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Alternative to a widebeam?


Noviceboata

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8 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

You can, or could, get fresh water antifouling, but I would have thought a good scub down every few years would be enough. Maybe give it a coat of two pack if you are worried about osmosis, but even if it has osmosis the layup was thick enough for it rarely to be a real issue, apart from surveys.

Could someone tell me what anti-fouling is for on an inland boat in freshwater in congested London where it will never move?

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6 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Could someone tell me what anti-fouling is for on an inland boat in freshwater in congested London where it will never move?

To stop marine growth on the hull or do the London canals not support marine life?

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6 hours ago, Slow and Steady said:

I don't know of anyone who has lived through a winter in a fibre glass boat who hasn't been saving and looking out for for a steel one.

 

 

I knew want old couple for a few years ago lived on a broads cruiser. They weren't saving for a steel boat and seemed perfectly happy. 

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2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I seem to be in a minority here but apart from the insulation and possible drive line I think it could make a lovely live aboard. 

 

I agree, but I'd keep the solid fuel stove or replace it if it's knackered. I might fit a Webasto but the OP must realise that these type of diesel heaters should only be used as a supplementary form of heating for a liveaboard. The moment you start solely relying on them in the middle of winter you're in trouble. 

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12 minutes ago, blackrose said:

The moment you start solely relying on them in the middle of winter you're in trouble. 

 

My experinces differ - and certainly with the blown air heating controlled on a thermostat it cycles perfectly, once up to temperature it then goes onto 'low' and if the room is still too warm it has a 5 minute 'wind down' and then picks up again when the thermostat tells it to fire-up.

 

Does anyone really think that these long distance coach drivers will turn the heating off every half-hour or so - NO !

They are designed to be switched on and left on.

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1 hour ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I dont believe that you need to paint antifouling on, IIRC thats for sea going vessels, just ordinary paint will do I believe. 

 

I don't think there is such a thing as 'ordinary paint' :)

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21 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I agree, but I'd keep the solid fuel stove or replace it if it's knackered. 

As mentioned earlier, that stove in the picture is a diesel heater (not sure if it doubles as a solid fuel stove) Im not even sure is it works, I guess by the look of it, it is a very old diesel heater and needs replacing

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4 minutes ago, Noviceboata said:

As mentioned earlier, that stove in the picture is a diesel heater (not sure if it doubles as a solid fuel stove) Im not even sure is it works, I guess by the look of it, it is a very old diesel heater and needs replacing

 

If its a diesel stove it wont function with solid fuel.

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4 minutes ago, Noviceboata said:

Thanks for that. How does that old diesel heater look to you? are you familiar with them? does it look like it would heat the water as well?

 

Sorry, I dont have any experience of using one. Our stoves have all been multi fuel not diesel, I doubt it will heat water though.

 

Somebody with experience of one will advise.

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OK, I'm trying to help OP here, I suggest he looks outside the box.

Essentially looking for something in London is going down the same path as thousands before him.

Have a look on eBay, for pretty much anything over 25 feet.

Have a look on Appollo Duck, eg there is a glass fibre boat on there for £30!

They have auctions, some of these may be proberty, they want the deal completed, not interested in selling at top wack.

Don't try to limit your search, just spend two hours looking at things under max budget, but not what everyone else is looking for.

There are hundreds of boatyards round the country with boats which have been abandoned, or the owners have lost interest, phone up some of these yards, ask them for suggestions, it may work, it may not, you have lost nothing.

There are yards like Whilton who buy and sell for cash, so they say, this means they are buying and selling regularly, if they think you have £22K they will almost certainly have something for you, maybe not today, maybe tomorrow.

 

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Thanks for the post, great information. So I guess you are saying that this boat is not the deal of the century? :)  I was just looking for so long(pretty much the way you mentioned above) and I can't find a single level Fiberglass boat over 40ft for around 20k. I saw a lot of them whith the driving compartment in the centre of the boat, etc, but thats not what I am after

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2 minutes ago, Noviceboata said:

Thanks for the post, great information. So I guess you are saying that this boat is not the deal of the century? :)  I was just looking for so long(pretty much the way you mentioned above) and I can't find a single level Fiberglass boat over 40ft for around 20k. I saw a lot of them whith the driving compartment in the centre of the boat, etc, but thats not what I am after

Don't forget, you are able to negotiate, so look at boats up to £30K, you might find something that is needs no work, and you might get it for £25! 

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3 hours ago, Noviceboata said:

Where would be my restrictions in London with a 12 ft beam? 

No physical restrictions at 12 ft until you get to Birmingham.

If you want to CC in Central London between about Kensal Green in the West and Tottenham in the east you will find almost all the available mooring space is taken, and you will probably struggle to find a mooring. You may also fall foul of the Enforcement Officer for not moving enough. But if you increase your range you can CC between Hertford and Bishops Stortford on one side and up to Wolverton (near Milton Keynes) on the other, and you'll never be too far from a rail or underground service into central London. And you'll have much more choice of mooring.

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18 minutes ago, David Mack said:

If you want to CC in Central London between about Kensal Green in the West and Tottenham in the east you will find almost all the available mooring space is taken, 

Thats what I find strange, I mean, all of the boats have to move off their spot every 2 weeks so wouldnt it be possible just to move in after somebody leaves their spot? Or is it true about that conspiracy I heard about where boaters share phone numbers and quickly swap places with each other :) (Even that wouldnt work sometimes because as they were leaving I could jump in if I was just happening to go past)

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6 minutes ago, Noviceboata said:

Thats what I find strange, I mean, all of the boats have to move off their spot every 2 weeks so wouldnt it be possible just to move in after somebody leaves their spot? Or is it true about that conspiracy I heard about where boaters share phone numbers and quickly swap places with each other :) (Even that wouldnt work sometimes because as they were leaving I could jump in if I was just happening to go past)

How many weeks do you intend to stay alive with that attitude?

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Just now, Noviceboata said:

I dont understand?? With what attitude? Isn’t the canals open for everybody with a CRT licence? Why cant I just move into a spot when somebody leaves?

 

The canals are not populated solely by nice law abiding folks - it also attracts the dregs of society, and somewhere between the two extremes you will find that someone doesnt like you stealing their pre-arranged mooring spot.

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Just now, Noviceboata said:

I dont understand?? With what attitude? Isn’t the canals open for everybody with a CRT licence? Why cant I just move into a spot when somebody leaves?

You are being an ass.  Try that in overcrowded London and see how far you get. Especially with a wide boat that you cannot get past the breasted up pairs already moored.

 

In fact, try it anywhere that is busy on a popular canal, you will find out what is wrong with your attitude.

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1 hour ago, Noviceboata said:

As mentioned earlier, that stove in the picture is a diesel heater (not sure if it doubles as a solid fuel stove) Im not even sure is it works, I guess by the look of it, it is a very old diesel heater and needs replacing

 

Typically, they have a "carburettor" mounted behind the stove. This controls the fuel flow into a pot burner that looks a bit like an opened food can. In the centre there is a sort of perforated cylinder that allows air into the pot. To start it you pour some meths or put some bits of  firelighter in the pot and ignite it. When the pot has warmed up you turn the fuel on at the top of the carburettor. That chimney needs regular decarbonising.

 

Unless you post a photo of the back of the stove we won't be able to see if it heats water, but I could not see a higher level pipe.

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2 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

You are being an ass.  Try that in overcrowded London and see how far you get. Especially with a wide boat that you cannot get past the breasted up pairs already moored.

 

In fact, try it anywhere that is busy on a popular canal, you will find out what is wrong with your attitude.

You are not making sense??? How would anybody ever find a mooring if the couldnt move into a free space when somebody leaves after being there for 2 weeks??

6 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The canals are not populated solely by nice law abiding folks - it also attracts the dregs of society, and somewhere between the two extremes you will find that someone doesnt like you stealing their pre-arranged mooring spot.

Thank god somebody provided a sensible answer! So it means they are just gaming the system and not really abiding by the CRT licence?

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1 minute ago, Noviceboata said:

You are not making sense??? How would anybody ever find a mooring if the couldnt move into a free space when somebody leaves after being there for 2 weeks??

 

I don't think you understand the point Alan made. To be blunt there are boaters who are mentally unstable, permanently drunk, permanently under the influence of drugs, mentally ill or just very nasty people. The CC community seems to attract more than their fair share of those and when I last boated through London a number of years ago they seemed to represent even more of the live aboards. I fear that if you do as you suggests and stand on your "rights" you will get assaulted or worse.

 

The reason I never went back through London was because I did not feel safe on what overnight mooring I could find.

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