surfp

Thank you for the really comprehensive reply Tony! Gives me loads to go off and look into this weekend, hoping it gives me a better idea of the problem/what's involved. The only bit I've got no comparative experience with is the GRP/glassing over. Will get the boat yard to give their view and make a call from that. Thank you, this is genuinely reassuring! It's an old boat so was hoping ("expecting") it to would become a hobby... it's clearly going to be a little more than that to start but some encouragement is what people need.

Lifted some of the floor up whilst it was in the water a few weeks ago and was all dry, no sign of water. Will lift them up again when I go back to it this weekend and have a proper look for any signs of rot etc. Working with wood I can deal with... GRP is new. Although definitely value in having someone to go back to if is repaired and leaks!

We had an Elysian 27 GRP cruiser hauled out of the water today (planning to make the inside nice) and have a couple of problems underneath - beyond cleaning down and antifouling! The first is that the keel seems to have split from the hull - I've included a couple of photos below. It looks to me like it's started to rot out and possible the bolts have dropped, a comment was made that it looks quite shallow though so thinking there might be more too it? I have no boat maintenance experience so after some help with options (will be asking the boat yard too of course)... anything I can check or do to gauge how much work will be involved? Anything 'DIY' that could be done? Or is it best just handing it over to someone to sort out.

OK, so move complete... no wind this morning but a lovely bit of rain ? I think I was overthinking it! Got it off nicely, managed to avoid any use of a pole and got up and onto the trailer with reasonable ease (wasn’t expecting to be doing that bit either). Even left myself enough time to have a little potter up the river and back, first U-turn was fine, second I may have ended up with a few low hanging branches getting a light trim ? It’s quite amazing how just a few mins have enough of a feel. Slow makes you feel safe but it definitely doesn’t steer as well. Feel like I got a good feel for the power needed to have control. Definitely did back heavy to the right in reverse too. Thanks again for all the advice. Turns out I’ve got a bit of work to do on the underneath ? no doubt I’ll be posting more for help on that too.

Thanks for all the advice! I'm not as panicked as I was, I'm also thinking there'll probably bit a plume of smoke from the first start that might obstruct others view of me screwing it up ? It's an Inboard engine so from Tracy's comment expecting it to pivot on the centre is good to know - can't remember from Matty's comment whether that's the one that steer like a BMW or not ? Will be taking a friend to help as best they can... not sure how much I'd trust them with a pole but that definitely would help if I ended up in a sticky spot against the marina edge. I'm going down this weekend so if any of the neighbors are around might see if I could borrow their experience! Will contact the marina too. It's a wheel, was trying to work out how to work out if it's on centre... tape when I get that is a great idea! It'll be put back onto the K&A at Portavon after a quick turnaround of the inside. There seem to be boats of varying size in the Marina, some considerably larger than ours so hoping we won't be confined to the berth - there is what looks like quite a narrow lock a bit further down from where we are so will research the width challenge a bit more before we plan any journeys - thank you! I've got boat safety, license and insurance (from my brief research I didn't fancy CRT fines ?). Thanks again everyone!

I've purchased a cruiser and am having it moved from Portavon Marina by road next week. I sailed when I was younger and have been on a couple of canal holidays but admit my boating knowledge is certainly considered out-of-date, if not limited. The transporter needs the boat to be positioned near the slip so getting it from it's berth to that point will be my job (attached a Maps view with two red X) It's obviously not a considerable distance but (to my unskilled brain) the 180' it will need right away, as my first time motoring/steering it, seems to be worrying me... I just have visions of getting wedged on the marina 'wall'. I'm clearly going to need to get used to it if we actually (which I hope we will) use the boat in the future but thought I might have been able to persuade someone to join us for a day trip on the first outing... didn't really consider the first trip to be this one ? Am I a fool for buying something with no real experience (OK, I know it's mildly foolish but searching the forums most of you seem friendly enough) or am I just massively over-thinking the maneuver? If the former... any advice on where I might find a last minute person to 'do the driving'? If the later... any advice that might put my mind at rest?