Trixie (Rascal's Fleet)

[Guest]

2 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

Indepedence has had two sea cocks replaced in 2015 - those that remain operate very easily and are all (internally) showing no signs of any corrosion and are all earth bounded.  The only valve that is of concern and will need attention is one of the fuel balance valves that leads away from the centre fuel tank to the port side.. Not only has the handle begun to show signs of corrosion but the actual threading on the fuel tank and valve is corroded. This may mean getting the damn thing off becoming a challenge. Technically it does not need to be there a the tank outlet, some suitable fuel hose could be put over the corroded thread on the tank, and an inline valve fitted further down the line - or done away with completely since there is another valve in good condition about 6 feet further on at the base of the port wing fuel tank.

About 5cm away from the valve in question, and situated along one of the hull stringers are several wires carrying DC current. I blame their proximity to the valve and the two apposing metals between tank and the valve as cuasing the corrosion as no other valves anywhere else on the boat has any corrosion.

Once NYA have completed their works, and hopefully I have got some trust in her controls again then come the summertime most boaters are enjoying their boats and boatyards are less busy will be the time to lift her and have the anodes dealt with a good inspection too.

I also am keen to learn why water is forming in the forward area of the boat. This is sealed from the engine room area so cannot come from there. It is not that much, not enough to raise the float switch on the bilge bump even. I guess we are talking about a bucket of water collecting over a period of a month - it could be condensation which I found was noticeable in the recent very cold weather - none was showing where hull was underwater, but above the waterline it was very wet with condensation under the cabin sole and and behind panels when removed. It could however be rain water getting in somewhere too. Of course me being the worrying type has got me to wonder if it is seeping in through the bow thruster tunnel/hydraulic motor area, but I am not slender enough to get down to where that is to have a good look.  In the warmer weather with no condensation risk and no rainfall, it will then mean I can begin to track down the source more easily. If it stops suddenly I know it would either be rainwater or condensation - if it continues well then it is something else.

 

Robin I'm very certain that DC voltage won't be the cause of your corrosion , fitting a rubber  ISO 7840 marine fuel hose on to a threaded outlet from a tank is possible but the hose clips need to be very tight to stop fuel under pressure getting past down the thread n the BSS man might not like that approach , still its your boat but not a solution I would choose to use as the threads can very likely cut the inner wall of the fuel tubing hence better to refit a new valve . 

[BroomSedan]

Hi Ricardo,

Non of the chain lockers in the 16 boats I have owned or the 30 boats I have crewed on, over the last 40 years have drained over the side as it is best to keep the weight of the chain down low, below the waterline. 'Anchor lockers' on small boats I have encountered where the anchor and chain are stowed to keep everything off the deck, do drain over the side but they have their own problems as they tend to ship a lot of water and drain slowly, leaving your bow heavy ready for the next wave - a vicious circle.

Obviously, most of my experience is at sea and not on river boats although our current and previous Broom's chain lockers both drain into the bilge and so I have to seal the chain pipe. 

[socrates]

You will get water coming in via the spill pipe and down into the cable locker. Generally, the cable locker should be pumped dry, but goffers will tend to cause water to come in via the spill pipe when at sea. The cable locker is checked on a regular basis and pumped out using a bilge pump. I have spent many a happy hour in cable lockers on various vessels and can vouch for them being nasty, dark places. It is essential to make sure that the cable is at the lowest point and that when taking in the anchor someone ensures the chain is not kinked. Another happy job from a previous life. 

Make sure your cable locker is painted and kept as clean as possible. 

If you are on the Broads on a cruiser, as opposed to a  frigate or destroyer at sea, you would be as well to use a mud weight. 

[Islander]

I think a frigate may be Robins next purchase .

Colin 

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, Islander said:

I think a frigate may be Robins next purchase .

Colin 

Yea 1/4 scale maybe 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, BroomSedan said:

Hi Ricardo,

Non of the chain lockers in the 16 boats I have owned or the 30 boats I have crewed on, over the last 40 years have drained over the side as it is best to keep the weight of the chain down low, below the waterline. 'Anchor lockers' on small boats I have encountered where the anchor and chain are stowed to keep everything off the deck, do drain over the side but they have their own problems as they tend to ship a lot of water and drain slowly, leaving your bow heavy ready for the next wave - a vicious circle.

Obviously, most of my experience is at sea and not on river boats although our current and previous Broom's chain lockers both drain into the bilge and so I have to seal the chain pipe. 

I'm speaking fro experience of working on in particular Hardy's 42 foot vessel , plenty of brooms can be seen to have drain holes in the bow leading to the chain locker , I can see the logic of keeping the Cof G low and drainage into the bilge its just that are lots if boats that don't .

[FairTmiddlin]

4 hours ago, Islander said:

I think a frigate may be Robins next purchase .

Colin 

Gonna need a large cage for that one

[LondonRascal]

Thanks for the advice reference to Independence. On board tonight and water pump is playing up - it is..what couple of months old - anyway tomorrow is drain oil change on RIB new battery then over to Trixie to begin clearing things out and exploring every nook and crany which on that boat will take a short while I think lol

[Meg]

Well now young Rascal that's a nice looking boat, I'm sure Independence is lovely but this is more my style. I worried that for Independence you needed crew most of the time and your blogs do show you liking solitude sometimes. I hope to have more blogs of a gentler nature now. Good Luck

[LondonRascal]

9 hours ago, Meg said:

I hope to have more blogs of a gentler nature now. Good Luck

Well I tried to do a bit of filming today but I had a flat camera battery and no way to charge it on the boat so just went for a bit of a cruise after cleaning the boat through - and found some issues. Horn, Anchor Light and Spot Light do not work. Got the radio going and the speakers are pretty decent.

Met a chap off of here and he had a look round and i went and had a look at his lovely Hampton (with original gel coat which is rare) pleased to say although domestic batteries were low on power the cranking battery was good and she fired right up.

[BroomSedan]

Sounds like you've had a lovely day Robin. Do hope you mean his boat and weren't using Cockney rhyming slang as that would put a different spin on the conversation.

[LondonRascal]

lol so I have a problem you see when I am working on boats people come to say hello and then you talk and talk and well then an hour is history. So that is what happened today, so I showed him around the Sheerline and then we headed off to his Hampton to show me around that - it is what makes boaty people so unique.

Back on board Trixie and I am getting stuck in with lifting up everything and exploring, discover the water tank is in the bow - also how little foot room there is when laying down, then I begin going through all the electrics and making sure they were working when i find the horn, anchor light and spot light are not doing anything. Cleaned the inside and outside of windows and canopy and cockpit seating and making notes on what to do and get and sort and then thought I would just stop there and go for a cruise - so popped down the river and back. I guess that is what makes it an ideal little runabout.

If it was not for my mum's input I would not have got this boat to be honest I do wish there was just a bit more room - not much, 3 or 4 feet longer half a foot to a foot wider then I could really get happy but you really do feel it is a small boat after a few hours inside.

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, LondonRascal said:

lol so I have a problem you see when I am working on boats people come to say hello and then you talk and talk and well then an hour is history. So that is what happened today, so I showed him around the Sheerline and then we headed off to his Hampton to show me around that - it is what makes boaty people so unique.

Yeah sorry , I just like talking boats lol. It was good to meet you. The Sheerline is a nice craft in good condition, and  I'm sure you and your family will enjoy her this season  Thanks for the kind words about my boat, still plenty to do but that's always the way with older boats, actually its always the way with most boats, its all part of the fun

[Hylander]

9 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

horn, anchor light and spot light

As these are not working Robin could it be something simple like a fuse?     Your boat sounds really lovely and I know you feel it is small , well compared to Independence everything is small but for your Mum and Simon it will be just fine.    It is not as if they would want to spend a fortnight on her , there again may be they would!!!

 

 

[LondonRascal]

It was Thursday evening when I popped the question to Shiela, my look of hope and expectation all over my face:

"I need to move Trixie to Stalham over Easter - can you come along and help me?"

"FFS" came the reply, and I trust that we can work out what that meant. She was not best pleased but I had my secret weapon ready (no not that one) a bigger bribe would be needed than I alone could muster.  We would spend a week away no boats, no talk of boats and going to new places when we both have some time off soon and with a promise of me paying for her nails to be done too she agreed.

Good Friday:

We arrived in Brundall after an annoyingly long journey via Cambridge only to be told then by Shiela than she had brought no bedding and although I had, we had no duvets and pillows. Off to Independence it was and we went about taking the required items we would need.  I also noted that NYA were underway with their works, dust sheets out and my engine room in a state of deconstruction with large oil drums containing my hydraulic fluid in readiness to remove the hydraulic tank to get at the fuel hose to replace and re-run.  I left not wanting to dwell too much on this and the bill. Back on Trixie after a long walk to her temporary mooring we began to unpack, make beds and generally sort through things.  We left a little later than I planned around 15:30 and made way for Reedham.

During our travels I was checking the voltage for the domestics and noticed they were at 9v - I knew this meant we would have no heat, light or even a water pump so I messaged Jon who works at Sanderson Marine to see if I could buy a couple of new batteries off them, alas no they had none to spare. We duly arrived at Reedham Quay to find a chap greet me by name and offer to take the lines.  Very kind I thought, only to find he is the new Ranger there - formally working at Beccles Yacht Station. We bought some electric cards and got plugged in on shore power.

I could now see we were producing voltage but not 12v. But just then a Broom Captain (hire boat) arrived with a Chinese family onboard "Hello Robin" shouted the man, and he was eager to come and shake my hand. He was now on his 4th annual Broads holiday all thanks to watching my Blogs and his wife was keen to invite us for drinks onboard.  I accepted their kind invitation but needed to sort something out with the batteries first.

I noticed the previous owner had litres of de-ionised water all over the place, and when I took off the top up ports on each cell I was shocked to find them all bone dry. I used all the de-ionised water up - about 6 litres in all, but then had to turn to filling the rest up with tap water. No way was this going to solve the issues but it helped and was far safer than running a 20Amp charger through dry celled Lead Acid batteries. Soon after giving them some water our voltage rose to close on 12v and we had light, the heater would run and that was good enough for me. 

Shiela and I then popped along to the Broom and were amazed at what they had done for us. Tea, coffee, wine, selection of cakes, snacks, garlic bread, Chinese specialities too  - and they were sorry they could not have laid on more! Well we spent nearly 3 hours with them and their 5 year old daughter - to be fair 'How' and I spoke boats and Ming and Shiela about kids and work (they both work with children).  The Broom was very nice inside but showing signs of wear. Trims and veneers were peeling or scratched from the work in hire, but worse was a leaking domestic water system that meant the water pump would cycle often, and the bilge pump too. You could not turn off the water pump and the bilge pump let out a high pitched warning tone to say it was active. They had been putting up with this for 5 days throughout the night yet were still jovial and happy.  I would have been right on to the yard to have things put right, but they were fine with just telling them on their return.

Since Trixie had nothing - not even a glass onboard, Shiela and I wished out new friends well and headed to Ship for a meal. My last hear was a few years back in 2014 - things have changed significantly for the better. Shiela had the Chicken and Leek pie, I had the Hunters Chicken, a pint of Coke and a Pint of Southwold Bitter came in at just under £25.00 which I thought was cracking value. The food was yummy and it was nice to dry off in the cosy pub.  By the time we came to leave it was past 22:00 and we headed back to find the river was but 2" form over topping the quay.  I adjusted fenders and lines on Trixie and eased the the very taught lines on the Broom and we settled down in our little boat.  It was dry, no drips even the canopy was doing its job keeping the rain out!

Easter Saturday:

I was up at 05:00 going over things, checking the oil, coolant, belts and generally making sure there was no obvious issues to worry me in the engine bay. Shiela was ready by 05:45 and we would have set off then as I also checked our navigation lights were all working - the problem was we needed to see the bridge height gauges, though to be fair whatever they may have told us meant little as to date we have no idea what her air draft is with canopy up or lowered. Just after 06:00 we departed and were off into a strong ebbing current.  We had long since missed low water at Yarmouth, and by the time we arrived at Breydon Road Bridge I calculated would be about +2.5Hrs after slack water. This was not about doing it by the book but getting the boat north in a short time frame.

Under Reedham Bridge was fine - almost 12ft indicated. By the time we reached Berney Arms the advance bridge gauge for Vauxhall Bridge was showing 8ft 3" - not good I thought to myself but we we throttled up to 2,400RPM and were now hitting a good flood tide.  At Breydon Road Bridge the flood tide was very strong but I wanted to get a visual on the bridge and height so round the yellow post we went and up to the Vauxhall Bridge - less than 8ft indicated and Shiela outside the boat by now judged the bridge to be 'no way' and so it was an about turn. Back now around the yellow post headed towards Breydon Road Bridge - 1,400RPM but we were headed along at 8MPH via GPS. Turn once again into the current, slowed us right down to a crawl and gently alongside the waiting pontoon. We both set to getting the canopy and mast down.

This all done we realised what a faff about the canopy was going to be should you need to do this when underway, we could not lower the screens because the spot lamp and TV aerial had been stupidly mounted just forward of where it would fold flat. We left the pontoon and headed for Vauxhall Bridge once more - under we went - and was a bit closer than I would have liked (less than a foot between top of screen and bridge) under the road bridge and now the Yacht Station so we turned again to moor into the current and got the canopy up. 

The only good thing would be being helped all the way to Acle with the flood current. The little Sheerline handled all this very well and I was pleased to have 43HP under the floor to call on during the turns and so on with the current flowing so always had a good amount of control and steerage way. We grabbed a breather and a Coke (some snacks made for a make shift breakfast) and were underway again headed for Acle.

Since it was now past 09:00 I gave Boulters a call in Horning, and sure enough they were open and could supply two new 100Ah batteries. Nothing fancy about them, £85.00 each as it went (same ones £102.00 in Norfolk Marine) but could have got them far cheaper online - needs must and anyway it is nice to support local businesses who are then when you need that sort of riverside assistance. It was only when the old batteries were being removed I noticed stickers on one saying Chertsey Marine. The boast had been on the Broads since 2014  so that was at least 4 years old, but wait not they were actually put in in 2009! Nine years these had been going, clearly trying to be kept going that bit longer by the previous owner putting in water all the time (one had a leak) and the battery compartment was under 2" of water.

This annoyed me frankly that boat owners do not solve such simple to solve things such as getting new batteries. It was the start of several 'things' that we found out about. A duff shower pump, an intermittently working Anchor Light, the spot light wired wrong so you have to turn one switch on and another off to make it operate. Anyway we also put 60Ltr of fuel in to brim her tank and £241.00 lighter we were on our way.

We had been in touch with Andy (LondonLad1985) who was out and about on Siesta a Broom 29 from Richardson's. Clearly as mad as me about boating for just buying into a syndicate here he is out hiring still. We kept missing each other but headed now to Potter Heigham. We came to moor up a the 'quite moorings' only to have me ruin the peace shouting "Bloody hell we have not got any Rhonde Anchors" - the use of the phrase 'Bloody Hell" is only used in dire circumstances. Should you be in my company if I say this worry. If I say anything more rude than this, abandon ship and ask questions later lol.

Well it turned out what we did have were mooring pins, you know that you get on Canals (or I presume too the Thames) only I had no hammer to get them in ground, so sheer brute force was needed, helped by the soft ground. As I would later find out though getting these things out of the soft ground is no easy thing either!

We headed off to Lathams. We bought a bunch of things that we did not know we needed to buy and Shiela even bought some sun glasses and a summer hat - cos the weather was so sunny and hot over Easter wasn't' it! After meeting another fan for a chat it was out and into Bridge Stones for a meal. It was packed in there, we ordered and paid and sat and waited, after everyone else in front of us and behind us had their food I asked when ours may be coming? They had lost our order..But they were very sorry and we got extras on the house. It was very nice Fish & Chips as it went and perhaps was not the best idea to have had so much so late on in the day as we knew we would be headed for the Lion at Thurne for our evening meal.

Back to the boat and underway for the short trip to Thurne Dyke where we duly met with Andy and his better half, who like Shiela is happy 'to a point' with boating and boats in general. Before long we were in the Pub and what a change Rick has made of the place.  I am really pleased that it has not gone too far in the direction of a place where food rules and pushes away the drinkers to the side lines. It has been decorated well, and the selection of Ales and Ciders is great (we will need to keep a close eye on Pete the Wizard come Lads Week as strong cider and him can make for interesting results).

We arrived just gone 17:00 and despite Andy and his misses leaving to eat onboard, Sheila and I stayed and ate - very impressed with the food. Proper cooking, better than the average 'pub grub' but not too fancy. I noticed people who ordered the Pizza's were coming out looking lovely too, nice and thin with bags of toppings. There were young families, 20 and 30 something's and old wise sailors in there - no loud music, just a great vibe and mixed bag of customers enjoying the place. Perfect.

It was another 'late' night for Shiela and I and I was glad to get back onboard and settle down in bed, having been up and going since 05:00 lights out could not have come soon enough.

Easter Sunday:

We were in no rush and was not up till gone 08:00 and popped off for a look in the Ramblers shop and loved some of the original art work they are selling, shame there was not something small enough to have on the boat - I got Shiela an Owl as this is something she seems to be collecting are Owl themed items of late. Quick use of the toilets there, nice to see them still open for use and then back to the boat. Andy had left and we were not far behind. I had to head to Stalham to the Wet Shed to our new mooring and also meet my Mum and Simon.

Approaching Ludham Bridge we carried out a C.L.W.U  (canopy lowering while underway') which caused me to use the phrases 'bloody hell' all over again, as Sheila undid the last faster the whole thing collapse onto me and I was not blind. Struggling to get the damn canopy off me all I get from her is "it is ok don't worry" no sorry for letting go of the thing, but at least we now know what not to do.  We were able to get under without issue and once through undertook getting the canopy up again. In actual fact we had learnt nothing because mid way through the evolution she let it go again and it dropped on me and I could see nothing. If anyone was coming the other way during this goodness knows what they would have thought.  The hire boat in front of us slowed and waved us past, perhaps thinking it was best to be far away from this clumsy couple as possible.

We caught up Andy waves were exchanged and we headed up past a busy How Hill mooring on our way to Stalham - the rain trying to come but not amounting to much for the time being. We duly arrived at the wet shed and it was most odd mooring up in there but not on Broad Ambition. We had only been there half an hour when Simon arrived telling me the car park was filling up with water and we should get all the gear I had ordered on the boat sharpish. We duly made use of the cart we have for Broad Ambition and loaded up the boat with crockery, bedding, glassware, utensils - you name it. Shiela and Simon then cleared out the bay behind the mooring of years of rubbish that had accumulated, including cans of Fanta complete with the old fully removable  ring pulls!

Once we were settled I got set to going over the boats systems, safety things like a fire blanket an extinguishers and where shut off valves were for things before I got my mum in the helm and stood back and let her be hands on right away. The idea being she being less physically fit would be better at the helm and Simon be the one with the ropes getting off at moorings.  My mum got the boat out the berth and then down the river - zig zagging all the way but soon got things under control. I could see she was so worried and tense so the first thing was to say stop, just relax.  We turned the boat just by the Sutton Broad turn and headed back. In Richardson's yard we used their moorings devoid of boats for mooring practice. Sadly the more my mum tried the more frustrated and tense she began to get, and I tried to be calm but mother and son have their point to which we both reached. "That's it" my mum shouted at me "You can have the bloody boat yourself" and proceeded to tell me that she just could not get the hang of it and did no want to know about it or boats any more.

Poor Simon was with Shiela staying quiet - so we decided that we would give her a rest and Shilea was eager to have a go now. Shilea as you know has spent hours with me on boats, taken the helm etc even turned a boat but never moored one. I genuinely thought she would do well, but no - she was like a first time hirer wondering why when she turned the steering wheel left nothing happened. I explained it would not unless you are moving forward. She then tried to go astern and 'back into' the mooring but pondered 'why won't the bow turn'... Hmm, I can see a lot more training being needed.

In the end Simon and I agreed the best course of action is in time the pair of them go out and do their own thing in their own time and find a method that suits them. I also explained that it will come in time, and just because you are in a 'private boat' does not mean you are going to be experts. My mum last tried to moor a boat about 20 years ago, so while she knows what one must do it is getting the right coordination between wheel, throttle and reacting to what each does. I think that also it may well be better if someone other than her son tells her things, who she won't talk to like she does me lol.

Back to the wet shed in the pouring rain and another talk over the boat and systems, they then departed and Shiela and I were once again headed out. We found Gays Staithe full but Barton Turf empty. I cleaned the boat in a shot break in the rain, topped up with water and then called for a taxi - neither Wroxham and Stalham cabs answered their phones. No way was Shiela walking almsot 2 miles in the dark lanes to the White Horse pub so nothing for it but to night nav back to the wet shed and eat out in Stalham.

Within 10 minutes of departure it was raining, the inside of the canopy and screens misted up and I could see nothing. Also our forward steaming light pools light over the boat and screens which is not the best for night vision. Shiela now bless her was outside the boat in the rain but doing a great job with institutions. I actual was using the magnetic compass  when she would say 'keep that course' and wait for her to give me the call for a move to port or starboard on a bend. We worked like a well oiled team and moored back in the wetshed in darkness. It was a hug and high fives once this was complete and time to head to Stalham for food. Another 'action packed' weekend afloat then.

If you want to watch a special video posted previously to the NBN Facebook Group, just click here

 

 

 

 

[TheQ]

Robin,

please check your alternator output, it could be the alternator is overchargeing and was boiling off the water causing the battery to split.

[LondonRascal]

7 minutes ago, TheQ said:

please check your alternator output, it could be the alternator is overchargeing and was boiling off the water causing the battery to split

I am sure it is not that it may be the Charger not set up for the right type of battery - I have added a number of other things including a full check of the charging system to be attended to by Ludham Bridge Boatyard, who hopefully will be taking the boat in some time in the next week or so. I have left her unplugged in the wet shed until it is fully diagnosed just to cover any issues if it was the charger at fault.

[Loops]

Hey Robin,

You're next to us 

[LondonRascal]

2 minutes ago, Loops said:

You're next to us

Well it is nice to be on the 'nicer side' than all the riff raff from Yorkshire across the way

[Londonlad1985]

We saw you again on your Mum's "trial run" we'd been for a meal in the Mermaids Slipper and moored on the end of Swan Quay.... you all looked deep in concentration but all looked steady to me! I'm sure she'll get the hang of it!  Looking forward to seeing her out with the new name on! 

[CambridgeCabby]

Just need to comment that when we removed Cerise Lady from the wet shed we removed all and any mess we had left Robin , please don’t think any of the remaining debris was down to us 

[NeilB]

Having carried out several hundred trial runs I can also vouch that teaching your other half or close family how to control and moor a boat is not worth the hassle!! 

Strangers, some of whom not speaking English - piece of cake. 

My wife - nearly ended in divorce !!!

Perhaps an RYA inland helmsman's course would be a good investment, your mum and partner could probably take this on their own boat giving them more confidence?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Robin,

please check your alternator output, it could be the alternator is overchargeing and was boiling off the water causing the battery to split.

Highly likely I recon defunct regulator , when mine went volts went up to 17 v , still easy enough to replace the diode's and regulator for the princely sum of £16  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, LondonRascal said:

I am sure it is not that it may be the Charger not set up for the right type of battery - I have added a number of other things including a full check of the charging system to be attended to by Ludham Bridge Boatyard, who hopefully will be taking the boat in some time in the next week or so. I have left her unplugged in the wet shed until it is fully diagnosed just to cover any issues if it was the charger at fault.

Na won't be that lead acid is the highest setting on a sterling charger had you had gell battery's it could have been though , might be a fault don't the charger but they normally turn off to prevent overcharging of a fault develops , I'm sticking with an alternator problem that said  I could be wrong but its the easiest to test , what ever it is it needs sorting n its ever so easy to test .

[LondonRascal]

1 hour ago, NeilB said:

Perhaps an RYA inland helmsman's course would be a good investment, your mum and partner could probably take this on their own boat giving them more confidence?

Sounds like that could be an ideal gift for them - thanks :)