I’m loving following your journey, you really are a grafter James 😃

Morning James, this boat refurb will be the making of you, mate we are all with you on this journey. The wiring from what you have showed us here and those taped up connectors etc... remove it all its not worth the potential risk to the boat, you and the kids. As a construction manager and engineer believe me you will keep thinking about such things later if you don't take the opportunity now and do it properly. You have great foundations in the bare shell of the boat, give her the best you can. She deserves it.

You keep making more work for yourself, James. How soon do you have to be out of the boatyard? All the best.

It's the scariest plant in the jungle, It's roots are ever so humble. But James has a feeling, He finds very appealing, It’s soon to become 57 plus one’s new ceiling.

IMHO it was wise to pull ceiling off and get a look at the wiring, which looks hodgepodge. I know you are finding more issues as you go, duck hatches etc, but I hope you are able to maintain your optimism that this will be a bait you and your children can spend many years on. A builder once told me “do it once, do it well”, and I see you are doing that. Have a good weekend James. 😊🤗 Kathy

Your so exciting to watch ,don’t know what’s going to happen it’s great viewing. Take care 😊

You’re working hard 😊good idea to strip the ceiling so you can see what you are dealing with 😊nice video 😊thank you

Don’t forget to rest and take care of your wellbeing too James. 🤗 your new home is going to be so amazing, new memories with the children too, thanks for sharing

Don't know how you find the energy for daily demolition and putting out a vlog. Most admirable, James. Leigh

Thanks for the time to update your journey! Loving the repair updates. It will be sad to see Sloe Patrol go eventually.

Glad you are considering a reverse lay out I thought from the start it would suit you better. But you’ll do what is best for you. Watching with interest your doing great.

Thanks James, see you tomorrow.

Well done James gd look thinking of you tc the oldies 👍

Were loving these vlogs on project 57

Loving the videos James! It’s great to see you getting stuck in. (Olis mate)

There once was a great boat builder named James, Destruction and demolition his game. With the help of some friends, His success depends, 57 plus one may someday have a new name.

Its great getting to watch you getting all the old stuff out and getting things back to a good state. Glad you decided to pull down the old ceiling, as I guess who ever did the wiring did not know that the chemicals is spray foam eventually react with the plastic insulator on the cables causing it to turn brittle and eventually break down. An electrical short and a potential fire is not the best way to find out that's a thing. People use conduit for a reason.

I know nothing about boats but maybe the exposed bits of steel in the roof are corroded (more than the concealed bits below the insulation) because the steel is cold and there’s condensation forming directly on it from warm water vapour in the boat. I’m a structural engineer and that happens in building roofs so maybe it also happens in boats also.

James, On a reverse layout. Give this a think. Master bedroom in the front. Second bedroom with bunks on each side that fold up when the kids are not with. Sort of a sideways Murphy style. Bath with shower on one side and a toilet/sink on the other. Salon with dinette Galley aft. Just a thought Cheers Mate, Scott

Things are looking up and the ceiling is coming down. Your idea to change the layout to a reverse with the bedrooms and bath towards the front is good.

If you were merely retrofitting, going with the trad layout might be alright, but if you're going to go to the trouble of tearing the whole thing out and creating bulkheads, etc., I'd go with the reverse-layout. Seems like jumping inside to get a cuppa/snacks is always a thing while cruising too. Kind of a dash if it's all in the front.

Do it Well and you only do it once. Also buy cheap buy twice. Looks like you are really doing things properly James. It’s a joy to watch. Personally I think reverse lay out is good, galley near the main entrance works well.

It's so inviting and bright by the stern, it'll make a brilliant galley (if you end up going that route). Good call on the tear-out, smart making use of that skip...(also please don't feel the need to reply, I know how busy you are!)

Spray foam keeps the heat in on very cold winters, it also reduces condensation from warm moist air coming into direct contact with cold steel, otherwise much bigger rust problems.

new wiring throughout. An absolute must IMO. Old wires, probably brittle now with dodgy breaks with possible corrosion at the terminals and throughout the actual wires. Bite the bullet with £400 of wiring and sleep safe

Absolutely astonishing your enthusiasm for a massive daunting task ahead of you James.

Given you’ll have your kids aboard, have you thought about having the saloon at the stern, then galley / bed 2 / head / bed 1? That way they’ve got somewhere to hang out and you can keep an eye on them from the tiller. If you’ve got clear channels for cabling, why add the cost of conduit for low voltage feeds? If you go with conduit, when you do run the new cabling, don’t forget to add a draw wire for any future additional needs.

I support the new layout proposal for what it's worth. Bedroom at the bow end - good idea.

Fully agree with your reverse layout idea. To make best use of your forward well deck it may be worth considering making the front cabin a comfortable daytime living area which converts to a bedroom at night. This would compensate for the reduction in space in the dinette caused by the creation of the second cabin.

Morning young James. Good job exposing that wiring even though it’s made a lot more work for you 🙄 But you’ll know it’ll be safe when you’ve redone it 👍🏻 That is what’s making your channel so popular m8 👍🏻 God live the King 👑

Advantage of traditional layout is that the well deck becomes and extension of the saloon, which is nice in summer. Spray foam looks a bit thin, especially for live aboard. You might consider extra insulation on the ceiling.

While I am here on a wet miserable coronation day (and believe me, if it were dry, I would be out on my Harley). Some pearls of wisdom (ha). Your 58 foot boat is a metal tube that will be twisting along its length for its whole life. If you use standard sealant anywhere on the boat, it will crack and fail (windows, sinks, taps, bath, shower). Use butyl tape (but not butyl putty). Need flexible pipes? Do NOT use the plastic corrugated stuff. It WILL crack and leak. Use solid pipes where you can, and silicone pipes where you must. Do not use ceramic tiles. No matter how well you lay them, they will move, crack and leak. DO use showerboard. Even for the ceiling. Do not have butt joints that need to be sealed. For example, a bath top meets a wall and you seal where they touch. It will leak. In that scenario, either find a bath or shower tray with a riser lip at the side that the backer board overlaps as it comes down (and seal with butyl tape), or use something like the Classi Seal Upstand tape.

I like the sound of your second layout actually does sound more functional

Just suggesting if you put the bedrooms at the front of the boat you’ll only use the back half of the boat most of the day, and if you don’t make your bed no one is walking past it every 10 min and if someone wants a sleep in there’s no traffic coming past them. From back to front kitchen, dinette, lounge, bathroom, bedroom and master bedroom

As always BRILLIANT...

Think it wise to get new wiring James least you know it’s safe for you and the kids! You watching the coronation ?? Have to be honest I certainly won’t be but that’s just me ! Hope you have a great weekend with your children. See you tomorrow if we are all lucky ! X

I have no idea what your plan is for the ceiling, but I love the T&G... I also love the wood - so my dream would be a wood T&G ceiling, but to keep it light, use bleached wood, or a white transparent stain.... Can't wait to see what you have in mind!! Share your plans with the kids, and see what they say! - it's amazing how creative that young minds can be before they're boxed in by education and reality! They might come up with some surprising ideas for you!

Love watching your videos. You work so hard 👍

James use your multi tool to cut the trim, they are brilliant tools for that. keep up the good work it will all come together at once and look great.

The ceiling batten is in upside down weakening the timber structure rather than strengthening it. Put the cuts on the concave side not the context.

James I know your on a deadline but don't forget a bit of me time mate , you have to be happy aswell take it easy

James works very hard

Looks like a lot of work at the minute but will be a brilliant result once done, the kiddies will love the extra space.

Hey James love the work and the daily updates. Was thinking with the exposed steel in the roof would a anti rust paint/epoxy just brushed over the top would slow and or manage the surface rust and no need for messy foam?

The moment I saw the wiring I understood why you wanted to take down the ceiling. Yeow. Leaving that mess would be asking for trouble.

Hi James. In terms of layout It does seem logical to have a reverse layout so you can keep an eye on the kids as you cruise. Have you thought about the heating system. Although it's nice and cosy having a wood / coal burner. It's also a fire risk. The boat safety certificate makes you adhere to a pretty good standard but it's a hassel to maintain and clean. It can cause charing around the periphery. There might be a better heating solution which is cleaner and easier to use maybe. Just thought I would chuck that in to convider😊

Those little blocks in the port and starboard channels were probably put in to hold the cables up in the channel!

I would think long on pulling out all that cabling. Anything 12v is probably fine no older than the boat is. And check your gauge on your 240v, just make sure there's enough thickness there for the distance. Outside of that if the sheathing is still pliable and not dry rotted it's probably fine. Copper wire is through the roof, just my 2 cents. You're doing great, keep it up!

I changed my mind about the wood ceiling when you were able to just pull it off. Can’t wait for your new design to start!

James your doing well keep it up, just mind to rest also, just a thought if the owners stuff is just under the bed if I was you pack it and find somewhere you safe to put it, that give clear way to get on, also as you are doing a rethink,if you are wanting to keep kitchen units again I would do care full remove and keep onboard and work round as decided your layout. If able and nearby I would willingly give a hand take care now

Nice to see you considering other layouts, but it's really down to how it suits you and your kids in the end. In regards to the cost of replacing the likes of wiring, ceiling, lights and electrics and such, be pragmatic about it a little, the boat cost you nothing, so any money cost wise could be looked at against a potential £20, £30 or £40 thousand cost of buying a similar narrow boat. Glass half full, or half empty? 🤔 And its not a criticism on my side, it's a different spin on expenditure, cost of a fully working (not to your style) boat, against cost of a refitting?

What is the average cost of a complete re-fit if you strip everything back to bare metal and the ribs? I'm talking about taking it to a business who re-fit narrowboat interiors.

That area at the bow with no side windows and no front windows is perfect for the kids bedroom, with lift up bunk beds either side that lift up to reveal bench seats with box storage under, with the through way in the middle. Reverse layout? Yes, the windows, hatch etc are clearly made that way. But oh, that fit out was very poor quality. If the original owner paid good money for that, they were had, big time. Might need to take the roof battens off and treat those cross members.

Darn, wish this rain would go away. So, at some point you might be thinking about inverters, batteries, solar, generator etc. I know a lot of peeps use Victron, but, money. Try comparing what you think of with the Sunsynk Ecco 3.6kw. It is tiny, but very powerful and does so much. About £1000 from ITS Technologies. Might as well get it right, yes?

James when you're cruising by yourself isn't it easier to have kitchen nearer to the stern if your cooking something? Also your heating fire mid boat for best heat circulation?

The cabling looks like the outside electrical and phone wires in Bangkok in the 1990.

Don't forget window config when designing layout

I hate to hear all the slagging off of other peoples work. For the record we used to put blocks of wood in metal trunking when it was fitted upside down to stop cables dropping down. Enough with the whinging!

Convex side.

You want the living area by the stern. So you can watch the young ones when you are moving.

How can anyone fit out an interior over bare steel; stunningly abysmal bodged fit out.

How long do you have to do all this work? Didn’t you have a 3 week deadline?

So what is happening to the engine well?

👍

💜💙💚

I’m sure the previous owners tried their best to build the boat. Try and be positive, and carry on. Stop moaning!

cfa

👍👌❤️🇨🇦,

James like the stuff you do but the narrowboat was free the person who owned it may done things there self and all do moan about the state of things , why ?