Islander

Moonfleet did ours on Lady Linda. It was a bit over £4K but she is dual helm. They did a lovely job too. Colin

That's good to know. We hope to get Lady Linda up too the same standard but with a few improvements. Colin

Yes but not seen her for a while. We think she lives somewhere near oulton broad. We saw her many years ago when we were moored at John Brooms at Brundall Gardens and always wanted to own one like here. At that time Lady Elizabeth was immaculate and I imagine she still is. Colin

Oh, that looks like fun. Like the new bulkhead. That's going to look cracking when varnished. Like the high tech roof support too. I've just found this pic. The white painted area is now a storage area that previously was inaccessible but will now have a door in the aft cabin. This has all been made in 18mm rather than the original 1/2" and then 2coats of Danboline. This is yet another job where nobody is likely to see it.. here is a bit that you can see. Before looking a tad better. Here is one that needs some tlc. You can see the hole on the chine near the bow. I think she sank about 5 years ago. Colin

Yes, that and £££££. We have 2 semi woodies (GRP hulls) and trying to keep them looking good is becoming a full time job. We are nearly 5 years into a 5 year plan for Lady Linda and only half done. It's going to be a busy year. I started to fit the plumbing for the heating in the aft cabin and toilet. A simple job of running 2 by 22mm pipes through to back cabin by way of toilet vanity unit. Something felt a bit soft so I decided to have a closer look. The previous owners hadn't sealed anywhere and water had gone behind all the Formica rotting the wood. new wood required everywhere. I didn't take anymore pics but further support was given to the box on the left which is the gas locker. All the old plywood just crumbled away. This pic was taken to give Ruth an idea of what I was trying to achieve. The units not fixed yet but there will be a rad with towel rail to the right and wall rack with bin below to the left. All this and I only wanted to run a couple of pipes. We are doing our best to rescue this boat as there were only 2 built of this type by Classic Cruisers of Thorpe. Colin

Hi JA, it was such a shame. Sorry to say I was one of the crew with chainsaws who cut her up. It was not to hard because of the level of rot. Her bilge pumps had been replaced more than once and I pump her out several times when the owner was away working while she was still here at River Green. A lot of the planking above the waterline was in poor condition and water was coming in through the roof. At least half would have needed replacement. I think that she would only been good to use as a pattern. Sadly another woody gone. Personally I couldn't afford to maintain an all wood boat. It's bad enough owning two half timbered boats. I love wood but fibreglass in the water is cheaper. That way my money goes on the top sides. Colin p.s. Unfortunately she didn't look a thing like your archive pics last time I saw her.

Hi JanetAnne, Falling Leaves sank while in Jenners basin. She was finally raised and towed back to Hearts boat shed and broken up. She was in a very bad way. Very little worth salvaging. Good luck with your cabin floor. Colin

Hi Marshman. I agree with some of your comment but both the expensive platforms with legs were there when we passed late October, as for long armed diggers. I'm sure extra ones could be leased at far less cost than contracting out to commercial concerns. I had thought that was the general idea. Maybe the BA should put pressure on the land owners to clear their own trees overhanging the rivers. This would free up more staff for dredging. At the end of the day, this discussion came about over a rare extreme low tide which generally occur each year at varying levels, the other 700+ tides will be within predicted heights. We could, of cause, still have weather that will cause flooding. For those that weren't here to see it. Our two boats at Thorpe. Kept a close eye on skin fittings as the tide rose. The outer boat,Lady Linda, was on the bottom too as there was far less than the 3ft she needs. The safety ladder is just touching the ninth rung. We only need five rungs to get 8ft clearance to get Lady Linda under the eastern bridge. Colin

FairTmiddlin, not picking holes here but I hope the rivers are more than 10m in the majority otherwise I won't be able to turn Lady Linda round . It does make me wonder just how much has been done. Colin

So ,if we are being generous, in the locations and years mentioned, at £45 a one tonne bucket it costs £1.7 M approx. Mainly contracted to Land And Water, yet the fairly recent large investment in equipment stands idle IMHO. THIS IS NOT VALUE FOR MONEY. But then no one is going to take any notice of me are they. Colin

'What happened to 2016/2017' or didn't they do any then. Just also to point out that with the recent low tides bridge clearance of 10ft has been available through the old part of the river at Thorpe. Do not attempt a trip through as my tenders electric outboard was touching bottom while trying to cross the river, it only draws a foot. Just to add, this part of the broads was was dredged only 4 years ago. Has anyone else noticed how much dredging equipment seems to be moored at Griffin lane doing nothing when this is the quietest time of year for boat traffic. Another: How many yards/metres does 5000m3 clear off a river. Are we talking of 1m extra depth or what . Ok, I'll go back to cooking tea. by the way, Happy Christmas Everyone Colin

Ray. I found them by chance in Home Bargains in Norwich. Made by Osram and seem well made. This is the eBay ad but they were only £3.99 in HB. They also had smaller ones too. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Osram-LED-LinearLED-30cm-USB-Rechargeable-wardrobe-light-silver-Brand-New-Boxed/264070238503?epid=2208407979&hash=item3d7bd01127:g:TUMAAOSwNe9cBRqi if that doesn't work it's eBay item 264070238503 Regards Colin

Well done Ray. There is a lot of pleasure in fixing things and getting things working again but beware the shiny gizmos. The likes of Norfolk Marine and Brian Wards can become obsessive. Even worse Amazon and eBay . Only the other day I bought a little light with a pir sensor just to have a play with. I've now got 6 of 3 different sizes. They fix to a magnetic strip so can be easily removed and are rechargeable via USB so no wiring required. All for £3.99. Now I have our big kitchen cupboard lit when you open the door, a light on the steps between levels and a light that comes on when you need it in the bathroom so I can go in the night without flooding the boat with light. Be warned, gizmos are addictive. Colin

Hi Siddy. Out of work, I don't think so. There are a lot of people out there that love old tone wheel Hammonds and old valve tech. I was brought up on valves. When I was at college they told us the latest thing was semiconductors and they would replace valves. You would be surprised how many musicians I've known who won't part with their valve amps. The modern keyboards are quite amazing when linked to a laptop but they still need an engineer when they've spilt tea or a soft drink down it. The high street stuff is not worth repairing but the pro models of £1k plus is a different story. Out of work, well, yes but only because I'm now 65 but also that I've lost all my top end hearing range and can't hear the top end of the keyboard any more. Don't worry about the dyslexic fingers. I made a good living not being able to play. I always told my customers to worry about the outside and I'd worry about the inside. Colin

Stumpy, I use to repair electronic organs for a living. The older models would have a wiring loom all in black. Without the correct service manual almost impossible task to find a faulty wire. I'm now retired but because of my background everyone thinks I know everything about boat electrics too! I'm still trying to fathom sme of the wiring on our boats. Colin

Ditto Annv. I've had the same pot of petroleum jelly for years. Small dab goes a long way and cheap as chips too. Ray. Don't forget to check for voltage directly on the wire. Screw down connections can look fine but the tiniest bit of corrosion can cause a high resistance. This could give you the symptom of voltage on the bulb holder but the bulb won't light! Modern digital meter won't put a load on the circuit and can fool you in this case. Simple gadget to make is a 12v bulb on to longish wires, one with a crockclip and the other with a probe preferable with a very sharp tip to push through insulation. The old fashioned type that use to be used by car mechanics are perfect. Goodluck with your fault finding. It's a great way of getting to know your boat. Beware of anything that looks DIY or mixing of coloured wires. (Long story) Just to add, make yourself a long test lead extension so you can start with a good negative point. You can get halfway through the wiring, loose supply and not know whether it's + or - you've lost. All good fun. Colin

Not with my knees! Colin

Snugtopz Richard is always busy but has made quality covers for us in the past. He is also making a windscreen cover for us at the moment so you will have to wait a little longer. I do know Richard is short of staff but works untold hours. Try calling into the shop. Face to face is often better. Colin

Marshy, I forgot to add it wasn't the BA's remit to become a National Park but if they want to play that game they can have the whole job and not just pick the bits they want. Colin I'm of working, you'll have to play amongst yourselves.

Morning all, back for a few mins. I have a bathroom (boat) to refit. New bulkhead and floor. It's then these very villagers that complain about the piles of rubbish left by the bins. I'm so glad I mentioned bins (not), maybe I should have said canoe slips and fishing platforms OK, I'm sure we all know we've flog the bins one to death in an older thread and it's the councils responsibility but I do feel that if the BA are going to promote tourism then they need to also put pressure on those responsible to get something done. Meanwhile back at the lack of moorings and all the extra power posts we need to run our vacuum cleaners and gel coat polishers Colin

MM, it may not be the the BA direct responsibility but maybe a cost sharing between the local council and the BA would work. We all know the locals used the bins at Bramerton as there were often items you would not expect to find in boat waste but then there will always be abuse made of anything free. The rubbish bins on the green here at Thorpe often have large black bin bags left by them yet are clearly marked ' No Boat Rubbish'. Tourists will create rubbish and the 'Broads National Park' are trying to encourage more of them to the area so the BA must take some responsibility. Regardless of my previous comments, I would rather see the money spent on MORE moorings and some sense over the rubbish situation. Is that too much to ask? Colin

Thanks Poppy, I tried to edit but lost my connection and was too late. 2.6% not too bad but would rather see mooring and bins. Colin

Well, 6% equates to about £50 extra for us . I'd like to see it spent on replacing and adding to the number of moorings or at least rubbish disposal points. Colin p.s. 1 less can of beer a week isn't to bad.

Back again!!! It's one of those gremlins. Colin

Just tried. All working ok at the moment. Colin