kingfisher

hi mod can you update our detais as we have a new website with lots more photos and information and a build blog for people to follow thanks john www.kingfishernarrowboats.co.uk also can you put the new link in for the dry dock services http://www.kingfishernarrowboats.co.uk/dry-dock-services.html under the trent lock dock yard we now have downloadable price lists along with a photo gallery of the dry dock thanks john

most docks will have someone available to weld them on and can usually supply them at a good price as they buy them in bulk if your going down the bolt on method remember to make a template as it will make the job nice and easy in the future but...... the weld on method means that if your annodes still have a little bit of life left but may need replacing in the next year or so you can keep them on and weld the new ones on near them and let the old ones wear out (does that make sense i think paint fumes may of got to me !) john i must learn to type faster

i,m not sure about the grouting on them two many joints for my liking and there more expensive we use panels from our local upvc supplies simalar to these http://www.wickes.co.uk/Marble-Effect-Inte...ing/invt/162656

i think your main problem is the ply moving due to the thickness you have.a cheaper solution would be to use a upvc bathroom cladding from wicks or other diy sheds straight on top stick it on top with a flexible adhesive like sika ,remove the vinyl if its loose if not it will be fine to go on top you can get corner and end cover strips to make a neat job ,then a quality silicon around the bottem

that will be the stretch from trent lock up to the lock at long eaton

http://www.kingfishernarrowboats.co.uk/drydock-services.html diy dock hire for wide beams , barges and narrowboats hull blacking and all types of servicing and repairs

http://www.kingfishernarrowboats.co.uk located at Trent lock near Sawley, Notts

hi if you give me a call on 0115 9727936 on monday i,ll have the diary to hand , bitumen £6.50ft or sealex b £7.50 cheers john

yes you can apply regular bitumen over intertuff,try using sealex b or rytex about £20 a tin i think ,sealex b130 dries to a satin finish as opposed to a matt on bitumen paint greybeard for the reference ,a nice suprise when i logged on

do you no roughly what time ,as we have the dockyard at trent lock and have access to a cruiser let me no and i,ll pm the skipper to see if he will be there

they used to build for the northwich boat company ive seen a few of there boats and really good value ,is it it the one they have on apollo duck? you wont go wrong buying this one http://www.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=83525 yes its one of ours built by a long established company piper the sailaway market is really competative at the moment so shop around you bag youselves a bargain on anyone who has a stock boat

yep thats the right ply to use ,we fix battens at 400 centres and screw at 400 centres . using it to make a faux plank effect may not look right to the eye probably to many screws but painted would make satifsactory job .you should be able to get it for around £20 sheet ,but go and view it before buying as stated there are different grades i cant remember which is which(to much wine ) our local timber yard harlows in derby have wisa spruce if that helps

i cant tell boaters when they should dock there boats (every year would be great ) but more of a comment that is the percievd average, some customers do come yearly , one even comes with no annodes !! as you say some products do vary in durability .there are to many variables on this subject as we all no. perhaps some one could put a poll up to see who uses what and how often

if you have cleaned the hull back to steel then epoxy primer and two pack as spencer suggests is the way to go ,it will still need coming out every2- 4 years to patch the scratches as well as annode /stern gear checks etc , comastic again is excellent but every last bit of bitumen has to be removed for those 2 methods if i had a boat from new then 2 pack gets my vote (or should that be if i had a boat)

what you need is to hire one of these http://www.brandontoolhire.co.uk/directory...p?idproduct=450 or you can buy the head seperatley and fit it to a large angle grinder (it must be variable speed ) run it on slow . thats what we have and use it all the time for stripping roofs and sanded decks prior to repaints it takes about a day of hard graft to strip a roof but stick with it and the results will speak for them selves

hi it would be better for you to batten the boat out that way you can set out the battens to suit your layout ,which means you decide where you want the sheet joints and you can probably hide some behind bulkheads etc .25mm wpb plywood cut into 50mm strips will be fine for battens or even better 30mm .i dont think theres much money to save buy using the foam kits ,weve looked in to it for our boats and decided to stick with the profesionals websters even cut back the excess for you which is a horrible job

yep two pack epoxy coatings are fantastic if your boat doesn,t move alot ive had a couple of dutch barges in the dock recently that are marina based and after washin the algea of the hulls they were as good as new its when they scratch thats where the product fails and as nigel says you still need to check the anodes and stern gear.so if you do cruise alot i,d stick to a good quality narrowboat bitumen sealex b, inertuff ,rytex

we have took the doors off in the past but only if it says that you can in the destructions

erewash borough council have organised this there is stall space still available. pm me if you require the contact phone number. it also coincides with "ROCK AT THE LOCK " so a great week end , plenty of visitor moorings so see you there

a really nice design ,and well painted i bet the owners are over the moon with it its great to see some one daring to be different it will create alot of discussion on the cut when sailing on by

bitumen paint or thinner blackings dont put enough microns of paint in one pass such as the other brands mentioned premium protection is a cheaper brand but is reccommended for narrow boats longer the better two coat left to dry for a week is better than 6 coats and one day drying it doesnt touch the hull only the water, it forms a hollow circle of water thats cuts on the front and back edge in one pass

hi mike we have a dry dock facility (under cover) and we are blacking boats all the time .as said before power washing straight away really helps. i have just invested in the latest power washer technology wait for it a ......ceramic tipped rotary head absolutely brilliant ,it removes all loose blacking rust and and algea in one pass.leave to dry over night then next day start blacking, the waterline gets the most pitted so coat to that first then apply a full coat same next day then leave to dry, the longer the better .bitumen paint is not really advised but better to use use the ones which are thixotropic (thicker)sealex b, rytex or intertuff. £6.50 FT OR DIY £220 for the weekend but we will do the power wash for you on friday,being under cover you can paint all day no matter what the weather is. wide beams and dutch barges can fit in and you may live aboard as well wait it gets better..........cwf members of 3 months or more can claim there 10% discount

these guys may have it in stock http://www.john-boddy-timber.ltd.uk or try your local saw mill in yellow pages rather than looking for timber merchants

it is possible to make your own windows and would be fairly easy ,just alter the thickness of the window section and experiment with rebates and modern draugt strips.but if you intend to sell your boat soon it may devalue a narrowboat .how ever i dont think it would be cost effective http://www.reddiseals.com/ have a good slection of glazing seals for wooden windows

the erewash is fine for travelling on ,we have the dry dock at trent lock and meet lots of boaters who travel to langley mill and back without incident so if anyones passing on the trent ,take a detour up the erewash and discover a true industrial /rural canal