About time for an update, I suppose. The front half - everything forward of the kitchen - has been stripped out, I've started repainting the metalwork inside to prevent future condensation causing rust - it's a bit rusty in there in places, but mainly in the top; the hull is pretty sound, which is a good thing in a boat, I find. I've been scraping out bags full of oily gunk from the bilge, that's been building up for years; it'll be clean one day, I swear. Last week's snow was pretty; the canal froze over, too, but thankfully the stove & a bag of coal kept me warm enough, as did being dragged off to the pub, and being boarded by others in search of tea and an update on how I'm doing.

There's a lot of thought & planning going on, outside as well as in; internally it'll be similar-ish, but with a lot more flexibility and oak veneered rather than badly applied white emulsion. Outside, though; more significant changes. It needs a new paint job anyway, but I'm tempted to lose a couple of surplus windows, partly as the stove will move to in front of one, and I'd like more wall space. On the downside of that you'd lose part of the pretty much panoramic views from inside the boat, but who's going to hide inside when travelling? I certainly won't get the benefit.

I realise my photoshop skills wouldn't even fool your average downmarket tabloid, but hacking about an old photo:

current

all of hull painted black:



the dark red I think I'd like for the sides:



middle windows gone, and also small one by back door:



(n fact that's not really the red I was thinking of, intended a deep burgundy rather than a rusty pink. I'll take more time choosing the paint than I did on the computer, when it comes to the real thing.)

The windows can be welded over relatively easily, which will also add warmth in winter, and a small amount of extra security - and a good place to put the name/logo I'm planning, too. I'm fond of the quite elegant proportions of Tortoise, the proportions of somehow a much larger vessel, and don't want to ruin the elegance; it's a case of weighing up what's important.