ZZzzzzz...

Saturday evening, I put the Fridge and Freezer in to the V70, strapped the mattress to the roof, and headed for the boat. It's amazing how much the car blows about on the motorway with a double mattress on the roof!

 After clearing a path through the engine room, Ian gave me a lift with the mattress and it went in remarkably easily. Fridge and freezer followed through the side hatch.
I had decided that I may as well sleep on the boat so I could get an early start in the morning, so I set the mattress on the floor in the potential kitchen, and threw on a scattering of pillows and quilt.
I put the bed rails outside, marked them out and cut them just in time for it to go dark.

 I loaded the rails back on the boat, and decided to try out the Lock & Quay at the end of the road for a solitary planning meeting, where I had a couple of fine pints of Blond Witch, reminding me of the Ex.

It was a remarkably comfortable sleep on the boat, although how much of this is psychological, sleeping on your own bed, etc. I don't know.
Ian said the best way to join the bed rails was to use a biscuit joiner.  When I said I have no digestives, he produced a small angle-grinder like power tool, and some compressed wood biscuits.





I had a try out on a couple of scraps of wood, and it seemed neat enough.



I got the frame together ok, but struggled for what seemed like an eternity to get it square.  As well as not being able to use a level, the boat sides are not vertical, and near the back of the boat the sides aren't even straight.

After much tweaking and cursing, the diagonals were with in 1/4" of each other, and the side rail was packed out from the side of the boat.


I then spent what seemed to be my entire life twice over cutting spacers for the slats, drilling pilot hoes in each. These were then glued and screwed in place to give the correct spacing for the slats, and it was starting to look like a bed!


Pedantic Interlude.
Just a quick not to all the pedantic trawlers out there, I know the word used three paragraphs ago should have been "stern".

I had just finished cutting the lengths of 3x2 for the walkway down the side of the bed when CRASH!
The corner biscuit joint had split apart, and the front corner of the bed frame had collapsed in a pile of slats.  CRUMBS!
Loads of glue, a ratchet strap, and plenty of huge screws should hold it.  I think biscuit joints are a bit delicate for a heavy duty frame like this.
The storage/walkway was shoehorned down the side of the bed, but the side rail of this stands slightly proud due to the angle of the side of the boat.  I will rectify this (and all the other badly fitting bits of woodwork) when I get the electric planer hooked up.
Mattress, sheets pillows, etc and the bed is extremely comfortable.

I unpacked the Fridge, freezer and WC then decided to call it a day. Very productive.