I Spartacus

I have been trying to plan the best route for this trip, I was looking at going across and picking up the Oxford and then onto the Coventry up to the T&M and then down to Stafford on the S&W. A lot of the trip I will be single handed so looking at as few locks as possible and was looking at avoiding Birmingham if that can be done, Hopefully this trip will be later in the year if all things go as planned , Is there a better route or quicker way in getting to Stafford without to many locks Many thanks..

Looking it this a bit further there are a few charges out on a few boats to Hoseasons aka WYNDHAM VACATION RENTALS (UK) LTD you can find this information on Companies House. https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01183497/filing-history Edited to add link

It might be worth just putting in a small fan at one end and a vent at the other and drawing some air through the void area at rear of cupboard . It all goes on the dew point and lack of ventilation, just keep a little space clear at the back of the cupboard. You must remember that warm air holds more moisture in it than cold air so when it cools it condenses out at the coldest point as in this case was at low level and below the water line in the cupboard. Glad you spotted it early and can now get it sorted.

Ha Ha Just started a thread on the old boat, was thinking of the name of it all morning finally remembered. Now the Trincomlee at Hartlepool. Google is good .

Having been reading the post on the U-boat I was thinking what was the name of the boat I stayed on in Portsmouth many years ago. I finally remembered it was the TS Foudroyant which was formally HMS Trincomelee I was thinking what had happened to this old boat, was it still even floating !. Well it is fantastic to see it has been restored and now in Hartlepool. Just thinking have any other members either stayed on the Foudroyant when it was a training ship, or have you visited the historic dockyard and been on the Trincomelee. I looks like they have done a fantastic job on the restoration I would love to go an see her again http://www.hms-trincomalee.co.uk/visit/getting-here edit for bad fingers

I was just trying to work it out how long ago it was ! it was in 1971 the first school holiday staying on a big old boat moored in Portsmouth harbour, sleeping in hammocks and going sailing as kids did in those days. It was HMS Dolphin then, and I remember one of the subs sank later in the year. Just can't remember the name of the boat we stayed on. O those were the days.

Nice pictures and thanks for sharing them, I went on a sub down in Gosport many years ago, boy it was cramped

I have used this company they have a vast range of marine paint's, It might be worth giving them a call http://technicalpaintservices.co.uk/catalogue/Marine-and-Aquatic-Paints/

Well said Alan I totally agree,it is not just welding a few bits on to get around the requirement it should be a basic safety requirement.

Thanks to all who have replied for clearing this up, so they have made allowance for this requirement. I would say it's a bit basic, and would have liked to see a better effort than what they have done like a small flip down ladder Has any of you tried to get back onto a boat when you have fallen in cold water in the dark it is not easy !! just thinking do hire boats tell you how you should go about this when you pick the boat up.

Thank's for the replies everyone, Just to confirm the boat is not a narrow boat but it is built in Poland which is within the EU I understand that some narrow boats are manufactured in Poland and shipped to the UK. The boat complies to all the EU regulations Importing a boat to a banana republic within the commonwealth is far easier if you have proof of construction and it's legal status, so it is much easier to get the craft registered with this documentation. We have no problems with the boat as it has all the documentation and has been constructed to the requirements which includes access from the water. the question was how do narrow boat builder get round this,As Alan said you weld a plate onto the hull to give you access from the water but have all new boats got this ? Mark

Just been reading this directive, and trying to help a friend who is exporting a boat overseas. I understand that new boats that are sold onto the market need to meet these regulations,and think that narrow boats are not exempt. How do builders get round the requirement to provide the following: All craft must allow re-boarding from the water. Just interested as it has bee talked about many times on here. Mark

It came off a Perkins 403 engine so I expect it will go back onto a Perkins, I would like to use a Kubota,but the modification would not be worth it. As for the cost it has cost me a good few pints !!! my friend wanted the engine but had no use for the generator. it is second hand, but I know the history of this unit, it has only done about 50hrs.

Morning all. I have not posted lately as my build has been put back till next year,but I do visit most days to read the interesting topics. Anyway I have managed to get hold of a 24v dc generator, it will need a new engine and this will need to be marinised , hopefully will be able to use the waste heat for heating in the cabin. Here is the link to the generator. I am sorry but I am unable to add the hyper-link as it just will not let me ,hopefully a kind Mod can add the link as I am unable to edit any of my posts. http://controllis.com/products/Controllis_DCPP.pdf I have a few question hopefully you kind members can advise me on. 1 I can also fit a travel power unit on the new engine so it will also generate 220 v AC but is this actually worth it ? 2 If the generator is running and I don't fit a travel power alternator would drawing heavy loads out of the battery bank via the inverter damage the battery bank or reduce it's lifespan. I would still have the 24v alternator on the engine for topping up while cruising, but I don't need to start the main engine just to charge the batteries on bad weather days or in the winter. Thanks for reading and looking forward to any advise you can give Mark

I know I have not posted much lately as my build has been put back to next year. I would agree with what has been said by other members have said regarding ventilation under the floor and the problems in getting the ballast correct. I would agree that a two pack paint on the internal steel will hopefully resolve any rust problems. Like you I have also looked at this problem regarding the insulation of the floor and I am planning in putting a SIP floor. this will provide me with 1 inch of insulation on the floor and also provide me with ventilation to the area under the floor Mark

Thanks for the replies, hopefully I will try it our next week and see how it goes, just a few bread rolls to start with I think.

I picked one of these up at the boot sale at the weekend, I have never use one and was thinking if any of you have used them on your boats, they look quite interesting, Just thinking if anyone has used them how do you get on with it

I was involved with a water-sports business a few years back,firstly I would see how much competition there is does anyone else do the same, As mentioned licences and insurance would be my concerns. Would you be advertising your services say in the UK and with agents if so allow 20% as commission. Personally I think the bigger the boat the greater the risk and a bigger the loss if something goes wrong. We had jet skies the punters would always crash them or run them into a reef it was hard to make money, we quickly changed to Zego Marine boats. Anyway it sounds an interesting project and I wish you luck, but do lots and lots of research before setting it up.

I have been thinking about how they painted the boat, I was thinking that they could have spayed it you could have sprayed it very quickly spray paint goes off very quickly if you need it to, blue would go well over the boats original colour and then do the lines the next day.That's why they did not paint the bit at the back is it called the tunnel band, easy access to all the other areas from the bank but the back would be the problem.

Good question Mike all I know that it is a moisture cured polyurethane paint that goes off in about 30 minutes

Have you had a look at the Bonda Voss products (Bonda Marine)they are just down the road from me and I have used their 15 year white paint with excellent results as it does what it said on the tin. I used it on my timber windows at home still looks good after 10 years think they make the G4 primer as well.

As mentioned grit blasting is very noisy and the dust gets every where and you will still need to buy the Jblast grit.,We have used the high pressure water blasting on Concrete repairs but again it is very noisy and very expensive. As someone has mentioned you can use a wet sand blast this uses kiln dried sand and you can buy the attachment that will fit most jet washers I think they are about £50 and they work very well, If it was me I would always get a company in to do grit blasting.

I knew someone who made a battery charger out of some coaxial cable and PTFE tape and charged his battery over a few days BT lines run off DC I think he tried to use that as well but got caught. It is funny that plants and trees grow much faster under HV power lines, I don't think it would do the body much good living in a high magnetic field all the time

The Darentt can flow very fast as it goes across the Erith flats, especially on Springs

I think you will find that the 15v is used for the excitation voltage for the coils, this is normally dc not ac