Viking23

I aim to use that one even if it's not true with my insurance company, if anyone asks to borrow the boat lol...

Sorry to correct you, you mean propane not butane. Picture is of a propane regulator with a pol connectiror.

Quite a coincidence this, the other day I was on the river, and I saw Dr Packman dressed as an indian, tomahawk, moccasins, the lot, I said... "Why are you dressed as an Indian, tomahawk, moccasins the lot ?" He said... "I heard that Yare House were reorganising, and they were going to get rid of all the cowboys !" lol

If you are allowed to remove fish, subject to species, size and weight, then as I understand it, you are not allowed to restock other waters with the fish, without a licence etc etc. so why else would you remove them, except to eat, very few specimen fish take a visit to taxidermists these days lol. On a market stall next to the Thames at Christmas, was a large Crucian carp on the slab ready for collection by an East European, Christmas lunch, served up with high levels of lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. Enjoy... Now, the other day someone enquired why they see less ducks these days, I think we might be able to hazzard a guess. A lot is normal seasonal variation, but some may end up with a serving of orange sauce. Now, it is classed as cruelty if you harm any wild birds, and subject to very high fines, so killing them does quite a bit of harm, so is killing wild duck for the table illegal? In USA they shoot ducks all the time, infact they shoot anything with a pulse...

Yes give them a call, they will know first day registered. Richard

Having looked at the later pics, you have had replacement cushions and a new seat in the cockpit. The side panels in the cockpit are ply, so my theory of 1985 build is about right. Although.... I believe Viking did sell shells for self completion, around that time too, so it might be one of them. We have had ours nearly 30 years, still original gel coat, but I would like to know what paint you have used for the thin blue line, around the hull, we are still original blue gel coat, but very difficult to get the gloss back now. We tried "grunt" as suggested on here, but it did nothing after one application, but I guess we should try again. You might want to have a look in at the Viking Owners website, a lot more detailed information on there. Best regards, Richard

With any insurance, check the small print regarding outboards, then check the very small print. Some will not replace a fairly new engine with a new one, but only give it's market value, leaving you to find one in the same condition. Not easy. You will be out of pocket ! Some insurers have a sliding scale based on age, you will not get a like for like replacement for the price. Then who pays to fit it. You will be out of pocket. Make sure from day one you have a suitable outboard lock, that must be approved by the insurance company, take pics too as evidence. You can see that the outboard is the most vulnerable part of the boat and an item that can make such a financial outlay, should you have to make a claim for it.. I have never made a claim with Haven Knox Johnson, but they don't charge to amend the policy, eg when we moved waterway, new marina etc when we did a boat name change, when we told them the boat was in transit by a third party etc When we moved the storage location of the boat trailer. We have stayed with the same insurer for nearly 30 years. No complaints, but again no experience how they handle a claim. All damage sustained, gel coat chips etc, have been repaired by the hire boat yard etc. directly. No insurance notification, but seemed to work ok, but not sure when it becomes notifiable. Hope it helps, Richard

The handrails are wood, on mine they were one piece Stainless, the w/screen sides drop down, mine drop into slots, so as your reg No. precedes mine, might only be a few months, but boats might be on sales racks when new too. If your cockpit area is white grp as apposed to ply I think yours is early 1986 or very late 1985. but, do check with CRT. I might review my ideas after seeing the later pics. Richard

Forgot to add... and missed the edit time... When we left BWB waters, they said they would keep our original reg No. for us, if ever we returned, so contact CRT Canal River Trust, and they will know when it was first registered, and if it was new at the time.... B I N G O .. Richard

Yep not a problem, my viking has a close British Waterways Number to yours, mine used to start 733** too. Mine is circa 1986, but to confirm, can you post a few pics of various parts of the boat. Handrails, cockpit arrangement, interior wood work etc. They changed a lot during the mid 80's but if yours are similar to mine, , then I would be confident in saying how close yours is to mine. It might be it's twin sister lol. On my middle galley cupboard door, is a Viking label with a number ***** it contains 86, so that to me confirms the year. I have recently posted a few pics of mine, re outboard engine lift, and rear stern step, do a comparison. Hope it helps, Richard

There is also the willingness to pay a bit extra to actually get a mooring when you need one of course. Arriving at 6pm and nowhere to go is getting worse on the Broads, so if you can't get in at Thurne, then where else is there? Mud weight in South Walsham, could be the only banker that's less than an hour away. Womack, unlikely, maybe Herbert Woods basin, St Bennets could be tight. Mud weight on Ranworth, too far if late. Acle, too far, but maybe a good chance. £7.50 -£10 seems ok if say £5 is refundable vs a bill of £20 + To me, your fees sound reasonable for a good business, and after all, we need you to be there year after year. Good luck with the venture. Richard

For all boat moorings, I feel sorry for the couple in a 20' boat who pay the full whack as a 44 footer with twice the beam, take up half the space, and can only spend enough for two meals. Then people insist you close the gap... I paid for up to 44 ' so I can have a minimum gap of 12' front and back. lol If it's a Broads Authority (free) mooring, then I have paid the toll pro rata on length, so I don't feel grieved.

Maybe the woodpeckers were pecking for the wood worm lol. I always remember the Billy Connolly film, "The Man who Sued God" I can imagine some cases doing the round robin, when it reviews "acts of god lol"

So the mast was damaged by "animal"... as opposed to mineral or vegetable, so how would the same mast be covered if the mast was damaged by another "animal" like... wood worm, how would this be described as different to an attack by one animal, compared to many "animals" I guess? Both animals are chipping away at the wood, final affect is the same, so in theory, they should pay out for woodworm too.

Looking at the underside, there appears to be a thin copper pipe going to each gas valve, which to me, implies it has flame failure. However I am no expert.

Some of the bend is from the loose joint lol, but I preloaded it with me on the end prior to lifting the engine, so a good safety factor of two... Aghhh lol... Mast... hmmm miss that, used to enjoy sailing, but shoulder and other issues has put paid to that.

Wow, bet those car owners wished they put some antifoul under their cars lol... Imagine the salt water corrision on the sub chassis, no wonder floor pans and sills rot through in these areas. We are still short of rain though, the upper Thames (Oxford) where we are, are struggling for water, great risk of grounding.

Well I was inspired by my recent posting of how to stern moor with an outboard, that I thought I would show you my contraption for removing the outboard, or just simply elevating it high enough to do a gear oil change. The Honda 15 weighs in at 50 kg. The design was inspired by the crutch arrangement on Broads yacht mast supports. Basically it's a piece of timber 8' long, with a cross piece that clamps above the door. No other tools required. It was cut in two, with some dexion, so that it could fit into the car, but other material could be used. It is a one man operation, the engine can be lowered onto a sack truck to take it away. If you have any further questions, please ask. No doubt I will show a few other projects, another, that didn't get commissioned... yet, is a removeable electric mud weight winch. You will get the impression that I like simple, minimum fixing, least damage or evidence left on the boat, no clutter etc etc. All items can be removed for storage etc. Even the stern step brackets, when not in use, support a couple of solar panels, that again can be removed easily for engine maintenance. I designed my own rudder position indicator, and fitted a rev counter to the Honda 15, not a factory option, so this was quite complex. I like challenges, so if I can inspire others, that would be great. Best regards, Richard

With my design, we can do "Touch and go" and collect and drop crew members without securing the boat to the quay heading. We only need a gap of 6'10" between moored boats to do this. There is also a flag staff dropped into one of the uprights, that acts as a hand hold. Not shown on this earlier picture.

Well I developed this for our Viking 23. It folds up and removes in less than two minutes, easy to store. No tools required. The Fenders touch the bank, giving enough clearance for the rudder plate on the engine too. Very easy to get on and off via the stern, easier than when alongside. It is made from Aluminium box section, uses 8mm SS bolts as hinges, and uses 4 Screwfix ss deck plates that are fixed on the transom, and 4 x ss M6 bolts, used as pin, dropped into secure the aluminium to the stern. SS chain gives some flexibility and helps prevent snagging. etc. Top is Plywood and has captured m8 ss nuts so that a piece of 8mm ss all thread made into a hocky stick shaped bolt, acting as a wing nut... No Doubt you need some more info, but I hope it's a start. I took a while to develop, as strength vs simplicity was important. NOT available to be seen on the Broads anymore. Edit multiple holes in rear upright, allowed repositioning of the rear fenders, although 90% they were fine as shown. Richard

The only hull design that might just submerse a duck or swan might be a cathedral hull design, or one of the twin hulled pontoon boats. For a normal monohull, a small buoyant object would normally be washed aside. I am truly saddened to hear of any wildlife that is injured, more especially in the pursuit of our own pleasure and enjoyment. Richard

Just don't get bitter over it, if you don't see one lol.

We heard them at 3-4am on Barton Broad before now, and in the reeds between Malthouse and South Walsham. Had a close fly over near Matham Broad too. They have been seen on the upper Ant too. The more there are, the greater chances you will hear them, but sighting one is just magic.

If you could show a front view of the multimeter, with it set to the switch position you used, with the leads in the used position, we can eliminate incorrect use of the meter. Just a thought... Richard

I knew one day I would have to do it, hire cars are a good training ground, or a company car a few weeks before it is due back. With car and balance on the revs both up and down the gear box, you can do some slick and quiet gear changes, just hope you don't have to stop, as starting in first gear on a hill start does give you a good kangaroo effect, and does the transmission no good at all. AA and RAC engineers were trained in this technique, but now they probably stick it on a low loader in case of consequential damage. Richard