NB Watersnail

...and the land line if you've got one! I was once amazed at how hard I could rev the engine (thinking I was stuck on the bottom) when it was only the mains electrickery cable holding me back!

We've a Vodaphone Dongle, unlimited transfer and upto 7.2mbps. We're in central Banbury and have to hoist it onto a pole to get 3G connection. It's the same within about 10 miles either way. Haven't tried it further afield yet. Are you on a boat near Banbury Heffalump? Would be happy to meet for a pint...

I bent an alloy outboard prop once, got it off and hammered it back best as I could but the vibration was so bad we ended up replacing it within weeks. As others say, if you didn't notice before it came out of the water - leave well alone. If you did notice - you've nothing to loose by giving it a whack.

Edward William. They're based in Spain now but have a UK number. 0870 850 4088. I've not need a survey on a 28 year old Colecraft. Just renewed with them for the 4th year. No problems.

Oh that gravel....alll that bloody gravel. If I ever meet the guy that thought that was a good idea......Grrrrrrrr! Sorry, rant over. Any pics yet?

My first boat was a Norman 20 Conquest that we updated and enjoyed on the Thames and Oxford canal for several years. It had plenty of storage for 2 and was very comfortable. Petrol consumption was minimal, but bear in mind outboards really don't produce much charging current. Our biggest issue was lack of headroom, 20's don't have standing headroom and no shower. I expect at 25' you'd overcome these easily. I still kayak a lot on the Thames and even though we now liveaboard our narrowboat on the canal I hanker after another GRP cruiser. They have a certain charm, it's almost like camping in a way, but a bit more civilised. I'd go for it if I were you. Finally, a second vote for the Norman Boats Appreciation Society website. They supported me no end during my Norman ownership and sold the boat quickly through their forum too.

We'll keep an eye out for you when you get up Banbury way. Could meet for a beer if you end up moored near Banbury. Unlikely to be able to help with the work, but can say that car body filler on our topsides solved a lot of problems with pitting! Good Luck!

Beware of bubble testers, I fitted one before our last BSS, to keep life simple. The examiner ignored the instructions that stated "test for 30 secs" and kept holding it down until a bubble appeared. I rang the manufacturer who said it was not uncommon for a single bubble to appear after a few minutes. Examiner disconnected bottles, slapped on a notice and walked away leaving me a fail certificate. I eventually got a local CORGI boat guy out, who took one look, said " that's fine" but then had to spend quite a while on the phone convincing my examiner that it was safe. The examiner still had to come back and perform a retest at my cost. Think I'll be going elsewhere in the future.

Kayaker here too. Probably what got me into boats in the first place. I'll be out on the Thames most of the summer helping with the Scouts.

Try MCE for the bike, I've been with them for years! Footman James and Carol Nash are recommended amongst my friends too.

I used some white upvc sheeting from Wickes. It's a little like corrugated cardboard in construction, comes in sheets about 300mm wide and has T&G edges. FInished in a faint white marble effect. Stuck on with no nails and sealed on all the joints with silicone. Cost about £60 to do. Seems good to me, except the corner I forgot to seal that leaks all over th Saloon floor - must fix that!

Ok, this has got me really excited! I've got a RBB cloud too! She's 38', all steel, cruiser stern and shares many features with Bluebell, the stern profile, engine vents and seat are the same. The curve of the bow and odd angle of the increasing gunnels towards the bow is classic RBB. I know a little more of the histiry of Watersnail as our survey had worked the area for many years. Watersnail, originally Cummulus, was built in 1981 by Colecraft (Rugby) to a design by Rugby Boats for their 'Cloud' fleet of hire boats. She was fitted out by RBB using pine plank effect ply and formica covered ply with a white wood grain effect. I believe she did around 10 years with RBB before going into private hands. She retains her original engine, a Bukh DV20. Check Bluebells windows for a date on the glass, that's how my surveyor confirmed the build date of ours, a small symbol denoting glass type (I think) with a 2 digit date (81) specifies the year of glass manufacuture. I have also been told that she has a lovely hull design that should swim really well, and she does (except in reverse). The picture of Bluebell in red tallies nicely with the original paint colours I found last autumn. I know of one other Cloud, with a composite top that was owned by a lock keeper on the Thames, haven't seen her for a while. Here's a recent pic, not the best angle, but you should be able o see the similarities! Now, anyone else got any Cloud history?

As we bought her in July 2006 Looking better after a repaint at the end of 2008