Narrow Boat Welding?

[spaffmonkey]

We are based in a village called blisworth in Northamptonshire.

 

[Ashley Burton]

We are based in a village called blisworth in Northamptonshire.

I know it well!

That tunnel is a right experience

 

[spaffmonkey]

The boat was a cruiser style boat but we have converted it to a semi trad which has given owner a bit more storage. All new hand rails, new bulk heads, real rails doors. The list goes on.

 

[spaffmonkey]

I know it well!

That tunnel is a right experience

It sue is . It's definitely one of the wettest tunnels about. Last time I took my boat through I got completely drenched

 

[Ashley Burton]

It sue is . It's definitely one of the wettest tunnels about. Last time I took my boat through I got completely drenched

I never thought it was ever going to end...

Moved their boat from Milton Keynes to Thrapston, What a couple of days it was!

 

[spaffmonkey]

I never thought it was ever going to end...

Moved their boat from Milton Keynes to Thrapston, What a couple of days it was!

I've not taken a boat down through Northampton yet

 

[Ashley Burton]

I've not taken a boat down through Northampton yet

I wouldn't recommend it!

Several locks in one go before getting into Northampton, Then you have to get hold of a different license/key to access the River Nene

 

[Kent]

I sold a guy an ag spec perkins 6354 to go in a 60` narrow boat because his one had flood damage . He was having the effluent pumped out of the holding tank and the guy doing the job had inadvertently put the pump on discharge. They were chin wagging on the towpath when the pump changed note, the driver said that will be it then and went down to remove the suction hose only to find the boat half full of effluent A long drawn out legal battle ensued, an even lengthier complete strip out/refit

I dont think I would have wanted the boat back from the insurers

Bob

When you sink a barge the efluant comes out.. Actually done two sunk recovered jobs now. Its a **** job
I half fancy building them and nearly took a half share in it a yard but to be Frank it's big investment to do it right and a slow turn in cash
Done with it to be honest would help my mate out if he could not get anyone else but would just turn anything else away. Besides anything else I have changed my insurance and consentrated more in what I do best

 

[moose]

We live on our 64ft NB, have been asked by insurance companies couple of times to rescue boats, and in doing one rescue, we were buzzed by a Police helicopter, and stopped by a Police Sgt and two Constables, when asked what we were doing explained it was for the Insurance company etc and gave him a tel number of the Police who knew about why the boat had sunk and why it was being recovered, Sgt phoned the number muttering under his breath, spoke to someone and Sgt gave me back the piece of paper with tel number and said that was their incident room he had just called, they were the ones who had sent him!

People asked about the costs it varies for the size and length of the boat and will also be changing if it is a narrow beam (7ft) or wide beam. that would be for your boat licence, then you have the insurance, and if you are lucky a mooring, in and around London is super expensive, go up north, much cheaper.

Just had to buy 150lts of red diesel at 95pence per lt the tank will take 250lts (50 gals),so will have to go back and yes it was completely empty all but for 20lts I had put in from a jerry can. Found diesel heaters do not work when they run out of diesel, the take off for the diesel is at the same level as the take off for the engine!

 

[normspanners]

Just had to buy 150lts of red diesel at 95pence per lt the tank

hum wouldnt shout about that supposed to be white init? unless for generating

 

[spaffmonkey]

Narrowboats are still running red diesel but you have to say how much is for heating and how much is propulsion. Normally 60/40 split

 

[normspanners]

Lady asked for a few jobs to be done and has turned into a complete restoration.

nice job

 

[normspanners]

Narrowboats are still running red diesel but you have to say how much is for heating and how much is propulsion. Normally 60/40 split

Crazy situation, what about steam ie coal etc is there a tax on that ?
We were considering have the engine run a genny then a motor to drive the prop but went hydrostatic in the end so engine runs slow and the boat speed is varied hydraulically. The engine will still have a large genny on it at 1500 and compressor for charging the air tanks that run the air powered circulating pump for the central heating.

 

[moose]

hum wouldnt shout about that supposed to be white init? unless for generating

I declare 100% heating because that is what it is, hence the diesel heater, my boat does move but not far at the moment, in a Marina, I have to do an oil seal because we have not run the engine for a while!

 

[moose]

I declare 100% heating because that is what it is, hence the diesel heater, my boat does move but not far at the moment, in a Marina, I have to do an oil seal because we have not run the engine for a while!

Also should have added that nearly all the Marina's I know only sell red diesel, and the taxation rules for red diesel on boats I believe come I because of the EU!

 

[KemppiFrog]

Interesting thread... Last few days have had some e-mail exchanges with a friend about building a NB. I suggested ferrocement, as he had built a 34ft sailing boat in the 80s. The hull was mostly 3/4 > 1 inch thick. Very labour intensive and the plastering has to be done in one shot, to very good standards. He sailed it down to Portugal, just after finishing the rig. But due to tax reasons he had to leave before she was fitted out. So, no engine or any interior work. No electrics or self steering systems. Managed it in ten days non-stop on his own.. Sadly, he got run down by a freighter a couple of years ago, on his way back from Madeira. Glancing blow, but enough damage in bad weather to have to abandon ship. The ship did not stop, despite answering his radio call. Insurance would not pay out.

He fancies ply with concrete ballast. I would go steel. He rejected ferro cement as too much work to build the armature and not best suited to flat panels. The comments about Windboats are correct, they built many ferro hulls and there are planty of really big barges left over from the wars still about. I think that some of the Mulbery(sp) Harbour elements were ferro.
Interesting that Pete Greenfield's name came up. He runs a nice magazine called WaterCraft and has recently built a plywood boat. When asked about his Spray build recently, he had no idea where it was now.

 

[dannyp]

i think the best setup in boats now is genorator with heat recovery why warm the canal with engine coolant then burn diesel to heat the boat ?

then electric motor to run the prop as they really dont need much power at all

 

[KemppiFrog]

Hi Moose, are you on the Lea? The rules about red were very much from the EU. Around here, one pays pump price for diesel and the Belgium police are very tough on any red traces in yacht tanks. Fishing boats are OK and a mate with a big old pilot boat, used to just order up domestic heating fuel at 1000 ltrs a time. Nobody payed any attention. Half the price of white...

 

[spaffmonkey]

This is my little boat only had about 6 months now. It's all built out of aluminium 26ft long

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@spaffmonkey
Is that one of the old Ex "Sally Boats" day boats from the K&A?