Malarky

Shame they couldn't have put some curvature to the hull design instead; thin metal? Amazing how you still have to look at vintage boats to guarantee satisfaction on shape and form. Our throw away society just hangs in there, in stasis. Why,she do'nt even have a name!. Welcome to Medievil Britain!

Not much of a modern transport system at present , we've only just finished clearing and re-establishing most of them. They(B.W.B.) hav'nt dug them yet, too busy getting over exited with land grabbing moorings and dictating! Shame they did'nt turn out to be of any benefit realy. It would be great to be able to move heavy stuff over 7'x7', I don't think firms make heavy big things small time enough for B.W.B.'s recently aquired, canal master plan tho.

There are a lot of relitivly low priced, quite dinky generators out there nowdays, I have a feeling that if you enthuse and liase with the manual that they may even last! The older varieties tended to be invincible by comparison, but came with a much larger price tag when new. Watch out for the wiring these days, it tends to be lacking on the over engineering side. I think I,d go for something a bit bigger than needed, just because my instinct says it'll be more solid, and possibly put better wires and connectors in place, certainly check for availability of spares in that department.

Not so, wood expands and contracts at a substantialy diffrent rate to fibreglass, and wood needs to breathe, fibreglass will cause the wood to immediately start to rot if used in such a way. In traditional fibreglass boats the wood is completely sealed to prevent any water contamination. Ferrocement, but needs new improved design methods.

Surely to preserve a ship or boat that is not brand new, the only way to realisticly get it to survive decay is to use it, constantly rebuilding and repairing where necessary. It seems that these ships are more of a memorial to the lost skills and trades that this country once had. Preserved to mark the passage of time, "out with the old in with the new" the eternal revolution. If they can't be maintained because of design then it would be best to respect this and have them as scrap to observe how they fall apart, maybee wildlife habitats could evolve. If we can fix it though, people could aspire to sailing past, or on these vessels, we need more stuff to see, and do, there is too much preassure put on the aquasition of property for status and occupying the mind these days, leaving little or no time for the average person to actually progress and use their property, and indeed the idea of shareing it with others or the wildlife is a fairly detrimental idea these days, gangsters desperate to tie some money up want it, or conservationists want your rights. Usually amateurs and vandals into the bargain, or a "black" part of the government. I thought it was traditional to send them all to sea. ( I was going to put ["a rant"]etc. but I think that goes with the Malarky territory!)

Annother thing to check is air locks in pipes. Once (nearly!) worked on an engine untolds of people had done untolds of work to; head gasket, new thermostat.... It took about 1 second to push a flexible pipe back under the gas box on the swim, where it had popped out from, and thus aquired an air pocket, the owner was delighted to have finally solved the problem, but I left with an "air pocket" as I couln't bring myself to charge for that, especially as the whole experience had allready cost them a small fortune! If it is the head gasket youll find changeing it yourself will leave you with a firm understanding of your engine and how to keep it up and running and the basic tools to go in your engine room(asumeing i'm not teacing you to suck eggs).

I want compromise, and extreme skills, why not old sail old wrecks?

Yet another boat that is best preserved in the water, but kept out! What is all this destructive re-righting of history? City of Adelaide is at least cheeper for us to have vandalised, and probably lucky to get a reprieve from these "restorers"!

Can get the crane to the lift bridge on the opposite side, so you can just about swing them on, ( I,m not so sure If it's a good idea to get Usk out initially if she floats).

I have the rights of use and access for some land in Wolvercote-leys, Oxford, that once belonged to British Rail, it's next to the canal, I used to have projects like this happening there, maybee you'd like to rent it for 1p a year and I'll sort the access with the local council for you. It is just about possible to reach it with a crane. I am interested in this area for self teach projects, as it fulfills some of my obligations to how I have to use the land to keep my rights,(presently, unfortunately, it is only being used to observe the behaviour of the land thieves adjacent) . I also know people with well seasoned collections of wood for the express purpose of building canal boats. One day I hope to start some kind of education in this type of subject for the area; indeed I nearly got there, but B.W.B. and some land grabbers interviened. Incidently they can't get the bit I'm proposing to use, you can be damn sure if they could they would!

The rule of thumb I have when doing a complete fit out was to make sure that the finished product values at ten grand more than it costs, thus enableing the customer to sell if they have to go into debt to pay for those extras, and at least "get out", and of course pay the company. People can also change their mind at the last minuite, sell, and order another one to the spec. they want. Ok it takes time to sell, but this avoids them trying to queue jump the waiting list.

Now your really scaring me!!!!

I'm serious about the potential to sail The Cutty Sark My intention was'nt to "diss".restoring these boat's, just wanted to point out the pitfalls. The best of luck. I've run projects to sort boats like this for nothing by, and for, mentaly ill people who indeed used them as homes. These people cost the state or anyone else, nothing. When this went on however I had easy access to a yard tools, moorings, a house, and vedgetable patches. Now I find it difficult to get near the area this happened and am persecuted. The people who were "ill" are now dead, or on the streets, and those with children housed, but most of the survivors in this predicament are now registered mentaly ill. Now I have to be on call, so people(now registered) can avoid their children being put into caredue to their haveing to take certain perscription drugs. I would'nt want to see Usk trashed, and indeed have my own restoration bug. and... er... well if there was no other option I,could be there in two or three hours, with a boat and possy of head-cases to guard it, under a week away, and get it to be an adequate home within six months. Been doing that sort of thing for years. But I hope your project works, as personally I've had enough hastle from B.W.B. over the last five years to last a lifetime, although, as anyone with the reastoration bug knows, getting these "rocking horses" running outweighs everything!

All this entusiasm! Wonderfull ! Now what about a total rebuild on the Cutty Sark ? She should be sailing again now there's enough dammage to justify "attacking" it.

If you take these out of the water you need to keep them soaked, and fix them fast, not at some leasurely enthusiasts pace. It seems obvious to me that this back breaking work is not in the realm of people who have adapted to computers. The poeple I know who can do it, have been forced off the canal and are finding it hard enough just to stay alive and maybee sane! So I just see pipe dreams, and very few people sorting wooden boats; otherwise that piece of rocking horse s**t would have been snapped up. I have to fix boats like these in the water, to keep things at a managable enough pace for the modern world. The only way I've ever kept B.W.B. off my case is to involve drug addicts, who inadvertantly create a police operation to watch them, then B.W.B. leave things while the police do their training and attempt to arrest anyone who tries to get involved. This seems to work realy well, to the point that they actually prevent you getting things legal as these uniform types start to have so much fun running with it all and leasing with each other. Unfortunately I'm not realy into drugs, so this has only happened by luck and coincidence(at one point I had only just persuaded the police to remove the handcuffs a split second before a class from the local primary school appeared on the canal path to visit the project!), on the other hand you could bribe the wardens with the charity money to leave you allone, this would certainly work with the thieving -'s round my way. These wardens have a lot of power given to them by head office, like I mean enough to decide who can and who can't, enough reality to make their protection disguise as benevolence. I'm fairly sure that would be the best option for these boats.

How is it that a lifestyle that can find homes of varying standards from £100 to £1000000 can't go without this drive to decadence, and with some of the cash otherwise spent on, say a "£70000"(get a used one £20000) buy places of their own like Castlemore do? I'll spell it out to you; the places these types buy are "a can of worms" the only people who could get complete rights to these prpoerties are either, firms detatched enough and big and ugly enough to stand their ground to the opposition, or, people who have spent their lives establishing a living and rights with these places. If you build up a livelyhood on these kind of plots, and by some miracle don't get grief from opposition, you sure as hell will when developers are around, gangs love to take those rights you grafted and changed the world to get, to pass them on and make a buck, or a pint, or a smoke. Or at least enjoy the pickings as you get ruined. Not a good equasion, not a good investment. So they fall into the hands of the developers whatever. The only result if fairness comes into play, is the developers don't get the rights, and the property goes on ice, like a little savings account. And the only person/people who could exersise the rights established on the property are the people who are removed, who by this time have been so badly milked they shouldn't recover, and are kept down for eternity either by the vendors, or the purchasor or the gangs for the sake of at least keeping it as an asset, and "in the bank", and to save face. So like 2+2=4 Castlemore exist. The reason this has'nt happened years ago to this property in Oxford, is simple; it's an area that could afford to take the morall high ground, and not stoop so low, and the City is coated with picture postcard little castles belonging to the university, and not previously fasionable for any development. Also the canal had provided a place for the less fortunate scince the thirties, and people were used to these kind of areas. It is only recently that people have been able to set up viable buisness in places such as these; so only recently has anyone establised any form of legitimate established usage to be stolen. Basicly this is investment potential playing chess with the lives of marginalised people who as far as most of society is concerned simply don't exist! By the way I need a solicitor!

No. These boats are called barges for a reason!

"Good quality adhesive straight onto marine ply", yep. "We don't I wouldn't." also agree! I use vynal flooring stuck on with evo-stick, this is applied makeing sure there are no air bubbles, and comes in various patterns, seal edges with bead of silicone sealant.

Horizontal; tends to make the space look taller. Nail t&g, tucking nails in at an angle where the groove protrudes, thus useing the tongue of the next piece to hide the nail.

Unfortunately circumstances have meant that I only do call outs on a few boats these days, but I used to fit them out completely, inspiring companys like Kingsground narrowboats. Unlike the companys of today though, I used to progress every boat I fitted(I could choose the job to a certain degree as I always had too many boats to do!)part of the direction I wished to go before the massive competition wiped me out, was upholstery... Nearly all canal boats are upholstered useing foam, and even pipeing is a rarety. And the possibilities... well I won't go on, but foam Can Kill. I think wire, springs, horse hair and lagging is safest. Maybee there,s some poverty striken head-case with the skills out there who could be captured and enslaved into service!

If it,s any consolation; I think the answer is yes! (A crazy idea: get a socket to fit the bolt made up from some scaffolding bar with nicks cut out to help it feed past the split pin, and an angle, lift the tiller off its pivot and out of the way, radj the "socket" on useing extreme force to mash the pin and unbolt the prop!)

I parked a van that I'd just bought near the canal once and lost both fog lights!

Are you useing much oil, ie. leaks or worn rings, vave stem seals, maybee the mesh filter in the sump needs a clean.

Don't sell the house.

Don't know much about law, but I'd aim at getting them to take it back plus refund and compensation, as any boat fitted to such standards is a waste of space. Hopefully, at worst, theyll just take it back and give you your money back, but get rid of it. Don't get fooled into any funny deals. This could tell you what not to look for next time. You should be able to get a used boat from a sypathetic boater fairly cheep.