Richard T

A very basic fit out. Much needs doing to it to make it comfortable.

Sileby Mill boatyard on the Soar have an excellent cabinet maker working for them.

Its open.

When we bought Tyto we had it converted from semi-trad to trad with a large hatch. Three people can stand comfortably in it which is great when we have the grand kids on board as they can be at the rear of the boat but be safe from falling in. Its a compromise but on that works for us. It slides on stainless runners on the boat and nylon on the hatch, we have added handles inside and out for opening and closing it.

Jonathon Hewitt at Union Canal Carriers is the fount of all knowledge on Sabbs.

I have memories of working on a hospital refurb in a mining area. What looked like a normal wing when we put a level on it it was 300mm out over 30m in one direction and 75mm over 7.5m in the other. We had to set every thing out from the floor and window cills. We did put the nurses station in level because we didn't want pens etc rolling onto the floor. All looked good until the guys installed the artwork using a spirit level - needless to say the pictures all looked as if they were on the piss!! They had to come back and refix them. The wing has now been demolished thus giving me membership of the rubble club - an architect/designer who has designed and had a building constructed and subsequently demolished. Working on a boat was easy compared to this job.

On a practical note one problem that has to be solved is the ventilation and heating of any area used for clothes storage. Wardrobes can hold pockets of cold damp air which leads to mildew and other nasties on clothes. This can be a problem in some houses and its much worse on a boat. I wouldn't want my collection of vintage shirts to be stored in a cold damp wardrobe on our boat!!

Does anyone know where Mecca currently is? It left Loughborough earlier in the year. The guy who bought it is a staem loco driver passed for mainline duties.

I'm the bearded one on the left

Aten Lighting at Melton Mowbray are another source of LED lights suitable for boat use,

Please let us know how you get on with Tony as the solutions may help someone else in similar circumstances. Tony is a good guy nearly 20 years ago I did a course with him on engine maintenance.

Another question for you. Have yoy got diesel in the tank? You can improvise a dipstick by using a broom handle or similar, remember that the take off point for the engine and Mikuni is likely to be about 2inches possibly more above the bottom of the tank. This is so that the crud in the tank doesn't get into the engine etc. If your diesel tank is very low try and get some more even by going to a filling station and buying 50 litres. You will have to bleed the engine and the Mikuni. BMC 1.8s are notoriously difficult to bleed so you may need help. Tony Brooks is the man to give guidance on this.

Thanks to all who turned up - it was quite a good turn out. I hope the landlord was happy with his takings for the evening. It would have been quiet without our raucous bunch. Can someone work out hwo was there please. Next year it will be Wednesday 30th December hopefully in the same venue.

Jon Leeson trading as Letter Knight did ours - see my avatar. It cost about £700 6 years ago.. You can contact him via John Barnard at Debdale Wharf. He does traditional work as well as airbrushed or gold leaf things. He also does hot rods etc.

Our worst experience was many years ago on the BCN when crewing for Ed Mortimer and Steve Jackson on Auriga. At one point we were with a small group of boats on the Walsall Canal when we all ground to a halt. Bewteen us we had picked up the soft furniture from a bedroom, we had the carpet, another boat the curtains another the duvet cover and so on. A little later we picked up a crane lifting strop 6m long which stopped the engine on Auriga dead. We were towed to the bottom of Ryders Green locks where we managed to remove it by dint of turning the engine over by hand with the decompression taps open and in alternate forward and reverse gear. However the challenge did enable us to do something we hadn't done before or since. Ed had arranged for Auriga to be towed through Dudly tunnel from South to North. It was a strange but great experience.