Starcoaster

Sorry that was a bit woolly, by holding tank I mean the base of the Porta Potti, the bit where the deposits end up... This needs its own type of fluid, the rinse stuff for the top (rinse) tank is not enough. Blue is the most widely used (and effective, in most people's opinions) but a "green" is also available, and some people use bio washing powder instead...

Nope neither of those! It was a 30 footer, painted grey. It was called "Homer" but I am not sure the name was ever on it.

I can imagine, I think this is the general deal in France. My parents own an old mill house there on its own loop of the river and they are not even allowed to discharge their grey water into it... It goes into a tank to be pumped out just like the septic tank for the bog, because they are not on mains sewerage. This seems mad to me. I guess the rules are very different there!

SHHH not everyone gets a unicorn!

Well, quite.

Flaming hell. For £30 a night I'd expect them to be sending me a dedicated shoal of mermaids to empty the tanks for me...

Given that your prior thread/info were a while ago, it might be worth adding a link to it here so that anyone reading this anew or who has forgotten the details can catch up.

To be fair I reckon you personally must have done a large proportion of the work that led to the Trust winning the award, so well done you in particular.

I am flummoxed that you cannot/are encouraged not to discharge grey water-what is the reasoning behind this, do you know? It must be a right faff to convert a boat to hold grey water.

Has it got: Hammer for mooring pins. Sea magnet? (Optional but useful!) Chains or hooks for piling? Windlasses? Boat pole and hook? You mention citrus rinse or something for the bog, have you got blue for the holding tank too? A spare cassette if there is not one already is also a really sound investment. I would also check the cassette with the existing bog too before you use it to make sure it is not leaky, and if so, order the replacement seals if needed.

I used to know a boat that had exactly the same pinched bow shape but without the splashback. Everything else was completely different (stern shape, no well deck, various other things) so I am really confused because I cannot believe such a weird bow could crop up on two different boats without having come from the same plans or builder, but the rest of the boat being unrelated. The owner of that one had no idea of the provenance or origins of it but described it as "icebreaker style" which made Mr. Fincher's eyebrows climb right up his forehead in short order...

Have they really got a Paloma chimney coming out of the top of the pram hood tho!?

In terms of your getting on and off ramp, I would aim to have one a fair bit longer than 2ft, because of the sometimes big gaps between the boat and the bank and to account for the way the boat will rock (and so, move the ramp on the land) when someone stands on it. Remember that off the pontoon, the water level and bank height (and so height from boat to bank) will vary a lot, as will the gap between boat and bank. I have a metal ladder plank thing with metal panels over the "rungs" and hooks at the end, I suspect this might work if handrails are not essential. However, without handrails the potentially xxx-feet distance to cross (taking into account the part of the ramp on the bank, over the water and attaching to the boat) may well look (and be) daunting for someone with mobility issues, or who would be vulnerable if they fell. So I guess the next issue may be how to get a handrail set up for the outside ramp, and how to store this on a small boat when not in use. When you talk to people about buying or commissioning a ramp for you, make sure that they are aware of the need to store it on a small boat when you are underway too. These are just my own thoughts-Others may think differently so don't take it as gospel! If I have misinterpreted your description of what is needed or potential challenges (which is entirely possible) my comments may be moot anyway!

Yay excellent!

Yep, got to agree that's a bit odd. Describes perhaps every third boat to pass me!? It is half term week after all...

Make sure he looks in the cabin bilge and also, is rigorous in checking for signs of a potentially chronic slow shower leak. I can recall two people who bought a well surveyed boat only to discover that loads of wood and wall surrounding the shower was knackered due to a slow leak that had likely been there for years. If the gas locker is a wet one (unlikely for most boats other than at the low end of the market) make sure he pays special attention to that, as the inner walls of the locker are in effect also your hull sides in terms of their need to be water tight.

I'm not sure I want a free fire either...

Indeed, and the prior owner was Mr. Bodge personified. Literally nothing was normal or standard... The boxing thing can presumably hide pipes/cables and function as a low shelf, but I didn't see a lot of point in it personally.

Thank you. I'm not sure if my floor construction was part of the original Springer fit out or not-the prior owner had messed around with the boat a lot and I have not been inside of that many other Springers. Although I have been in another 30ft-er that had about a foot deep on the gunnel sides boxed in, which I didn't personally like in terms of the corner angles, appearance and dead space within, but that could be an alternative solution for what to do about the sides whilst keeping the floor low.

Viewed as a head-on cross-section of mine, the interior flooring on the two gunnel sides begins to slope in at a gentle angle from around the point that the angle of the "V" itself starts, but not as acutely. It then flattens out after about a foot into the central five feet (or just under) of width, which a tape measure into the middle part of the cabin bilge tells me is about 10" higher than the deepest part of the "V." I am not sure how well I have explained this, so if you cannot visualise it I may be able to post a sketch. So basically 10" from the deepest part of the centre of the V is the lowest that you could have lain a reasonable width of flat floor in my boat whilst using unobtrusively sloped sides. Lose another 3-4" from that if you're not going to slope the outer edges. Aside from one short side walkway next to the bed (which feels wide because of the open space next to you) my walkway is central. The walls of both sides are taken up with fittings-shelves, bench seat, cupboards, stove plinth, shower, bed etc, so your headroom is always in the highest point of the roof too. I honestly don't think it would be possible to drop the main breadth of the floor any lower than the aforementioned 10" from the deepest part of the "V," due to the angle of the V itself-assuming the shape of your hull is pretty much identical to mine. The main walkway through the middle of my boat varies in width due to the fittings either side, but it doesn't look as narrow as the aisle on that picture above-Say anything between just over 2ft at the very narrowest (again, with open headroom) to 4ft at the widest. Or maybe it's just the angle of your shot... Or the fact that the width does not deviate at all, making it look longer and narrower than it really is. What do you want to know in the way of building cupboards etc? You basically just have to cut the side ply at the angle of your slope... The back walls of mine are the boat's old interior tongue and groove in the main part. Ps., if you think this is fun, wait until you need to fit a shower with enough head room... I am 5'9" and it was still a challenge. And my Dad, who is 6'7" has only made it inside once in five years, funnily enough... How long is that boat, btw? It looks pretty small.

You can always refuse to share-a lock, manned or otherwise-no one can force you to transit a lock after all! Although in reality this may mean surrendering the lock to let the other party go first as the path of least resistance/good manners. Thames locks/lockies should be more than adept at managing mixed locking and keeping you and the boat safe, but yes you can always still refuse. When it comes to huge, multi-boat locks like Limehouse Basin, I am not sure what the position is if one boat refuses to share with any other boat... (I've never cruised there and I can't imagine the issue comes up much even for those that do) but I would suggest you might get turfed out of the lock in order to avoid holding everyone else up and might have to either find another route or change your mind! However, if you are refusing to share locks on principle rather than because of a specific current issue with the lock/other boats in question I would take that as a sign that either your boat or yourself is not equipped for such a waterway.

I am on a laptop and don't know how to adjust it... I never noticed and am not that bothered.