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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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 Posted -
16/05/2007
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17:04
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Questions about this subject keep cropping up amid closely related topics, so I thought it may be a good idea to expand on the subject. I will not go on about my qualifications to discuss Canal Boats so lets just give it a go and see what transpires.
thomo
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tripps
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Posted - 13/06/2007 : 16:31
Cally, thanks for that response. I was a bit apprehensive about the posting, but I have just checked, and my ankles seem to be intact, - and it's a long time since I saw the word disinterested used correctly -wonderful, you have restored my faith in the site. Good luck, and keep Thomo close by. I think boat dealers are up there with second hand car and horse dealers.
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Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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Posted - 13/06/2007 : 18:33
quote:
I think boat dealers are up there with second hand car and horse dealers.
Tell me about it! I worked that one out fairly quickly!  One boatbuilder tried to convince me that rockwool was far superior to sprayfoam insulation. Another went to great lengths handcrafting wooden kitchen units (and thus charging a huge price for a 'quality' boat) yet used a shell from a company that would glue instead of welding or screwing if it thought it could get away with it. At least you could still make a consoling cuppa while your boat gently sank... They might take a look at me and think I'm a pushover - but little do they know that I've got the might of OGFB behind me and I've also read every webpage, book and magazine that mentions the word 'canal'. I've not met Thomo yet but I've rashly promised him a bottle of Tesco's Red for his invaluable advice. He's been a bit quiet lately. Where are you, lad? Stop all that chimney hugging and get thissel down t'cut.  I'll tell you how obsessed we've become: we hardly watch TV and just had a basic Sky package, choosing a mix that included Frasier repeats etc (great programme!). We've now swapped so that we get Discovery Realtime, which has programmes on rebuilding narrowboats, carpentry, DIY and all sorts of useful info. |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 14/06/2007 : 06:34
H, when you talk to Peter ask him about the bloke we had all the trouble with. He was awful but he knew what he was doing and bought a shell and fitted it out himself. If I was doing it I would buy the best shell I could afford and do the design and fitting out myself. This doesn't mean you have to do everything but use specialists for anything that is outside your abilities. If you were either in your house or in a living van next to the boat you take the time pressure off yourself and look on it as a large-scale hobby. You would be surprised how much you can do yourself and also you'll find a lot of people would give you a hand on a flexible time scale with no great commitment. What puts people off is the idea that they are going to get sucked back into full time work. Cultivate Peter and you might be surprised what he could come up with. The end result will be a sound boat full of your own mistakes.... far better than other people's paid for at top rate.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 14/06/2007 : 15:46
Now,Stanley, you must be talking about "Winston" the proud owner of "Red Admiral" Time served joiner, ex clerk of works and by trade at the time, Professional boatfitter, or at least from a woodwork point of view. And you are right, I dont mind helping a bit at all, I will also gladly go and have a look at a boat, but believe me now, if I say "no way" then I mean it and there is a lot of heavily disguised crap out there.
thomo |
Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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Posted - 14/06/2007 : 17:54
Ah, Thomo - you're back. Missed you lots We're now going in two different directions, both dictated by the fact that we haven't got a lot of money. On the one hand, we're looking for a good shell or a boat that needs a re-fit. Actually I'm quite keen on the idea of getting my hands dirty and tackling woodwork, plumbing etc. I think I could learn, especially if the offers of help come good. The problem is that to buy a shell and pay for materials/labour, we'd need a sum of money which we haven't got till we sell the house. If we sold the house we'd have nowhere to live (I need an Internet connection in order to work, so temporarily renting would be a problem). On t'other hand, we've seen GRP Norfolk Broads type cruisers such as the Aplhacraft 42 (42' x 12' 6") which can be quite luxuriously fitted out but a really top notch secondhand one would only cost around £50k - no major work necessary, therefore no bank loan. As much usable space as a steel narrowboat. Tempting. However, I'd prefer the first option if it were feasible, as they really look the biz - better 'canal cred'. |
Big Kev
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Posted - 14/06/2007 : 19:06
Have you been watching the re-runs of "Narrowboat" and "Houseboat" on the H&L channel, H? It looks reasonably straight forward. Bit of notching out on the back of some B&Q kitchen cabinets and away you go..........
Big Kev
It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always end up with the government. |
Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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Posted - 14/06/2007 : 22:07
Yes, BK - yesterday I changed our Sky package so we could get that channel.Guess what? The series ended tonight. Typical or what? The final programme mentioned an interesting point. It's more difficult to install things in a boat because you can't use a spirit level. I never thought of that! It would be just like me to be fixing a shelf just as another boat passed by and rocked the boat and I'd end up with it at an angle. (Mind you, I can also achieve that effect in a solid house quite easily...) |
Big Kev
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Posted - 15/06/2007 : 07:32
It's called "rustic" H. Nay worries without a spirit level, you just set out a datum line around the inside of the boat and then use a tape measure.........
Big Kev
It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always end up with the government. |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 15/06/2007 : 07:34
Spirit level is no problem H. What you do is have a datum line somewhere on the shell and adjust the level to register with that, everything will be on the same line then. Remember that with some designs of hull you might want to follow something like a curved window line.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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Posted - 15/06/2007 : 09:09
Thanks BK and SGS - you must have both posted at the same time. Datum line. Right. No probs. I'm learning all the time. |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 15/06/2007 : 16:02
H, getting a datum is the first rule in erecting big things like engines even if there is no problem with getting a level. A favourite trick of the old erectors was to have a sight board at each end of the space where you were going to do the work and mount two hooks in such a way that a wire stretched in between was dead level and was a centre line as well. The wire could be removed so as not to get in the way but replaced any time a measurement had to be checked. It meant that at any time you could have an accurate measurement for any dimension, height or centre.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 16/06/2007 : 18:11
Back with you shortly Cally, dont be alarmed, I look at this every day, but I have been extremely busy and my online time has been limited. Please do not commit yourselves before telling me.
thomo |
mutters
New Member
6 Posts
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Posted - 27/06/2007 : 23:45
hello again everyone, I'm back from my jaunts and still as determined as ever about my life-downsize-project, as it's come to be known! I am dividing up all my stuff into keep, storage and car-booty piles and preparing to sell the house and move somewhere where I can make more money while spending less on bills to help with the funds for a boat.
I definitely think calluna's right on the wide beam angle - those few feet down the length of a boat don't half make a difference!
Some questions - could someone explain the safety certs and suchlike in a bit more detail? And also - what are people's thoughts on transporting a barge down the country? If I found a boat I liked up here, but found a mooring on the southern canals - how much would I be looking at to transport it down the country - and what other things do I need to think about with such an endeavour?
Thanks for your help 
ps - don't worry that I'm rushing into anything - it's still going to take AGES and i'm only getting rid of things I really really don't need 
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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 28/06/2007 : 07:40
Talk to any large haulage contractor and they will give you a quote or point you at people who can do the job. You're not into weight restrictions, just a big lump. If you shop around you'll be surprised how competitive the quotes are. Let them hire the cranes, they'll get them cheaper. Make sure that both lifts are insured separately from the insurance covering the boat in transit. If a long trip two crane hire firms will be involved so get each of them to insure the lift. It's not expensive insurance and well worth it if someone slips up.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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Posted - 28/06/2007 : 08:57
Hi MuttersI can't believe how similar your post is to my situation. I could have written your last one myself! You're looking at a minimum of £1500 to transport a boat by road, including cranage (or 'carnage' as one brochure had it - hopefully a typo...) Another way is to engage the services of a boat mover - someone who's usually retired and who will sail your boat anywhere for you, but of course if you're going North to South there's the small matter of locks width through the Midlands. It's such a pity the country's canal system isn't 'joined up'. I bought the Nicholson Boating Handbook by Emrhys Barrell which explains loads of things (like safety certs) and gives detailed info on getting afloat. I can thoroughly recommend it: Publisher: Nicholson/HarperCollins 2007
ISBN 10 0-00-721957-1
ISBN 13 978-0-00-721957-5 We also watch Water World, Locks & Quays and various other boat programmes on Sky - Discovery Real Time Extra, I think. This gives lots of insights into building and living on a boat, together with fascinating historical details. We've decided to spend our holidays camping round the Norfolk area this summer. I've never been to the Broads and I'd like to see a Broads Cruiser in action. We'll also pop into Braunston to check out the marina there - apparently it's THE place to buy & sell boats. However, we'll make a point of leaving credit cards and chequebooks at home so we're not tempted into an impulse buy! Still on the lookout for a widebeam barge steel hull - minimum 10' wide, preferably 12' but no wider. |
Canal Boat Corner
