- Thread starter Drains
- Start date
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Quite right Paul. He's been there all the way through, every day. Never done a stroke of work, the lazy bugger, but god bless him, he's patient.
Yeah, white thread like fronds under plaster leading to a fluffy whiteish fruiting body. We had it in our house when we bought it. If in doubt you've done the right thing by dousing it.
- Messages
- 6,331
Right going to ask some sensible questions for a change to satisfy a curiosty.
Did you work from plans? If so was it a tried and tested design or did you just wing it and have a dabble with 3d cad.
How long has the job taken?
Can me and mrs cat come for a p**s up on it when its finished always wanted a trip to Edinburgh Il bring a couple of sixpacks
Did you work from plans? If so was it a tried and tested design or did you just wing it and have a dabble with 3d cad.
How long has the job taken?
Can me and mrs cat come for a p**s up on it when its finished always wanted a trip to Edinburgh Il bring a couple of sixpacks
Ratty
Putting the She in Sheds
- Messages
- 1,775
Thanks Lippy, I did a google in the early hours (cleaning floor till 3am
anyone want to buy half a feed bag of 100 years of dust? ) and decided it probably wasn't and floor man thought not too, more like wet rot, so hopefully will have no further problems.
Shug's going for the le bateau look I see 
Its a small world but I wouldnt want to paint it, and Im bloody glad I dont have to paint anything as big as that boat too!
Looking brilliant, I bet nobody will believe you when you say "oh the boat, I made it from sheets of metal", the real question is whats next now its finished?
Its a small world but I wouldnt want to paint it, and Im bloody glad I dont have to paint anything as big as that boat too!
Looking brilliant, I bet nobody will believe you when you say "oh the boat, I made it from sheets of metal", the real question is whats next now its finished?
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Give that man a banana! Dead on the money Shug, well detected!
Quote in the post...
Right mate, well, the kit, for that's what it was, was an off the peg number, designed by a bunch called Branson Boat Design, who are here
It was cut by another bunch in Borth, mid Wales, called Steelkit.com, whose website is offline unfortunately. They build boats too. They have loads of boat designs, trawlers, workboats, houseboats, you name it.
The kit consisted of all the plate steel required for the basic hull (8 tonnes). I had to supply all angle, flat, tube, d-sec'n etc etc , plus any additional plate required for tanks etc. (about a tonne in all).
Also included were all plans, weldments and other steel req's.
That was it.
So I have had to totally design everything else, eg internal fitout, elec installation, engine installation, all timberwork, painting schedule, windows/portholes, gas installation, shower room, galley, etc.
And my what a learning curve i've been on, i'll tell you!
If I were doing it again there are one or two(!!!!!) things i'd do differently:-
I'd have the internals done by a marine architect, working to my spec. Would save so much fannying about. I can work to plans, nae bother, but i've had to teach myself LOADS on this, and do far too many jobs twice.
I'd use MMA much more than MIG. My problem was I had loads of MIG experience and no MMA so I went with what I knew. And spent days moving scaffolding and tarps around to protect my gas shield. What a waste of time!
Finally... i'd do it under cover, and ideally i'd have the money to employ someone. Doing heavy sheet (most of the boat is 6mm plate, plates up to 1/2 tonne)) on your own, without crane or forklift, tacking, being on both sides of a plate at once.... almost impossible and takes far more than twice the time two people could do it in.
But i've done it all on a shoestring, so I've done it on me own.
How long? Four and a half years, so far. I had NO IDEA it would take so long, really. The hull took under a year. The fitout takes forever.
I've paid for it by working... I don't look for work unless i'm skint. I never turn away work that looks for me. Otherwise I work on the boat. I don't go to pubs anymore, I drive a 1990 Hilux and have holes in me boots.
But I have got a bloody big boat!
You and Mrs Snowcat are more than welcome. I'll let you know when we're afloat. But you might have to be quick as I've got to sell the thing.. we have plans for the money (well Mme Drains does anyway!)
House.....
ps - Snowcat... you did ask
i'm rewriting War and Peace next week 
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Cheers Alex
Price per cube, don't know, (edit:- £28/cube for 2" tk boards from John Boddy timber. £90 delivery. Ouch) but pretty reasonable I believe, compared to most other decent hardwoods - i'm waiting for prices.
Don't know Gilmore Aitken. Got a number? I'm getting prices from Englandshire at the mo. Need to check out Grangemouth and Bo'ness too.
I've a pal with a workshop out at East Fortune airfield. All the kit - saws, planer, spindle, morticer, tennoner etc. Should take a couple of weeks as long as I get into the swing of it. With a bit of planning and decent drawings it should be ok.
Last edited:
Shug
Member
- Messages
- 269
Well, I should confess I stay in Newhaven and recognised the building in background, so yer bananas safe
On the wood front, I dunno if either these folks would be of help to you:
http://www.falkirkwood.co.uk/
http://www.lanarkshirehardwoods.co.uk/
On the wood front, I dunno if either these folks would be of help to you:
http://www.falkirkwood.co.uk/
http://www.lanarkshirehardwoods.co.uk/
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Nice one Shug. Thanks for the urls. tbh, I know Lanarkshire Hardwoods - I don't think he'd stock Iroko, and he's far too expensive - last place i'd go!
I'll check out falkirkwood though. Cheers!
(btw, We've got two "lovely" apartment blocks now... how are you finding the View over Leith West Harbour?....)
Baxter, of Lanarkshire Hardwoods, was selling offcuts at the Treefest, Inverleith park, last weekend. People were paying, like £20 for odd, thin, unstable, cracked planks I would throw in the scrap bin! Really, money for old rope!
Hug a tree today.
I'll check out falkirkwood though. Cheers!
(btw, We've got two "lovely" apartment blocks now... how are you finding the View over Leith West Harbour?....)
Baxter, of Lanarkshire Hardwoods, was selling offcuts at the Treefest, Inverleith park, last weekend. People were paying, like £20 for odd, thin, unstable, cracked planks I would throw in the scrap bin! Really, money for old rope!
Hug a tree today.
Shug
Member
- Messages
- 269
I get a view of the end of the ocean terminal, and if I stretch, arthurs seat!
Fancy a boat myself (stick it in newhaven harbour ) but I can't really weld very well, and I can't sail!
I guess folk buy up the wood cos its not the kind of stuff you get in b&q and most folk have no idea where to get it.
Fancy a boat myself (stick it in newhaven harbour
) but I can't really weld very well, and I can't sail!I guess folk buy up the wood cos its not the kind of stuff you get in b&q and most folk have no idea where to get it.
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
You're quite right. It was all pretty timber - yew and spalted stuff and other lovelies, and there is nowhere to buy stuff like that. I have a jaundiced view as an occasional joiner I suppose, but people were looking very happy with their purchases so who am I to pass judgement?
- Messages
- 6,331
Oh yes a couple more questions to add to war and peace,
Did she come in rougthly on budget, and how much does a boat like that sell for.
Is it just standard LCMs ie EN1A or something similar or is the plate a speced grade when I patch cargo ships a surveyer will come aboard and tell me what grade of plate to use.
When she going in the water?
...........
phew think thats all for now have a bit of a fasination for boats.
Did she come in rougthly on budget, and how much does a boat like that sell for.
Is it just standard LCMs ie EN1A or something similar or is the plate a speced grade when I patch cargo ships a surveyer will come aboard and tell me what grade of plate to use.
When she going in the water?
...........
phew think thats all for now have a bit of a fasination for boats.
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Budget????
I have no idea what you're on about
Price.... I've seen a boat - same hull as mine, exactly, and a top quality fit out, apparently, asking £130K. I'm not looking at that, more like £90k, but needs a valuation. Put it this way, a wide beam narrowboat style boat, same size as mine, with a reasonable fitout, but not able to cruise for more than a day or two... £60k.
To buy the bare hull on mine, over £30k.
The plate is Lloyds graded EN43A. The bar and tube stock I bought isn't.
I'm hoping she'll go in the water in August, but as ever, I need to pull me finger out! Still won't be finished though. Lots of little jobs... wood trim inside, fit the woodburner, some storage in main cabin. Nothing major though.
Last edited by a moderator:
