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Relative Emergancy, Advice Needed!


Satchmo

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I am in trouble. A few weeks ago I moved onto a dilapidated 25ft Dawncraft near Norwich with the intention of slowly repairing and renovating it while using it as a base from which I could work in Norwich. My "fool-proof" plan had been progressing fairly well until last Friday when I started taking on water, I bailed through the night but had to abandon ship the next day. However it didn't sink and on Sunday I returned and with help bailed out the 3-4ft of water filling the boat. The plan was then to get it out of the water asap and take it from there but come Monday (nobody was about Sunday) it hadn't taken on any water and so I have finally been able to exhale and am now trying to figure out the most sensible and preferably economical course of action to take.
To pre-emptively answer some possible questions: I did not have a working bilge pump on board and I am well aware of how foolish this was, I went into this project overflowing with naive optimism and it has definitely come back to bite me. There is now one on board and I'm heading up today with a battery (didn't have one of those either) to get it hooked up. I don't think there's a crack or hole in the hull as the boat is now sitting high in the water and there's nothing visible and it hasn't been taking on any more water (of course I am in no way qualified to make that call) so I have plugged every hole and pipe connecting to the outside of the boat just in case.
The plan is still to get it out of the water asap and transport it to Diss where I can have it dry-docked on a driveway (over 10ft wide and 60-odd ft long so plenty of space) and do all the work that needs doing, the question I need help with is what is the fastest and cheapest way of doing this (I am not a cheapskate, I just don't have much money)?
I have been told there is a guy with a 4x4 and a trailer who could do it for £200ish not including lifting but the same person suggested that getting a HIAB to lift and take it might be a cheaper option, the issue with that being that unloading it from the lorry as it would have to come off sideways and therefore not where it would need to be. Can anyone suggest a way of moving it once it's off the lorry (outdoors on uneven ground) or offer any kind of advice about how to go about this, this is all very new to me and any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Not really, in the time I've owned it it has never been properly ballasted (that was next on the list after a battery) and has always sat further out of the water than looked right to me but of course the rain alone on friday may have been enough to drop it down to such a level. I did wonder as much hence plugging every pipe and hole I could find.
It is indeed so quite possibly :default_smile:

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2 minutes ago, Polly said:

Through hull fitting is likely. It may be easier to lift to a local boatyard? There are specialist boat movers and that might be the way to go. 

I have spoken to a number of helpful chaps at the boatyards along griffin lane about such an option and it's not off the table yet but it's sounding like that'll be the most expensive way of doing it. It's reassuring to have it as an option and if it comes to it that's what I'll do, I'm just wondering if there's a more cost-effective alternative.

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Hi There are several people with truck and hiab depends on how heavy the boat is ,  you will also need to use a spreader bar so you don't nip the hull,  if you go to scrap yard and get two axles with wheels the connect with a board then lift on axles and move onto driveway,   alternatively go to Richardson's at St Olaves he will lift into yard and then you can work on it there  he has toilet/shower,  electric and Bell pub next door for food etc,  or another yard,   you could end up paying more for getting it home and back again then the lower cost by doing it riverside without the hassle of moving it at home, or go to the crane operators at Lowestoft and get them to lift it onto driveway onto a cradle. John

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2 hours ago, Polly said:

Lifting a boat with a hiab sounds a bit worrying.

Exactly what I thought but it was a knowledgable and professional chap who suggested it and these guys - https://www.hjlogistics.co.uk/boat-transport/ - have put me somewhat at ease with the idea (I am still searching for more companies like this to expand my options).

1 hour ago, annv said:

Hi There are several people with truck and hiab depends on how heavy the boat is ,  you will also need to use a spreader bar so you don't nip the hull,  if you go to scrap yard and get two axles with wheels the connect with a board then lift on axles and move onto driveway,   alternatively go to Richardson's at St Olaves he will lift into yard and then you can work on it there  he has toilet/shower,  electric and Bell pub next door for food etc,  or another yard,   you could end up paying more for getting it home and back again then the lower cost by doing it riverside without the hassle of moving it at home, or go to the crane operators at Lowestoft and get them to lift it onto driveway onto a cradle. John

Could you point me in the direction of any you might recommend, the boat's around 3000kg apparently? The advantage of bringing it home is time, I suspect that once I start taking things apart and looking at them closely I may discover a tin of worms so it might become a more lengthly job. Thanks for the input though, I was considering making some kind of a makeshift dolly for once it's on the driveway and now I really quite want to!

1 hour ago, gancanny said:

try this guy,  i have used him and found him A1

 

                    john   07789095032

I definitely shall but just so I know what I'm asking, is he someone to help with transporting the boat, trailer/HIAB-type chap or a boatyard fixey-uppy-type chap?

Thanks for all the replies everyone, as they've been recommended I'll call Johnsons tomorrow for a chat and get their opinion. Unfortunately my "boat" has no engine so getting towed to St. Olaves would be the main issue there, it's a long way to be towed. For now I'm waiting for a quote from HJLogistics and once I know roughly how much the HIAB option will cost I'll start making concrete plans!

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7 minutes ago, Satchmo said:

definitely shall but just so I know what I'm asking, is he someone to help with transporting the boat, trailer/HIAB-type chap or a boatyard fixey-uppy-type chap?

he is a marine engineer with a truck and hiab,  he knows what he is doing

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2 hours ago, gancanny said:

try this guy,  i have used him and found him A1

 

                    john   07789095032

+1 to that. Johnny Heward's about the best there is when it comes to moving boats. He'll charge you the right price, he will not rip you off but neither will he cut corners to give you a cheap quote. 

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13 hours ago, MauriceMynah said:

I agree with JM there. The Dawncraft as you describe isn't the strongest construction.  Floated onto a trailer, CAREFULLY strapped down and properly supported is the way to go. My parents owned a Dawncraft 22, and a friend owned a 25. I know the make well. 

Thank you both for the warning, I didn't even know that was a risk! I didn't realise that floating it onto a trailer was an option either though, I had just assumed it was too large for that but if not then that may be the way I want to go. Bit of a long shot but would you happen to know anywhere near commissioners cut where it could be floated onto a trailer?

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59 minutes ago, Satchmo said:

Bit of a long shot but would you happen to know anywhere near commissioners cut where it could be floated onto a trailer?

Just downstream of the first Thorpe bridge is a big, deep slipway which used to be Stephen Field's boatyard. It has easy road access over the unmanned rail crossing that leads to the Frostbite sailing club. Turn off the main Yarmouth road just to the east of the Rushcutters pub. Don't know who owns it but you could ask at Moss's boatyard, just across the lane.

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Slight change of plans. After yesterday's warnings and an enlightening conversation with the above-recommended John (really helpful chap, a font of knowledge and genuinely nice guy) it seems that Dawncrafts are not the best-made boats and moving it safelyish would not be cheap or without risk of damage. In light of this revelation I'm not so sure I want to put time, effort and indeed cash, into renovating her.
Seeing as she's no longer taking on water and there is now a working bilge pump on board, I'm going to take a slight risk and move back on board as is. I can still live aboard while working until I can afford something more long-term and although I do feel a slight sense of living on a ticking time bomb, I know I can get my stuff off pronto if I need to and I don't think I can afford to do anything else.

Huge thanks to everyone who replied and offered advice, it likely saved me from making some very unfortunate choices!

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the water could have been as simple as wave action causing water to get in, and once you start shipping water, it tends to keep coming in as the boat gets lower in the water.the thing to do is keep an eye on things and see if you can see where its coming in under different conditions.

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23 minutes ago, Satchmo said:

it seems that Dawncrafts are not the best-made boats

I am very glad that someone has given you that advice as I was hesitating to say so myself!  Dawncraft were reasonably well built boats but plywood, of that age, has a "shelf life".  If it has started to de-laminate, especially around the chines, then a repair becomes almost impractical.

The problem may be due to loading, as you have said that the boat was lighter before you moved in.  In which case, the hull may now "take up" and become more watertight.  I think you are right not to spend too much money.

Welcome to the forum by the way, and keep us posted!

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I know exactly where you are moored Satchmo and I think your boat will be subject to a lot of wash from passing boats. The rowing club safety boats go round that  wide bend creating quite substantial wash at times, as do many other boats. 

1 hour ago, grendel said:

the water could have been as simple as wave action causing water to get in,

I think the above is what grendel means?

I do hope you manage to sort it all out. 

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