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Moley

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Everything posted by Moley

  1. Nothing left in our local branch, I did call in to see if I could pick up a spare fermenting vessel but there were only a few packs of yeast and finings left. Sold a load of mine and gave a few more away, so I'm down to about 20 as well but haven't used them for years. Moved on to 15 and 19 litre water cooler bottles.
  2. Slow down a bit! I joined this forum many years ago because we had bought a 44ft Calcutt / Colecraft in need of much attention. There's a build blog somewhere about NB 'Talpidae'. If I was able to share knowledge or experience about other stuff, so much the better. That's how it worked elsewhere. On the homeBREW forum, I knew far more than most about country wine making, which I've been doing since 1975. As I learned more about brewing, I could share that on another home WINEmaking forum. I have never been an expert on either, even if I have won prizes for both. Lately, I have been doing very little wine making, and have reverted to a simpler 'brew-in-a-bag' method of brewing. As we have now sold the boat and left the waterways community, I'm probably not the person to be drawn into this thread, and have only been lured back here out of curiosity.
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  9. I was told, at a speed awareness course after being nicked for doing 38 in a 30 zone, that the lowest speed limit which was legally enforceable was 20 mph. Is this why he got a ticking off but not a ticket?
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  12. Moley

    NB 'Talpidae'

    Thanks folks, and especially to Keith for the link. Damn, that's a shame, so it's back to being floor mounted under the bed. Peter, carpets front and back and vinyl in the middle might have the occasional tack where necessary but aren't fully fixed and can be easily lifted. Previously, carpets were nailed every six inches and ceramic tiles were glued down in the galley and bathroom. That was a real PITA as I had used a very good tile adhesive and they had to be smashed off in tiny pieces with a hammer and chisel. All flooring panels can be lifted after removing one or two stainless M6 bolts. Where furniture is built on top of the flooring, inspection panels will be incorporated. With improved ventilation I hope this will get rid of the permadamp conditions which existed before, but I will be keeping an eye on that.
  13. Moley

    NB 'Talpidae'

    Re-refit is coming along quite nicely, and further to another topic where I asked about a product called Ecosheet (link), I've even got rid of the 'temporary' OSB cruiser deck (which has been down for about the last 3 years). This stuff is 100% recycled and 100% waterproof. It doesn't seem to get slippy when wet and although there's a bit of bounce to it, one cross brace under the largest panel seems to be more than adequate. I will be very interested to see how this stuff stands the test of time. Inside, mostly new flooring has been laid. It has been cut back so that it doesn't meet the side steelwork but extends only a quarter of an inch or so beneath the wall panels. Those have also been planed so that they don't quite touch the floor, and therefore flooring can be lifted in future without stripping out the whole damned boat. When I decide what furniture to build, vents will be cut into the flooring beneath any storage compartments so that the whole thing will get a chance to breathe. I was told some time ago that once a boat reaches the point where you can go out and start using it, that is often the point at which any interior work ceases. Combine that with the fact that I am the sort of person who never quite seems to manage to finish any DIY job, and Talpidae never really stood a chance. Contrary to that, I am very attentive to detail on the bits that I do finish, so for example where trim strips have been fixed to cover joints and screws/nails in the tongue-and-groove ceiling, all of the screw heads are aligned down the length of the boat, it's just that I never quite got around to covering all of the joints. This time around I am trying to finish all of the bits I never quite got around to. It's not just decorative touches, I never quite got around to fitting a door on the bathroom, for the last 8 years there's just been a full length curtain on a wire. Now there's a door. New worktop has been fitted, with the sink draining board on the high side to satisfy Mr. Newton. Existing kitchen unit carcasses have been re-used but wood-look plastic coated MDF doors and drawer fronts will be replaced with real wood when funds permit. Furthermore, I have visited the empororium of messers Block and Quayle and at great expense have invested in some of their Prestige drawer units which do not slam shut, but rather close quietly yet positively, requiring a modicum of effort to then open them again, such that Mrs. Mole's drawers shall no longer be rent asunder at the whim of any passing hire boater with water skiier in tow, or should multiple persons attempt to board simultaneously. New front step hides water pump and accumulator, shelving unit (hiding inspection hole, stop tap and water filter) is likely to be replaced by 'L' shaped seating / single / double bed, while on the left hand side plans are in hand for 2 seats / small Pullman dinette / single bed, i.e. one double or two singles. At the blunt end, back wall (previously bare OSB) has finally been clad and I have even built a box plus door over the lectrix panel. New back step hides a big inspection hole. I'm not entirely sure about that Ecosheet stuff being used as a new back door, even when I get around to painting it, but the old plywood one needed replacing before it completely fell apart. Blunt end really is a blank canvas. Where there was previously a fixed 4ft not-quite-a-double bed I am now planning to build a 5ft cross bed. We went to IKEA to look for ideas, they had a 10cm thick king sized mattress reduced to £50, so that's currently on the floor. Question: I've lost any fitting instructions long ago, can a Whale Gulper be wall mounted vertically like that? It was only tacked temporarily for the photo.
  14. Moley

    NB 'Talpidae'

    Sorry Tony, I saw your PM on this question but couldn't reply at the time .... and then forgot Yes, I would still recommend Vactan plus one or two coats of some kind of paint, but with perfect 20:20 hindsight I would ensure that there was some ventilation going on below the flooring. That is precisely what I've done this time around, except that I've used red oxide instead of the bitumen coating I applied before. I will try to get around to updating this build blog shortly.
  15. Your post seems to imply that Stourbridge dry dock doesn't ? Other than that, there's a dry dock at Stourport, phone Limekiln chandlers to enquire about that, or try Ashwood Marina for a crane-out, I'll PM a contact number. Ashwood definitely allows DIY and I'm pretty sure Stourport do too.
  16. That tutorial has a life of its own now, over 30k hits so far and has introduced many people to home wine making. My favoutrite is white grape with a mix of orange and pineapple, or I use red grape and cranberry to make a pleasant vino pinko.
  17. Thanks folks, I don't even begin to understand "flexural modulus" but that was my only slight concern with the product, it does seem to be a bit "more pliable than plywood". However, I have previously used phenolic ply for deck boards and although I initially treated the cut edges I didn't keep up any regular re-treatment, and when the water started getting in to the boards they deteriorated and needed replacing after about 5 years. The 'temporary' replacement was cut from 18mm OSB board which now soaks up water like a sponge and looks absolutely dreadful. It does get hidden under an interlocking neoprene material on the rare occasion when we're actually using the boat but that's impractical as it has to be unzipped and folded back when you need to get to the stern gland greaser or weed hatch. I'm going to give this stuff a try, my largest panel will be 740 x 1210mm and I can easily fit a couple of cross braces. Oh, and thanks for the greenie.
  18. Has anybody on the forum used Ecosheet? A search brought up nothing. It's stated as an alternative to plywood but it's a plastic material, 100% recycled and 100% waterproof. It's also available from my local timber merchant. I'm thinking of using it for a new cruiser stern deck, and possibly for new front and back doors. Price comparison:(8ft x 4ft x 18mm) Hardwood ply, £45.24 Phenolic ply, £67.50 Ecosheet, £58.68 There's a data sheet (pdf file) here: www.ecosheet.com/files/8513/6681/5676/Ecosheet_Specification_Sheet_v5.pdf
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  20. This problem has reduced considerably since both Tesco and Sainsbury started chaining their trolleys up, you have to insert a pound coin or a token to release one and then you chain it up again when you've unloaded to your car. If I recall correctly, Tesco's also have wheel locks which trip if you cross a red painted line and try to take the trolley beyond the car park, while Sainsbury's have metal plates at the access points from car park to towpath into which the wheels engage so you can't push the trolley across (and which is a PITA when you actually want to off-load directly to the boat). However, the problem hasn't completely gone away because yoofs can insert tokens too or carry unchained trolleys across any obstacle, I try to keep the boat well away from the sides in that area, and if we want to moor outside a supermarket I always approach with caution and cut the engine well before we touch.
  21. Moley

    NB 'Talpidae'

    Cheeky sod, I know that I was attempting to fit her out on a fairly tight budget (and that's not going to change this time around), and I know that I made good use of some free hardwoods donated by my father-in-law (a builder and carpenter winding down towards retirement), but I don't think that much actually came out of skips, apart from the solid beech worktops which were being thrown out by a kitchen company. Any time you need any single malts assessing, I'm your man. I can't make whisky but I've been doing quite a bit of brewing in the last few years, so I would be interested in your opinion on my beers.
  22. Moley

    NB 'Talpidae'

    Well I thought I had almost finished, except that Steve ground bits out of my fresh blacking to attach some chunky rubbing strips at the front. It has always concerned or niggled at me that our floor has never been flat. There's a 3x2 inch angle iron welded the full length of the boat along the centre line, and then half members are welded to that every 30" or so. Over time, many of the welds where these cross members join what I think Steve called the keelson have broken, with the result that when the boat is afloat the water pressure underneath the hull pushes the base plate up at the centre line, by about an inch. I hoped that a new baseplate might reduce that, but took the opportunity to have Steve re-make the centre welds, with reinforcement pieces where necessary. All done, with three coats of bitumen. And this morning she was hooked up And up she went. The base plate has also had a coat of red oxide and a coat of bitumen, including jacking her up and moving the sleepers. Painting underneath was not a great deal of fun, at times it was almost impossible to attempt to twist to re-load my roller without blacking my own shoulder. And in she went: And the water stayed outside, apart from the rainwater which is dripping from the bottom corners of 3 of the windows. And the floor stayed flat Leaving a one inch gap where the bathroom walls used to meet the ceiling
  23. Moley

    NB 'Talpidae'

    One side is finished: The other side, not quite there yet: The front end of the back plate still needs lifting and welding: And all of the bungs have got to go back in: But I'm beginning to wish I had shares in a red oxide paint factory: But while I've been cleaning base sections, chipping off rust and treating with Vactan (and then more red oxide) I've punched another hole through the side, thereby proving that our survey wasn't worth the paper it was printed on, and as Alan said, we've made the only sensible decision we could have. This one's about 2cm wide and again, below the floor and just above the inner base weld. Finally yesterday, the first coat of black stuff went on the finished side. Oh, and that tarpaulin, well at the moment the boat isn't quite level on the railway sleepers, neither is she back end down as in normal use, she's slightly nose down so and any rainwater on the roof isn't running towards the blunt end and harmlessly down the sides, oh no, it's running towards the pointy end, onto the front deck, and then quite a bit's getting under the water tank inspection cover and into the cabin.
  24. Take a look at NB Talpidae, page 13, half way down. Currently being overplated with 6mm base and sides, almost finished now and I need to upload a few more photos. The base has been done in three sections, the first being tacked all the way around and then properly welded at both ends before the other base sections were offered into position. Each section also has two small (2-3" dia) holes cut out on the centre line where that is also tacked to the old baseplate before the bungs are welded back in. Side plates were chamfered on their lower back edges to clear the base plate tacks before being welded all around. Everything has been done with jacks, brute force, crowbars and big hammers.
  25. Moley

    NB 'Talpidae'

    Hi Peter, Yes, I have a definite case of deja vu here, the front end of the boat seems to be exactly as I left it when I screwed the flooring down but the middle to back is exactly as I found it 8 years ago. I would still recommend that rust converter and am using the same product this time around, but I don't believe it was guaranteed against and has certainly not stood up to 8 years of permadamp. Lessons learned: My new flooring will not go right up to the sides, there will be provisions made for ventilation and I may even fit a couple of computer fans to get some air circulation going below our feet. The concrete slabs are no longer required and have been removed from the boat. Side panelling will be trimmed back so it's not hard against the floor, and floor panels will be in smaller sections and removable for occasional checking. So what's it like under your floors?
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