JanetAnne

Glass is best for Windows! Might be worth getting a quote for 4mm toughened?

When you fit your gas alarm make sure that any sniffer is mounted in the bilge area (gas is heavier than air of course so will fall if it leaks). We tend to opt for an alarm with separate sensor so it sniffs where it's needed but can still be heard, and also fit a bubble tester. That way you can test the system at any time and know it's right.

Sorry about the drift It is interesting to see how others deal with bilge maintenance and pumps etc. I like the first pump on domestics with the reserve on the engine side. What is interesting is that there was not a lot of mention of separate fridge batteries.

You are supposed to paint the bilge, not fill it

Wine can be kept perfectly well in a net hanging over the side leaving much more room for beer, bacon etc

So would I. It was at the 2015 event and was one of a couple of issues that occurred that day.

Catfield was frozen up till this morning but all good now

Imminent!

That's what I had it down as, one of the two Ospreys. And yes it is available, would be a brave restoration but all wooden boats are restorable, its just a case of renewing bad bits until you run out of bad bits to renew! Or money

Here's one for Clive. It's actually quite a rare one if it's what I think it is found it by accident when viewing something else. It's afloat on the salty stuff way down south Brighton way.

Erm.... A good three inches. And it's showing no sign of letting up.

Oops no piccy

Pits in the finish? You need something bigger to practice your skills on, and I may have just the thing!

Just been reading back and am very happy to report that Patricia's restoration is now coming along nicely. She may even see the water in 2017 (come on Mr boat owner/restorer type person, I wont name you but I know you will read this)!

The ironic thing about varnish is that the better you get the finish the harder it is to photograph! That is starting to look really special though

That's just gotta be done!

Now I know what my bulldog weighs. They said, when he had his bath at the dog groomers the other day, that he had left a ton of water all over the floor

Ah, safety in numbers! I need more boats

You too eh? Then again, some years ago I wanted to buy a Vauxhall Cresta. I was told in no uncertain terms that such a purchase would result in removal of items I hold dear followed by much eye watering. Anyway I bought said Vauxhall and tucked it away out of sight. I then bought a magazine on classis busses, circled a couple of double deckers in the classifieds, made some notes on the page and left it open on top of the telly. A few weeks later it was casually suggested that I could have that bloody car if I still wanted it..... Hiding a 42 ft wooden broads cruiser was more of a challenge though

Night nav is a favourite with us and we find it a far nicer way to charge batteries than sitting on a mooring! Most trips we will have an hour or two out in the dark and pick our night with lots of moonlight. You will be amazed at just what and how much you do see

Calendars are on schedule and are somewhere in the press probably going round and round on that big drum thing as we speak! Labels are printed, stamps are licked and postmen all over the country are feeding their cats in anticipation. We are at Defcon 4, Amber alert, etc and just a tad excited. It does look the doggys gonads! Yes, I do have a members recent change of address that was sent to me the other day. Will forward it accordingly.

Dont forget to keep an eye on your battery usage if staying put for a longer period as these short days mean higher demands on the battery bank.

In my experience, and making sure I do not take anyting away from such highly skilled boatbuilders, the majority of woodies on the broads are maintained to a very high standard by their owners including structural repairs etc. If they could only be repaired by highly skilled workers then many of them would no longer still be here because the costs would far outweigh the value of these boats. Ref the gelcoat repair. Matching the colour is going to be much harder than the actual doing the job. My first port of call would be a RAL and a BS colour chart. Once you have found your colour or as close to it as you can you will be able to order pigment using the RAL number or the BS number as appropriate. This pigment will let you tint clear gelcoat to your boats colour. By the way, make sure you have a nice clean bit to match the colour to. Give it a quick polish or t cut to remove grime and dirt first so you are matching gelcoat without a layer of crap on it!!

I am glad that we are able to re open these discussions whether that be through new members or old. Every time we revisit such issues there are different members active from the previous time and so we get different view points. Peoples views also change over time, I know mine have, and reading through this recent thread I have, once again, learnt something from the contributors.

Dont forget that to 'Maintain Navigation' as part of the BA's remit they are supposed to reach the following The Authority’s Sediment Management Strategy 2007 sets out the ‘ideal waterway specifications’ in terms of depths. These vary across the network from 1.5 metres to 2.4 metres below mean low water springs. So next time you run aground just ask yourself whether there is 1.5 metres of water below you at mean low water. Then you can decide whether navigation is being maintained appropriately