chubby

i will be blacking my boat shortly with Rytex . I was planning on using fertan after the pressure washing was done but i think im not going to now as washing it off sounds a bit problematic . I 'll try to get some vactan at short notice but if i dont use fertan then once the hull sides are dry and ive scraped and wire brushed etc is it a case of then just slapping on the bitumen and thats it ? Im going to use a brush not a roller so i can really scrub it in and plan on two coats . cheers

Cheers The current paintwork is sound . Just a few areas that are not and in those areas - 6 or 7 of them the paint has slightly bubbled . When scraped back it reveals very light rust literally at the surface . With 60 grit paper and a few minutes of elbow grease the patches were basically back to steel . I then fertanned to neutralise any last light rust . Then primered . 95 + % of the cabin is sound & the rust patches are at the bottom corners of the bus type caldwell windows & a few elsewhere & 1 patch around the fairleads ( ?) I do indeed intend to put the paint on with a 4inch roller befor laying off . Ive even bought one of those pricy purdy brushes for the job . As i say , im not looking for a showroom finish but i ll still try to make it as good as i can . My main concern was undercoating the primered patches and whether i could get away with just undercoating over the patches as to do the whole side seems unnecessary ( as the existing paint is sound ) , costly and will take more time . I'd do it if i had to but i wont if i dont . I shall get just one tin of undercoat and apply it where needed and take steps to flat it enough to " blend " with the rest as best i can . cheers again

Thankyou chaps So , it would be ok to just undercoat the patches then . Trying to " blend " the patches so they don t show is a concern but i will do as you suggest Bizzard. Once done i ' ll give the areas Tcutted a thorough wash down before considering topcoats cheers again

Hello I ve begun preparing the cabin sides of my 58ft trad for a DIY repaint . In 6 or 7 places i have some rust . Very light rust , literally at the surface only & not amount thats needed gouging out etc . Ive managed to rub it back with 60 grit paper and then apply fertan . Once washed off and dry ive then added two coats of primer . Where some of the surface is a bit pitted ive filled with isopon p38 . This has also been primered . I think , in total the entire surface area of the 6-7 patches must be about 4 or 5 square inches - on one side of a 58ft trad . The other side paintwork looks in good condition so im expecting much the same amount . Overall , the current paintwork is sound . So - having primered the patches my question re undercoat is do i need to undercoat the entire side or is it ok to use undercoat on just the bits where there is currently just primer ? Where the paint is in good condition i was planning on a thorough sanding to provide a key for more topcoat but i doubt its wise to topcoat onto primer . I'd prefer not to have to undercoat the entire side due to cost and time so undercoating just the primered bits would be great if considered suitable by those who know . Im not looking for a super shiny finish , more workmanlike - a tidy up if you like , but one that will last . Thanks for any opinions

My understanding is that within the T&Cs of your license is a clause allowing crt to pass your details to any third party it wants to . As to rights and wrongs of this i dunno

i have 4x100 w panels . I have them fitted into frames much like those in the picture above but made from decking planks . They aren t " fitted " to the roof with anything except thier own weight . The cables go thru a mushroom vent beneath the panels and a chain is fitted which also runs thru the vent . I think my solar set up is the best money ive spent on my boat .

all the above advice is very correct especially with regards to how you go forward from here and the fact that if funds are low then you may not be able to fix the problem ( percieved or actual ) anyway . Regardless of the engine hours , you and engine are where you are & if the engine seems to be performing ok then thats all well and good . As you can see in the photo above there IS a decimal point before the last number - yours will be the same . I would humbly suggest you now move on , & try to stop worrying ( if infact you are ... ) . Say that from now on the engine will be serviced according to the service intervals recommended in the manual ( 250 hours ?) by yourself or by paying someone else . This will bring peace of mind that during your ownership , regardless of what happened previously , the engine was maintained as required . Thats pretty much all you can do & all you need to do . Things will still go wrong with it from time to time , but thats boat ownership innit ? cheers

Thankyou Bizzard

Thankyou for your replies

Hello Im looking to give my boat some much needed TLC . The roof needs attention and repainting . Its mostly ok but theres a few small rust patches to deal with . The worst is at the stern on the starboard side adjacent to the sliding hatch . Its a Liverpool build with integral handrails and when it rains heavily the water pools up at the stern and cannot drain off . As a design its bobbins but only affects the starboard side . I have stripped back the rust & used fertan where necessary . Im wondering - if i used danboline bilge paint on the roof then will this provide better protection for this problematic area ? I may use International interdeck on the rest of the roof , or may just stick with danboline all over ( i dont really walk on the roof much ) . Im sure i read a thread in the past where Matty 40s used it but i wondered whether Danboline is actually better than other paints as its designed to resist the effects of standing water cheers

Hello Has anyone ever successfully managed to paint thier boats windowframes ? I'm sure i have read of people who have done so , using etch primer & then black paint either sprayed or brushed but cannot find owt on tinternet . They are currently gold caldwells , a mix of bus type & portholes . Any one else done this , or know of someone else ? Have the results been worthwhile and long lasting ? If so any advice about materials such as primers and spray paints used ? cheers in advance

I suppose that it all comes down to judgement & requirements . If you ve spent alot of effort getting the rest of your boat just how you want it then it might be worthwhile to get some professional quotes and perhaps say ( if affordable ) that you 'll let them put together the cover and be assured that its going to he long lasting & of quality materials . Sometimes its just wiser to know ones limitations and let experienced folk make up for that . Boils down to money i expect but if youve saved on other areas then why not ? You can probably do an " ok " job yourself & maybe even a " good " job yourself but " perfect " ? . Depends what standard you consider acceptable .

ive thought about doing this in the past but ive never managed to acquire a round tuit . I concluded that if i were to have a stab at it i would make a cover from cheap or old sheets first as a template or pattern . make mistakes on the cheap stuff and then maybe better material . Theres no rule that says the cover must be an expensive material so why not experiment now whilst the weathers ok ? Just thoughts .... cheers eta : both the examples above are awful - why have a greenhouse on the front of your boat ??

only this morning i read a thread from 2013 which was good w links to products . It was titled " how to make an engine bay quieter - boat building and maintenence "

Nice one , cheers All being well i ll be able to go for a lengthy cruise by end of August ...... hopefully & for around 8 weeks . I shall head north up the GU & go .......anywhere really , as yet ive no plan and so im thinking of doing the blacking whilst on my cruise and hopefully find somewhere away from the London " weighting " . Winkwell is probably booked until 2031 . Maybe Circus Fields ... but thats still £600 for the week but thats a more appealing option - its covered & i like the Aylesbury Arm . Maybe i ll dig out a Nicholsons and have a look at whats further North for DIY - Braunston and further cheers

Ive never fitted out a boat & so the follwing opinion is not based on such experience but I would suggest that you are asking for trouble sooner or later . Probably sooner .....& later ! Electric oven on a boat is , for me at least , just a recipe for trouble . Gas ovens ....expensive ? If so then why not second hand ? They just make more sense . Do you really want to set up the generator each time you fancy a fried egg sandwich ? Its noisy & a PITA id imagine . But then i dont own a genny as i just don t want or need one . If youre fitting out a boat then id think long and hard about fitting gas piping etc now and biting whatever costs involved . Im sure you could organise a gas oven that doesn t cost a mint . Just an opinion , but i think an electric oven running off a genny will soon become a wearying , expensive & noisy chore cheers

why would anyone want to have a generator running on gas in order to power an oven running on electricity , when u can just have a gas oven ????? Sounds bonkers ....

Where on earth are you getting a dry dock for £200 a week ?? Im darn sarf and the options seem pricey . £200 a result Heres a question about blacking then . How far up the GU would one have to go away from London ....ish to find a dry dock thats no longer at " London / commuter belt " prices for 7 days ? Any ideas ? Cheers

if you came past my boat in March you wouldve seen another unlicensed boat . Except that it was and i hadn t printed the license yet . The reasons why " 3 young couples " are taking thier boat to London are discussed on several recent threads . cheers

And the hardship of having to accept a 5 + % " transfer " fee if one buys an already overpriced boat on a London mooring . I saw a small springer for 60 K on AD yesterday because it had such a mooring . I imagine it must be a chore for that marina owners to take a 5 % fee . Bless em .

Any views on what ?

Hasn t " Peppers " started another build blog thread ? Id therefore presume that purchase went ahead . To be honest i havent overly understood much of all this discussion regarding VAT & Fat boats but how anyone can consider gunwales not to constitute a " deck " is beyond me - if you walk on it then surely it has to be considered a deck ??

That would be me then ! I still prefer my narrowboat and narrowboats generally . That said ive seen these fotos in the past and it is very nice - especially the cupboards along the sides under the gunwales. Id agree with Blackrose about trying it yourself .BUT only do so if prepared to buy the necessary tools . Ive done plenty of interior work on my boat and ive found learning the new skills required to be one of the joys of boat ownership . Plan ahead , use decent tools , cut no corners , take time when needed and plenty of breaks and you can pick up such skills & you get to sit back afterwards and think ..." i did that " The money on the tools isn t wasted ... its invested and you ll use them time & again & you ll save a great deal of money in the long run

I agree with much of this . Narrowboats fitted out all super modern with such tosh as jacuzzi baths ( seen on AD yesterday ) , waterfall taps & corian worktops etc etc also create a sense of despair for me . Why when u leave your house & go to your boat , do you wants its interior to look just like a house ??? But it seems to be the way forward and joinery and interior design for soft old retirees and others looking to " live the dream " is pushing sales up and prices too i expect BUT Its still a boat first and foremost . Its still been designed for the system on which it will travel . Though it may be a modern boat , its built to the same dimensions as the working boats for which the canals were originally built . Its still a boat , before its a cottage . Its ability to go from A to B has still overridden its ability to store lots of " stuff " . So tho i cannot bear the very modern fitouts with all thier fluff & dishwashers i still see a " boat " , to be owned by folk who want to go boating - not a cottage . Whereas when i see a WBNB i see nothing but a box thats been designed for accomodation not designed as a boat ... for boating .... None of my comments are meant nastily , i just don t like em . Theyre like when u look at bad architecture and think ... " My God - someone thought that was attractive ...... it went thru a design process .... lots of people were involved and yet no one seems to have turned around at any point and said " Hold on a moment ..... this looks bloody awful "

I dont like widebeam narrowboats . I think they are ugly . Proper dutch barges etc are things of beauty though . How anyone can look at at a WBNB and think it attractive is beyond me . It may have more space and a poncey bathroom and kitchen but to me , it has no " soul " because its been built as a cottage that floats , rather than a boat thats been fitted out nicely & thoughtfully . Accomodation first & boat second . BUT , though i detest the boat itself i would find it difficult to instantly dislike the owner on that basis . They may well be a tit but theres plenty of those narrowboats too . I appreciate they have more space etc , but its only worth having if you " need " lots of stuff . Id rather go without as most of it probably isn t needed . My small and inferior NB requires me to be thoughtful about posessions , about space , about functionality , about power usage , & all this adds to my completely loving living on a boat , as opposed to being an annoyance i must tolerate due to lack of space , and though i could own a small attractive dutch barge - a WBNB i could never own .as theyre (IMO) soulless boxes that float , not a " boat " . Just idle thoughts ...