My boat has sunk in Kingston (1939 ww2 wooden motor cruiser)

[c c]

 

A blog would be a great Idea. Maybe you could call it "The boat that went down Fairstar, but came back up Doris"

Das Doris

[MtB]

There are plenty of 'man and van' waste disposal services around for not a lot of money. I think loading stuff like waterlogged mattresses and upholstery into a car is a first class way to ruin it (the car that is).

 

I think your time is better spent seeing to the engine and cleaning up the boat than running around rubbish dumps trying to find one to accept what you have.

 

MtB

[OldGoat]

If you want to have any street cred on the Thames (well you probably wouldn't want to associate with such folks anyway) then 'Doris' simply won't do....

 

After all she's a Chentleman's Launch, deserving of a name with some gravitas (look at some names on nearby 'white cruisers' and you'll see what I mean.

 

You never know - one day when you've rebuilt he to her previous glory, you might want to attend the TTBR (ask) and Doris doesn't mix with the likes of L'Orage and others.

 

Wharrabout "Marcus' Folly" with "Goose Poo Island" as the port of registry (what SWMBO calls the nearby island).

 

^{(now running for cover)}

[Marcus Warry]

Haha!

Oldgoat... You might have a point... But street cred is the least of my concerns right now!

Doris is a jaunty name... And I bet many a gentlemen has enjoyed a ride on Doris in the past... Ooh errr....

Mike, I think you have a point too... I'll investigate the man with a van option...

Peter x - thank you very much for your kind offer! The rubbish is really quite grimy, so a car wouldn't really work... Unless it was also suitably grime. Oh hang on a second. Like mine!

Thanks for the blog name suggestions too!

Mx

[CygnusV]

Hi Marcus

 

Well done with the lift, the crew that did the work and Basic Boat. I only noticed boat retrieval cover when I re-insured a few weeks ago. Excellent!

I've followed this thread from the start and am so pleased to read of the positive outcome. Our boat is 12 years newer than 'Doris to be' and you've given us all an idea of just how awful such a loss is.

All the very best for the future. Stu

[Grace and Favour]

I like the name Doris! There used to be couple who lived at Frinton who were called Horace and Doris Morris. Always made me smile!

[MtB]

If you want to have any street cred on the Thames (well you probably wouldn't want to associate with such folks anyway) then 'Doris' simply won't do....

 

After all she's a Chentleman's Launch, deserving of a name with some gravitas (look at some names on nearby 'white cruisers' and you'll see what I mean.

 

You never know - one day when you've rebuilt he to her previous glory, you might want to attend the TTBR (ask) and Doris doesn't mix with the likes of L'Orage and others.

 

Wharrabout "Marcus' Folly" with "Goose Poo Island" as the port of registry (what SWMBO calls the nearby island).

 

^{(now running for cover)}

 

Is that similar to a Gentleman's Launch', but different?

 

 

MtB

 

 

P.S. When on earth did that twatty term 'Gentleman's Launch' get invented? Last time I owned a wooden boat that's just what everyone called them. Wooden boats.

[frangar]

As the owner of a "Doris" I reckon it's a good boat name....nice and easy to say on VHF too!...there isn't too many of us on CRT waters anyhow.....although when walking in to a crowded pub it does go a bit quiet as someone shouts "Hello Doris" across the bar.....

 

Btw...well done on the refloat....it looks a lovely boat.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Charles]

The tender to Doris should be called Deoch!

[K&A Kev]

Hi Marcus,

Glad to see she is afloat, we came by last night on the way back from Reading.

If you need a hand with the engine I will gladly help you if you need it,

 

All the best

 

Kevin

[Galeomma]

Great news on the recovery - well done to all involved.

[Marcus Warry]

You're all legends. Thanks Kevin!

 

Richard... Sorry to sount like such a novice... Bit when you say the right of the engine... Is that tr same as the right of the boat? I.e. looking down the engine towards the bow?

 

You remember correctly, there is a pump there with a black handle (on the right, looking towards the bow)... I pumped a few times an dark almost black viscous fluid came out... So I stopped.. As I was expecting it to be water... Should I have carried on?

 

Presumably I should be collecting this and disposing it safely etc. I don't want to fill the bilge again with viscous smelly liquid... Will there be loads?!

 

Thanks for all your help!

 

Marcus

X

[RLWP]

Hmm, you seem to have oil in the sump. I was expecting the water to have floated it all out of the top

 

Yes, pump it out, collect it and dispose of it properly

 

Richard

[Arthur Brown]

Get as much oil out as you can, some of the additives that make the oil good can partition into an aqueous layer leaving a poor base oil that can't take the load. The oil and the (any) oily water go to an oil disposal place (council tip?). Fresh oil should be bought and held ready for Richard's instructions. Fresh diesel in a can would be good too, and it's unlikely that the battery will be any good, so a replacement battery some no-crode and some wd40 need to be there for Richard.

 

The diesel tanks can be investigated for fuel/water and the contents simply separated, and the diesel reused.

[Marcus Warry]

Thanks Arthur!

In light o the situation this might seem horribly premature... But...

Does anyone know where I can find pictures of boats that look like mine?! As I get intimately aquatinted with her during the clean up phase, I want to start thinking about colour schemes for Doris... So I can bring her back to her former glory... Inside and out...

I've tried before, but I'm yet to find a boat that looks exactly, or even nearly like mine?!

Mxxx

[junior]

As the owner of a "Doris" I reckon it's a good boat name....nice and easy to say on VHF too!...there isn't too many of us on CRT waters anyhow.....although when walking in to a crowded pub it does go a bit quiet as someone shouts "Hello Doris" across the bar.....

 

Btw...well done on the refloat....it looks a lovely boat.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

If your boat is called Doris then it must be you that's been moored up next to me for the last few days?

[MtB]

Get as much oil out as you can, some of the additives that make the oil good can partition into an aqueous layer leaving a poor base oil that can't take the load. The oil and the (any) oily water go to an oil disposal place (council tip?). Fresh oil should be bought and held ready for Richard's instructions. Fresh diesel in a can would be good too, and it's unlikely that the battery will be any good, so a replacement battery some no-crode and some wd40 need to be there for Richard.

 

The diesel tanks can be investigated for fuel/water and the contents simply separated, and the diesel reused.

 

 

What's 'no crode'? I've never heard of it and it sounds useful!

 

MtB

[OldGoat]

 

Is that similar to a Gentleman's Launch', but different?

 

 

MtB

 

 

P.S. When on earth did that twatty term 'Gentleman's Launch' get invented? Last time I owned a wooden boat that's just what everyone called them. Wooden boats.

 

'Twas just me having a tilt at some of the wooden slipper launches that are seen on the Thames but only during Henley (rowing) week. The rest of the year they languish under covers at yards like Wootens or perhaps Freebody's.

Many of the owners are really up their fundaments and ignore anyone else on the River.

 

That said, most owners of wooden cruisers are a pleasant and friendly lot, happy to wave back at you and engage in conversation as they work (or are worked) through the locks. That's the joy of the River - sort of like how the canals used to be.....

[Gert Lush]

 

 

What's 'no crode'? I've never heard of it and it sounds useful!

 

MtB

 

• holts no-crode kils battery corrosion

[RLWP]

it's unlikely that the battery will be any good

 

It is highly likely that the battery, or the isolator, or the starter motor will be missing a terminal!

 

Richard

[frangar]

If your boat is called Doris then it must be you that's been moored up next to me for the last few days?

It was!...didn't walk up towards you...doh!!..you went past early this morning...well early for us!...I have posted on your cruising diary thread!!

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[MtB]

 

It is highly likely that the battery, or the isolator, or the starter motor will be missing a terminal!

 

Richard

 

 

Why?

 

Ddin't you fix it on properly?

 

 

MtB

 

 

• holts no-crode kils battery corrosion

 

 

 

Ok fanx!

 

I've managed so far without it. seems like a solution to a non-problem to me!

 

 

MtB

[bizzard]

The boats that I've raised in the past have all lost starter terminals and any terminals that were live when immersed, all quickly corroded away to nothing by the water short circuiting them all to the hull or neg- connections.

[Marcus Warry]

Hello!

 

Here's today's quite beefy update!!

 

The engine & batteries:

 

I've pumped out 2 litres of filthy oil / water into a clear bottle... About 1/6th of it seemed to be water... With the smelly stuff floating on top.

 

I wonder what to do next?

 

The batteries in the engine room were new dual purpose batteries... I also had a leisure battery in the wheel house... So about £250 of batteries to try and salvage... So I'll be looking at your advice on this very carefully!

 

Keeping her afloat:

 

I now have a 12v bilge pump with automatic float switch set up, running off a leisure battery, kept charged by solar. I'm timing how long it takes between pumps... It's presently about 25 minutes... And then the bilge pump goes for about 50 seconds....

 

I'm keeping an eye on the time between pumps... As she starts to dry out, weigh less and sit higher in the water (like she used to)... I'm hoping the gap between pumps should get longer..

 

Tomorrow I'm going to collect the water pumped out, and measure how much it is! Then I can work out quite accurately how much water she takes on per hour....

 

Then as time progresses and as I make repairs (like the bow stem), and as she sits higher in the water... And I can see if this changes... Well, improves, hopefully!

 

Cleaning her up!!

 

I got my pressure washer working today. It's quite cool... What I've done is stick a little 12v pump in the Thames water... And then connected that through a normal hose into the pressure washer (as I don't have any taps nearby)... There is a filter to stop gunk getting into my machine...

 

Once I'd done all that, I didn't have much time to experiment... But I did spray on some special biodegradeadbale detergent on a patch... And then left a few minutes... And then put on high pressure to spray it off! It worked pretty well!

 

My washer is 175 bar... Which isn't nearly as strong as I was expecting. Especially after some on this forum said my boat might disintegrate if I used it!!! I'm pleasantly surprised by this... But I will carry on taking it steady, and making sure I don't do any damage....

 

That's it for today really!

 

I hope you are all well & thriving!

 

Marcus

X

[phill]

"Tomorrow I'm going to collect the water pumped out, and measure how much it is! Then I can work out quite accurately how much water she takes on per hour...."

 

Don't bother with this. It's absolutely useless information. There are two things you need to know about the pumping. One is the ratio of pumping time to non-pumping. At the moment it's not enormously comfortable. You need to stop some leaks. The other, more important, is whether this ratio is increasing or decreasing.

 

What size is your bilge pump? It's possible that sorting some leaks will increase when you deal with them. Especially if you have to stop them from inside when you pull out the crap.