Vaughan

I agree with TheQ. Having much better water quality on the Broads is going to mean a lot more weed, as it grows in the sunshine which gets through the clear water. In the 50's there were weed cutters all over the Broads and the weed in the upper reaches was cut at least 3 times every season. This is obviously something which will now need to be done (and paid for) more often. A good tip on Wroxham Broad is to stay within the area bounded by the racing buoys (unless there is racing in progress!)and don't go too far outside them, especially at the Wroxham end.

We had a holiday on the Thames a couple of years ago and I must say there was a great deal more "residential boating" out on the riverbanks around Reading and towards Oxford, than I have ever seen before. The big Tescos just outside Reading charge for customers' moorings on the riverbank at the bottom of their car park, as they were having too much trouble with "squatters".

Yes, and that would be the "Fairmile shed" behind it.

Positive earth is an American thing and boats wired like that are normally wired "insulated return" - that is that the engine is not used as an earth and all fittings have their own return. You can tell if this is the case, as all the senders on the engine for temp or oil pressure will have two wires coming out of them. There is also no need or regulation to have hull fittings bonded unless you have a steel hull. But there is in the States! I shall have a good read of one of my books on this and get back again, as it is a complex subject that I have never more than half understood! I do know though, that one of the main reasons for having negative earth wiring is because of electrolytic action on hull fittings.

I think that looks like the Bell at St Olaves with the road leading over the old bridge. The straw stack on the staithe looks similar to this photo, taken in the same place in 1953.

Perhaps I am better at making railways than working out how to post photos on the forum! So while you are all swanning about on the newly opened Broads, I am still stuck here in France. Actually it's not that bad - at least going for a beer in the local bar is still a perfectly normal activity! I thought you would like a quick update on progress so far - The profile of the scenery is now a lot less steep than it was but I think the slope from front to back adds a lot of realism, rather than everything on one flat board as I have often seen on railway layouts. The road surface is tile cement, to give it some texture and then coloured in thin poster paint. It is still too light at the moment and I will darken it down a bit, but 1950s type asphalt on a model is not black : it is light grey. There will be another layer of thin Polyfilla which will cover over the cobblestones on the level crossing, leaving just a few showing through, where vehicles have worn the asphalt away The crossing keeper's cottage will now be on the other side of the road. This will leave room for typical Norfolk flint and pantile outbuildings in the pub yard and a lot more room for the crossing keeper's garden! The pub is just a cardboard mock up, made to scale, to see how it fits into the scenery. The slope in the ground is the same as on the real building, which is the King's Head at Hethersett. That pub is built in whitewashed brick with pantile rooves but I am thinking it would look rather nice in Norfolk knapped flint, typical of the area. You have to use a lot of imagination at this stage as there are no grass banks, hedges, fences, gates, bridle-paths or trees. Nor are there any puddles or vehicle tracks in the side roads. All that is to come!

Excuse me - pressed wrong button!

Oldgregg has the courage to say it and I agree with him. A survey will not show up deficiencies in the mould quality or laying up process. A collision, however, soon will!

Is this perhaps getting off the subject a bit? Unless the skip floats, of course?

Hmm . . . . .

I know it well, since a very old friend of mine lives in Lessingham. A really good, genuine Norfolk country pub, if ever there was one!

I don't think I like the sound of this. Surely if you disagree with an opinion, you are free to post your own opinion. This is a forum in the Roman spirit of democratic discussion. But not in the coliseum spirit of "Lions three ; Christians nil"!

No, not in the least! I was just mentioning that the boat was designed with two versions, for the sort of reasons that we both mention.

Suit yourself! The original Solar 37 design was provided with two options.

A lot of people prefer the Bounty 37 without the sliding canopy as there is much less draught in the off season. The sunroof is quite adequate in hot weather, when you want a bit of shade, anyway! A PRM gearbox must mean it is a centre engine on a shaft drive and this is also a good combination. The early hydraulic drives were not very efficient in horsepower. It also leaves a lot of storage space in what would have been the engine space, under the aft deck. Looks a nice boat.

Taught by the Royal Marines, we were. All part of my mis-spent youth!

Fair enough! I hope you continue to enjoy it . . .

I did get the significance of your forum name! I was a drummer and bugler, when I was at naval college.

You are still not telling us what you think might be wrong with it, on your boat.

I have been reading press reports on Vera Lynn's funeral today, and wondered what it would have been like without the COVID restrictions? I think the Forces would have made it the next best thing to a State Occasion! As it is, we had a poignant flypast by Spitfires and a bearer party from all three Services. Military ceremonial and tradition is always missed by journalists these days, who can't be bothered to understand its significance. There were no officers in the funeral cortège as she was the "Forces Sweetheart" - the darling of the "other ranks" all over the world. So I just wanted to point out that the guardsman who marched in front of the hearse and who was in charge of the bearer party, was the garrison sergeant - major of Her Majesty's Household Division of Foot Guards. The most senior non - commissioned officer in the British Army, in full ceremonial uniform with sword and medals. That is the level of the tribute that was paid!

Perhaps if you told us why you are researching your system we might be able to suggest what is wrong with it.

Never heard of it!

Small businesses whose annual turnover is just over the threshold for VAT registration are simply un-paid tax collectors whose slightest mistake in their accounts is immediately jumped upon and dissected in detail (at your expense) by the Customs and Excise. Seasonal holiday businesses are especially vulnerable to "Stasi" scrutiny since they make money for 6 months and then spend it on maintenance for the next 6 months. The Government VAT machine has never been able to embrace this concept and I don't suppose it ever will.

Could I please just say that I would never want to discourage anyone from posting historic photos and that very much includes Nigel and the Ludham Archive. I am a great lover of Ludham. I was a special constable there for 7 years and I was also a member of the church choir for several years. I am quite happy to post photos of the old gunboat Morning Flight, although she is no longer there. In fairness I think this incident is a glaring exception which could have been avoided but Nigel has apologised and that is fine by me. I am also very glad to see his apparent confirmation that my yard was actually on the site of the old Harrisons yard. If he is in contact with the family I would ask him to please convey to them how proud I was to be the keeper of a genuine Norfolk Broads wherry yard and also how devastated I was to be forced to put an end to hundreds of years of history and tradition.

Excuse me Peter but it wasn't. That photo of the ruins of my home is abhorrent, distressing and actually sickening. It has just cost me another night's sleep in addition to all those that I lost at the time and above all, it adds nothing positive whatsoever, in any way at all, to the history of the village of Ludham. A moment's thought before posting should surely have prevented this. It wasn't even relevant to the question that had been asked by the OP of the thread. Really. In my time I have had many of my photos published in tourist brochures, for Blakes and other companies. Photographers will always tell you how vital it is to get permission when photographing people or their property - or sometimes their boats - even when taken in a public place. Otherwise you can easily get sued and many have been, for the slightest reason. The PM that you suggest should have been to me from Nigel, to ask if he could post 3 photos on this forum, all taken of my property by someone standing on my property, on 3 different occasions and all without my knowledge or permission. I can say now that if I had been asked about the photo of the bungalow in ruins I would not have wanted it posted. After all, what has it achieved? To Nigel, I thank you for your apology and I accept that in good grace.