captain flint
-
Posts
367 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Blogs
Store
Posts posted by captain flint
-
-
12 minutes ago, Tonka said:
Will it be epoxy 2 pack paint.
If not don't do Red it will become pink
No it won't. I'd love that but it's going to eat a hole in my wallet as it is without shot blasting etc! But yes, although I tried out a red just to see what I thought it looked like, I have heard about red fading badly, so I won't go for that. But thanks for reminding me
-
1
-
-
Ok so this is just a time-wasting thread to comment on if you are bored or just feel like it. Feel free to stop reading now!
Plus, I'm not feeling in need of help exactly (partly as I don't honestly give a flying one about the external colour scheme - within reason). But if you feel like chipping in, then go ahead. And of course maybe something more important to consider than aesthetics will be brought to my attention. I am attaching some files of colours I'm considering. Well, I'm considering some of them, anyway. I was just trying all kinds of things out, really. Some are kind of out there, but it's fun playing around (if you're easily entertained).I think the last paint job was sprayed on and it really does rather need a whole new paint job now. I have identified and am in touch with a good boat painter and we're discussing slots. And costs. Oh, the costs. Anyway we'll leave that aside.
I want a pale/white roof, to keep the boat cool. I want the cabin ends to match the roof so it doesn't look so isolated. I will probably go with one colour for the deck and top of the hull down to the first strake (although I sometimes think about painting the top strip of the hull to match the rest of the hull. I swear when I was a youngster, canal boats had a black hull and deck with maybe a little decoration fore and aft, and colours on the cabin only, and I sometimes think the whole thing of painting the top strip of the hull is newfangled and maybe even a bit naff. But my boat is not an old working boat or anything, it's a modern 50x10 wideish beam). I don't yet know how much extra things like coach lines would cost. And I'm undecided if I even want them (I currently have them).
Then there are other oh-so-unimportant decisions like, do I want to pick out the rails on the stern in a colour to match the deck, or contrast with it.One option would be just to paint it a nice (but boring) midnight blue on the deck and cabin sides, with a white roof. I guess it would show up the dirt a LOT less than anything with paler colours.
Anyway, enough waffle. Feast your eyes on this load of rubbish! (The not-very-nice shade of green with the white oblong along the cabin sides is an approximation of the current scheme. Oh and ignore the red boxes, I meant to delete them)
-
On 02/02/2024 at 16:31, GUMPY said:
Forty years ago I had dinner with Tony Bennett and as a bonus he drew a sketch of me
😎
How come you had dinner with him? I like this story. No idea if it's a good likeness, but that's a decent sketch!
I was in a pub in Highbury a few years back when something vaguely amusing went on between a barman and a member of the public (who was being a bit of a plonker). Can't really remember what, exactly. Me and the fella standing next to me at the bar caught each other's eye and shared a surreptitious laugh. It was Idris Elba. We didn't talk. It's not much of a story, really. But he had a very un-precious vibe, unlike some other celebs I've seen out and about who have the air of not wanting to make eye contact with anyone (which may be understandable, I guess. I wouldn't really know!)
-
2 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:
UPDATE (for anyone interested)
I've identified the source of the smell. A massive facepalm moment. Feel free to point and laugh. It's from my dehumidifier, which is running under the steps firm into the cabin to help dry out the bilge. I feel a little foolish, and I'm going blame a lack of sleep.
Sorry for taking up your time when the answer was pretty obvious and staring me in the face (or should that be 'right under my nose'). But thanks for all the pointers.
-
1
-
1
-
2
-
-
24 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:
Fuse holder for the Ebbesnatcher? I would check all electrical connections from battery to Eber and all your sockets too.
Does it smell when the engine is running or stopped?
Heating pad on the batteries is what rusty was referring to. Some have them built in to enable them to survive charging in freezing weather.
Thank you. I'll check all that out. It's when the engine is stopped
My batteries don't have those heating pads (sadly)
-
11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:
Good point, I have had LEDs stink when on the way out, but they have never lasted that long
I actually have one that's on the way out! Maybe that's it. I'm going to remove it and see if that helps. It's on the other end of the boat from where I notice it must but you never know
14 minutes ago, rusty69 said:Heating pad on Lithium Battery?
Cooker/oven knobs or similar?
Battery charger?
Not the cooker, and there's no heating pad (!). The charger is new, victron, and I've often sniffed to see if its coming from there and it doesn't seem to be, to me, but you never know I guess. Thanks for the suggestions!
-
13 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:
What does the Eberspaecher exhaust point at, I have seen mooring ropes smouldering, wooden pontoons chard and Upvc pontoons melted by them as well as grass scorched
Good suggestion, but it's clear. I burnt my tender cover on it a few years back and now know to check!
12 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:Have you checked ceiling light fitting or any fixed lights that you cant see the connections, maybe one of the wires has worked loose?
Good point I'll have a look
25 minutes ago, robtheplod said:Can you go for a cruise for a day and see if the smell follows you?
No, not currently. A good thought, that I've also had. Just in the meantime thought I should investigate a little in case it's singing on board
-
3 minutes ago, rusty69 said:
Outside smell from someone burning dodgy stuff.
Yes, good point, thanks. I have also thought it might be this. I don't smell it outside, but then again maybe smells can have a weird way of behaving, and maybe it's a smell that kind of collects/amplifies indoors?
-
I have a (new) mysterious smell on board. I'm trying to locate the source of it.
It smells (to me) like hot or burning plastic.
It's been going on 6 weeks or so. My multifuel stove is out of action, and has been for around the same period that the smell has been around, during which time I've used my erbespacher central heating system (radiators). I usually haven't used it nearly as much until now. But it looks and feels fine. The pipework feeding the radiators is plastic, so, though it seems a bit unlikely, I guess that could be connected. Then again, I smell it even when the heating is off and has been for a while. And I don't recall smelling it in the post on those occasions I used the central heating (though that was really only for the odd, single hour now and then, unlike now when it's sometimes been running for hours at a time).
If its not that, I thought maybe electrics?
I've inspected all the visible wiring, it all looks fine and none of it feels hot.
I've an RCD fuse box.
I changed from 12V lead acid batteries to a c.14 V LiPo4 setup. But that was back in September and the smell didn't crop up then (at that point, when I needed heat, it was mostly coming from my stove which was working until about six weeks ago). I don't suppose that's connected.
I've also been on shore power (unusual for me) for the period in question. So perhaps that's something to do with it? All the wiring on board was fine by professionals (though of course that doesn't mean they did everything right!).
I'm scratching my head! Any suggestions?
-
36 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:
On many boats, the floor is not sealed to the hull side or cabin lining, so there is a very good chance that there are other spaces through which air can enter the bilge. The same might apply around window trims on some boats.
Thanks. Yes something I'd read on another thread on here on roughly that topic had raised that possibility. I'm adding in a desk fan at the aft end where the dehumidifier is, to help ensure a good through breeze
-
1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:
Warm air holds more moisture
Indeed. And when it warm air holding more moisture comes into contact with cold surfaces, some of the water condenses.
Tbh I'm just puzzling over it for the hell of it really, at the end of the day I think the main things will be air flow, and time, the finer details probably aren't that important.
I can see even after 1 day of my original set up that it's having the desired effect, there are some fully dry patches in the bilge already. Obviously, I'm talking about the base plate rather than the substrate, which I'm sure will take longer to dry out, but it's definitely all going in the right direction
1 hour ago, David Mack said:My guess I that with a 6ft+ wide baseplate in contact with canal water across the bottom of the bilge space the air you blow in will pretty quickly chill anyway, so it won't make any difference (except to your electricity bill).
Or in other words, any additional moisture which the warmed air picks up as it enters the bilge space, will be matched by a reduction in the amount of water that same air can hold once it has cooled down again, long before it leaves the bilge space at the other end of the cabin.
Good points. There will surely be *some* but it could well be negligible. Um, for all I know
-
16 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:
Dry air is the best
That's why I'm using the dehumidifier but I was wondering about the effects of extra heat
-
On 26/01/2024 at 17:30, Alan de Enfield said:
All I can suggest is that you have a fan at one end and an extractor at the other end and have a dehumidifier running 24/7 everytime you are on board.
So, the hole I drilled in the fore section of the substrate was a good fit for a hoover hose. I attached the hose and left the hoover itself out on the front deck. I put my dehumidifier under the steps entering the galley at the aft end, which is right where the inspection hatch is. It made a nice pocket of warm, dry air. Assuming (!) the inspection hatch is the only other major ingress/egress from beneath the substrate, I figured the fan blowing in is a bit redundant. The air is being sucked out so more will have to enter. That said, I can't be sure the inspection hatch is the only ventilation point. I've never seen any others, and I expect it is, but I can't be sure.
Apart from possibly adding in a fan, the thing I'm trying to work out is whether using an electric fan heater placed in the bilge will be better (as I think it would be hotter), or does the fact that there's cold metal which is in contact with the water mesh that condensation will increase in some areas. Will I be better off with cold air? If it wasn't for the cold metal with river water on the other side of it, I'm pretty confident more heat will be good. As it is, I'm scratching my head!
-
11 hours ago, MtB said:
Even if your symptoms are psychosomatic, getting rid of the mould ought to fix them.
Ha! Funnily enough I have had the exact same thought. Oddly, my GP thinks it's unlikely they're psychosomatic. But also thinks it's unlikely that the mould is the culprit. Go figure. But anyway, this is not a medical forum!
When it comes to the mould, the only thing that bugs me is that if I get the bilge and substrate dried out, the mould will be inactive, in a dormant state, as opposed to actually dying*. That's how it works. If it were to get damp again, it would 'wake up'. And what with it being OSB board that's a slight worry.
Then again, probably one I can live with, especially as I'll have previously proved it possible to dry out the offending area
* I think the only way to eradicate it it would be to remove the affected areas completely. Maybe I'll do that if I find a spare £20k(?) to rip out and replace an otherwise very serviceable fit out. I'm joking.
20 minutes ago, nealeST said:How common is that? And are they prone to letting water pour in? That was a sobering read. I generally assume quality builds in recent times to be the best available….think again?
It was a horrible read!
Stern glands can let water in, of course. But you knew that. I'm not sure about pouring in. I guess it could come in quite quickly under the right circumstances, but I imagine it would have been deteriorating to the extent that it should have been noticed for quite time before it got that bad...? I certainly hope so!
My cousin's narrow boat sank after his failed. It had recently been (negligently) repacked. But I don't think it failed suddenly. I think he'd been away, had no automated bilge pump, and I suspect he didn't keep an eye on things. It's a long time ago though, I don't really remember all the details.
I've always assumed that with my automated bilge pump, and keeping a general eye on my engine hole, that I'd get ample warning of stern gland problems, as opposed to one minute everything's fine and the next your stern gland has failed and the boat's sunk.
But that's all basically guesswork on my part, and I'm no expert. I certainly hope it's right!
-
2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:
I don't think this has been sufficiently addressed. Yes is the answer. Lots in the news recently after a child died in social housing after repeated pleas to sort the recurring mould problem. Lots of info on line about the health effects of (any level) of mould in the home. Don't ignore it.
Thanks.
No I'm not ignoring it! And am in consultation with my GP about it. That said, they're not at all convinced the mould is the culprit, and they may well be right. But I'm keeping an open mind as - as you say - it can be a menace.
-
11 minutes ago, magnetman said:
Solid fuel stoves are good at drying Boats out. If there is one then keep it alight and turn it up so that the inside becomes too warm for comfort then open the doors.
Keep doing that for a while and the drying effect will be noticeable.
Then when you refit the water pump either put it in a sump with a water alarm or higher than the top of the tank with a drip bucket under it. I prefer the second approach because a leak on the tank side, which could go unnoticed for ages, will simply admit air to the pump and a leak from the pressure side will be noticed because the pump will cycle when it isn't supposed to. It is also good to have a switch for the pump somewhere handy and just get into the habit of turning it orf when nobody is there. Like locking the door when you leave.
Pumps, in particular the Shurflo variety, will always start to leak at some stage. There is no gasket between the two halves of the pump body. I have recently fixed one by splitting and putting PU sealant in the gap then bolting back together. Don't know how long the fix will last.
Yes, I've heard of this issue arising, and heard that fixes don't tend to last that long!
I will be putting the new pump in a tray with a water alarm.
I always turn the pump off when I leave the boat (there's a switch on the fuse board).
The bloody stove is broken and I'm waiting for a replacement to be installed (it never rains...) . But I have central heating and it gets the boat uncomfortably warm. When the new stove is in place I will be able to get it like a bloody oven!
Just now, David Mack said:If it was dry until the recent leak, it should be dry in future. But if the osb has got sodden it will take a while to dry out - at this time of year the drying will be very slow. With the leak fixed and some additional through ventilation it will probably sort itself out once we get into the warmer months.
This sounds right. I can see this is going to be a fairly long process! Bah. Still, grounds for optimism
-
10 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
No.
Unfrtunately having OSB board as a floor (I presume it is a DIY fit out) you are going to have continuing problems - OSB is like a sponge and sucks up moisture out of the air.
All I can suggest is that you have a fan at one end and an extractor at the other end and have a dehumidifier running 24/7 everytime you are on board.
If you are not onboard and the boat is unheated then it should not be generating much (if) any condensation.
It is not a DIY fitout!
But it's the first fit out that the company did. And I know they look back and think they should have used better materials!
Thanks for the tips, Alan.
Don't think I'm likely to be able to make a through draft all the time when on board, though.
I don't think condensation is the main cause, to be honest, as it was always dry in the past. But that's not to say it won't be an issue in the future!
-
37 minutes ago, Tonka said:
Not enough ventilation. A dehumidifier would help but is not a fix
It was bone dry until the leak, for the five years I've had it, and looked like it hadn't been damp when I bought it, in which case, dry since 2008.
So whilst lack of ventilation might have increased the build up and might be an issue when it comes to drying it out, but it doesn't seem to have been the cause.
NB I was planning on creating a through draft with fans as said in the op...
-
I've had a water pump leak. I'm in the process of drying out the substrate - OSB board, sadly.
Although the inspection hatch into the bilge was dry two months ago, it's distinctly damp now, so I drilled a 4cm wide hole in the bow end of the substrate, with a plan to blow air in under the floor at the back of the boat, and a fan drawing air out at the front.
But I had a little sniff through the hole after cutting it, and it smells distinctly mushroomy. I have an endoscope camera attachment for my phone, but haven't yet been able to see - the light on it is too dim, so I'm going to get a little extra light down there and have a look. But I'm pretty sure I'll see plenty of mould.
To add to the annoyance, I've been experiencing physical symptoms that seem to go away when I'm off the boat for any good length of time (1 week +) and come back when I'm on board, and it's just about conceivable that the mould is causing them.
Do all boats have mouldy substrates?
Any tips about what to do? I'm certainly not going to rip the floor out. Although I appreciate that's the only surefire method!
I'm thinking just dry it out as well as I can (I also have a dehumidifier and may rig use a bin liner attached to its intake to connect it to the cabin bilge), and see if my symptoms go away, and if they don't, I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it.
But any ideas are welcome!
-
17 minutes ago, magnetman said:
sticking suitable pieces of wood to the bottom with sikaflex then screwing the pump to the pieces of wood.
Good plan, though tbh I was just planning on something even easier (and messier) and just screwing through the bottom of whatever I use as a drip tray, then putting some sealant (maybe sikaflex) over each screw hole. Obviously it would be mildly annoying when it comes to changing the pump in the future, but I can live with that.
-
10 minutes ago, magnetman said:
A bath alarm seems an interesting option.
Maybe just a float switch in the bowl wired through the pump 12v supply to an indicator light in a suitable location where you will notice it.
One of my boats has a nice little orange dashboard indicator light to show if the light in the lavatory/shower compartment has been left on inadvertently. Its very conspicuous as a lamp also very easy to install just needs a 12mm hole or whatever for it to slide into.
A leaking pump does not appear to me to be an alarm situation its more that would would just 'like to know' if a problem is occurring.
True, it's just the whole damp/moldy osb3 board thing i would like to avoid, but nice to avoid if possible. This time I think I spotted the leak in time, but that was pure luck!
-
20 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:
Well it did its job last night, leak on the suction strainer, I had loosened the lid to let air in when I drained the system last month, for some reason it didn't seal when I retightened it, so when I refilled the system yesterday afternoon it started weeping., about a cup full in 6 or 7 hours
What kind of alarm is it? Does the whole unit sit in the bottom of the tray, or is it the kind you mount nearby with a sensor (on a cable) that sits in the tray?
I see various cheap ones on amazon, but most that have a good number of reviews have some comments saying they don't work/alarm stops after 5 secs etc.
The best rated one I've found sits in the tray, but I'm wondering if it would stop working if submerged... Though that seems a bit unlikely, I guess.
Obviously there are lots of very reliable professional ones for 100+ quid but I'm thinking that would be overkill!
-
On 10/12/2023 at 18:36, ditchcrawler said:
My pump sits in a plastic tray with a water alarm so I know when it starts to leak, I think this is the fourth in 22 years.
Now that's a really good idea! Thanks.
-
21 minutes ago, Peanut said:
I would avoid using salt, it is hygroscopic, and the area will stay damp forever and a day.
It absorbs more from contact than from the air, I'm sure, and I was going to hoover it up, but you might be right, as I guess hoovering it *all* up might not be feasible. Thanks for the observation.
External paint colour schemes
in General Boating
Posted
Well, that is a glorious way for a paint job to be ruined at least - pecked to death by a
peacocks!
But I certainly wasn't thinking of black, anyway. There's a boat that's all black on the River Lee, with the name picked out in gloss black across the stern: Obsidian.
I think it looks quite silly. Apologies to the owners if reading (each to their own!)
Oddly enough I quite like the look of knackered old paint jobs, sanded to show the various layers! But I won't be aiming for that look 😂