Fibreglass boat refit

[W+T]

2 hours ago, manxmike said:

Excellent, photos if possible please!

You will have no chance of that. The elusive bath tub has yet to be seen.

9 hours ago, manxmike said:

Hi Wayne,

That's a very kind offer if it doesn't put you out too much. I will have to let the Marina know that you are coming - and when -  so they can let you have the key. They are only open on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and close between 12.30 and 1.30 for lunch. I'm not sure about their hours over Christmas.

Let me know and I will give them a ring to expect you!

Jocave - Are you moored at Moonsbridge? I did meet a couple of lovely people moored there (why are boat owners so nice?) are you one of them?

 

Once again my faith in humanity is restored, especially when it comes to canal users. I continually run across people who are prepared to help others, even people they have never met before and not just at Christmas!

No problem at all, i will PM you and sort details out

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, thebfg said:

Hahaha. Trying to get pictures out òf peterboat is harder than rock stone into gold.

You said it kida lol.

[thebfg]

We can' be too harsh. There is one video.

[W+T]

Just now, thebfg said:

We can' be too harsh. There is one video.

Ah yes the eletricery one

[W+T]

Did you get my PM Mike ? 

[manxmike]

Hi Wayne, yes I did. I'll respond now!

 

Happy New Year to all our readers

[Mad Harold]

On 19/12/2017 at 15:55, manxmike said:

Does anyone have dimensions or even better a scale plan of the interior of a Norman 27 cc? While I'm here on the Isle of Man and unable to pop down to the boat it would be great to do some advance planning and actual measurements would be handy.

Google N.B.A.S. [Norman boat appreciation society] You will find tons of information on Norman boats.

[Mad Harold]

Just now, Furness said:

Google N.B.A.S. [Norman boat appreciation society] You will find tons of information on Norman boats.

Have just been on NBAS cos I used to have a Norman,and still have a soft spot for them,and I noted that you  know about it already.

Apologies.

[manxmike]

Well, I have made a good start on the refurbishment. Having stripped out the old floor, kitchen etc, I found two pin hole leaks in the hull under the water line which is why the hull had always got two inches of water in!

Holes sealed and the hull cleaned - amazed that a previous owner had simply put attic flooring panels on top of a wet, rotten floor.

The original flooring that rotted and was then covered

Next, strip out the kitchen "units" and the seating together with the associated platform.

               

The same with the odd little shelf in the bows. So far I have managed to take seven full loads of rotten timber to the tip - my car is a mark 1 Honda CRV and has a lot of space in the back.

After a break of a few months due to an extended period in Egypt back to the boat for a ten day period. Thanks to my daughter and her family for putting up with me for that long!

Starting in the bow, I have panelled in the wasted space

Then I panelled the area under the side pockets and have given it all a first coat of undercoat

Moving towards the stern, I have built in new kitchen units (yet to be finished), opposite them I put in a raised platform with two seats (cupboards under), new 12mm water resistant ply flooring on 2" square struts and a full height wardrobe (originally it was a narrow half height with a tiny shelf on top).

Flooring going in with the seating platform.

Wardrobe to the right, toilet room to the left

The kitchen with sink, oven, rings and grill and fridge in place but not connected.

At this point I came to the end of my 10 day jaunt. With an impending house move in the next month, it looks like everything goes on hold once again until the end of June at the earliest. In the meantime I have had the engine serviced (last time was in 2013) replaced the "morse" control unit as there was no key for the old one (since discovered that replacement keys are readily available (doh!))

When I do come back I need to completely re-wire the boat, it had an interesting mix of bell wire, speaker wire and mains wire, none of which was routed through the fuse panel, I need to add a second battery together with the charging system. I still have to try and figure out some way of getting a shower on board - that will need a shower tray with associated pump etc at a level enabling us to stand upright, as well as with some method of heating water. There was originally a gas water heater in the kitchen and the roof vent is still in place. Anyone have a water heater in reasonable nick going cheap?

I have the roof lining (vinyl) ready to be attached in an effort to reduce condensation and carpeting needs to be sourced. New cushions and covers are a necessity. I have managed to seal most of the window leaks, with the exception of the front hatch which has a very annoying drip. I will have to make a cover for the hatch which seems a common idea, in the meantime a bucket helps!

In the process I have met (and contacted) some lovely people, not least Wayne and his lovely long suffering wife. The other moorers on the Marina have all been fascinated by my progress (or lack thereof) and have offered help, advice and all manner of items from electrical connectors to their pram hood that they're replacing next year.

I must admit I'm looking forward to my next visit, as, with a working engine, I can actually take the boat out on the canal.

If anyone is thinking of refurbishing an older boat my advice would be GO FOR IT! It's fun (sometimes frustrating) and rewarding as you can see the improvement happening. There's a sense of pride knowing I've made it happen and at the end of the day the boat should be worth more than I originally paid for it.

I will update as more things happen.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by manxmike
Remove spurious pictures

[Canal321]

Great update thanks, I enjoyed reading it. Good luck with everything !

 

ETA , why not get this moved to 'build blogs' then it won't slip away out of sight? Just a thought.  

Edited May 6, 2018 by Canal321

[manxmike]

Good thought, no sooner suggested than done!

Thanks