twiggy will look fantastic... a brand new boat, when you are done, and enjoying cruising on the canals again. Cheers!😊

Seeing the scenery moving around in the windows causes me to imagine the amusement if the outdoor view included evermore-extreme landmarks passing by: Westminster, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids of Giza; all while our host studiously concentrates on his work.

As a person who uses old stuff to make patterns for replacement stuff, I was shouting “Noooo!!!” As you said you were simply going to toss the carpet bits away. Those prices are gold as patterns. The boat has such complex curves to accommodate and trying to create replacements out of any material is going to be a challenge. A pattern, even if eventually modified could save you hours of headache down the road. I hope it’s not too late to save them, but I suspect it may be. And I had to chuckle about the concerns of battery storage and potential water issues as we viewed the current battery placement under the sink. Nope, no dangers there! All that said, I’m sure Miss Twiggy is going to look fab when you are done with her if your previous projects are anything to go by! Best of luck…with or without pattern captures! ❤

I would advise going for a cheese sandwich and having Gromit sort the inside of the boat.

Whatever you choose to put on the ceiling, make sure you can get it in to the cabin. I know it's all relatively small but then, so is the cabin door. If you choose a solid sheet of plastic for the ceiling, just ensure you can get it in there. Friendly advice from someone who once had to have a door frame removed for a new fridge... Have a great week!

Oh boy! What a lot of work you've taken on. It's like a car restoration project where a simple short-term project takes on a life of its own. Good luck, I can't wait to see your next episode.

When you tear it down a bit and rebuild it, it gets its own look. And what you said, "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, as they say", is true.💪

I was disappointed, I swore that you would finish by saying, "Now for a cup of tea and a cheese sandwich."

Hello David, Good progress in stripping out the old... you are getting closer to the rebuild phase which is always great... See you on the next one... Take care. Paul,,

the carpet obscured all the details of the shape of the boat. there's a lot of charm and interest to work with now to make it a cozy functional space.

David I admire your have a go attitude, I reckon you've created a year's worth of KZfaq content from this video alone. I on the other hand would have sat back, looked around, and thought..."it's not so bad as it is really" 😊. I'll be watching with interest.

Well, you're into it now. Lucky us, looks like loads of content to watch! 👍😃

I was going to recommend a small self contained top loading fridge on drawer slides such as a yeti (there are other much less expensive brands) but after reading comments and answers it sounds like you already got one. Bravo. Another suggestion before building new cabinetry would be transferring your measurements to cardboard, cutting everything out and use masking tape to build a mock-up. That way you can see how everything fits, whether it works the way you want or not. It makes it easy to scribe on curves and irregularities that always exist on boats. The bonus is once everything is the way you like, the pieces can be marked, carefully disassembled and then used as templates for actually cutting the wood. I’ve used this on van builds before and it was well worth the while. High quality foam board works even better. I love that you’re showing pretty much everything including the demo. Cheers from Florida 🌴🌴🌴

David gives Twiggy a Brazilian, no more carpet! 😉

Peaking behind the “curtain” is quite often a rude awakening - that spray foam on the ceiling and terrifying wiring junction were quite unexpected.🙂 It was the seemingly random placement of spray foam blobs that got me...why there in particular? I’m so glad that you are doing this, everything will be much safer going forward I’m sure. I’m really looking forward to your next instalment. Thanks again for sharing your adventures in boat land. Much appreciated. 🙂🐿🌈❤️

Man! The dark carpet just makes a small space feel even smaller. Don't know who thought that was a good idea in the first place.

As with all these types of projects, things always look worse before they look better. Great to see an update, David - looking forward to the next one already. 🙂

Mr Johns, just treat it like your camper van, you did a good job on that.

When pondering materials for the deck head, bear in mind the acoustic qualities of your choice. The word on the street is that, in Jolly Old England, it may rain from time to time, and a pounding rain on a fiberglass surface will sound like Keith Moon wailing away on a snare. For some, that scenario might not be conducive to a sound nights sleep!

The title. DESTROYED IN SECONDS has already been used by another show. Shame it would have been quite appropriate. Fogstar supply excellent lifepo4 batteries in numerous shapes and sizes at a reasonable price and excellent quality. Excellent video as usual. Can't wait to see you refit all that carpet. Excellent confidence booster for all those who think they can't do it.

I like your decision re this boat. When you have finished you will jave a good looking practical, comfortable and easy to maintain canal/river boat. Good for you.

Oh dear, i was full of enthusiasm for your strip it out and refurbishment project, Then it struck me, time + cost + labour ( yours) = an unenvious task and the possibility of going so deep into the DIY rabbit hole you find a money pit at the bottom, I do hope it doesn't. I will still watch as long as I have enough nails to bite. love to Twiggy!!

Your boat is going to look like new when you finish. Great to watch you step by step.

Expanding foam and that wiring looked like a short way from infernal disaster. That stuff burns very readily.

Looks a whole summer of fun.

Nothing gives such pleasure as taking things apart....or so many anxious moments when putting things together again. Very entertaining.

re: battery under the drivers feet. Water is not as big a concern with low voltage DC. Unless its submerged, its fine. but I think putting it in the cabin would add more security. Plus in the rare event that you have a "thermal battery issue", not having that under your feet would be preferred. Expanding foam should require licensing. People use it far too often for the wrong things. Acetone will get rid of it most of the time. Just test it first to make sure you don't damage other surfaces. I'd also suggest wearing a painters mask when you pull that stuff down. The dust might be nasty for you. I know its a little late for that now, but keep it in mind for the future. Fiberglass and the like can create hazardous dust. I'm thoroughly enjoying this series David. Thank you for taking the time to film this for us. I actually waited until the end to comment!

Yoinks! It looked more like an episode of Time Team as you dug deeper. We hope you are on the water and cruising soon David.

The ceiling didn't look like too bad a job. You have certainly made yourself some work! Hardboard has a tendancy to absorb moisture and warp so sticking it with expanding foam seems like a good idea. Avoiding it is an even better one.

I think you did the right thing by taking that carpet out. It was far too dark and depressing. 👍

So much easier to take it apart than it is to put it back together. With your van refurb skills and some cotorsion flexibility you should do fine. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Ooo. That was very brave. Don't let this get away from you

So relaxing watching you improve things!

Love these videos, can't wait for the next one. And also, of course, the Vandemonium vids.

Well done David, you made her look much better inside 😂

What have you gotten yourself into David? Just kidding, it’s always a pleasure to watch you work while I sit and enjoy a nice cup of coffee. I think it’s always best to start a remodel with a clean slate and you have done a fine job making that happen. Best of luck and thank you for sharing.

Properly chilled refreshments are a priority for me as well, glad we see eye to eye on this important topic

You've given yourself an enormous amount of work recarpeting the whole boat, maybe it's just the video giving an illusion but it looked quite good to me. You definitely need to keep all those pieces to use as a patterns. That floor carpet I'd have just trimmed it to size and stitched a piece of binding tape around it to give a good edge. I hope that you're not going to regret stripping everything out, recarpeting is a very skilled job, hopefully you're up to doing it, I wouldn't be.

The nearest I have got to a canal is walking on a bridge over one. But, I always enjoy your uploads 🤘🤘

What a nice video to watch, am looking forward to all future videos of the little lemon girl. Keep it up!

It’s probably too late for this piece of advice , but having undertaken a similar exercise I would recommend keeping the original factory fitted carpet pieces to be used as a template for whatever substrate you decide to “clag on “ ( technical term ) to the roof and sides

I ticked/pressed the 'like' button before settling down to watch this; there's no point in postponing the inevitable!

You know David, one idea for a cabin upgrade could be taking the carpet pieces you’ve removed as templates to an automotive custom upholsterer to make new panels. All kinds of options for materials to suit your tastes.

It's well and truly a project now! excellent! Love the "speeded-up muttering" too.

Something so satisfying about seeing it stripped down to the fiberglass. A new canvas for you to work on! ❤

With all that energy you could come and do my sailing yacht. It's approximately same size and shape, so now you know how to go ahead. On the other hand, I should be using your videos as an inspiration on how to do it myselv. But I am 71 years old and suffering from COPD, so it will probably never be. Bu at least. Now I have the inspiration 🙂 Thanks for showing and love from Denmark

Thank you for taking the work to make sure your videos are captioned!

Thank you for another entertaining video. Am catching up with your vandemonium KZfaq posts, which are also excellent, in detailing several years of your camper van experiences. You truly love getting stuck into DIY projects!

I'm quite looking forward to where this boat remodel project goes. Sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. Why else would people do arts and crafts? I may or may not like exactly where it ends up, but it's going to be great fun to watch. Thanks for taking us along David! 😊

David + DIY = always a blast. Love the Video great Job once again!

One thing I noticed after you removed the dark grey carpet, roof covering was how bright and bigger the space looked, no dark colours when you replace it 😀

loving these vids. Reminds me oh so fondly the narrowboat I renovated ... template ... EVERYTHING !!!....aaarrrrghhhhhh

If I recall correctly from the shower redo, you had a heck of a time getting that material to work with the slopes and angles of a relatively simple box. This looks way more complicated. Also when you order the carpet keep in mind how the van carpet ran out quickly and you were sure you ordered enough yardage. Looking forward to the journey. It took me three days just this week to build an ikea dresser on my own and that was with set materials and directions. I would be hopeless at this from scratch DIY. Good luck!

Its always nice to start fresh with nice new not musty surfaces. It will smell good and feel great.

That will be interesting. You've definitely broken some eggs. Great job and carry on.

It was good to see all that carpet coming off in large, mostly intact pieces. Near the end it looked like the piece in the bow tore, but not in tiny shreds the way most of my demolition projects do.

Lol love the Benny hill music haha looks that you needed to remove the carpet and foam crud

looks huge without the grey carpet!

Good report on the work. Thank you for sharing.🙂🙂

Brave....nothing like taking a good look at what you bought😂 Love the enthusiasm David. I will approach my bathroom remodel brave like you !

Loved the vlog David, the Benny Hill bit was fun too! Boat looks better already can’t wait to see how you will do it

Your head-long and well-explained DIY adventure is a hoot,an enjoyment, and a few moments away from every day life for most everybody who’s watching. I love it! Plus, I like laughing out loud now and then. I like hearing your terminology of choice. I like your British accent, for goodness sake. I’m so glad I found you all those years ago! Keep on videoing as you continue along your DIY, renovate, and refurbish chosen😢 path. ♥️

Just a thought. The carpet might be used as insulation , soundproofing, and keep condensation from forming and dripping down. When it's cold and your sleeping, your breath will create it on the roof above.

It doesn't seem to matter what you do, you always make it interesting. Thank you. Cheers.

Remember, batteries are heavy. Don't tuck them to far inside any cabinets. Always use a battery box or tray for safety. You don't want them to slip or topple over.

A thought for the new interior. 3mm ply covered with vinyl wallpaper - similar to a caravan's interior. Very easy to keep clean, bright and cheerful - and tough. Fibreglass/epoxy in loads of little wooden blocks/plates to screw (or rivet) the ply to. Pop rivets come in very handy. You're going to want some sound dampening I imagine, so stick that to the walls and ceiling before fixing the ply. That should also give you some 'give' in the event of hard things banging into the wall. There are plenty of mouldings available to cover the joins - again from the caravan world. Even flexible stuff on a roll for the corners to just leave a bead showing. Food for thought perhaps?

Note to self: Don't sell any used vehicles to David, because he will strip it all down on camera, and if repairs are not textbook perfect, will broadcast it on Cruising the Cut!

Obviously you may not have seen The Minimalist's videos where they just were going to redo the bathroom. A total demolition of the interior of their narrowboat later... 😀

It’s so much lighter in the boat with all that hideous grey carpet removed, and it also looks more spacious.

The battery being in the cockpit is an invitation to being stolen.

On my Norman Conquest 20, I have the water and supplies cupboard on one side (under your sink), and the batteries and electric on the other side. It helps with ballasting. With me in the driver's seat, and 20 kgs of water the boat is ballasted level. It makes driving so much easier. I removed all the other ballast, so it's much more responsive.

For the cabin floor have a look for a piece of Flotex carpet. It is so durable and if necessary you can scrub it clean. Its better than rubber because it gives you a warmer more homely feel.

Many types of expanding foams contain isocyanates, the inhalation of which is associated with severely adverse health effects such as asthma, inflammation in the respiratory tract, and cancer, so I would recommend proper respiratory protection when dealing with the foam. As far as tools go to remove the foam itself, you can move quite quickly with a rubber wheel (sometimes called a decal remover or adhesive remover wheel) fitted into a battery powered drill.

Big job. But at least you have something to do. 🙂 it can become a cozy little boat with some work. You can do it, David.

They do make drawer fridges. Dometic has a couple. AGM batteries can go on their side. For the center aisle you want something like dry deck that lets any water drain through.

Many Thanks David!

Hi there my father who is a retired upholsterer would be sreaming at you now "You'll need those old carpet sections to use to patern up your new coverings" You'll beable to choose a good bright colour now for the cabin will look great when finished. You'll get your fridge and water designed in soon as you see the space and the battery home will become clear. All the best 👍 good luck. Kev the brinklow kayaker

you might find it useful when you've finished to use a compressor dehumidifier to dry the boat out from time to time, especially it's carpeted.

This is going to be a big project. Hopefully we’ll see some ducks before the end of the year. 😊

really enjoying these videos, great project.

When you pulled that carpet panel off, a voice in my mind was screaming 'Leave it David!!!!'

The Western swing music with the steel guitar featured (at around the 13 minute mark) is an inspired choice. Well done.

wishing you all the best David

already looks much brighter! can’t wait to see what you do with it 😊

Nice job, now you can insulate the boat to keep it more dry and warm😅

Thanks for another video, David!

Thanks for replying, look forward to your video every week.