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Ok, so, while the forum has been playing up, my boat has been steadily sinkin.g. What appeared to be a leak from the water tank turned out to be a hole in the baseplate. My grand plan for this year was to complete a trip up to Chester and across the Pontcyssltte Aqueduct then head back to the Midlands, get a survey done and the boat blacked, spruce the paint up and fix the floor and sell this boat in order to buy a 55-60 footer. I really enjoy life on the canal and Bimble Be is set up really well for my version of off grid living, but does feel a bit too small when my son is onboard. The plans got scuppered a bit when dad died but have been totally shelved since the canal started seeping in at the 'Not' Lapworth banter. So, after a week of pumping out water I managed to get into the dry dock at Hockley Port, the boat has been blacked, had new anodes and the hole has been chased about and plated over. The problem is, the bottom of the boat is very thin in lots of places, so it's only a matter of time until the next leak springs. It seems there are a number of options. Sell it quick on ebay mention the thin plating but hope it gets a reasonable price and buy another boat Over plate the thin metal and hope someone buys it re-plate the bottom Sell it for scrap and move onto dry land I've been keeping an eye out for replacement boats and quite honestly, my budget won't stretch to what I'd like in boat V2.0 so I'd have to buy another project with all the inherent problems. It occurred to me that, if I got the bottom replaced and had the boat stretched, I could keep the well setup boat and increase the available space. The downside is, I'd still have windows I really dislike and a bow that doesn't really work, (it's a bit small and difficult to get on and off at the front). I'm guessing that for about 15k I can get the bottom replaced and a 15-20ft extension, with the interior refit costs to consider on top. The boat is unique, whether that is a good or bad thing is another matter. It handles really well, has a distinct look to it but at the end of the day is a 33 year old, home built, Semi Springer like bastard child of a madman. That said, Sinking attempts aside, it's normally a dry, condensation free, comfortable boat. Can anyone recommend somewhere to get estimates for the work and any opinions as to what to do would be gratefully received. Rob