W+T

Bill Highams are good but expensive. You can get a good Honda for half the price. I recently picked up a 1998 Honda 15hp, elecy start remotes for £750. Has charge output but no cop at i think 6amp....could be 8amp. One thing that has always got me wondering, why DC fitted timber keels and bolted them through the hull. I guess they have last a good 40 years though on some boats, some not. I am about to replace a set in GRP for a customer as the ones on his DC25 which are barley there. Good to hear you ridding of the strakes, more the lower one as they are prone to leaks being so close to the water line. Its low cost in materials to build a canopy in GRP, this is a top screen and canopy i built for my last boat, but fixed but much the same to slide back if hinged. I plan on doing one for my Norman this year that slides back..or forward, not decided yet. Admiral Faffer

Nope

who knows

Hi kida, well thats another idea, and as an add on at a later date if things are difficult. It may be worht looking at.

Thats the one main reason i was thinking as it will be very light towards a NB.

It was folk on here lol and another forum. I am one for against it reality but the thought i would look into them whilst i design the boat build., i am one to use skills to do things, like self drive cars, Auto wipers and lights etc etc etc, self park cars, what the hell is all that about. The day they dont work these folk will not have a clue. It has a very dodgy one but will be making a ruder for it as i did for my other cruiser. This si the one fitted now One i made from GRP

You know what odd, when i spoke of my new project etc there was a few folk say, get a bow thruster, now i ask about them folk say dont lol. cant win lol Outdrive, i am ok with boat control with outboard with reversing etc etc all asptects, never had an inboard untill now. Much the same i would think to control.

Well that was easy sorted, sod getting one. saved me around £1.5k from what i researched it would cost for the size i would need. Thanks all

You know what i mean and what there used for.

Ok, a few have put this in my head to add a bow thruster to my `to be` Norman 44 GRP cruiser. Reason being it will be lightweight for along boat and as much as i love the challenge to control a boat properly i think it mite be a handle if cruising in high winds. First off, what size/thrust would i need to look at ? And i need to see how big they are as the main permanent birth will be over the top. This is complete new thing for me and looking forward to researching them. Admiral Faffer

By eck, this place is getting busy with projects of a late. And GRP ) First off good_luck with it, a sit will be needed, done this many a time away from home projects and hard to complete if at all. 3hrs away is a long treck for a weekend never mind a week of work. If i was you bring it closer to home, save a fortune and closer to home as possible means more chance of it being done. I am with other, i dont get why diesel genny all day to run elecy propulsion...? For all the cost just get an inboard diesel engine fitted, cost same i bet. Best of luck

Got it delivered, Pumped last dregs out and Cleaned it out AND started on removing the engine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkoRH7enlgo&t=1s

Is was a submarine kida, lol Oh i have had a good few saying plenty of negative things about it, a few insulting. hey i am thick skinned

The eagle has landed Had last week off work so me n T had a few days on Khashoggi as it was her birthday and we needed a chill out. Then on Thursday gone i made sure the Norman would fire up, well a few turns and there she blows. Well chuffed with that engine. Anyway, Friday me and a mate chugged down to Garstang Marina in good time for the lift which all went well, i used the same chap/company as last time, daft not to at there prices. It was a bit of stress off loading as just before we got home with the boat i had a bloody haemerage and couldnt see out of one eye so i just got him to drop it roughly level, i will be leveling it out today as my sight is a little better and dont want to twist the shell to much as it is. Anyway, clean out today of all the rubbish and drill a drain hole and see about getting the engine out. In a week or two i will be fencing off the front of the drive and removing the gate to get a good work area once i clear the pound out.. So time to go play

At last to hear from a boat owner not wanting to bodge there boat and take short cuts. I would always rather by a boat as a shell and then i know what i have not someone elses cock up. And come on pics, even if its a rip out

To find leaks are really a process of elimination. Not easy on boat at all. Your doing the nest way and to rip it out and go from scratch. It will show a lot easier once ripped out. Once you remove a window its not 100% it will not leak unless done properly, not saying you wont do. I had a chap ask me to do some work on his boat as he had a few leaks all around his boat and expected it to be done in a day. He fixed them in the past will a bit of silicone. And to say he didnt take me up when i have him the cost for me to do it properly, soooo it looks like it will be bodged again. Do it right first time with leaks.

Yes i woild do as you say. Rid of the engine you have and get a 10hp plus 4 stoke elecy start. Rudder are good but not needed if you have the k ack of controlling it, short burst as and when to give direction/control. I wouldnt do the conversion. No point in that size boat and costly. One thing though i would do is check futther more on the leaks. If the windows are not leaking dont fix untill broke. If the gunnel is wet just below the windows then yes the window may well beeaking or the cleats/fender eyes. Houdinis are a pain if the seals go but if its just the fitting thats an easy fix.

Hey i just like a challenge, and a 44 foot cruiser well....:)

So many Normans have popped up to me since i got mine, got a lot asking about me making Hardtops and top screens aswell

Oh good another cruiser project, dont get many to read about Sounds like your all set to go and crack on, the standing fee`s are no to bad at £55 pm. Good luck with it and looking forward to the updates. Wayne/Admiral faffer ( the loon with the Norm 32 on Viagra ) :):)

Just seen this post and thought i would share a method i use at times for insulating using tins of expanding foam. This can be done in one large section if you get to know how much the foam expands to fill the cavity, or do it in sections. Batten out with a good adhesive like CT1 or Sikalfex , short battens of 4-6 inch around the area to be foam filled to say minimum 25mm deep. If say an area of 2 Sqf is to be done then get your ply lining and drill 8mm holes or what ever the tube diameter is with the tin foam so it fits through the hole, in a grid of 150mm. screw the lining ply to the battens and fill the cavity working from back to front. One thing be careful not to over fill the cavity as the foam can push the lining board out of shape, you will get used to it the more you do. Or instead of doing it in one large section or you are cautious in doing one large area, then do it in 150mm sections so you can see it filling the over section. So if again on a 2 Sqf area, fill one 100mm x 600mm strip/cavity and when its about to over expand screw up the next section to the battens etc etc And get a mist bottle filled with water and cover all the area to be filled to very lightly dampen it before spraying / filling. Tip if doing in section then screw strips over the joint to keep then level. Works a teat for me when doing uneven surfaces on cruisers. Admiral Faffer

Nice work kida, love thepaintings aswell

A few do that i like lol Its booked in for the lift on the 13th Jan. So this weekend i have been clearing out for it and making a pad for the front cradle to level it all up. That front wall with the gate to the left is coming down aswell so i can get the 44 foot as that wall is 31 foot from the back of the garden.

Hi all, hope is going well now winter is upon us. For me its slow as for some reason work had picked up on the Wayne Boat works. Which i am happy about as all goes into the boat funds for this. Sooooo then I believe i am deloooded, thick and stupid for even thinking about stretching a boat. And some that was from a Marine Engineer, i just asked about it. Like the stubborn sod i am until i am told the reason and and why it will not work. Nobody has yet but it will have as much structure as a sausage. So not giving up yet with a negative comments while driving around the 12hrs i do, so plenty of time to faff in my head i have thoughts pop in my head all the time. Many years ago had a 26 foot cruiser that i was about to extend the rear deck by 8 foot. Why i didnt think of the way i planned that to extend the Norman the same way. My plan was to make a mould from the stern section of the hull only. This is then moved to the stern of the original hull but over lap by around 300mm and screwed down and braced all around etc to hold the mould in place. So the idea is to laminate the mould up and over lap the original transom by say 100mm all around. So this way the new hull stern section will be bonded to the original transom and bolted also to give more peace of mind. So that is the hull done, so onto the top section, here it will of been cut and removed before hand of the hulls section being done. So just the rear deck section will be moved back the the gap in the middle filled in and windows resett in place. EASY? See looks great? The reason behind this way of doing it is that it will only have one cut, or section as unlike the cut n shut where there will be two. And the top section is on top as all i can describe is as bricks are laid in a brick stretcher pattern so this give more support/strength. Not to sure on the mould thickness yet but quick ork out i plan o 4 lams of 600grm CSM to give a thickness rough;y of 6mm with braces bonded in to keep it straight as possible. Although i could get away maybe with a three 450grm CSM to reduce cost and weight on the one of mould. I have been thinking on making a plug mould from timber and ply etc etc to save on the £000 in GRP materials but i will get a better finihs quicker if i use the boat to make the female mould. Cost to make the extension using a mould from the boat is around £1500 in materials. That sound s lot yes. Now if you see what a good shell of 38 foot, being the largest inland narrow beam cruiser, goes for is around £3k and thus cost me £1200 with engine i am not doing to bad for a 44 footer spec built. So that was a quickly i have been thinking on All best to you all Admiral Faffer.

I have no doubt it will not be easy, i have ways to make it work as in looking good and methods of construction to make it look right etc etc. worth it yes to me. I dont want a wide beam which is the reason i bought a NB. If i had half a million in stuff in the boat as much a si love a project i wouldnt be doing this lol I have plans for the stringers/ribs/keel extension etc etc to give to an engineer. look good to me and i get the twist but if craned correctly that should be ok, but who knows until i chat to an engineer.