nb Imagine - progress?

[alan_fincher]

Nice one Jill,

 

I seem to remember that when floor coverings were discussed on a previous thread, it got nearly as emotive as recent discussions about which toilet type, or whether bow-thrusters are a good idea or not.......

 

A strange lot on here, really, aren't we !

 

At risk of starting another one, I think carpet tiles are an excellent way of dealing with things on board. In my view you waste far less than with other carpet based approaches, and, if someone makes a goddam uncleanable mess on one or two tiles, provided you have kept some spares, you can quickly swap 'em out, (or simply switch 'em with those that are underneath something anyway )

 

Alan

[Supermalc]

Couldn't agree more Mr Mole, my thoughts to a tee.

 

Funny isn't it that with boats your list of jobs never gets shorter; if you stop it does get longer though

[wrigglefingers]

Thanks Chaps,

 

Sorry, it was a bit lengthy - think I was trying to avoid the marking.

 

Thanks for the support; writing the blog is helping to keep me going and it's good to share what we've managed to do. It also helps me to keep it all in proportion otherwise it'd doom, gloom and despondency all round.

 

I'm still trying to get my head round floor coverings as a major emotive issue on a boat although I did decide to paint an oilcloth for a rug some years ago. Days were spent preparing the design and the cloth. Days were spent painting and finishing the cloth. Then Flinty-the-Cat walked across and promptly did what cats do. The oil was still wet and I cried for days too. I won't be doing that again any time soon so I'm off to B & Q for the tiles.......

 

Regards, Shep

[DHutch]

I'd with carpet tiles, thats what we have in out boat.

- But get some really decent ones that will last long and be easy to clean/sweap.

 

As someone once said, on a boat there very little floor, but you do just as much walking...

- Might not be quite true, but certainly the carpet gets a fair beating, espcailly on a steamboat. Coal dust is amasing, it acctually can get everywhere!

 

 

Daniel

[wrigglefingers]

Okay folks,

 

This is short - WE'RE ON THE BOAT AT LAST!

 

love, Jill

 

PS Long story tomorrow when I locate the power cable for the laptop!

[DHutch]

Cool, look forward to it!!

[Supermalc]

Okay folks,

 

This is short - WE'RE ON THE BOAT AT LAST!

 

love, Jill

 

 

BRILLIANT - looking forward to hearing of your adventures.

[Bones]

Congratulations! i bet it feels great!

[Bones]

Congratulations! i bet it feels great!

 

So - how is life aboard?!

[wrigglefingers]

It is truly lovely!

 

We finally got our act together and moved onboard by accident last weekend by simple dint of taking all my cooking stuff down to the boat by accident. Packing up the house has been very stressful. I honestly didn't realised how much stuff I'd got. (Although my friends and family will chorus "we did" at this point). We've got a lot less now, but the boat's developed an alarming list to one side as I haven't distributed the weight very well at the moment; three sewing machines and my fabric stash must weigh more than I thought. Remembering to re-fill the water tank has helped though as has the storing of the fantastic Dutch tent.

 

The lovely woman I met from Freecycle turned up last Saturday with her film crew from BBC Bristol and we were filmed and interviewed about Freecycle and narrowboat life. Apparently it's the really, really cool and glossy must-have lifestyle choice in Bristol these days so I expect the producer was a bit surprised to meet a slightly disreputable middle-aged woman in a dubious work tunic. Just as well they didn't want to film my less than glossy boat really. She interviewed Ellen and me about giving away our stuff and I managed to get two monster plugs for sustainable living and cw.net in. It'll be aired in the autumn on a local programme called Out and About so I'll post when it's on and all of us in the SW can have a good laugh/hide covered in embarassment.

 

When they went, Ellen and I went back inside the house and surveyed the wreck. Locked the door and drove down to the boat. Pottered around, cruised down to the town lock, past the smelly bridge, winded and went home again. Then drove back up to the house silently to face the rest. Needless to say, I now know all the operatives at Trowbridge amenity recycling depot by their first names and have developed muscles of steel to the point that, when we shifted the (defunct) house fridge to the recycling point, nobody ran to help me. "Nah, she can lift that by herself".

 

We got the cats settled on board on Monday. Astro has started life aboard in his own inimitable style, see Cats! and we have high hopes of keeping them both until they meet the many Jack Russells that live in our marina!

 

Ellen has got her cabin organised too. Clothes on the rail, in the draws, across the bed, strewn across the floor, hanging from curtain rails. Her french horn is hanging from hook in the ceiling, her exam timetable is pinned to the wall and she's sorted out some shelving for her make-up. That's pretty much Ellen sorted then. The rest of the boat is in relative order. The CDs are shelved, I've got to bring on my books and the kitchen is good to go although I need to clean the oven jets which are on the verge of showing an orange flame so they need attention. Maybe a new cooker next year - we still have the original that came with the fitout. The othe big event of the week was the delivery of the fridge. I haven't fitted it yet - it's still at the old house but I'll try to sort it out next week and keep you posted.

 

We need a washing machine though and I've seen a twin tub see washer. Anybody got one? We haven't got space to plumb a frontloader in place where there's water and electrickery convenient so this might do. Otherwise I think I might buy a spindryer and just carry on washing by hand. I still need to sort out the aerial for the television. I tried an all-singing all dancing indoor aerial from Lidl last week for next to no pence but strangely that's given us next to no picture but an all singing all dancing snowstorm instead. Still it matches the weather down here so that's okay really.

 

Sadly, though, I've still got masses to clear away at the house so I'd best get on with it. If I want to go to Crick next week I need to have finished here as the tenancy is up next Saturday.

 

Regards,

 

Jill

[DHutch]

Yay!!

[Carrie]

... and I managed to get two monster plugs for sustainable living and cw.net in.

 

(Pss.. Jill - fancy bringing your boat along to the Camp for Climate Action in the summer, via the canals?

www.climatecamp.org.uk)

 

Congratulations in making the Big Move!

[wrigglefingers]

(Pss.. Jill - fancy bringing your boat along to the Camp for Climate Action in the summer, via the canals?

www.climatecamp.org.uk)

 

Congratulations in making the Big Move!

 

Thanks, Carrie. I would've enjoyed coming to the Camp, but unfortunately we'll be at Towersey Folk Festival this year over the August Bank Holiday. I'll keep an eye out for next year though.

 

Jill

[wrigglefingers]

Okay folks,

 

This is really it. We're really, really boat-dwellers now.

 

I'm sitting surrounded by boxes and bags. I've disposed of seven thousand books, nearly twelve hundred CDs, my bodyweight several times over (and that's considerable) in fabric, found my set of metric spanners and lost the camera cable twice (and it seems determined to stay lost at the moment so no photos - phew!). Nothing's ended up in the marina or the cut and Elly thinks it would be nice to go out for a day to Seend. Haven't got the heart to tell her that I can't get to the engine to start it due to an out-of-control vacuum hose and yet more stuff ostensibly stored in the storage area but in truth, spilled out in a dangerously vague manner. Rather oddly, it reminds me of Alien but I can only assume it's the vacuum cleaner that causes that........ (I hope..........)

 

We finished off at the house today with about a minute to spare before the unpleasant landlord arrived. He seems to have cornered the market in officious aggressiveness, quoting bits of contract and peering suspiciously at the odd dandelion in the grass. He sacked the letting agents before the end of our contract so we had to hand back to him - not a good experience and I expect I haven't heard the last of him either as he's decided to retain my deposit for an unspecified reason. He'll write to me when he's 'had a think about it'. Elly hopes his mother loves him because his wife and mother-in-law don't seem to. (They came too)

 

Still, the boat is lovely if a little crowded. When we finally got back from the ritual humiliation heaped on my head by the landlord, I made a cup of coffee and sat in the cratch with the cover half up, feet resting on the gunnels. It was pleasantly warm and the book was good. Woke up half an hour later with wet socks and feet (third time today thanks to floor washing activities) and a faintly soggy book (I thought I'd re-read the Patrick O'Brian series as I've now found them all). Ellen was very grumpy after a nap so I dragged her out down the towpath to get some grub at Budgens (very nice bacon on the deli for those visiting BOA) and we watched a round, fat wren building a nest in the hedge and got muddy. Not much else seemed to matter anymore because we were content, and for a while, not worried by anything.

 

Back to the boat. We've still got a bit of work to do. Elly needs more shelves to accommodate more make-up and has taken to stroking pictures of washing machines in magazines. I did finally get the hint when she shoved the advert for a Miele machine in Waitrose magazine in front of my face just as I was starting the engine after the last major shopping expedition in Bath, shouting that it was sad that she dreamt of washing machines when she was only 17. I think there's a theme developing here. I did work out the dimensions for the twin-tub Canal Shop Man was advertising but realised it just won't squeeze round the shelves that face the u-shaped cooker, sink worktop area I have as it's just a fraction too wide. So tomorrow at Crick, I'll be looking for a smaller washing machine solution and trying to find some switchable halogens or, at the very least, some new VW tailgate bulbs as there seem to be a lot gone belly up on this boat at the moment. If you see me, say hello, I'll be looking distracted and Elly has the red hair and she'll be trying to organise me very loudly........

 

I will post some photos when I find the camera I promise! Now where is that bottle opener? I need BEEEERRRR! (whoops, came over all deputy Snibble then).

 

Regards, Jill

[Carrie]

Oh Jill - you've made it! I'm SO glad and happy for you. I really hope we see each other on our travels at some point.

I'm trying to mentally picture our 'stuff' on the boat and realising that yet another cull is needed

[Crazy Scheme]

Oh Jill - you've made it! I'm SO glad and happy for you. I really hope we see each other on our travels at some point.

I'm trying to mentally picture our 'stuff' on the boat and realising that yet another cull is needed

 

I've been 'culling' our stuff since last November - now at the 'hardcore' stage,where I've put big items of furniture on freecycle and we have had droves of people through the house picking stuff up. 13 days to go for us!!

[wrigglefingers]

Okay, update time ......

 

Things have been running quite smoothly. We've no washing machine which is a bore and rapidly building to a disaster area. How many clothes does a 17 year need and how come they're all dirty the instant they go on? (I've probably bored you with this one before....) I need to resolve this one and saw some really nice toploading machines in the Netherlands last week but at the moment we've no space so I'm thinking maybe I could get by with just a spin dryer. In the meantime, I'll just keep waddling down to the launderette in Trowbridge.

 

Well, I said things had been running smoothly and that was true until Saturday evening. Whilst I was in Holland, Ellen rang to say that we'd run out of gas. "No problem" I yelled down the 'phone cheerfully, "just switch over the supply switch and open up the new bottle". This done, we settled down to another three weeks or so of gas. I hazily thought I should replace the old bottle this weekend on our travels but y'know, it's hot, bottles are heavy ......... So it came as a bit of surprise when we ran out of gas again on Saturday. I had help to get the bottle in last time and so I think it might have been swopped to the new bottle at that point, thus leaving the remainder of the one being used as my spare. Still, no problem, we just cruise off and collect some on Sunday.

 

Then I realised the cabin lights were dimming rapidly. Changed over to candles and lanterns, swatted a few more mozzies and splashed in more wine. Astro-the-Cat returned from his rendezvous with his crew of ducks. They'd clearly been diving for fish off the jetty and it looked and smelt like Astro had joined them. He was soaked to the bone. He shook most of the water (and slime) off over Ellen and then went and lounged all over her duvet (did I mention the washing problem?). No water for teeth cleaning and the lav was looking suspect but hell, we'll get it all done in the morning. Except that, in the morning the starter battery was flat, really flat. My fault, we should go cruising more often. Still, never say die; on with the battery charger, stop for a chat and out with the lav.

 

The splashback was monumental - my own Glastonbury moment in the sluice room. Rather than wander past a now heaving pub clutching a Porta-Potti and covered in, y'know, stuff, I gave myself an inpromptu shower and presented myself as a candidate for Miss Wet T-shirt 1960 vintage (did I mention the washing problem?). Luckily, I walked back so slowly I was more or less dry by the time I got back to the boat. With electrics now kicked into life we edged out to the cut and set off to Hilperton. I'd like to say that Astro and Thea enjoyed their first cruise but as they'd hammered into the cupboard furthest away from the engine that would be difficult to assess.

 

We arrived at Hilperton, changed the gas (thanks Ken), turned the water over to calorifier and set off towards Semington. All was fabulous, apart from the twit who decided to moor his wide-beam just beyond the bridge-hole on a bend, opposite another wide-beam, start fishing then disappear inside for whatever, whilst leaving his rod fully extended. If you're reading this, you know who you are and I have no sympathy, you nearly put Ellen in the cut as she tried to lift your rod out of the way. The boat handled beautifully, the engine purred, the sun beat down and all was right with the world.

 

We returned to the marina, my nose now a very unbecoming magenta and the rest of me a rosy shade of lobster. (must buy a hat, must buy a hat). Elly woke up when I nudged the jetty support and scraped some paint off. We moored up and she came down to the business end for a peer at the engine. We did the usual things, stern gland, checked the water, peered at the closing pressure and engine temperature. She asked about the meters and switches; we discovered that the horn isn't working but the bilge pump is. Lots of clear water pumped out. Lots and lots and lots and lots. I know about a leaky side door but that's a drip, drip. The bilge was dry when I checked it in April with Rich-the-boat-engineer so I'm thinking leaky water pump or split pipe somewhere. Is it possible that it's caused by the calorifier or the connections to it? The water was cool and clean not hot or dirty. Looks like the floor will be up tonight - keep you posted.

 

Love, Jill

 

PS the lav is fine and cabin lights are working a treat!

[Moley]

I love your style of writing, sense of humour, and general attitude to life, the universe and everything, so I'm particularly enjoying this log.

Not much more I can add to that.

 

Thanks for another superb update,

so glad it all seems to be working out for you.

 

Mole.

[Keeping Up]

Great reading, Jill, and I'm so glad to see things are going well.

 

We use one of these pressurised hand-washers. Some of the camping shops and chandleries also sell them. As long as we don't try and overload it, it seems to work surprisingly well - and of course it uses NO electricity at all. It won't cope with great big items, but for underwear, T-shirts, and so on it's fine. Then we've also got a small spin dryer (which of course does use electricity); supplemented by the occasional visit to the laundrette it seems a good arrangement.

 

Keep on posting (and find that camera cable!)

 

Allan

 

(Edited for smelling mistooks)

Edited June 12, 2006 by Keeping Up

[alan_fincher]

Lots of clear water pumped out. Lots and lots and lots and lots. I know about a leaky side door but that's a drip, drip. The bilge was dry when I checked it in April with Rich-the-boat-engineer so I'm thinking leaky water pump or split pipe somewhere. Is it possible that it's caused by the calorifier or the connections to it? The water was cool and clean not hot or dirty. Looks like the floor will be up tonight - keep you posted.

Jill,

 

Always an entertaining read, your posts!......

 

Glastonbury moment indeed!....... I'm truly sympathetic, as I managed to do something similar, but on an altogether much grander scale ( ), when I worked on a cesspit emptying lorry as a vacation job as a student. (Don't ask, I could still have nightmares!....)

 

Unless I'm missing something, most fairly modern boats have a very clear division of effectively a dam between the cabin area of the bilge, and that in the engine-room.

 

So, if your water is in the engine room, (which is what I think you are saying), it is unlikely to have originated forward in the living area of your boat. (Or, if it has, then the level would have had to have risen sufficiently to go over the 'dam', and in many boats, it would be over the rearmost floors long before then).

 

Can you establish that under floor at the rear of your accomodation area is dry ? (It's worth cutting a hole in the floor you can shine a torch into, and if necessary get a wet and dry vac into, if nothing exists already - there have been previous threads on how best to achieve this .......).

 

My guess is that if your water is in the engine area, then it's from that kind of area it's originating, and not a lot further forward. (Unless of course I've mizzunderstood.....).

 

I'm very glad you are clearly enjoying yourselves, despite the odd moment of excitement......

 

Alan

[wrigglefingers]

Thanks for the link Alan; I've ordered one today and ordered a rinsing spin dryer from Curry's. Not as neat as Canal Shop Man's twin tub but that won't fit into my boat so it'll be reasonable compromise. Last night's washing got drenched in this morning's torrential thunderstorm so we start again tonight.

 

Water in the bilge problem. I thought there was no water in the engine'ole after I completed Daniel and others' suggestion about modifying the PRV. It's not actually clear where the bilge is pumping from, cabin or 'ole so I'm off to investigate both after I've heaved the large Dutch tent out of the way and found the big torch. It isn't likely to be from the SG as that is dammed too and the level hasn't really changed for months which is suspicious (she now thinks during the course of typing this) It could be collected rainwater from the weeks of torrential rain. Will post with findings. I have found the cable for the camera (Hurrah!) I've just put it down somewhere else for a moment. I will get organised, I will get organised, I will get organised.

 

Shep

 

PS it does tie in with all those Das Boot dreams I keep having and late breaking news ......... Astro is soaked again. Only we could have a cat who decides to hang out with the bad boy ducks ..........

Edited June 12, 2006 by wrigglefingers

[wrigglefingers]

Okay dokey

 

Update to the update. I checked the cabin bilge. No ballast but I can see the bilge floor and it's as dry as a dry thing. So the water is either coming from the engin'ole because the PRV modification work has failed or else rainwater is collecting somewhere and discharging to the bilge pump. I'll take another look in the engine'ole tonight if I get time. Off to see the ever-lovely Tim van Eyken this evening so will try very quickly after school. There will have been no rain since I emptied the bilge yesterday so that might give me a clue.

 

Astro eventually returned last night after going missing for a few hours and I worried about him drowning - silly really - he broke into the boat via the rear cover, battered at the rear doors until Elly let him in and then at some point destroyed a box of catnip he found in a partially closed kitchen cupboard door. He was lying on the kitchen floor totally stoned and dribbling gently when we left for school. Delinquent cat!

 

Jill

Edited June 13, 2006 by wrigglefingers

[DHutch]

Sounds like you having fun then...!

 

Still dosent sound like you've got the bottom of this bildge pump, and what water its pumping out of where.

- Where abouts on the hull is the water acctaully coming out then?

- Im i right in saying the bildge pump was switched off and it was when you switched it on that it discharged the water. Did it then stop running automaticaly? (ie, is it on a floatswitch as well)

 

 

Daniel

[wrigglefingers]

Sounds like you having fun then...!

 

Still dosent sound like you've got the bottom of this bildge pump, and what water its pumping out of where.

- Where abouts on the hull is the water acctaully coming out then?

- Im i right in saying the bildge pump was switched off and it was when you switched it on that it discharged the water. Did it then stop running automaticaly? (ie, is it on a floatswitch as well)

Daniel

 

No you're right Daniel, I haven't found the bottom of the bilge pump yet. The output is clearly on the cabin side of the bulkhead but I suspect that the pump lies at the bottom of the engine'ole. I need to get inside and go for a good rummage around. The bilge is manually operated but must have a floatswitch as it doesn't run when there doesn't appear to be water - it's a press button job. The thing that really confuses me is that there never seems to be any more water in the floor of the 'ole. I'm wondering whether I'm missing something here, another space or collecting point. Anyway, I expect it'll last until the weekend and then I can have a good shufty around. The boat goes into dry dock next week so we'll have a good look then.

 

Jill

[wrigglefingers]

Aye-up!

 

Further update for this week. The boat formerly known as NB Imagine has been in dry dock this week. THe chaps have been doing a fantastic job on the hull and she looks in really good shape with four new anodes and three coats of bitumen. Classic boxy hull (none of yer graceful tapering curves for this girl) and in good order, generally for a budget boat. The chines are not so hot due to the method of cutting the excess when the boat was made, but they'll last for quite a while yet. The rattly skeg isn't a rattly skeg at all but a rather utilitarian affair featuring a u-shaped lump of steel with the spindle (pintle?) rotating in a hole drilled in it. No bearing, still serviceable but rattly . The batteries have been boxed in and will be lidded today. All in all a good few days work.

 

We haven't been able to get the fridge sorted as I'll have to unpack the boat again but I can see a way of sorting this out in the future and while we're on a shoreline it's not too important. It's now in the correct place which has freed up a loat of space in the living cabin. We've discovered how quickly the fridge uses the batteries running off the inverter but with careful management like turning it off at night we should be able to manage until I sort out the excess stuff. Sorting out the redundant gas connection to the old fridge has been a bleeping nuisance though largely because I've only got a set of girly size spanners and nobody at my two local chandlers knows what size a standard gas pipe run on a boat is. Three visits so far have yielded the following; no connectors at all ('in next week, love'), wrong size ('I'm not sure, I'll have to ask Cliff but it's his day off') and no connectors again ('that's Cliff's job but he rang to say that he's not coming back for a bit'). I've now got a 5/16" fitting but it looks too short so it's off to Limekiln at the weekend to get some sensible advice.

 

The bilge problem is the calorifier again. One by one the connections are failing, causing the leakage into the bilge. I think I'll do better to re-seat all the connections and check that it's not moving on the mountings. It's horizontally mounted so any weakness in the seals is likely to cause seepage. It looks like my trusty roll of PTFE may come in handy again. It is now only leaking when the calorifier is in use and under pressure, although the PRV looks and feels fine. I may have to accept that it'll never be water-free and just get on with it, having a bit of a pump-out and mop-out every so often.

 

I've also repaired the shower drain pump, which was a bit of a victory for sheer dogged persistence. It was taking up to 25 minutes to drain the bath, which was a tad too long, not to mention damaging to the pump (which was new in August last). The cause was probably rather too much long gingery hair (she claims auburn!) going down the plughole and clogging the filter or the impeller. That reasoning entailed three attempts to clear out the pipework and find the filter owing to my total lack of patience and a really complicated bath panelling assembly. It was was solid with gunge when I eventually found it under the hand-basin. Having dismantled the bath unnecessarily, I then had to put it back together but now the bath pumps out in oooh seconds and I was very chuffed with myself.

 

It idin't last for long though, other problems now include a cooker with an oven burner that has one temperature (blistering hot) and the Rinnai water heater has started to play up by not igniting when the temperature dial is turned to anything less than scalding. I'll clean the jets on the Vanette this weekend. Any ideas about the Rinnai problem? The heater is well ventilated and the battery warning light is behaving as it should. If it's a clogged jet problem can I clean them out?

 

So then, a mixed bag of a week - I think I'm getting a bit frustrated with not being able to sort it all out really. I'll try to cheer up - at least Astro hasn't managed to dive into the mud in the dock yet, but he has destroyed another box of catnip and scattered his litter tray across the floor. Thea remains in hiding.

 

Jill

 

PS We have to rename the boat this evening as we both dislike her original name - should it be NB Violet May or NB Surprise?