We have an engine!!!

When we arrived at the boat yard this week there was no sign of Muleless - she has now been moved back into the floating dock for easier all round access.

Last Monday the engine arrived and Mark and Martin wasted no time getting it into the engine bay. We are having a hydrid engine from Hybrid Marine, and this is a first for MGM - so they are looking forward to fitting everything and seeing how it all works!

The engine is a Beta 43 with the hybrid attachment.

Inverter/charger etc part of the electrical bits for the hybrid system.

There has been excitement in the galley area too - not only have the worktops been fitted but also our sink and hob!

Worktops.

Ceramic inset sink.

Induction hob.

At this stage of the build there is a lot going on in the background, so not so much to see that changes every week.
So its watch this space to see what happens next week!

WOW - I say WOW!!!

Yesterday we made this weeks trip up to the boat.

At last we have lovely weather to travel in and sunshine when we arrived - what a brilliant boating day Saturday was!!

Of course we werent able to travel on the boat, but this weeks visit was well worth it!

We stepped on board and WOW the kitchen had been tiled!

And then we noticed that the shower cubicle had been installed, so walked through to the bathroom and . . .  WOW the bathroom had been tiled too, both walls and floor.

Although the toilet was there too, it has not been fixed yet, it was just being positioned!

Then, we went through to the bedroom, and WOW . . . what a lot had happened in there this week!

One of the radiators has been hung on the wall . . .

Wardrobes, bedside cabinets and overhead cupboards have also been nearly completed.

We are impressed with MGM's attention to detail - the panel at the back of the wardrobe is for accessing the sliding bathroom door for easy maintenance- and the pipes on the calorifier are also easily accessed through the wardrobe - they will be boxed in when complete.

We had expected Muleless to be in the floating dock this week, but she was still outside. Martin told us that it wasnt worth putting it in the dock just to come out again on Monday - as the engine is being delivered and installed then . . . WOW!!!

Cant wait for next week to see the next stage!

Oxygen masks deployed!

Things are now moving so fast we are getting breathless - but it was ok when we reached Muleless as the oxygen masks had been deployed!!

If you look closely you will see they are in fact lights!
We have decided that as so much is happening now, we need to visit every week to keep track on what is going on. So on 6 April we found we had top cupboards in the galley and also the beginnings of a cupboard in the saloon.

The detail on the oak trim is coming along nicely too.

On 12 April we took another visit and had to lie down! - to test our bed for size!

We have gone for a cross bed with drop down foot end with slim mattress infill.
Lots of storage under the bed for those lesser used items . . .

and drawers at the end for easy access.

Next week Muleless should be back in the floating dock ready for all round access and there should be a start on plumbing and electrics.

Things are really happening now!

On Friday 22 March, we made the trek to Leicester to see the latest progress on Muleless.

The first thing we noticed as we drove through the gates was that Muleless was moored outside!

After a quick cuppa in the office with Martin discussing the build we were desperate to climb aboard and see the progress - we were not disappointed!

The ash at the bottom and cream wall and roof panels are coming along nicely! Martin had tacked up the oak trim so that we could see the full effect.

The workmate in the picture is positioned to represent the far end of the dinette.

The view in the other direction shows the "dinette" and galley.

The galley is still at the template stage, but everything is fitting in nicely.

Looking through to the walk through shower room - the calorifier will fit next to the shower, with cupboards above.

Despite the freezing conditions, we had to stand on the stern to take advantage of the magnificent view of the roof - this time complete with hatch!

We left the yard with instructions to choose our tiles, worktop, sinks, taps, kitchen appliances etc - phew!!!

We spent the rest of the weekend, and this weekend doing as we were told!!!

Things have already started arriving at the boat yard, so we cant wait to see it all next week.

This boating lark is exhausting!!

All systems go!!

At last, after putting the house up for sale in January 2012, and agreeing an offer at the end of September 2012, We have finally sold the house!

On a very damp and rainy, but not cold, Friday 8 March we moved out of our house and into a flat – stage 1 of downsizing to live on the boat.

The house sale was a long drawn out affair, the sale chain collapsed twice – the second time just days before exchange was due in December!

We were lucky that the third time round the sale chain had shortened to just three houses and all seemed to be going to schedule, but again various hiccups at the last minute left us thinking that exchange which had been due on 22 February was not going to happen! We were right – last minute negotiations with the new buyers of the bottom house in the chain meant that paperwork was not ready for that day.

We were told that everything would be sorted for Tuesday 26^th, so I went out flat hunting! As we were only looking to rent, I couldn’t start looking until exchange was imminent!

Whilst out flat hunting on the 26^th (anticipating exchange that day) a phone call from the solicitor dashed our hopes as the document signing by the bottom buyers wouldn’t be until too late in the day to exchange!

With completion still set as 8 March, things were getting tight to arrange a flat to move into, and we had to decide whether to move the date and whether to put a deposit on the lovely flat I had just seen.

The letting agent was extremely understanding and helpful, so not even knowing if the sale was definitely going to happen (well, we had been let down so many times already), we bit the bullet and put a deposit down.

True to form, on Wednesday morning the solicitor rang to say that cleared funds were not available from the bottom buyers, and they had to wait for them to arrive, so the exchange might not happen until Friday! By this stage we were pulling our hair out! Would we be able to move in to the flat with only 1 weeks notice – or should we move completion yet again!

Just as total despair was setting in, at about 2pm our solicitor rang to say the funds had cleared and exchange could go ahead and were we still happy to complete on 8 March!

I almost screamed down the phone at the poor man! YES – just get it done! At last, no turning back, no changing dates – oh god, just a lot of organising and arranging to move. I phoned Gary at work and virtually yelled down the phone before he had chance to say hello – ITS HAPPENED – WE HAVE EXCHANGED!!! 

So this is it, no more going slow on the boat build. We have been so lucky that MGM have been so understanding, and although they have been working on other boats at their yard, they have not had another new boat to build, so ours can now be put into full time build.

So on Saturday 9 March, with the flat still in chaos and boxes everywhere, we just had to visit MGM to see Muleless and discuss the way forward with Martin.

We had visited on 9 February, but as the only change at that point had been the bulkheads being in place, we hadn’t updated the blog – so here are those pictures.

Bedroom – looking to stern and utility room.

Bedroom – looking to bow and bathroom.

Bathroom – looking to bow and galley.

 Looking to stern saloon, dinette, and galley to bathroom.

This visit the windows had been fitted to make the boat watertight in case the house sale had stalled again and we hadn’t had chance to see them yet, so were really excited – and we weren’t disappointed.

We have chosen Caldwell double glazed windows and are very pleased with them.

And a couple more pictures of the paint work.

Now we will be visiting the boat fortnightly – as such a lot will be happening and so many decisions have to be made.

The plan is for Gary to retire from work and for us to move onto the boat within 6 months, so keep checking back to see our progress.

Looking Good

Due to the house sale fiasco (long story - details later), we decided to take a well earned break to Scotland for a week.

When we booked it, the weather had been stable - but by the time we left the snow had arrived!

We left home at 7am on Friday 18 Jan just as the blizzard hit the south coast. We slithered up to Oxford with the snow, and then luckily started to get in front of it.

We had decided to drop in to MGM on the way to check on progress (just a small detour!)

At Leicester there had only been a small flurry of snow that day, but Muleless still caught some, as she has been moved back into the poly tunnel whilst another boat was in the paint shed.

The colours are just as we had imagined - we are very pleased with the work so far.

There is still work being done, but you can see she is coming along nicely.



We then left Leicester and made the rest of our journey to Scotland without seeing any more snow until just past Stirling.

We were lucky to make it to our accommodation in Aberfeldy, as we then got caught in the blizzard that started a week of almost continuous snow.

This was the view from our front door when we looked out next morning!

We did manage to get the car parked outside, but it kept disappearing under a snow blanket!
So mostly we just walked.

Luckily the nearest distillery was only a mile and a half away - any easy walk!

When it was time to leave, on Friday 25 January, we were again caught in a blizzard as we drove towards Stirling!

But once we passed into England, although the snow was on the fields, the roads were clear.

By 8pm the M6 through Lanarkshire was a different story and had been closed due to heavy snow!

We had a really lucky escape - by then we were safely home in Gosport - having seen no more snow!

The Start of the Paint Job!

During a christmas visit to family, we found time to pop over the MGM to see how Muleless was coming along. Martin kindly popped over just to show us round, as the yard was closed for xmas.

Most of the lineout has been completed now.

Mark has been busy painting. All the cream bits have been done - the roof . . .

the stern deck area . . .

the bow deck area . . .

the coach line areas . . .

and the bow flashes.

It is so nice to see the grey disappearing!

The next time we visit Muleless should be in her full colours!!!