Week 251: Piles of improvements

With a week to go until Ella & Inge arrive and we move back onto Delfine, even just for a short holiday, things are coming along nicely. There have been occasional hiccups, but we're now confident that we'll be able to host the family, although some compromises will be necessary.

The week started quietly. Monday was a public holiday here in Belgium (Whit Monday / White Monday – the end of the Easter traditions). We headed out to Delfine and spent the day indoors as it was stormy and raining. Karina worked on the final prep for the Albert Cabin as well as some of the patches in Simone and the corridor, while I painted the radiator cabinets and the guest bar area.

Colour is a funny thing. It's so hard to pick shades by eye! We had the colour code for the green laminate from the manufacturer, but when we checked the sample at the paint shop, we decided it was not quite right and chose a shade lighter, which was a better match to the eye. Of course, when we painted the cabinets, it turned out the manufacturer was correct and the cabinets were a shade lighter than the laminate! It wasn't a major drama, as we just treated that as a primer layer and went back to get the right paint in satin.

The slatted doors that cover the radiators are a bugger to paint. It takes almost an hour for each door, and the coverage isn't as good as we'd like. Spray painting is the way to go! Rather than investing in the gear for this one-off job, we asked at our local paint shop, and they can make up aerosols for us in any colour. So, we plan to spray paint the next couple of layers, which should be a lot quicker and simpler.

On Tuesday, we started the day with a punch list of tasks for the builders – things we want to prioritise before Ella and Inge arrive (so by Friday 20th). Broadly, these are:

1. Showers
2. Carpets (so we can put down the beds)
3. Running water in the kitchen (aka a tap and bucket). We recognise that the steel countertop might not be ready in time, but this would be helpful in the short term.
4. Power for the kitchen appliances (fridge, oven and dishwasher) connected to the switch panel – all of these will work and can be used as soon as this is done.
5. Upholstery

Of course, we'd always love to have more completed, but these feel like the basics to exist comfortably, especially as we already have a toilet in the stern cabin, so there is at least one we can use.

This kicked off a series of conversations, and one of the first things confirmed was that the carpets would be installed on Friday.

We also ran headlong into problems with the showers. To step back a bit, we're building a luxury experience. The bathrooms are very highly spec'd. We've selected high-end taps that are a specific colour and that match with the other features throughout the boat.

The supplier is saying the specific taps we've chosen are not available until the end of 2025! More specifically, some things are available, but the mixer for the shower isn't. The basin taps might be ready in July. The toilet in August... the shower fitting in September. You get the picture. It's a mess! This has kicked off a series of conversations. We can't just go down to the local hardware store and pick up "anything" – some positions are already roughed in. And installing "anything" doesn't get us closer to the launch of the business. We're having to go through the process of reselecting from alternative brands and carefully researching to ensure it fits what we've already done and installed.

There's also the issue with the degree of "creativity" in finding the items, which I understand. The plumber has gone to the supplier, the supplier doesn't have them in stock, and the manufacturer has them on backorder. And we're tiny, we want two! We're finding that we often compete with hotels for the supplies we need – businesses that want to install one hundred of something, when we require only a couple. However, we still think that if we were to shop around, surely there's someone, somewhere within a few hours' drive, who has them available. A quick day trip to Frankfurt (as an example, surely a major city like that has plumbing suppliers holding stock of what we need) might solve the issue.

One potential solution to the showers is to install the stern cabin only – this has chrome fixtures (cheaper!) as it was just for us, and those ARE available, so we're hopeful we can get one working shower on board shortly.

Upholstery is scheduled for this week, and the electrician is coming on Tuesday, so we're confident that most of the punch list should be completed. We're steaming ahead on the assumption that we will be moving back onboard on Saturday, 21st.

With the carpets arriving, our focus shifted to ensuring the rooms were painted. It's so much easier to paint walls and ceilings when you can drip on the floor! With the Albert cabin complete, we've now finished painting the interior of both guest cabins, the corridor, and 90% of the living area.

Thierry returned on Wednesday to spend two days finishing a significant portion of the cabinets (most of which are now complete) and then building the stern cabin bed, which is nearing completion. We rushed off to IKEA to purchase the slats for under the mattress so he could make sure the bed is measured properly.

The weather has turned hot here, with temperatures ranging from 30 to 32 °C during the day, which is stifling inside Delfine. We're stuck between a boat and the wall, in direct sun with little breeze. The decision to install air conditioning is a good one. We need it to be completed now so we can use it!

On Friday, the carpet installers arrived. They promptly got to work smoothing the floor with a rubber seal, then measured up and headed off to their workshop, returning with the carpet cut and rolled into sections, ready for installation. By the end of Friday, they'd finished, and the carpets are now in.

We managed to complete the second finish layer on the guest deck and, on Peter's advice, laid down some inexpensive outdoor carpet to protect it from boots walking over the gangplank with shipyard dirt and stones while it hardens. It takes six days to cure fully, according to the spec sheet – we'll wait until that's done, then put out the outdoor carpets and assemble the deck furniture!

Every day has seen a flurry of deliveries. With guests imminent, our thoughts are turning from the immediate day-to-day of "what to build next", to the more pragmatic, like "what are we going to drink from" and "how can we boil water" and even more importantly, "do we have ice cubes for cocktails." Kettles, vacuum cleaners, sheets, towels and more have been arriving every day.

For Delfine, there are also practical boat things that need to be completed. I was finally able to source a new belt for the generator from Paul, Peter's father, who is the maestro of finding spare parts for old and unusual engines. Our generator engine is no longer manufactured, and original spare parts are hard to come by, so we had to get creative in finding a new belt. This probably explains why the old one hadn't been replaced in so long that it was in the state it was in.

With the belt changed, the generator is good to go, and we'll have a reliable source of power while our guests are with us. Also, if we can get the AC installed, we'll need it to run the air conditioner!

I also re-mounted the horn and the navigation lights, both essential items if we're to move the boat (even if we don't use them – we're not travelling at night). I want to make sure we're as "ship-shape" as we can be. The only item missing is our AIS, and for our short 30-minute journey into the centre of Gent, we'll be okay.

Unfortunately, Jones, the carpenter who assists Simon, was sick this week, so there was no further progress on the wheelhouse, but we're hopeful that it can be completed this coming week. The positive news here is that the windows for the wheelhouse (which the manufacturer said were delayed) were suddenly completed and available for collection! Which means we'll be able to get glass into the wheelhouse straight away.

There is still a list of outstanding electrical tasks, too, which are also slipping behind because Martin and Jeff have been ill. It's a matter of working through the priorities with their limited time. Some don't strictly matter, but would be good to have completed, like the wheelhouse internal lights!

This coming week sees a change in priorities. Stopping things, instead of starting them! Our goal is to make Delfine as clean and complete as possible. We'll lift the floor coverings, remove all the tape and generally get her looking as good as possible. The architects and Kristof are meeting on site on Friday, so this will be an excellent opportunity to see what remains to be done.

This afternoon, we head back to Delfine to put a partial second coat of paint in the stern cabin. It's a just-in-time hack. We're only painting around the windows because all our curtains are being installed on Monday. This way, we won't have to remove the curtains to paint the walls.

We're excited about the progress that's been made. Delfine is inching closer and closer to completion. While we know that there will be a few items that take a while to complete, we should be in a good position to start enjoying her for ourselves and exploring Belgium while we wait for the final items.

Until next time!

Tim & Karina