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lockedout

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Posts posted by lockedout

  1. On 28/05/2018 at 21:01, Murflynn said:

    you must have great success in purchasing new boats.  18mm phenolic ply costs about the same as decent marine ply.  The edges should always be sealed with epoxy, and preferably provided with aluminium angle protection (screw fixed and bedded in epoxy).  It does no harm to provide an epoxy coating (2 coats) over the top (patterned) surface to serve as an initial barrier against wear and tear, to be renewed every 3 or 4 years.

     

    Good advice, thanks.  Question about the Aluminium angle - horizontal surface of the angle on top surface or underneath??  Also, does this not increase noise levels if you introduce metal to metal?

  2. 6 hours ago, Neil2 said:

    If you want an alternative that doesn't degrade then what about aluminium chequer plate, more expensive than resin coated ply but it's not going to wear out. 

    I was thinking about chequer plate...    Slippery when wet?  Noisy?  And it still needs marine ply or similar to fix to, so although the steel might live forever, the marine ply won't, so maybe not such a good idea...

    On 28/05/2018 at 21:05, ianali said:

    Chinese phenolic ply is manufactured to the same standards as the rest of the universe... 

    Not according to the 'experts'...

     

    "We have purchased phenolic ply from China which looks very good but the ply veneers are invariably a softwood/hardwood combi, eucalyptus or poplar, and the construction quality isn’t the same standard as European plys. We now buy Russian or Latvian phenolic ply with a birch core, the quality has proved much better."

     

    I haven't got a clue, but I believe everything I read on the internet (apart from Wikipedia, obviously!)

  3. Hi Everybody,

     

    I need to replace the decking in my semi trad, the existing phenolic ply has started to go spongy around the edges and the top layers are starting to degrade.

     

    Decent (ie not Chinese) phenolic ply seems to cost about the same as a new boat for a piece 2 foot square.

     

    Now I am sure that you clever people have come up with some smart ideas as to possible alternatives that cost slightly less but do as good a job.

     

    Suggestions please???

  4. We are regulars on the Thames and South Oxford...

     

    Lots of good advice above, one thing no-one has mentioned is an Anchor.  Particularly if you are unsure about the reliability of a new (old) engine.  There are some big weirs on the Thames and I would hate to get stuck on one.

     

    Nothing wrong with the Sheepwash Channel, IMHO slightly quicker and a few places to moor near a couple of decent pubs as you go through Oxford, and fuel and pump out at College Boats if you need it.  A good early start to rock up at Osney ASAP and off you go with the current behind you.

     

    And, as above, make sure you have two decent mooring lines, we have dedicated Thames String which is longer and thicker than anything we would ever use on the cut, some of the Thames locks are pretty deep. Usually the lockies will take a line for you, particularly if you ask nicely...

  5. 6 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

    Premium berth!! Blimey how basic is yours? Is this in some rip off area of the big crappy southern city by any chance?

    You're not too far off.  Having said that, I have seen Marinas elsewhere around the network with similar arrangements.

  6. 2 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

    I was just going to say that....apart from the years of living aboard....and when we did, it was only in the Med that you had to do that. Can't see me needing to moor stern to on an NB.

    Doesnt your marina have pontoons?

    Yup - if you want to pay for a 'Premium' berth.  ~I don't!

  7. On 20/03/2018 at 10:28, Dr Bob said:

    Right, here is a few shots of the boat moored next to us in the marina. Hope they dont mind. It was re-painted last year.

    It looks like sheet steel welded to the base and the uprights but the join to the top looks perfect - as if it is one piece - but that doesnt make sense due to the circular design of the stern.

    We've just got canvas type dodgers, with the odd splash of green to give it Character.

     

    stern-094650.jpg

    stern-094610.jpg

     

    Very nice - but, how do you get off when you are moored stern to?  Especially if you have small people or dawgs...

  8. Up until very recently I really hadn't though about the necessity, or otherwise, of having a trap.  Our sink is slow to drain and would be vastly improved if I got rid of the trap.  I see the point of not needing to provide a trap to stop smells, but what about capturing things dropped into the sink by accident?  I am thinking Wedding Rings, grub screws from taps and the like  (not that I have EVER had this happen of course!!)

  9. 1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

    When I worked offshore If the glycol pumps stopped during the night I would be awake before the alarm sounded

     

    When I was a kid we moved to a house that backed right on to the main London to Brighton railway line.  After a while, the only time I woke up was when the early morning trains didn't run.

  10. 18 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

    Dont get me wrong these are now ten years old and still in good shape. The only  problem is the screws and those black wedges that hold against the window closures come off. I wouldnt buy them personaly but I learnt something stupidly simple from your post in that instead of the missus balancing on the offside of the boat when cleaning the windows why not lift them out like we do on hot days..........see so simple but we hadnt thought about it :lol:

    So far so good for us, but we have a long way to go to catch up with your 10 years.  We don't clean the windows that much, but popping them out is deffo the way to go.

    • Happy 1
  11. 3 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

    I will give you a tip. The screws that go through the frame on the interior of the boat are hidden by a nice black rubber extrusion. I removed my windows to paint the boat.   Condensation runs  behind the extrusion where you cannot see it and rots the heads of the screws. I have replaced with stainless screws and left off the rubber extrusion for future removal.

    Worth knowing.  When I fitted the window liners I had to replace quite a few of the screws used by the fitters, all were replaced with stainless nuts and bolts, not screws.

    It wasn't anything wrong with the fitting, just that I hadn't decided what internal liners I wanted when they were fitted.

  12. 28 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

    They are what I have got. The lift out bit is a good gimmick but they  are way too expensive for what they are.

    Speak as you find, but I thought the cost was reasonable considering the quality of the product, the good customer service and the good fitters.  They are a good company to deal with.

    (No connections to CG, just a satisfied customer)

  13. We replaced Caldwell with Channel Glaze DG when we got repainted last year.

    We are glad we did.  Condensation hugely reduced, although we still get a little bit of damp on the frame, it is nothing like we used to get on the glass, and if we ventilate properly it is virtually zero.

    One other advantage to consider is the noise reduction, it is really noticeable.

    Oh, and one other thing. Having the full drop back frames, we can remove the whole window.  Excellent if it ever gets warm and good for cleaning and maintenance.

    IMHO - worth it.

  14. Barrus Shire 45 on a 10ish year old boat.  Had the boat 5 years now without any issues.  We spend a lot of time on the Thames and it deals with tidal and non-tidal equally well.  We get it properly serviced at, more or less, the correct intervals and it never needs too much or costs too much.

    We are happy with it.

    I have used Yanmar quite a lot in the past in lumpy water boats and have never had a problem.

    (Of course, you know that having written all this, we will break down turning into Brentford against a spring flood tide and end up stuck on the bank! ho hum)

  15. Three email accounts with different providers:

    #1  Only for friends and family

    #2  For 'proper' commercial dealings and trustworthy forums

    #3  For everybody else

    #1 Keeps nice and clean, I never get spam in this account,  #2 gets a dozen spam messages a week,  #3 gets mercilessly spammed on a daily basis, but I hardly ever look at it, I have rules set up to regularly delete stuff and there is rarely anything important in there to read anyway.

    What I do find interesting is how soon after you enter your email on a site a new spam campaign hits, sometimes it can be less than 24 hours!!

  16. We have gone through two Shurflo pumps in three years.  Now have a Jabsco fitted, it has caused all sorts of problems, but it works well and doesn't leak.  

    The problems are caused by it being slightly more powerful, which I thought was a good thing, but I have had to fit an accumulator tank, and then a bigger accumulator tank or else the shower has all sorts of issues, now I have to fit thermo valve taps as well.

    Boat ownership eh??

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