MrsM

Just about to start this job (our first) on our recently purchased boat. Happy with the process of painting but what do we do about the pipe that takes water out of the tank into the boat? Presumably this is mild steel too and will therefore rust? How do we clean and coat the inside of this pipe to prevent deterioration? It isn't straight so not easy to pull something through. How do you usually deal with this part of the system? TIA

Hi there. The tank is exactly 7 sq/ft. I'm planning to try not worry too much this season, learn how the boat handles rivers and take it from there. Everyone's advice has been invaluable.

That sounds like a good setup. I could see all the way round ours but it sounds like it shouldn't be much of a problem. Great idea to have a heated wet locker on your old boat.

That is fantastic news! So pleased you are happy with your boat and that she suits you. Our out of water survey went well in terms of the hull but we found some other issues (pumpout loo flooding etc) that we hadn't banked on. We were within a whisker of having to walk away but were able to negotiate a bit off the price so should be able to get repairs we need. Fingers crossed. A long way to go till we will have a boat we can be proud of but just happy to be finally getting on the water. Congratulations again and perhaps our paths will cross on the cut. M

Yes full in water and out survey. Plenty wrong but the important stuff is fine; hull, engine, gearbox. Will post pix when I've found the thread with info on how to compress images.

It's 58ft. Not sure of the exact size of the tank (will measure tomorrow) but it is a lot less than 10 sq/ft. The surveyor noted it was small when the boat was last sold in 2018. It has been in a marina since then. Thanks chaps. Feeling a bit more confident after all this help. Measured skin tank this morning and it is 7sq/ft. Just bought the boat so will see how she handles rivers for a season and review.

Good luck with your search Rick. We have just handed over the cash and bought our boat. Bit of a project but we are happy. Sounds like we will be taking on similar challenges so I look forward to your updates. Happy hunting. What are you looking for (so I can keep my eyes open)?

That sounds very sensible and I shall follow these steps. Thank you so much.

I'm very reluctant to bodge anything until I've tried and learnt the boat. Was thinking that perhaps the warm air could be vented into the cabin to provide a small drying area for wet garments? Just a thought at this stage, from what I'm hearing most if you seem to manage just fine with tanks that are theoretically a bit wee.

Great advice thank you. Thanks Tony. I saw the Foxes Afloat use that technique with their boat on a river. Good to know it's an option if things get a bit heated.

It's 58ft. Not sure of the exact size of the tank (will measure tomorrow) but it is a lot less than 10 sq/ft. The surveyor noted it was small when the boat was last sold in 2018. It has been in a marina since then.

Thank you Ditchvrawler that is a great blog. As we will clearly need a second tank can you advise the approximate cost of this job? We have yet to hand over our pennies for the boat so do you think it is reasonable for us to use this job as part of our negotiation? The boat needs a full repaint so we are already looking at a big outlay after purchase.

Thanks again Tony. I will make some calls to yards tomorrow.

Haha ?. I was asked today by a marine insurance lady whether I would be going faster than 17 knots. I answered "probably not" - was that me being a bit understated again ?

Such useful questions as we are at a similar stage to you, with very similar problems. Are we looking at the same boat?!? (Not really because ours is a bit shorter.) Very good luck and isn't it amazing having such knowledgeable and supportive people to learn from.

Yes I probably am getting confused between the two and misunderstood what an Aquadrive is. Thank you for clarifying this, Tony What a massive learning curve this all is! A second skin tank sounds like the way ahead. My next question is what ballpark figure will I need to set aside for this work? I cannot risk losing power on the Trent so it's something I will need to get done sooner rather than later I guess. Thanks again for the advice.

Thanks Matty40s. I suppose NBs aren't the most aerodynamic at the best of times so not a major concern! ?

But wouldn't this mean taking the engine out? It's an internal tank. Probably daft but I would be concerned about damaging an external tank - being a newbie and all that. Also wouldn't an external tank have an effect on flow? Thanks so much guys. Having out of water survey tomorrow so I'll ask.

Hi. Just a quickie for you clever bods. The boat we are looking at is 40bhp with aquadrive and using the Beta calc from previous cooling posts (although it actually has a Barrus Shire) the skin tank area needed is 1sqft/4 bhp, ie 10sqft plus an extra 30% for the hydraulic drive. The tank is much smaller than this and the boat will be based on the Trent so will have to cope with river flow. How crazy an idea is it to fit an automotive radiator and fan to cope with the surplus heat when the engine is working hard? I recognise this would involve creating inlet and exhaust ducts for the radiator air flow. TIA and apologies if this has already been covered on the forum.

Just checked out Tony's fantastic website. What a wealth of information and how very kind of him to make it available.

Sounds exciting. We are having our lifted out, surveyed and blacked at Blackthorn Marina. Hopefully someone will answer your questions as I'm afraid I don't know. Good luck with it all and hope your buy turns out well.

Thanks so much Alan. The Barrus Shire 40 was serviced recently and the engineer was impressed with it, according to the boat's neighbour in the marina. It has a PRM 150 gearbox, aquadrive & hospital silencer. All apparently in good order. Lucky because the boat hasn't done many hours since 2012 and we were concerned things might be seized. We set out with the intention of finding a boat that doesn't need much work but it is so true that the boat finds you! The state of the hull is now the possible stumbling block but we will soon find out. Love the name idea and perhaps the starting point for a new colour scheme!

Thank you Chris-B Wowzers that was very brave of you. Good luck with the survey. It's a massive learning curve for us but we feel reassured that the surveyor should hopefully prevent an expensive mistake. What is your new boat? Have you had one before? I've seen a few crackers on eBay over the last few months.

Late to the party but thank you for that adorable slice of fluffy quacking waddling gorgeousness (and a bit of Ryan) x

Oh my god brown trousers time! Having our prospective first boat surveyed (Ian Jennings) next week. It's a 58' Amber NB. A very neglected (due to illness) and under-used boat. Yes ... we've read everything about the vagueries of the Polish boat industry on CWN, but nevertheless we are beyond excited. No pictures yet and she needs a full repaint like you've never seen before #HMS Exzema ?. Was sold through a reputable broker 2 years ago but seems to have been laquered with something that has reacted badly with the paint. Needless to say she is an ugly duckling. We look forward to doing her proud and starting our muddy ditch adventures. Will update once the survey is over next Friday. ? (If it goes badly we will be back to scouring Apollo Duck.)