Welsherfarr

I have a 15 ft tarp area on my boat. I have been thinking about adding a wood burning hot tub like you see on the tube of you. Something like a off grid wild camping hit tub. What do you think? Hot tub party on the cut? #afterlockdown #aftercovid

Our website for thelma is narrowboatthelma.co.uk We are trying to document our journey with this boat to be able to lock back when we get bogged down with the daily slog. We can remind our selves of how far we have come.

Garage jig to support the uprights while we build the hatch frame. Less chance if dropping tools in the cut this way.

The wood on my current boat is completely rotted with dry rot and wet rot throughout. It needs to be removed before we can move aboard. I am currently building the frame work with 2x4 treated timber with uprights and beams every 2 ft. Currently trying to make the doors for the hatches. I really like the photos phoenix V. That frame work is what inhave been thinking of. Was it your boat? Did you build it?

Has anyone ever built a 2 storey narrowboat? Or one with a lifting poptop roof like a campervan?

Thanks Mike, All Valid points I have had a few quotes on a steel top. I cannot afford that level of out lay at the moment. It is something I will look to have done maybe in the future. Really like the challenge and of learning the wood work skills. Anyone know of any books on wooden narrowboat construction?

So with the current lockdown and not being able to get to the boat. We have started building the new superstructure in the back garden. Started cutting the beak joints to sit on the upstand and then mocked up the framing. I am going to run a beam down the centre to give the boat a bit of pitch for the roof.

Hi All, It has been a while since we last posted here. Thelma is now back local and work has started on her renovation. If it wasn't for lockdown 2.0. Does anyone know much about our boat Thelma? I never got to meet the previous owner. I understand he built the boat and fitted it out from what I have heard. He was a talented man in building this boat. I am trying to learn as much as I can from how the structure is coming apart. I had a few hiccups getting the boat back home but it was an amazing experience and a trip I hope to retrace when the boat is rebuilt. I will try and keep all the posts regarding Thelma in one place. We have started a blog to detail our Journey. (saves the storage on my phone with all the photos)

I have just bought a 1974 boat called Thelma from Tardebigge. She has a boat man's cabin a petter pj2 in a large engine room and a forward cabin leading to a 15ft tarp area. Now the boat hull is sound however the wood and fibreglass top are shot so requires replacing. Now being wood an fibreglass if I rip it all off I could build anything I want in that space (bridge clearance allowing) Inside the boat it has a old style boatmans cabin and the forward cabin is built out in the same style and setup. For my needs I do feel like I need to reimagine these areas to fit with my needs in this build. So..... How does this sit with the boating community on stripping a boat and building bit your way? Would the internal fittings be of use to someone? The cabin area needs huge renovation so i need to put the work in to make it sound either way. Does a 1974 boat have historic value? Do I need to be true to the original build or just do my bit to keep another boat on the canal and see what I can build? What's your thoughts on this??

Thank you for finding that image

The boat is 60 ft long with a 15ft tarp area at the front and the rest is set out as 2 separate cabins

Thanks just have she gave me some good tips. I will listen to the collective hive on maintaining this boat. I think there is a lot to be learned in this adventure.

I am looking to start to dismantle the existing exterior fibre glass where it has blown and see exactly what I have and how much need to be replaced. I really like the old interior that the boat has so would like to try and reuse as much of it as I can. Every little bit of space in this boat has been used. A lot of the modern boats I see seem to waste a lot of the space with blank walls I was quoted Just over £9k to have the super structure made in steel but would need to completely gut the boat and start afresh. While this is a sound Idea I would then be looking at insulation, painting, and a full shell fitout. I would be interested in finding out more about re skinning the boat anyone got any details on someone capable. I see this boat as a template it has everything you need and has served the previous owner well in all the years he has had her. This is what has more than likely saved the interior from being modified. so would like to retain it as much as possible.

Hi all, We have finally stepped out of our comfort zone in order to realise our dream of living live afloat. We are in the process of buying Thelma from Tardebigge. She has a 60ft steel 50 year old hull and a rather rotten wood and fibreglass superstructure. The hull report has been good, got the engine being looked at today and hopefully we can get her running and start using the boat. I need help and guidance for rebuilding the cabin structure. I will be building in wood and trying to do the majority of it our selves so here goes. What is the best way to mount the cabin on the hull? Uprights from the base or attached to the gunnels?

Correct on all counts.

It is on hard standing at present.

Hi all, What is the best way to work on the bottom of the hull of a boat? Can you roll a boat on its side? Tips please. I need to replace the fins on my dawncraft 25

So I've spoken with a guy at bill highams regarding a 9.8 Parsun at £1400 with remote steer, electric start and battery charge. About 7-8amps I recall him quoting. Any thoughts on this as an engine? Any good? Regarding the fins on the bottom one is missing and the other is rotten. Both will be getting replaced. Possibly fibreglassed. The rubbing strakes will be getting removed and all holes filled. I want to build a sliding roof canopy to try and use as much of the space as possible. Anyone else built one for a centre cockpit?

I want to run the boat on electric propulsion using a 100ft/lb trolling motor initially. To power this I am looking at a diesel generator about £600 according to eBay. This should run for 10 hours on a tank full. I need to run for about 7 hours a day to cover the miles over two weeks. I have considered doing away with the batteries and using a variable voltage transformer to run off the generator and power the motor. I can then use the generator to also power a few other items on the boat. Electric hob and heater. There will be a bank of 12v leisure batteries on the boat for running lights and charging devices. I really want to work with the electric propulsion the long term plan when I get the boat back to mk will be a much smaller cruising route and a good time between moves. So solar may work ok when I am home. But to move the boat on this adventure I want to start as I mean to continue and spending £1200ish on a petrol outboard that I don't want and will sell when I get back probably for a loss does not make any sense. A 100ft/lb electric motor is £200. Does anyone else have an electric set up like this

Hi all, I've been lurking and reading on the forum for a while now and made a couple of posts. But for my own sanity ideas and hopefully some advice from more experienced boating people. I thought no would start a build thread. It will be a bit slow at times as the boat is a 3 hour drive away but I have the ideas and hopefully when I do get there the progress will be intense. This is a picture of my boat when I said yes to having it. It is a shell and need lots of work. But I have a boat.

Sounds fantastic.

Hi All, Last year I got myself a boat (shell) it is a 25ft dawncraft cc. I am looking to sail it down the canals system home to Milton Keynes. I am looking to fit a Bison 100ft/lb trolling motor to power the boat using 4 X 12v 110ah batteries set up as 2 banks of 24v. My thoughts for this trip are that I will need a generator and battery charger. So charge one set while I use the other. I will effectively be camping on the boat while I bring it back. I am fine with this. Reason for transporting via canal rather than road is for the experience of the journey. Being 204 miles away it is probably not going to be a journey I will be able to do again any time soon. Traveling all that way should take 14 days according to canalplanac. Does anyone else use trolling motors to move their boats. Fyi my boat is 25ft grp hull with no interior so weighs about 1500kgs. Can anyone recommend some places to stop at on the way? Any good marinas? Would like a place where I can grab a shower and maybe give the batteries a good over night charge too occasionally.

So I have just taken the plunge and bought a Dawncraft 25 Centre cockpit grp cruiser. I have bought it as a project to learn how to build and maintain a boat on a more affordable scale before putting all my savings into a much bigger boat. Boat is currently in a yard on the Liverpool to Leeds canal. I am in Milton Keynes. The idea is to fix the hull, fit an engine get a BSC, get a CRT License, Stick it in the water and pootle down to MK. Canalplanner says 204 miles = 14 days at 7 hours a day. first Lock is the Wigan flight 21 locks I believe Never owned a boat before so this is going to be a challenge and an adventure. Anyone else on the Liverpool to Leeds canal?

Hi I'm Steve, my wife and I are keen to change our lifestyles and looking to move onto a boat for an adventure. We are based in Milton Keynes so have the grand Union on our doorstep. Looking at the various boats available my wife would like a 60-70ft narrow boat but I would prefer a widebeam. Now looking at wide beams a Norfolk Broads cruiser looks to have similar dimensions for the canal and are also reasonably priced. I've seen this one https://www.norfolkboatsales.co.uk/used-boats/alphacraft-42-romany-1-761.asp Any thoughts appreciated.