Drains
Yeah, nah.
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- Sefton, South Island, NZ
I could make a comment about Si being full of .........,but im not like that!
Careful Joe... I can give as good as I get!
- Thread starter Drains
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Careful Joe... I can give as good as I get!
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
You can be Kate
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- UK
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Fantastic Si, what a project - you must be walking on air. Congratulations mate
I've done most of it! Handmade oak kitchen, very tidy bathroom in afromosia.... Just a bit of trim to fit now, and I might get round to some fitted cupboards n ting eventually. The boat's big enough (apart from the aft cabin) to take normal furniture, none of that narrowboat squeezy malarky
As far as walking on air... not yet, it's not finished! Still a few hundred hours of work to go Ratty, so i'm not counting my chickens!
And i've got to make and fit the wheelhouse and 4 windows, and BigJoe's got to glaze them for me! (sorry Joe, did I forget to mention that?
)
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
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- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Yep, all my own work Al.
I see you have detected the flaw in my plan... My decision to go widebeam was based on the width of the Scottish canals, which take 12.5 ft or more. Many of the English canals are wide, or being widened (or were planned to be before the Iraq war took the dosh).
List of canals and widths at http://www.barging.co.uk/ukcruising.htm
I just thought why have a narrowboat, when I could have something largish and comfortable, which could be treated more like a small house than a long, thin caravan.
Stability wise, this boat could manage an RCD category C, even a B, which is anything but open ocean. It will be Cat D because I can certify it myself, rather than paying more than I can afford for an outside agency to do it.
Really, this boat would suit the European canal and river system best, and would be ideal for months of cruising over there. Maybe it'll end up there one day!
I imagine my biggest regret will be selling the thing, which I have to do. I don't need a houseboat now, and I certainly can't afford to keep such a luxury. But i'd love to put the money into building another one. Not sure Drainetta sees things from my point of view though....
Im impressed.
I have had moments of madness when I have thought about building a narrowboat. I even costed it out once. At the time it was cheaper to buy a ready built hull than I could buy the steel but I never got the the bottom of that one.
I had a motor boat on the Trent for a few years but that couldnt go far so it got a bit boring.
I often walk along the canal banks and one of them is a wide canal. I have seen some widebeam narrowboats (you know what I mean) and Ive always wondered what happens if they meet travelling in opposite directions. They cant get past each other so one has to reverse back to a "winding hole" but it could be a long way. Who decides which one reverses or am I missing something.
I have had moments of madness when I have thought about building a narrowboat. I even costed it out once. At the time it was cheaper to buy a ready built hull than I could buy the steel but I never got the the bottom of that one.
I had a motor boat on the Trent for a few years but that couldnt go far so it got a bit boring.
I often walk along the canal banks and one of them is a wide canal. I have seen some widebeam narrowboats (you know what I mean) and Ive always wondered what happens if they meet travelling in opposite directions. They cant get past each other so one has to reverse back to a "winding hole" but it could be a long way. Who decides which one reverses or am I missing something.
Drains
Yeah, nah.
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- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
Ha. Thanks Al. I must say it is very pleasant basking in the praise of others (and all who offer it are well thanked), however the truth is this project was taken on through ignorance (and a perceived necessity), and continued with nothing but dogged determination (or something like that), and possibly stupidity.
I am fortunate in having been trained in fab and welding as well as cabinetmaking and joinery. I also know how to live like a pauper and have a very tolerant girlfriend who expects me to do my bit, but not always pay my way.
The skill level for this kind of project isn't too high. It's more working out ways around problems such as handling 1/2 tonne, 6m long plates with nothing but a 1 tonne block and some bits of scaff... Everything takes sooo long, but you just have to keep plugging on.
I am told that projects like this, more often than not, end up being sold on as the originator loses interest or runs out of money. I never considered giving up, although it has really been a struggle at times to see progress. Fitting out is so fiddly and thankless, whereas banging together plates and welding them up is a very satisfactory doddle.
Anyway, i'm almost there, but not quite. So you'll have to excuse me, cos i'm off to do at bit more right now!
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I had this idea a few years ago that I might build a hull or two and sell them on we have a couple of marina's a stones through away, however i think it was just one of those thinking out loud ideas, and a mate of mine pointed out that when i tell a customer tommorow it normaly means sometime within the next six months, so takeing on something like that would mean about a five year waiting list, So fair play at makeing the time and keeping motivated.
Soo what yer going to build next then? Or are you retireing and off to tropical climbs with the cash you've made.
Soo what yer going to build next then? Or are you retireing and off to tropical climbs with the cash you've made.
Drains
Yeah, nah.
- Messages
- 7,718
- Location
- Sefton, South Island, NZ
- Messages
- 6,331
they've made a nice job of that hull, I thought it was only small but then you see the pic of it on the lowloader. So thats the next job eh, not sure my first one would come out looking like that!!
) 