onionbargee

I would never touch any modern engine, because they are just not designed to be repaired, old Listers, or Petters or Rustons ect, go for ever, and can be taken to bits with a knife and fork, plus the slower rpm, and mellow exhaust sound does not annoy you, and give you a headache, canals are meant to be relaxed! just make sure it's sitting proud in it's own engine room, and don't stick it under the floor.

your bit about sloping hull sides dont matter to me, my boat will have vertical sides, which are fine, Just ask Les Allen, and certainly not pre-folded gunwales, errgh ! I agree with you 100% about subtle curves and detail, i wont be overlooking these.I,m seeing alot of old boats needing doubling around the water line, which sais to me 6mm is not enoiugh on a 10mm bottom. I've got plans, and a boat to copy from.

Have you noticed that everyone wants to talk about welding, even if they know nothing about it ! I wonder why ? Nothing personal , just interesting is'nt it .

Hi Glen, Hows your widebeam going ? Is this your first build ? what snags have you encountered so far ? What kind of set up have you got there ? Best wishes.........Rich.

Yep, i'd be interested, i'm drawing up plans to build a couple of boats myself, a problem shared is a problem halved !

There's no such thing in welding terms as a " V weld'', though i've seen it on an ad for Heron boats, it's just nonsense. ( asuming the welder is qualified, and there are many who are'nt ! ) All the plate joins on a boat will be V'eed, theres no other way of doing it.

If your a water pikey like me, then you register as a temporary patient at any GP's, just a simple form to fill in, you can go to A&E, or call an ambulance. I had the air ambulance out to me when i did my back good and proper. Though try telling a dubious forein doctor you live on a boat ! or watch the Hospital computer system blow a fuse trying to feed in "canal boat, third oak tree along from the bridge hole" as an address !

The yaughting world have been sourcing Polish built boats for a long time now, and the reports are showing they are only lasting 1/2 the time compared to British steel.

We had a survey done, and 2 years later on the first blacking, the pressure washer opened up big holes in the sole/uxterplate, which is completly rotten and de-laminated, and needs urgent replacement. After getting him back to re-examine the areas, he has of course denied any liability, and found one ultrasound measurement of 7mm, which he's sticking too. Any one else out there have experience of getting surveyors to admit their sloppy work, or any surveyors who can tell me what i should reasonably expect from a survey ?

Thanks, i will take a look, but i dont really need plans, as i'm drawing my own up.

Thanks, i will take a look, but i dont really need plans, as i'm drawing my own up.

I've got a T-mobile gprs pc card in my laptop, but it's very difficult to get a good signal, any one know if i can boost the ariel, or signal ?

The good safe places are Tesco's at Bulls Bridge, the layby, By Sainsburys at Alperton, opposite Kensal green cemetary/ sainsburys, Little Venice, Camden visitors moorings which have gates locked at night, (on a BW key), ditto for Islington , then Limehouse basin ( only 48hrs ) next safe stop will be above Tottenham lock, and i mean nowhere inbetween ! , and from there on it's quite peacefull countryside up the Lee and Stort. Enjoy. (Have a camera ready and just flash any scumbags your worried about, that shuts them right up.)

It is 100% true that bullseyes can start fires, the old time ones fitted to old workingboats were flatter, and made of handmade wonky glass, and they still scorch your curtains, but the new ones found in chandlers are highly polished lenses, and if there are curtains or even wood in just the right focus point, you will see scorch marks if your lucky, and a burn out if your not. One cure is to paint a disc in on the top of the glass, or better still grind the top off, or have the glass etched if you can. Any one who fits the glass flat side up is a looney, and should be thrown in the cut. Bullseyes are meant to collect the light from outside and send it in, not the otherway around.

Hello; i'm a retired welder/ fabricator, and i fancy building my own narrowboat, i don't want to finish up with a floating skip ( springer ! ) so if there's any one out there can give some tips, like how to get the counter side plate bent round evenly, and how to acheive the stern end of the backcabin roof, where it curves up and is also bowed. I'm also thinking about doing the sides with 8mm. Appreciate your help.