All mine

I went up to Whilton at the weekend and the boat is now officially mine now.  I have the bill of sale and the BSS paperwork and they have all my money :(

I thought I'd take this opportunity to go and fill up with diesel.  This entailed motoring out of the marina and onto the canal for a couple of hundred meters.  I've not driven a narrowboat for over 20 years so I was a little nervous.  But it went ok with no bumping other boats.  The fun bit was reversing back into the marina, but this too was done without incident and I feel pretty pleased with myself.  Fingers crossed, next weekend will see her leaving Whilton for her new home.

Delay... Good!

The boat mover is booked for March 22nd and he is hoping to be at Salters Lode Lock on the 27th so as to be one of the first boats thru when it opens again.

I got a call from Whilton today saying that there is a problem with the Alde gas heater and they will need to order a spare part which will delay things for another week.  Good.  As long as it is done by the 22nd that's ok with me.  Until its finished, I don't have to pay for the mooring.  Haha.

I am currently investigating Reflecks stoves as they seem to offer a more convenient heat source for my life style.  I am thinking that when I get home from work, do I really want to be messing around with the previous day's ash and then waiting while the stove warms up.  No.  I like the idea of dropping in a fire lighter, waiting ten minutes, then turning the thing onto 'full'.

Big black bottom

Yesterday I braved the rain and went up to Falls Bridge Warf just outside Rugby to see the boat out of the water.  Whilton Marina have contracted the work out as I believe they have quite a backlog of work.  I am glad about this as it gave me the opportunity to get another opinion from someone not directly involved in the sale.  Rupert who runs the yard turns out to be a highly skilled welder who not only repairs boats but has built a few too as well as restoring classic cars.  Considering the boats age, he reckons its in pretty good shape.

The work involved grinding out the poor quality welds on a previous replate along the bottom of the swim and extending the plate about another foot forward.  I am no expert but the job looks well executed.

Out of the water, the dented right hand bow plates look a lot worse than they did when afloat but that is largely cosmetic.  More of a concern are the engine room vents which while high enough for the BSS are still too near the water for my peace of mind.  This is something I shall have to think about.

                        Overplate on bottom of the swim.

                       The big bronze thing.

Dented bow.

Engine intake.  A bit too close to the water for my liking.

Lock closed

I just found out that Salters Lode lock which joins the Middle Levels with the Great Ouse will be closed until 27th March.  So it doesnt look like I shall be able to get the boat back until then.

Still, I think I have found someone who is willing to do the trip for me and I think I am onto a suitable mooring too.

Boat Planning

With holiday over, it is time to concentrate on the boat.  I went to see it at the weekend armed with camera, tape measure and notepad.  Typically the camera died after three pictures so I had to rely on my sketches for information.

In total, the living space measures a fraction over 28 feet long.  Not huge but pretty good for a 45 foot boat.  It has a typical layout; from the back, bed, bathroom, kitchen, living room and I will stick with this arrangement.

There is a huge amount to be done when I finally get it back to home waters, but the basic structure is there.  One thing I have been thinking about is the heating/hot water system.  It currently has a SF stove with a back boiler running a calorifier and two rads and an Alde Comfort gas boiler which seems to be doing the same.  The standard of plumbing is not exactly great and will need to be replaced.  I am thinking of removing the SF stove from the system and using the Alde for hot water and maybe a towel rail in the bathroom.   I want things to be as simple as possible.

I want to reduce the length of the kitchen and am currently working on a design that fits everything into a 4' x4' L shape.  I am sure it can be done somehow!

All over

Yup its all over for another year.  Not a bad time was had at all.  Back to work, but only for a week as I am off to Fuerteventura next week to celebrate the big 50 in the sunshine.

Just checked in with Ryanair.  My companion and I have been given seats several rows apart.  Why? 

Keep meaning to go and visit the boat, but haven't been able to find the time.  Oh well, its not going anywhere so I'm not missing anything.  Once back from holiday, I can focus 100% on it.

I think this is it!

After months of searching, researching, looking and poking around in the bowels of many a damp and neglected bilge, I have finally made an offer on a boat.  Southern Star (to be renamed) is a 45' trad stern Narrowboat built in the late eighties.  I am guessing she was a hire boat and judging by the many dents in the bow, she was well used!

There is welding to be done on the counter where the steel work is a bit thin, but the survey showed most of the hull to be in pretty good shape for a 25 year old tub.  Originally built 6/5/4,
she still has 6mm-5.2mm with a few 1mm pits on the base plate and 5mm-4.6mm on the sides.

She also has a rather cute little Lister SR2.  The insides need a re-fit but that was always the plan anyway.  I know what I want and only I can do that.

Welding will be happening Jan/Feb so she should be home on the GT Ouse in early spring.