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Does anyone live on a Ex Oil rig Life Boat on the Canal. I'm looking at buying one. Any tips and advice most welcome. The locks are too narrow near me. Anyone just move every 2 weeks on there stretch of Canal.

Well, I've gone and done it - I've bought a fibreglass boat! It's a 26 foot centre cockpit Viking. I have no idea what year it is as there seems to be a distinct lack of paperwork. It doesn't have a BSC or a license - both of which will be acquired in the very very near future. The hull and upperworks are sound, the outboard engine is fine, there's no crazing or bubbles but the interior ............. I managed to get the boat for an excellent price, fully aware that the interior needs stripping back to the basic grp. So far I have spent five days removing an incredible amount of cr*p that a previous owner had stuffed into every conceivable space. I then removed the horrible rotting attic style floor boarding to find that it had been laid directly on top of the original flooring which must have been rotting when the "new floor" was laid. Under the original floor was about two inches of very dirty stagnant water. The battery isolator was there, but not actually connected to the battery! The wiring appears to have been put in by someone who has no idea of electricity - a wonderful mixture of bell wire, speaker wire and mains wire, the runs are looped all over the place. Thank heavens I intend to rewire the entire boat through a central fuse and switch board. The seating in the saloon had been constructed out of old kitchen units turned on their side and nailed in place, the sink/hob unit had been ripped out, the water heater disconnected and shoved into a locker, the gas locker had been constructed out of ply with the only vent directly into the bilge. In short whoever tried to refit the boat in the past had made a complete pig's ear of the job - to a scary degree. I'm amazed that it ever got a BSC and am surprised that it didn't explode into flames. I have had a wonderful time so far - a good friend commented that I seemed to like a project, she's quite right! It's almost going to be a let down when I get it finished. I'll update as the work progresses.

Hi you lovely bunch! I'm designing a new galley for my boat and I was wondering if there is a safe distance between a gas cooker and a mutli-fuel stove I should consider? Should I aim to keep them as far away from each other as possible? Thanks in advance

Hi Everyone, Trying to get a gauge on whether buying a sailaway and fitting it out myself is in the long run going to be a better option than buying a second hand boat. i'd like to know roughly what it would cost and the kind of time frame that it would take, so anyone with any experience of having done a sailaway project please if you want to share your thoughts and expenses. My Hypothetical build would consist of a very basic layout. Bedroom at the stern of the boat followed by an enclosed bathroom, Galley and living room at the bow. All rooms with just the basic amenities. I would initially have a month of full time availability to work on the boat then followed by 3 full days per week. I Am fortunate that I have family members sufficient in plumbing and gas heating systems so I would get help with that. I would also get a electrician to install a basic solar set up. I'm fully aware that its only relevant to individual skill, design and availability. But just to help me out please state your skill and experience going into your project.

So we are at the stage of fitting some bilge pumps in the preperation for travelling down the seven eastury. Im looking for a good reliable and trustworthy bilge pump. Can anyone recommend a good pump? the boat is a 68 by 10 ft X-trip boat springer that we have taken right back to bare metal and started the task of refitting everything. I am planning on putting 2 at the stern of the boat one eather side of the I-beam that runs the length of the boat just before the engine room bulkhead and having hatches big enough to drop a spare pump in should the worst happen up the rest of the boat. Good plan or a waste of time and money?