Sunday 30 October 2016

Build Update 1

Some of you follow my posts on facebook, so will already be aware of progess, but for those who don't, or can't:

Here is the steel on the cutting machine:


And here are the cut parts being assembled into a boat:


We're told that the steelwork will be finished and ready to head for fitting out at the end of November, and oh yes, the next stage payment will be due at that time.

We've just learnt that the Dutch Barge Association UK Rally next year (2017) is to be in the Docks at Chatham on the late May Bank Holiday weekend. They have a food festival and all sorts of stuff going on, so, we've booked into our first rally. At the same time, as we're in the area, I think we'll go take a look up the Medway, we will have trouble with air draft at some point, but we'll go do what we can. Here's a link to this years: Chatham Maritime Festival

More build updates as and when.

First Piper Meeting

It's the 14th of October, we are off to Biddulph for our first meeting with Piper to try to finalise all of our ideas and get them into writing (changes to spec, CAD drawings etc) it's all really exciting. Designing the galley layout, choosing appliances, flooring, colours, worktops, all sorts of things.

This takes about 3 hours, I chat about the more 'techy' stuff and Penny helps out with galley. flooring, worktops etc.

When we arrived, there was a truck in the yard with a pile of steel plate on it. During our meeting with Simon & Andrea the steel was removed from the truck and placed in the yard:


This is 'Deep Thought'

There are two boats in the fabrication unit at the moment, we need to wait until Piper do 'the shuffle' (finished boat out of fit-out, finished steel into fit-out and us into fabrication) We're told this will be in a week or so.

Sunday 23 October 2016

Off to Henley

Here we go, first Deep Thought Post:

(Bear with me guys, I'm writing the first few posts retrospectively to get started and up to date).

A year has passed since we paid our deposit, not sure whether it has passed quickly, every time I think about 'Deep Thought' it seems to be dragging oh so slowly.

The next Piper 'Event' at Henley comes about in September 2016, we made sure that we could attend this one, we hadn't seen any barges for a while and needed to refresh our memories, see what others were doing with their boats and start to finalise in our minds exactly what we wanted 'Deep Thought' to be like.

We drive the 30 minutes to Henley on the Saturday morning, and there are, as advertised, barges:


We look at many of them, particularly the 2 49M twin cabin versions, but many more, looking to finalise how we want 'Deep Thought' to be. We ask questions of Piper and many of the owners.

We have lunch, a really nice spread, during which, Nick from Piper comes over to introduce himself to us, going on to explain that he's looking to order our steel, this leads to confirming some of the changes we have come up with since the original specification against which our deposit was paid, oh, and when we need to pay them more money!!

We look at more detail throughout the afternoon, changing our minds and back again with some things, we feel a bit more under pressure to get it right!!

We go for walk along to Henley & back, have nibbles & drinks on 'Merlot' one of the very new barges, then go to the evening barbecue, feeling privileged as it's for Piper staff & owners, and it seems near owners! There is plenty of wine, but I am driving. Next year we'll be here on 'Deep Thought'