harrybsmith
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Posts posted by harrybsmith
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3 hours ago, magnetman said:
Indeed. It was on for about £25k ten + years ago in London area so it seems a bit odd it would be worth more. Commercial Boat Services do seem to have put excessively high asking prices on the L&L boats the CRT took as well. Some might say they don't want to sell them for some reason.
ETA having said that the L&L boats don't seem to be on the list any more. I'm sure they were still listed very recently.
CBS are sometimes a bit funny about selling the boats they have advertised, a little while ago I tried pretty hard to buy a boat they had advertised ('twas a historic too) but they refused to sell it. The boat then ended up being scrapped
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Another thing to bear in mind (because I've not seen it mentioned much) is wet film thickness, it's very difficult to achieve the specified wet film thickness for many epoxy blackings with a roller, so few do. This makes it worse.
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Only you can judge whether it's good value to you or not, but there's nothing in that survey that scares me nor that I'd personally bother to rectify immediately especially if you're not doing much cruising, just budget that you might need to have a bit of work done next time it comes out. I'm not a professional marine fabricator but I have done extensive work on my own hull and do charge by the hour in my line of work (get your mind out the gutter, please...) and I'd expect to be spending £2-3k to have the sacrificial edge and pitting sorted, at some point
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I have a LIDAR, I have a boat. Shall I just start doing this? Open source project, perhaps integrated to Open Canal Map? Could even lend the LIDAR to trusted boaters who cruise more than I do
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8 hours ago, DHutch said:
There is some of this, mixed with a bit of gently allowing the 'brand' to fade. But yes, I'll be 36 this year and now have a young child of my own!
We're going off topic, but if anyone is interested how it got there, this is us loading the car.
I tried to engage with them pre 2020 but didn't get very far, appears to not be a thing any more. Still, plenty of other ways to get involved, i'm off to play with Spey at the weekend (because obviously one boat build isn't enough)
Also a colleague of mine has planted the idea of sticking a Ransomes MG crawler tractor on my tug deck, I suppose Daniel had the idea first with an equally slow and heavy contraption...
Back on the actual topic of the thread Debdale Wharf have containers that are available to rent for moorers there. Not sure if using one as a workshop would be frowned upon but does seem like the ideal answer
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While it doesn't excuse it, this level of customer service (long, unexplained delays, shoddy work and poor communication) seems pretty common within boating. Dealt witha few marinas and other boating businesses and if I'm honest most of them have been pretty poor in this regard.
All the best with getting the problem sorted
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Ventilation is generally a very good idea, on some boats for some people (my boat and me, for example), the driving factor behind putting the heating on is quite often condensation rather than actually being cold. More Ventilation is helpful to solve this, and as a liveaboard you'll be doing a lot of breathing and boiling kettles and maybe some showering, all of which will generate plenty of condensation
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Wow, the plot thickens. You are indeed correct about windows
My Reg number is 62740, although it's registered as a Hancock and Lane, so whether it's on its original reg or not I don't know
It is categorically 50ft, (Well, 49ft 11" without fenders) and there was no evidence of cabin work before I got my welder out...
There is yellow paint under the red, although I hadn't found the orange pictured earlier, I think the roof has always been blue
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@DanH Thank you so much for that! Amazing archive material
I think I've just decided on my colour scheme too, back into original orange and white, which is actually startlingly similar to my current boat but a nice nod to the past.
I don't feel guilty for chopping her about to get the boat I want, but one day I might do a historically accurate resto on one, they're just as much a part of canal heritage as any ex-carrying NB.
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Part 3- Hole removed.
If you continue running the grinder along the top of the sheet then eventually you reach the stem bar. At that point you should stop, and your work should look something like this
At which point simply trace a line off the stem bar, cut down it, pull the bottom in and job done! I'll seam weld this up soon, but I was fortunate enough to have "the apprentice" helping out (My dad) and it's not the most entertaining thing to stand around and watch someone wave sparklers about, so we went to the pub.
The observant among you will note a gaping triangular hole under the plate, this forms naturally when the plate bends round. Originally the shell builder filled this in to give a flat baseplate, and this was my plan, however another way of doing it is to jack the baseplate up to meet it. Seeing how rusty the bottom 2" of the stem bar was sealed the deal for me, and i'll be bringing the baseplate up once i've done the other side. A lot of boats are done like this, i've a sneaky suspicion it might make more wash but if it's really terrible it would be easy enough to rework at a later date as there will only be water tank behind it.
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1 hour ago, Bee said:
Bl***y H**l!!!!! What've you done to it now!!! Ten out of ten for courage! Actually, filling that hole in could be awkward, You might find that making a hardboard template or two from the existing side could make the job easier but I would hesitate to offer any advice to someone who clearly is tackling something that would scare the pants off me.
I promise you, it's really easy. Let me show you how...
With the top left corner of the sheet tacked in, the bottom of the sheet could then be pulled in to match the bottom of the hull side where it meets the baseplate. This was done (as ever) by welding an eyelet on the inside and pulling it into shape with a chain hoist, then tack it into place
With that in place the front of the sheet can then be pulled round the existing bow, and used as a ruler to run a grinder along to ensure the plate fits spot on. The original hole is deliberately undersized and is effectively just cut for access. You'd be stunned at how little force it took to bend it, I could get it most of the way round by simply leaning on it.
When the grinder has been run along it a pretty decent level of fit-up is achieved. Note the pitting above where the new steel is going in. It's a bit annoying but it's well above the waterline, i'm contemplating the best way to fill it in, possibly an epoxy fairing filler, possibly lead loading, open to suggestions
Part 3 soon...
Oh, and the fitment of bridge guards is a non-negotiable yes in my book, they look flippin great and they'll serve a 2nd purpose on the edges of my tug deck (whick you might be able to guess from a background theme in earlier posts...)
(Edited due to weird duplicate)
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Updates... This will probably be a multi-part update because of the upload limit, so bear with.
1. My friend has bought the boat next door, i'm trying not to get too involved but we'll see how that goes...
2. I found this MEGA picture of my boat in action as a hire boat with Black Prince from this thread:
(It's the one at the top...) Weirdly it doesn't have its banana irons on in the picture, maybe a spirited hirer had knocked them off?
3. I chopped a big hole in the front then filled it in.
A hole;
Because of the size of the sheet being twice the size of the bits we were putting in by hand we thought it was a good idea to crane it into place rather than try to lift it. I welded an old anode frame onto the sheet and picked it up with the engine crane, which worked very well
The Plate was then welded in its top left corner (as you're looking at it there) and then the manipulation began. Brace for Part 2...
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Do you want a Dawncraft 32 (would be a centre cockpit and pretty rare) or do you want a Highbridge 32? Highbridges are brilliant boats related to Dawncrafts but of significantly higher quality and built more recently. I happen to know of one that's coming on the market this summer with a particularly nice spec that will be good value for money...
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Additive manufacture (3D printing) is quite a clever way of making something like this due to the lack of tooling ang mould costs. I keep coming up with various crap ideas about how historic wooden boats could be rebuilt using it, it's essentially possible to print moisture resistant MDF (and of course plastics and metals and composites)
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On 29/01/2023 at 20:10, MtB said:
And...
Are you moving on to the that equally interesting-looking Harborough-style boat next to the "Josephine"??!
Not sure it is a Harborough but I recognise that faintly odd way the top bend on the bow widens towards the prow.
If not a Harb, what is it?!
You just had to tempt fate didn't you... A friend is after a project boat currently and came to look at it today, I think he's putting an offer in. It didn't fare well when I hammer tested the hull though...
I'm hoping to not get too involved... Anyway, I did manage to get a bit more done on mine, another 10 or so metres of welding and prep for a couple of weekends time where the front is going to lose its convenient access hole
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18 hours ago, Peanut said:
If I recall correctly, from the seventies, Bruce Robert's book on boat building recommended building boats outside so that the rust removed the mill scale for you.
I'll have a hunt for that book, it sounds interesting, thanks for the reccomendation. It's probably where the folk who reccomended it as a method to me got it from
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4 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:
I like the great selection of cutting/grinding discs. Do they work when wet or fall apart?
They're all the worn out ones! The ones that look complete are 9" ones worn down, actual useable ones are kept dry.
2 hours ago, David Mack said:Are you going to get the whole thing shotblasted before painting?
I'm not intending to, the surface rust is a good thing in my book as it's removing the mill scale from the steel. It's a lot easier to remove light surface rust than it is to remove mill scale by grinder/scabbler
51 minutes ago, MtB said:And...
Are you moving on to the that equally interesting-looking Harborough-style boat next to the "Josephine"??!
Not sure it is a Harborough but I recognise that faintly odd way the top bend on the bow widens towards the prow.
If not a Harb, what is it?!
It is a Harborough, wooden top, been overplated, now thin again underneath. Previous owners purchased it for £25k, it then sank, they sold it for £10k and it needs re-bottoming and re-cabin-ing, so possibly more of a project than this?
I'm pretty sure mine isn't a Harborough, I think it's a Fernie, despite it being registered as an H&L. Or at least what's left of it is...
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Been down to the boat today for the first time this year, pleased to report that all is well. Did a bit more welding and measured up a few bits for the next steps.
Thought I'd get some photos of her as she sits now, quite striking proportions!
There's a few bits of life that are happening in the background that are a bit drastic but should really benefit the progression of this as a project, it's probably going to be moved to a more convenient yard fairly shortly
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26 minutes ago, Naartjie said:
I have a background in electrical engineering & have tinkered around with motorcycles & simple things on cars, but I have no experience on diesel engines.
Is there an easy way to check crankcase back pressure other than using a gauge.
Yes. Whip the oil filler cap off when running and see if it "breathes" through there. A knackered engine will chuck a decent mist of oil and air out
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2, one as a liveaboard and one is barely a boat as most of it is missing.
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What surface prep is required for your product to work? Most cold galv solutions seem to require Sa 2.5 and if i'm honest I can't be bothered to blast all the new steelwork on my shell when something like an MIO primer just doesn't require that and has similar properties and I can just scabble/ cup brush it to bright steel (which will remove the mill scale as currently has surface rust) and crack on
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Coal boat Roach does diesel (and I think everything else Sherborne does) and is about in Brum currently if you're still looking
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6 hours ago, agg221 said:
A really interesting thread - will be great to see what you have in mind as a final look.
Regarding your engine, if you have access to a media blaster then I have found it a lot easier to run a first pass of getting paint off with a scraper or drill-mounted wire brush (often better than an angle grinder as it can be reversed when the wires start to get bent in one direction, so it keeps cutting rather than polishing), using a selection of pencil and wide brushes, and then blast with plastic media. This works on aluminium too, without cutting if you pick the right one, and brings up soft metals such as aluminium and brass to a level where a quick polish is all that's needed, having taken off both paint and corrosion products without damaging the metal. If I really need to, I can be gentle enough to leave the original Alochrom 1200 finish in place on a piece of Land Rover. This has been far more effective than paint strippers, and because it is a standard solid blasting medium you can run it through an ordinary cabinet if you clean it out well to remove hard grit before starting. Don't expect it to be as fast as harder media on iron castings, but it is not painful, and will do the job far faster than paint strippers will. It has the advantage that traces of residual material do not cause wear on engine components, although if you still have access to the parts washer a good clean after blasting will make doubly sure. If you need to protect iron and steel parts after cleaning to prevent flash rusting, a quick dunk in washing soda is effective as it stops the rust forming for a few hours while you get a batch ready for painting. Zinc phosphate/phosphoric acid wash (aka Eastwood After-Blast from Frosts) is also very good, but a lot more expensive and not necessary if you can paint fairly quickly. I tend to use it on bad castings with a lot of pitting, to 'kill' the rust which is too deep in the pits to remove. Do not use it on aluminium!
Alec
You had me at "Bits of Land Rover". (If you cast your eyes to the left of my engine you may see some such bits)
I think I will soon have access to a vapour blaster at work, which will be used to get the castings to final finish. I'm using an industrial paintstripper which eats off the majority of the paint with a scrub from a toothbrush, then i'm aiming to vapour blast to final shine. No point doing that just yet though because as you say clean things do corrode pretty quickly, and I don't really want a furry white engine!
Caustic soda is an excellent way of paint stripping too, I do it quite a bit on diecast models, although if left in too long then non-ferrous parts can lose dimensional accuracy. I remember reading a thread on another forum about a chap who'd dipped some aluminium gearbox casings in it and went to reassemble only to discover all the bearings were no longer a press fit, more a rattling fit!
Good tip on the scraper too, I think i'll sharpen up an old file and have a go at the block like that
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I was back seeing my family for Christmas, and rather than spend too much time with them I retired to a safe distance in the garage to properly dig into the "pile of Lister parts" i've been calling an engine.
I dummy assembled everything to check what was there and what wasn't, and thankfully i'd bought a complete kit of parts! I'm pretty lucky in that I have access to an industrial hot washer at work, so i'll be taking stuff like the barrels in to get it sparkly clean in due course.
Another matter to address on the engine was the colour. Red is the fastest colour, but doesn't look great here and the finish is terrible. Get the paintstripper out! I think i'll be leaving the aluminium side covers in bare metal, I may even have them vapour blasted
Another thing i've been playing with is getting a representative CAD model of the boat drawn up. It's not mega accurate but it'll let me really easily visualise how various things interract with each other (eg bulkhead to window placement) and enable easy quanitity surveying.
The only thing left is to wish you all a very happy new year and thanks for reading.
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Historic Boats for sale online
in History & Heritage
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Given the boat in question I can well believe that actually. Still, a blessing in disguise really as I'd be a very poor man had I bought it and done the required work...
Other S8 operators (Redhill and Sirius come to mind) are more straightforward, I bought my current project off one of them and it was pretty painless