Hull Blacking on the Lee & Stort

[steelaway]

Can any one tell me where to get hull blacking or DIY hull blacking around the Lee & Stort

 

Alex

[Lady Muck]

I did it myself at stanstead abbots marina - crane out (and in) is about £550, can't find the notes, sorry, I only called them a few weeks ago, because I need to reblack again, but have now decided I'm going to get someone to do it for me (in Braunston) for the same price as I'll be coming back to my mooring through there in August. Springfield will probably charge the same as they are owned by the same owners, but I'd imagine they are alot more limited for space. Theres also Enfield dock, my neighbour is there right now, but I think hes getting an epoxy coating done, no idea how much it is for a basic job.

[alan_fincher]

I did it myself at stanstead abbots marina - crane out (and in) is about £550...................

Bloody Hell! - I thought having a boat pulled out where we are was expensive!

 

Yep, I'd say if you are passing somewhere like UCC, have it done there!

 

£550 just to take it out - sheesh!

[Lady Muck]

Bloody Hell! - I thought having a boat pulled out where we are was expensive!

 

Yep, I'd say if you are passing somewhere like UCC, have it done there!

 

£550 just to take it out - sheesh!

 

it was only about £260 when I last took her out - no idea why its so dear now, it does include hardstanding though!

[rallyfan]

Options are:

 

Springfield (crane)

 

Stanstead Abbotts (crane)

 

Enfield Dock (dry dock)

 

Hallingbury Mill (dry dock)

[beatnik]

We are about to DIY blacken our boat for the first time. The prices for cranage and dry dock vary quite a bit

 

Springfield Crane £550

Lee Valley Crane £441

Shepperton Crane £545

Braunston Dry Dock £584

Hallingbury Mill Dry Dock £200

 

Obviously I'd want to go with Hallingbury, but is there any reason that it is so much cheaper? And what are the pros and cons of Dry Dock vs Crane?

 

Thanks

[alan_fincher]

We are about to DIY blacken our boat for the first time. The prices for cranage and dry dock vary quite a bit

 

Springfield Crane £550

Lee Valley Crane £441

Shepperton Crane £545

Braunston Dry Dock £584

Hallingbury Mill Dry Dock £200

 

Obviously I'd want to go with Hallingbury, but is there any reason that it is so much cheaper? And what are the pros and cons of Dry Dock vs Crane?

 

Thanks

All for the same time out of the water ?

 

How long ?

 

Dry docks can actually be more expensive than craning if a period is involved as (typically) only one boat can be in the dock, but several can be on hard-standing (with only one crane).

[Tim Lewis]

We are about to DIY blacken our boat for the first time. The prices for cranage and dry dock vary quite a bit

 

Springfield Crane £550

Lee Valley Crane £441

Shepperton Crane £545

Braunston Dry Dock £584

Hallingbury Mill Dry Dock £200

 

Obviously I'd want to go with Hallingbury, but is there any reason that it is so much cheaper? And what are the pros and cons of Dry Dock vs Crane?

 

Thanks

 

If you want to paint the bottom check the depth of the dry dock, some dry docks are so shallow to make painting the bottom very difficult if not impossible.

 

Tim

[beatnik]

Yes, all prices are for a week.

 

I'm just worried that there's a problem with Hallingbury as it is so much cheaper. Anybody have any experience?

[mykaskin]

We are about to DIY blacken our boat for the first time. The prices for cranage and dry dock vary quite a bit

 

Springfield Crane £550

Lee Valley Crane £441

Shepperton Crane £545

Braunston Dry Dock £584

Hallingbury Mill Dry Dock £200

 

Obviously I'd want to go with Hallingbury, but is there any reason that it is so much cheaper? And what are the pros and cons of Dry Dock vs Crane?

 

Thanks

 

Try:

 

Bridgewater Basin, Cassiobridge, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 8SN‎ - 01923 211448‎

 

Good prices, and will do the hard work for you also if you want.

 

Mike

[NB Willawaw]

I know Hallingbury quite well.

 

Their drydock is uncovered and the access is tricky with a widebeam, but its a lovely peaceful location.

 

I know boaters who have blacked there, without any problem.

 

I assume £200 is just for the hire of the dock - presume you are going to supply your own blacking and tools ??

 

Have you been there for a chat and to check the small print ?

[O'Mali]

You got to wonder if it is even worth doing.

 

I recon a new narrow boat would easily last 20yrs before it became at risk of sinking if you done absolutely no blacking what so ever, ever.

 

Add up the cranage, coating, jet wash hire and time over 20yrs and it comes to more than an over plate job. (roughly)

[beatnik]

Yes, we're going to supply our own tools and blacking. Uncovered is certainly a worry though.

 

Anyone else blackened there?

 

I'm curious about them because others who post on here that live nearby mention using other places, but not Hallingbury.

[cloggy]

Yes, we're going to supply our own tools and blacking. Uncovered is certainly a worry though.

 

Anyone else blackened there?

 

I'm curious about them because others who post on here that live nearby mention using other places, but not Hallingbury.

 

Used hallingberry last year. no problems. You have about 4 ft clearance under boat,very friendly place, c**p Tv reception.

[cloggy]

Pics of Hallingbury mill Hallingbury mill

 

still cant get those bl**dy links right

[alan_fincher]

Uncovered is certainly a worry though.

Won't quite a few of the people pulling it out by crane also put it in an outdoor location ?

 

I've not really thought about it, but surely they are not always then dragged under cover ?

[Lady Muck]

Won't quite a few of the people pulling it out by crane also put it in an outdoor location ?

 

I've not really thought about it, but surely they are not always then dragged under cover ?

 

 

Nope - when we reblacked at Stanstead Abbots, we were one boat of about a dozen reblacking all outside. The boatshed has room for only three boats (I think) and only seems to get used for serious repaints/enigineering/welding etc.

[WotEver]

If you want to paint the bottom check the depth of the dry dock...

 

Hey, Tim,

 

Do folk really bother painting the bottom? Isn't that just a stack of work for no particular purpose? I've always felt that the mussels do a good job of protecting the bottom plate

[beatnik]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Sounds like the best place as it's the cheapest and good reviews.

 

It's a bit concerning to blacken uncovered as it could rain though!

[Lady Muck]

Yes, all prices are for a week.

 

I'm just worried that there's a problem with Hallingbury as it is so much cheaper. Anybody have any experience?

 

I'm bumping this thread because we just left Hallingbury after drydock and reblacking there. Would we go back? Yes! We provided our own rollers, we used their pressure washer and they provided the tins of blacking.

 

The restaurant is excellent http://www.littlehallingburymill.net/ and is right outside the dock. Beautiful peaceful location, plenty of parking. The dock is uncovered but we managed three coats and a day and a half drying time (micracle in this weather and we arrived a day late due to the stoppage, lucky I know).

 

Dunno about tv coz we hardly watch it, but (depending on your service provider) internet reception is either excellent (there is an adjacent mast) or non existant. We had 3g+ strong signal on Vodafone but seadog42uk (who we met at the Lower Lock Stoppage) got nothing.

 

Piccie

 

 

Drydock was £200 (deposit of £100 to secure booking), £75 for three tins of black and £40 for pressure washer hire. Electricity hook up is provided, but a bit pricey compared to what I'm used to paying on my BW mooring. We didn't stay onboard, though, preferring to drive in each day as I had the ceiling to paint too!

Edited March 29, 2010 by Lady Muck

[NB Willawaw]

There are no pubs for miles though !!!

[Lady Muck]

There are no pubs for miles though !!!

 

I had no time for pubs, what a mental week - driving in from Letchworth every day, still had plenty of freelance work on so was getting up at 5am to do it before setting off, plus a bloody meeting in Hinckley in the middle of it all. On the boat painting the ceiling til Midnight on Saturday night! I am a wreck. We are currently moored a 1/4 of a mile outside the marina entrance, it's about as far as we could manage! No plans to head back to the mooring for several days - I need a rest!

[the grinch]

never paid for a dry dock or a crane out in my life. why spend all that money when the drying ground at the London Apprentice is free to use.

you get around 4 hours to dry the hull and paint between tides. 4 of us used to black a 70ft trad there in 5 tides (2 night, 3 day time) scrape and prime on first tide, then 2 coats of black on the other daytime tides.

 

there is a nack to getting down on the bottom safely. allow 25 ft of slack rope each end and an anchor at 45 degrees up stream to keep boat out from the quayside

 

Edited March 30, 2010 by hamsterfan