Modifications - The Antidote narrowboat construction diary with photographs and drawings, boat information and specification

LATEST MODIFICATIONS

Visitors to this site have been kind enough to say that they have found
the information interesting, and have asked me to post information about
any modifications which I've made to The Antidote since taking delivery.

(Development of this page will continue).

MICROWAVE POSITION

As soon as I put the microwave oven on the galley worktop I realised that it took
up too much space and just didn't look right (photo 1).

I talked with Nick about raising it up on a high level shelf
but he was not keen. Then it came to us that there was a big
space in the middle of the dressing table on the other side of the bulkhead.

The solution was to move the dressing table mirror forward, and to
cut a hole in the bulkhead to take the microwave. The end result looks quite good
(photo 2).

If anything, the bedroom looks better too (photo 3) because the mirror alcove
is not as deep as it was.

ARMCHAIRS

You really have to plan your use of space in narrowboats with
great care because there is so little room. Even though I had drawn
scale plans, the two IKEA armchairs were simply too big to fit comfortably
in the saloon.

I replaced them with smaller versions (photo right). The new armchairs
are not quite so plush, but they fit much better!

Sometimes the only way to find out whether the plan
will work is to try it out and be prepared to adapt it.

TOO MANY HEADS

Well, not exactly too many - I wanted two loos.

But there is a lack of options when both toilets are identical
electric toilets pumping into the holding tank.

The holding tank can only be pumped out at a boatyard - which can be expensive!
And there can be problems if you are not near a pump-out
station when the tank fills up. It's even possible in winter not to be
able to get to a pump-out station if the canal is iced up.

So I have replaced one of the electric toilets with a Porta Potti 365
chemical toilet. Not as pretty, but I now have the option of emptying this
at an Elsan disposal point, and there are plenty of these around.

The photos show before and after shots.

HOLDING TANK REFINEMENTS

Because the holding tank breather outlet is not far from the galley window,
there was another problem!

Unlike a "dump-through" toilet, an electric toilet pumps waste
under pressure into the holding tank, which in turn forces air out of
the tank through the breather pipe.

If the wind is in the wrong direction,
this "air" from the holding tank finds its way in through open windows,
which can be a bit "whiffy"!

The solution was to put a charcoal filter in the breather pipe, so that
smells are removed from the air. The Microvent filter is tucked inside
a cupboard in the bedroom, where it is out of the way but accessible to
change the filter element.

COFFEE TABLE

I have adapted one of the three tables from the nest of coffee tables, and mounted
it on a "Desmo" leg in the front cockpit.

It makes a nice place to sit and drink coffee/beer/wine when the sun shines.

NEW SALOON SEATING

I have changed the seating arrangement in the saloon too.

I have fitted a 6ft long bench seat, which can be extended
to make a 6ft x 4ft bed. The table (48" x 15" when closed) has a lifting flap and opens
to 48" x 24" as shown in the photo. Folding chairs allow for extra seating on the
other side of the table.

This arrangement is more guest-friendly because there is now comfortable fixed seating in
the saloon, and there is still room for one armchair (bottom left of photo).

NEW SOFABED

I eventually found a sofabed to fit the rear cabin. It's an inexpensive
unit from Argos, but it does the job and looks much prettier than the one
which I had made myself.

It's actually quite comfortable to sit on, and it's very easy to open out
as a bed.

WIRING MODIFICATIONS

I don't know if the inverter is too smart or too dumb, but it has
frequently decided to cut off the shore power when it did not like the
voltage supply for some reason.

This has been irksome when I have left the shore power connected in order
to keep the boat from freezing up in mid-winter.

So I have inserted a switch in the 230V circuit which allows me to by-pass
the inverter. Shore power can then go direct to the wall sockets when I have
the heaters plugged in.

I can also isolate the 230V sockets by choosing the "OFF" position.

TBC

To be continued.

You may wish to send comments or queries to Alastair:

Please click on the links below to view details and images:

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[ Fitting Out 4 ] [ Paintwork ] [ The Relaunch ] [ The Finished Job ] [ Thumbs ] [ Detailed Spec ] [ Latest Mods ]

[ Re-blacking ] [ External Links ]

MICROWAVE POSITION As soon as I put the microwave oven on the galley worktop I realised that it took up too much space and just didn't look right (photo 1). I talked with Nick about raising it up on a high level shelf but he was not keen. Then it came to us that there was a big space in the middle of the dressing table on the other side of the bulkhead. The solution was to move the dressing table mirror forward, and to cut a hole in the bulkhead to take the microwave. The end result looks quite good (photo 2). If anything, the bedroom looks better too (photo 3) because the mirror alcove is not as deep as it was.
ARMCHAIRS You really have to plan your use of space in narrowboats with great care because there is so little room. Even though I had drawn scale plans, the two IKEA armchairs were simply too big to fit comfortably in the saloon. I replaced them with smaller versions (photo right). The new armchairs are not quite so plush, but they fit much better! Sometimes the only way to find out whether the plan will work is to try it out and be prepared to adapt it.
TOO MANY HEADS Well, not exactly too many - I wanted two loos. But there is a lack of options when both toilets are identical electric toilets pumping into the holding tank. The holding tank can only be pumped out at a boatyard - which can be expensive! And there can be problems if you are not near a pump-out station when the tank fills up. It's even possible in winter not to be able to get to a pump-out station if the canal is iced up. So I have replaced one of the electric toilets with a Porta Potti 365 chemical toilet. Not as pretty, but I now have the option of emptying this at an Elsan disposal point, and there are plenty of these around. The photos show before and after shots.
HOLDING TANK REFINEMENTS Because the holding tank breather outlet is not far from the galley window, there was another problem! Unlike a "dump-through" toilet, an electric toilet pumps waste under pressure into the holding tank, which in turn forces air out of the tank through the breather pipe. If the wind is in the wrong direction, this "air" from the holding tank finds its way in through open windows, which can be a bit "whiffy"! The solution was to put a charcoal filter in the breather pipe, so that smells are removed from the air. The Microvent filter is tucked inside a cupboard in the bedroom, where it is out of the way but accessible to change the filter element.
COFFEE TABLE I have adapted one of the three tables from the nest of coffee tables, and mounted it on a "Desmo" leg in the front cockpit. It makes a nice place to sit and drink coffee/beer/wine when the sun shines.
NEW SALOON SEATING I have changed the seating arrangement in the saloon too. I have fitted a 6ft long bench seat, which can be extended to make a 6ft x 4ft bed. The table (48" x 15" when closed) has a lifting flap and opens to 48" x 24" as shown in the photo. Folding chairs allow for extra seating on the other side of the table. This arrangement is more guest-friendly because there is now comfortable fixed seating in the saloon, and there is still room for one armchair (bottom left of photo).
NEW SOFABED I eventually found a sofabed to fit the rear cabin. It's an inexpensive unit from Argos, but it does the job and looks much prettier than the one which I had made myself. It's actually quite comfortable to sit on, and it's very easy to open out as a bed.
WIRING MODIFICATIONS I don't know if the inverter is too smart or too dumb, but it has frequently decided to cut off the shore power when it did not like the voltage supply for some reason. This has been irksome when I have left the shore power connected in order to keep the boat from freezing up in mid-winter. So I have inserted a switch in the 230V circuit which allows me to by-pass the inverter. Shore power can then go direct to the wall sockets when I have the heaters plugged in. I can also isolate the 230V sockets by choosing the "OFF" position.
TBC To be continued.