After leaving yachting at 24, I knew I wanted to take on some big projects and Moondance was one of them. Naively, I hadn't realised how big yet.
Stage 1 - Sealing the steel and making her watertight
After leaving Lincolnshire where the hull was fabricated, she was delivered to Market Harborough - around 20 minutes from where I was living. Allowing me to spend evenings and weekends progressing the project.
2 coats of epoxy primer
2 coats of 2 pack undercoat
3 coats of International Perfection PU spray application
Oak butterfly hatches finished with 8 coats total of Epifanes PP Extra varnishing system
Correless chassis paint for the bilges
Early stages of the build
Stage 2 - First fix plumbing & electrics
The boat was dropped into the water for the first time and work continued to the following spec
Victron electrical distribution system (Solar, lithium, 2000W inverter, 12VDC, 240VAC) all designed and installed by myself
Convection circulation system from a back boiler on the stove that feeds the radiators without a circulation pump
LED lighting throughout
Hot water from engine & immersion heater
First fix
Stage 3 - Interior fit out
At the time I had a workshop and built all the interior joinery there from CAD files which made life so much simpler. More priming and painting than I could imagine followed on the interior and after around 3 years since I started, Moondance was starting to look like a home.
Custom shower tray cast from GFRC
Treated copper table
Solid beech kitchen worktops
Bedroom furniture and mix of solid and cherry effect MFC
Everything custom made in my workshop from CAD
Interior joinery and fittings
Stage 4 - Take her on a trip around the South of England
During the second summer of COVID we had closed down our Coworking / workshop space and I was free to take Moondance on a trip from Northampton, through Oxford, along the River Thames and to explore the canals of London. She is now moored in Limehouse Marina and it was one of the hardest things I had ever undertaken. A lot of valuable lessons were learnt along the way:
Doing tasks by yourself is not efficient and nowhere near as fun
Naivety can get you into all sorts of difficulties
Youtube tutorials are great and save you money but you pay for it in your time and mistakes - sometimes it's better to pay a specialist
