TIME TO TAKE THE PLUNGE

[FORTUNATA]

Well, what I learned from this forum is s**t happens when you live afloat and it tends to happen to one and all alike. That is, engines go wonky, water seeps in unexpectedly, unexpected bills may arise and so on. So, should problems arise when I move afloat, I'm going to tell myself I'm not alone and aspire to remain calm.

The story so far: I bought a 32 foot steel narrowboat that was built way back in the seventies. The boat has been rebottomed and I also had the sides replated by professional boatbuilders, all the way along. Major money! Next, I blacked the base plate, getting covered in bitumen in the process. In between, I studied marine electrics, mainly going on a book by John C Payne that was written for sea yachtsmen. I'm also familiarising myself with the engine - a Lister SR2.

One of the hardest obstacles was opposition from family which has been damned annoying. Not a single ally! They complain I should have bought a house even though a house is basically outside my budget. In fact, most modern narrowboats are also outside my budget. Neither do I wish to pay rent in flats any more so I still think the decision to live afloat could turn out to be a good one. And besides, I travelled much of the globe with little more than a tent so have learned to rough it.

 

Mistakes? I guess I really ought to have drained the water system given this has been a harsh Winter. The engine is air cooled but I refer to the water pumps. Let's just hope they still function.

 

Regrets? Well, maybe I should have moved on board sooner. It's been very tough financially paying land rent as well as storage space for the boat as it's still on dry dock. This can't continue any longer so I'm now packing ready to move on.

 

Aspirations? I'm going to really miss internet. Where I live now I have broadband internet access. My hope is the cheaper life afloat will enable me to buy a laptop with internet some time in the near future. For now, I'll have to use the library.

 

Hopes? I happen to do bonsai as a hobby. I'll be bringing my bonsai on board and plan to fit a small table by the window to put them on. I'll need a low watt lamp so they get enough light. Anyone need advice on bonsai, feel free to ask.

 

Guests? My best buddy the German Shepherd will hopefully join me on board (if he doesn't knock over the trees) and think of the place as a second home. He's not my pooch but I walk him every day and we get on just fine. Other boaters so far have expressed horror thinking he may be aggressive but one boater cottoned on he was really friendly and well trained.

 

And that's it. Just hope there are no icebergs ahead.

[Janet S]

I hope you find several icebergs....hopefully floating in your glass as you down that celebratory drink!

 

Wishing you well.

 

Yours, very enviously....!

 

Janet

[lemontoes]

All the best . Lots of trips to the library to keep us posted!

 

Lemon

[BlueStringPudding]

Enjoy - hope it works out well for you.

[Daftmare]

Well done you.

I know you will just love it.

 

Jo

[canalchris]

I can only echo the other comments and welome you to a life afloat, hoping it all goes well for you. i had a bussiness growing giant bonsai, strangely enough it did'nt take of.!!!

[johnjo]

Good luck with your new adventure, gonna do the same sometime sooner rather than later. Got the boat, just need the courage to break the land link.

 

German Shepherd, beautiful dogs, mind you bit large in a 32ft, how much room does he/she let you have

 

All the very best

 

John

[FORTUNATA]

He'll be like a bull in a china shop. It may be hard to get him to settle as he likes being in the fields running about. He's very people friendly though.

 

Good luck with your new adventure, gonna do the same sometime sooner rather than later. Got the boat, just need the courage to break the land link.

 

German Shepherd, beautiful dogs, mind you bit large in a 32ft, how much room does he/she let you have

 

All the very best

 

John

[FORTUNATA]

Today was mega stressful. I re-installed my battery bank that I'd charged up elsewhere. I switched the inverter on, turned on shower and main pumps, turned the tap and zero. No water. Dead! My uncle then noticed water creeping out of the floorboards around the bed area. Conclusion? My guess was it had to be a burst pipe caused by severe frost.

Here's where the nasty bit comes: I pushed the start button to get the engine going and zilch. No turn-over. A clunk and that was all. By this time I felt a huge black cloud hanging over. I felt pretty bad.

Things improved. With some difficulty I tightened up the battery connections in case there was a problem in that area. I also tapped the starter motor lightly with a screwdriver - the old remedy. Next, I pushed the starter button and the engine started back up again. All was well.

For the other problem, I phoned the former owner and he was very helpful. He gave me an idea of the layour and so the bed had to come up. Somewhere under there was the water pump and guess what had happened? The outlet hose was off. Maybe the frost had blasted it off but no major damage. This was then reconnected and the water was back on. The black cloud drifted away to be replaced by a feeling of relief.

Now the boat is ready to go into the water but just one more thing may need to be addressed. The boat referred to on this forum that had sunk due to a worn rudder tube is close to my boat. I heard the story more on hand. This boat is maybe as old as my own so I'd like to check my own rudder tube is still O.K., just to be safe.

[ditchcrawler]

Well, what I learned from this forum is s**t happens when you live afloat and it tends to happen to one and all alike. That is, engines go wonky, water seeps in unexpectedly, unexpected bills may arise and so on. So, should problems arise when I move afloat, I'm going to tell myself I'm not alone and aspire to remain calm.

The story so far: I bought a 32 foot steel narrowboat that was built way back in the seventies. The boat has been rebottomed and I also had the sides replated by professional boatbuilders, all the way along. Major money! Next, I blacked the base plate, getting covered in bitumen in the process. In between, I studied marine electrics, mainly going on a book by John C Payne that was written for sea yachtsmen. I'm also familiarising myself with the engine - a Lister SR2.

One of the hardest obstacles was opposition from family which has been damned annoying. Not a single ally! They complain I should have bought a house even though a house is basically outside my budget. In fact, most modern narrowboats are also outside my budget. Neither do I wish to pay rent in flats any more so I still think the decision to live afloat could turn out to be a good one. And besides, I travelled much of the globe with little more than a tent so have learned to rough it.

 

Mistakes? I guess I really ought to have drained the water system given this has been a harsh Winter. The engine is air cooled but I refer to the water pumps. Let's just hope they still function.

 

Regrets? Well, maybe I should have moved on board sooner. It's been very tough financially paying land rent as well as storage space for the boat as it's still on dry dock. This can't continue any longer so I'm now packing ready to move on.

 

Aspirations? I'm going to really miss internet. Where I live now I have broadband internet access. My hope is the cheaper life afloat will enable me to buy a laptop with internet some time in the near future. For now, I'll have to use the library.

 

Hopes? I happen to do bonsai as a hobby. I'll be bringing my bonsai on board and plan to fit a small table by the window to put them on. I'll need a low watt lamp so they get enough light. Anyone need advice on bonsai, feel free to ask.

 

Guests? My best buddy the German Shepherd will hopefully join me on board (if he doesn't knock over the trees) and think of the place as a second home. He's not my pooch but I walk him every day and we get on just fine. Other boaters so far have expressed horror thinking he may be aggressive but one boater cottoned on he was really friendly and well trained.

 

And that's it. Just hope there are no icebergs ahead.

I have friends who keep Bonsi on the boat roof and they seam to do very well.

[johnjo]

Only got our boat in October 08, blimey that's nearly 4months ago, anyway spent the first week solid just looking at the wiring and figuring what fed what and how and the same with the plumbing, just as well, one day M/F back boiler stat went way past where it should have done without the circulating pump coming on, luckily as said I had to some extent become familiar with the layout, up came the bed base and sure enough pump not running, grabbed a couple of wires and put 12v directly to the pump and it ran. The problem was a reostat had been put in circuit to be able to regulate the speed of said pump, removed it, connected it back via the stat and the failsafe and all was well. Could have been a nasty bang with steam and scolding water going all over the place, not nice, the alternative would have been water on the M/F and a wet & dirty mess on the floor.

What I' m trying to say, in a long winded way is, get to know your plumbing and wiring as soon as possible BEFORE you go anywhere or start anything up. You'll also feel more confident.

All the best

John

[FORTUNATA]

I think my own layout is pretty straightforwards but I will make a few notes on electrical wiring. It's true the more you know, the easier it will be. I still don't know why my engine wouldn't turn over and I wasn't particularly calm as I was working, with tools and stuff all over the place. I used to get into a similar flap when I did long cycle rides and punctured. In such cases, you have to change the tube in the dead of night, put the wheel back on and carry on.

 

 

Only got our boat in October 08, blimey that's nearly 4months ago, anyway spent the first week solid just looking at the wiring and figuring what fed what and how and the same with the plumbing, just as well, one day M/F back boiler stat went way past where it should have done without the circulating pump coming on, luckily as said I had to some extent become familiar with the layout, up came the bed base and sure enough pump not running, grabbed a couple of wires and put 12v directly to the pump and it ran. The problem was a reostat had been put in circuit to be able to regulate the speed of said pump, removed it, connected it back via the stat and the failsafe and all was well. Could have been a nasty bang with steam and scolding water going all over the place, not nice, the alternative would have been water on the M/F and a wet & dirty mess on the floor.

What I' m trying to say, in a long winded way is, get to know your plumbing and wiring as soon as possible BEFORE you go anywhere or start anything up. You'll also feel more confident.

All the best

John

 

 

If you go to Focus in late Spring they sometimes sell bonsai trees. I got some called Mandarin Trees as well as Ficus and both of these do O.K. inside a boat or a house. You just need a table under a tube light. The ones I couldn't keep were Fukien Tea as they're very sensitive to climate changes. All mine died.

I have pot plants too, of course. Money trees are easy to keep and popular in Chinese restaurants.

I know one guy who's an expert on bonsai and I think he'll be buying a narrowboat. He does all outdoor stuff like pines, junipers, larch et cetera.

 

 

I have friends who keep Bonsi on the boat roof and they seam to do very well.

[Bones]

Sounds as though you are having all the nightmares before you get afloat! At least it will be fun when you finally get it sorted. Don't forget the libraries are excellent when it comes to internet access, and it can be quite pleasant popping along to the room of silence for an hour or so.

[carlt]

I know one guy who's an expert on bonsai and I think he'll be buying a narrowboat. He does all outdoor stuff like pines, junipers, larch et cetera.

The moderator on another forum (Justcanals) is called Bonsaichris, though this may be because he's only 4'8" tall.

[bibliotechno]

bon voyage Fortunata - will view your library postings with envy - enjoy your adventure.

[FORTUNATA]

I felt a great black cloud hover over me when the engine wouldn't start. It was weird. I'd taken the battery bank away to charge fully and then re-installed them in the engine area. I was careful to make sure positive was bonded to positive, negative to negative. So, when the engine didn't budge I thought I must have done something wrong yet I could see the ignition light was on. Anyway, either it was down to slack battery terminal posts or a jammed starter motor. Of course, there was no water either and I had no idea where the pipes ran or where the pump was. I was getting both downhearted and worked up. Still, when bit by bit we solved the problems, I realised it's the best way to learn when things go wrong and you have to fix them.

My family has knocked the idea of my living on a boat but I still believe it's the right decision. It's been stressful at times (especially money) but I hope to just keep improving upon my very old boat.

One thing I would really love to have is on board internet but at this stage I can't afford it.

P.S. Will a portable DVD player run O.K. off the inverter?

 

Sounds as though you are having all the nightmares before you get afloat! At least it will be fun when you finally get it sorted. Don't forget the libraries are excellent when it comes to internet access, and it can be quite pleasant popping along to the room of silence for an hour or so.

[John Orentas]

Good luck with your new lifestyle Fortie, if you can survive the next couple of months it will be all downhill from then and remember people rarely post on here when things are going right so be careful you don't develop a one-sided outlook on things..

 

Bought my mother a bonsai kit many years ago, it must be 40+ feet tall now.

Edited January 31, 2009 by John Orentas

[FORTUNATA]

The way to make a bonsai is dig one up in Spring. There's a young tree nearby on waste ground I'll dig up. Then what you do is cut the taproot and trim the smaller roots, only in Spring. Once it's in a bonsai pot you then prune down the tree to a much smaller height and wire the branches with copper to control direction of growth.

Alternatively you can get a ficus bonsai from Focus or a garden centre in late Spring. Those trees are O.K. to keep inside a boat. Junipers, Larch, Beech, Maples all make good bonsais. Japanese maples you see often at markets or nurseries.

 

Good luck with your new lifestyle Fortie, if you can survive the next couple of months it will be all downhill from then and remember people rarely post on here when things are going right so be careful you don't develop a one-sided outlook on things..

 

Bought my mother a bonsai kit many years ago, it must be 40+ feet tall now.