floydraser

Well stuff my old boots as they say. I logged on, read this thread as it's first and thought well it's not affecting me. Then I hit the back button and it came up! We've been violated!

No, I'd have gone up to a tenner; I'm no cheapskate!

Blast! Just over my budget.

Well I managed to find a couple of days to nip over on Friday 8th and came home Saturday. Luckily I had a good trip over and got there with enough daylight left to get a coat of Toplac on my repairs. Again, there were three tins in the boat, two partly used but this time the first one I opened (the lightest) had usable paint! That was my main objective for the visit so as to get some decent protection on the repairs for the winter months, so with that achieved, I could relax. I hadn't set myself much to do inside this time apart from wipe down all the surfaces with anti bacterial cleaner. I look forward to the day I can start revarnishing the it all..... However, with the extended darkness I spent some time assessing the work required for the worst part of the deck repair along the starboard side. I got under the deck from the inside (easier if I were still 30 but just slow everything down!) and shot some video. By the look of it, there has been a lot of damp in one area, for a long time. I'll have to remove the internal panelling to get close enough even to measure, let alone do any work, but I'm more confident as we go along. On Saturday I had plenty of time to start stripping out the caulking in an area of the deck at the rear port side. I used my custom made tools which turned out to be a little on the wide side but they have since been pruned. The idea was to use my slot funnel for the first time to get some resin into the deck support timbers. On the bright side, I was right with my assessment that they are a bit soft. On the down side they were still a bit damp therefore the resin wouldn't be so effective. I left the slots covered over with tape. Never mind though, I've now trimmed the tools to make the slots a bit cleaner and next time should see some significant progress deckwise. In other news, I have been playing live online auctions again! There is a space in the saloon where some oaf has cut out some cupboards to make way for a log burner. It's 52” wide, 26” high and 16” deep. I've been looking for an old radiogram or similar to convert into a drinks cabinet as a “temporary” installation until an internal refurb takes place. So this wine rack came up, looking for all the World like a magazine rack, I thought it may be useful with another unit instead of the radiogram. I was the only bidder at the minimum £5, net £7.50 with charges. It's huge. It's a bit weird in that it is held together with crude pegs, takes 12 bottles, but it's portable! However, as can be seen, it's more likely to have 6 bottles of wine, with gin taking up any available space. And to keep the glasses in, this lovely little drawer unit. I didn't inspect the rack before the auction but this I did. I'm no furniture expert but I have seen a few antique shows to have learned something. I removed each drawer and noted they were numbered with the base unit so each drawer was matched to it's own slot. The joints are all excellent dovetails. It was listed as mahogany. The brass bits make it look a bit boaty for me, or military. They are laquered brass and patinated but that's ok by me; I'll not be trying to clean them up. I've waxed the wood and fed the leather top. How old does it look? Guess the hammer price? And for the Grandchildren: There was a poor picture of a British Seagull outboard in one auction and I thought it would make another little project for the kids to strip down. £15 hammer price. I haven't got it yet, it's still in Norfolk, but it turns and the plug looks new. It's even got the string!

"Beautiful barge" she calls it. Beauty clearly in the eyes of the beholder here; I can never see it in Dutch barges.

If you decide to go for decals as Griff says, try Brian Wards (link to the right) and mention the forum. We get 10% off for chandlery, probably graphics too but I can't be sure.

Buur Caarsll. Remember where you are!

I've seen a few of those. The boats all queue waiting for the gates to open, then there's a mad scramble to get through. Crashes all over the place and not a buoyancy aid in sight!

Thanks again everyone, here's an update. Ultimate Speed oil pumps are in Lidl again for £9.99 if you're quick. I'm sure I paid £12! Reading the replies again I see Smoggy was spot on. I was at the boat on Saturday and I am very lucky to have some great neighbours in Brundall Gardens. One of them showed me the set up on his boat which is a similar, and made things a little clearer. I haven't tried to do anything yet but having had a good look around I now understand what I need to do. I did take some decent pictures though: Pre filter water separator - do I drain it? I have removed the lid of the water strainer housing and drawn around it so as to make a better fitting gasket! Found the lift pump, I wondered why there was a 6 inch nail sticking up for a start! Filter will be a pig to get to; my hand was holding the phone under the floor to take this shot. Thanks to you guys and my mate in Brundall I will have a bit more confidence when I have a go at it. I'm pretty sure the engine battery is dead but I'll leave replacing it until next season. In the meantime I'll be making an extension tube for the Pela pump in case the tank needs hoovering out.

Is it like a house? I mean will it positively affect the value of the boats moored near it? I hope so! Well done, a really nice job.

Insurance companies like to see a professional hull survey report. The cost can be slightly offset by the better deals you can get, fully comp for instance. Others here will have more experience. I agree with the importance of getting the engine/gearbox checked over. I would have thought a surveying engineer would be able to advise on that even if they didn't do it themselves? I never got mine surveyed but it must be a common question.

As you know, I'm always suffering from a saggy canopy. I had a small swimming pool to deal with on Friday when I got there. I was disappointed not to see the Shetland, when is it due at the berth?

Agreed. Without the broads reference it would be another mildly amusing show, still worth watching to pass the time. But the broads thing was just patronising. Obviously a decision made by someone who's never been near Norfolk.

Ah, she's lovely. It'll be interesting to see how she handle's the old tried and trusted, let's invite the celebrity to wind the sail up, routine. I hope I'm wrong and they have a better idea but I'm sure it'll be worth watching.

As with all these things, people will be moved aside and enquiries will be delayed until the guilty have either died or cashed in their pension pots. Only then you may get the truth and possibly an apology.

No experience of Eberspachers in boats but I have in lorries, and they are controlled by thermostats. Assuming the same for boats then a lot depends on how one likes to set the temperature. At home, some people like to whack the temperature up and walk around in tee shirts all day. We know this from the arguments in the office over where to set the aircon temp! Consumption then is surely relevant to the one's preferred temperature setting?

As a younger person I thought I'd been north when I drove from here in Leicestershire to Newcastle upon Tyne. The 12 hour round trip seemed even further in freezing, dense fog both ways. Then I had to take a part for a North Sea oil platform to Aberdeen. Setting off for home I remember a sign which declared, "The South - Edinburgh". I thought "Now I've been North!".

Fosse park, Liecester: Sainsburys Diesel £1.33.7 - Asda £1.34.7 and plenty of it, no queues. I'll be over at the weekend to winterise.

Thank you for that, my experience exactly. Same for millions of us I guess and at the time it was normal thinking.

Staterooms? I like the sound of those. When did we stop using that term?

Nah, you want one of these: It's cheap, warm, no building, no rebuilding no joining a club, no mowing the field and you can let the kids pla. Spitfire here but I could have an ME109 and two player so Griff and Polly could finally have a show down!

I think there is immense value in work experience for youngsters approaching school leaving age. They get to sample a proper working atmosphere, hopefully learn the need for a good work ethic and by sampling more than one skill should learn as much about what they don't want to do, as what they do.

Yep, that's uplifting thank you and best wishes. My sister is currently going through something similar and just this morning she emailed me full of praise for the NHS.

Well from a bloke who was there and involved: about 4 foot of the bow above the water.. .75% under the water...maybe too many on the boat (8). Just takes a bit of maths really.