We seem to be stretching out in both directions at the moment, on the one hand we've got our mobile internet sorted onboard, very 21st Century of us - on the other hand we've got no running water! Which drags our waterways profile back a hundred years or so! Which isn't proving to be a problem, slightly inconvenient perhaps but no problem. We're passing water taps on a regular basis, so with our four water carriers (25L, 15L x2, 10L) in hand we can easily gather enough water to see us through.
Our trouble with the alternator belts has continued, but we've got it figured out now, this isn't an engine you can leave for weeks on end and forget about! Which is great for learning. The latest diagnosis is that at least one of the bolts maintaining tension on the starter alternator is not doing its job properly. I tighten it up, it runs fine, we stop for an hour (or less) and the belt starts screeching on start-up again... Luckily we've got the art of removing the steel steps in the stern down to a fine art with both of us hauling on particular corners at certain angles! Luckily, being an ex-hire boat, Wils has plenty of room in the stern, making engine access very (okay, reasonably) easy.
Having checked the transmission oil for the first time a few days ago and found it to be rather low, we bought a generic transmission oil, and now I don't know whether or not it can be mixed with the stuff that's already in there... Waiting for the opinions of the wonderful lot over at Just Canals on that front!
Interior painting continues, most of the red and white in the saloon is done, and the panels in the Grand Hallway are primed and ready for colour...
We've made some excellent progress on removing the rust in the stern. We got the lid off the water tank in the bow and discovered the most disgusting sight... So we sponged out the remaining water and it's had a very good chance to dry out since then with all the sun we've got right now... It's clear why the tap water was coming out brown! Good thing we've never used it. So we're trying to work out what the best thing to do would be - do we apply a bitumin based paint and use the tank as it stands OR do we investigate having a stainless steel tank custom built and fitted? Sounds expensive to me... We'll see.
Our first pumpout at Yardley Wharf (where I grew up! Well, not the wharf itself but the village above it) proved that the access hole in the starboard side does not connect to the pumpout tank... That would be the hole on the other side, the one MARKED PUMPOUT. :D So some nifty manouverings had us spun around the right way to get poo pumped. Also filled up with diesel and declared 60/40 split.
Yet ANOTHER trip to Halfords and B&Q had us buying an enormous tarp, which has helped to keep the rainwater off the stern, where the boards are in poor condition. Yup, that's another job for the list...
We've got plans for tearing out the wardrobe setup in the bedroom, not to mention the 7ft or so of table and the sink (in the bedroom?!) to make room for an effective use of space!!
---------
1st May 2009:
Didn't get around to posting the last entry, so here's two together, latest news is:
Currently in Cosgrove, we had our first diesel fill-up from the working boat this morning, and spoke to the folks running fenders/ropework/rag rugs/BW Warden(ing), who are moored a short walk up from us. Seems like it's possible to buy all the diesel/gas/coal you could want from the small companies still working on the canal, which is great since it keeps trade on the canal and keeps the workboats from becoming transformed into fully fitted floating apartments for weekend use... Nah, I don't really have a problem with weekenders, but I might in a couple of days, this being a bank holiday weekend, we're prepared for rough seas! :D I just love the old workboats truth be told...
The only issue was that because the 13KG gas bottles are far more common than the 6KG bottles, we haven't been able to get hold of refills for the gas yet, and it's becoming more and more apparent WHY nobody has 6KG bottles out here... They tend to retail at about £15 for 6KG, about £20 for 13KG and an even better rate for the HUGE bottles. Note to self, perform proper research before a marina does ANYTHING!! The boatman's cat calmed us down by making our roof his home for half an hour or so...
The gas locker is not big enough to hold 13KG bottles, so unless we want to spend some time with an angle grinder and a cutting disc, we're stuck with 6KG bottles. Which isn't a disaster because we're only using the gas for cooking on from now on. We haven't had the heating on for more than an hour or so since that first week when we ate through a bottle in about 5 days... Summer is cheap!
Exciting progress yesterday as we began our first attempt at homebrewing onboard! The demijohns may be relatively small but they're both bubbling away furiously! We should be able to sample the finished product, in the region of 12 pints if all goes well, in about 2-3 weeks time and we've got the fun of bottling before then.
It's a stunningly beautiful May Day here in sunny Cosgrove! We're going to plant our veg and salad seeds this afternoon and hopefully get into the woods at some point to forage something delicious... I would post a few photos but our connection is not great, so that'll have to wait! We may not have seen much of the canal system yet but this is one of the spaces I could probably be persuaded to moor up at for a few months... Only not yet!
Toby.
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Sunday, 12 April 2009
We're On!
What a fortnight!!
What follows will not be a coherent chronological sequence of events, but rather an avalanche of recollection:
In our first two weeks onboard we've had a vertical learning curve to get to grips with, we knew the engine was a slow starter but we figured that having just had a service she would hold out for a little while, giving us time to get up to speed on the general maintenance of our beloved chunk of BMC. How foolish we were! The very day after leaving Weltonfield she was having none of it and simply would not start so we promptly joined River Canal Rescue and were visited that afternoon by Jim who pointed out the madness of trying to turn over a slow-starting engine using a 110a/h leisure battery alone. Now we know how to jump the starter battery from the leisures, using a windlass if need be, though I think it was the helpful boater moored up next to us a week ago that taught us the windlass trick... Jim got us going again, advising that we buy an 800a/h starter battery, which we have since done and installed.
That was not the last we saw of RCR, we had got as far as Stoke Bruerne, successfully negotiating Blisworth tunnel, aware as we went through of the screeching sound that was beginning to creep into the engine tone... Opening up the engine bay later revealed the black rubbery dust of shorn alternator belts, not good. Attempts to replace/tension the belts were stressful, believing that we needed more tension than we could achieve by hand/hammer handle/mooring pin. RCR arrived and revealed that the day's cruising we'd had under the belts we'd tensioned ourselves had been not too loose but too tight. Now we know the correct tension and running the engine this evening revealed minimal screeching, so a little tinkering with tensions is required tomorrow. RCR also advised that the reason she's a slow starter might be down to old glow plugs that need replacing, or even that we might be losing compression due to pitted valve seats, which is not a particularly easy or quick job to fix, and is certainly out of our capability for now.
When Jem went to wash her hair the other day it was discovered that the shower pump was barely functioning. Having moored up beside a great pair of characters, Phil and Sue, who are cruising in convoy on Black Rose and The River Gypsy, we had bucketloads of advice which we promptly scribbled down! They recommended we check the filter in the line that leads from the base of the shower tray to an exit point in the side of the hull. An hour's awkward fumbling around under the shower led to the removal of a small mountain of gunk and hair! Ain't boatin' bootiful?! So this evening marked my first hot shower onboard! Which felt seriously GOOD!
The issue with the water tank goes on, we're waiting for a spell of dry weather which should allow us sufficient time to get the hatch off, sponge out remaining water, remove as much of the rust as we can, paint liberally with bitumastic paint, wait to dry and refill with water! Then hopefully we will have water that doesn't come out of the taps a horrid red/brown colour. Good thing we bought those plastic water tanks for the time being...
Painting has begun on the interior too, cream and volcano red! It might be a small space but it's fiddly, Jem is mastering the cutting in so we'll have it done in no time! I can't wait to remove the corner cupboard in the saloon and start building the surround for the stove.
We're becoming grandmasters at Escape from Colditz the board game, and our first foray into hand washing onboard was a success, we tested out our newly acquired copper posser and the 'washball' device that was onboard before we were. Both were successful, though the posser's Victorian charm won me over as the more satisfying method. Drying clothes has been the real challenge however, and our search for a mangle begins now!
We have no way to monitor how much fuel we have left, so I think the next couple of days will see us getting our first pumpout and diesel fill. Our first filling up with water was a success, if a slightly soggy success! And now we know that taps covered in BW security boxes require a hose pipe, so mooring up miles and miles from the water point then arriving plastic containers in hand (sans hose pipe) will lead to much cursing and a trudge back to the boat for the pipe! Boaters be ye warned...
We keep telling ourselves that had we bought a boat in better condition, we'd not be learning half as much about how they tick, and, taking the water tank as an example, once we have clean running water and a new drinking water filter, it'll seem like absolute luxury! And as for the shower, they seem to have installed a cunning device specifically for reducing the inevitable discomfort of stepping from a conventional shower into a colder bathroom - it actually reduces the temperature of the water in the shower so that when you step out there's no discomfort at all! SPACE-AGE OR WHAT?! :)
This Easter weekend we're hoping to get our mobile broadband sorted, and tick off a few more items on the ongoing shopping list...
What follows will not be a coherent chronological sequence of events, but rather an avalanche of recollection:
In our first two weeks onboard we've had a vertical learning curve to get to grips with, we knew the engine was a slow starter but we figured that having just had a service she would hold out for a little while, giving us time to get up to speed on the general maintenance of our beloved chunk of BMC. How foolish we were! The very day after leaving Weltonfield she was having none of it and simply would not start so we promptly joined River Canal Rescue and were visited that afternoon by Jim who pointed out the madness of trying to turn over a slow-starting engine using a 110a/h leisure battery alone. Now we know how to jump the starter battery from the leisures, using a windlass if need be, though I think it was the helpful boater moored up next to us a week ago that taught us the windlass trick... Jim got us going again, advising that we buy an 800a/h starter battery, which we have since done and installed.
That was not the last we saw of RCR, we had got as far as Stoke Bruerne, successfully negotiating Blisworth tunnel, aware as we went through of the screeching sound that was beginning to creep into the engine tone... Opening up the engine bay later revealed the black rubbery dust of shorn alternator belts, not good. Attempts to replace/tension the belts were stressful, believing that we needed more tension than we could achieve by hand/hammer handle/mooring pin. RCR arrived and revealed that the day's cruising we'd had under the belts we'd tensioned ourselves had been not too loose but too tight. Now we know the correct tension and running the engine this evening revealed minimal screeching, so a little tinkering with tensions is required tomorrow. RCR also advised that the reason she's a slow starter might be down to old glow plugs that need replacing, or even that we might be losing compression due to pitted valve seats, which is not a particularly easy or quick job to fix, and is certainly out of our capability for now.
When Jem went to wash her hair the other day it was discovered that the shower pump was barely functioning. Having moored up beside a great pair of characters, Phil and Sue, who are cruising in convoy on Black Rose and The River Gypsy, we had bucketloads of advice which we promptly scribbled down! They recommended we check the filter in the line that leads from the base of the shower tray to an exit point in the side of the hull. An hour's awkward fumbling around under the shower led to the removal of a small mountain of gunk and hair! Ain't boatin' bootiful?! So this evening marked my first hot shower onboard! Which felt seriously GOOD!
The issue with the water tank goes on, we're waiting for a spell of dry weather which should allow us sufficient time to get the hatch off, sponge out remaining water, remove as much of the rust as we can, paint liberally with bitumastic paint, wait to dry and refill with water! Then hopefully we will have water that doesn't come out of the taps a horrid red/brown colour. Good thing we bought those plastic water tanks for the time being...
Painting has begun on the interior too, cream and volcano red! It might be a small space but it's fiddly, Jem is mastering the cutting in so we'll have it done in no time! I can't wait to remove the corner cupboard in the saloon and start building the surround for the stove.
We're becoming grandmasters at Escape from Colditz the board game, and our first foray into hand washing onboard was a success, we tested out our newly acquired copper posser and the 'washball' device that was onboard before we were. Both were successful, though the posser's Victorian charm won me over as the more satisfying method. Drying clothes has been the real challenge however, and our search for a mangle begins now!
We have no way to monitor how much fuel we have left, so I think the next couple of days will see us getting our first pumpout and diesel fill. Our first filling up with water was a success, if a slightly soggy success! And now we know that taps covered in BW security boxes require a hose pipe, so mooring up miles and miles from the water point then arriving plastic containers in hand (sans hose pipe) will lead to much cursing and a trudge back to the boat for the pipe! Boaters be ye warned...
We keep telling ourselves that had we bought a boat in better condition, we'd not be learning half as much about how they tick, and, taking the water tank as an example, once we have clean running water and a new drinking water filter, it'll seem like absolute luxury! And as for the shower, they seem to have installed a cunning device specifically for reducing the inevitable discomfort of stepping from a conventional shower into a colder bathroom - it actually reduces the temperature of the water in the shower so that when you step out there's no discomfort at all! SPACE-AGE OR WHAT?! :)
This Easter weekend we're hoping to get our mobile broadband sorted, and tick off a few more items on the ongoing shopping list...
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Moving onboard today!
The lovely Liz at Weltonfield assured us yesterday that all the paperwork is completed, we have a BSC, we have insurance, now we just need to send off for our license! In short, we move onboard this afternoon! It all begins today!
Hopefully we'll be able to post from the cut via my phone, and we're in the process of sorting out wireless internet and other such technowizardry... Norway was a great and intense week, feels like we're just moving from one adventure to another at the moment! Which can't be a bad thing. We were in Oslo before and after our visit to Alta, high up inside the Arctic Circle, real wildcat country! And moose/reindeer/bear country too... Amazing place.
I've been poring over the waterways maps this morning, trying to get a feel for what we might encounter on this afternoon's first cruise! We don't yet know how far a tank of diesel will take us, nor precisely how often the pumpout will need emptying, nor how often we will need to fill up with water! I'm sure we will learn these things all in good time over the coming weeks...
Right, I've got things to pack! Next post will be from onboard our new home!
Toby.
Hopefully we'll be able to post from the cut via my phone, and we're in the process of sorting out wireless internet and other such technowizardry... Norway was a great and intense week, feels like we're just moving from one adventure to another at the moment! Which can't be a bad thing. We were in Oslo before and after our visit to Alta, high up inside the Arctic Circle, real wildcat country! And moose/reindeer/bear country too... Amazing place.
I've been poring over the waterways maps this morning, trying to get a feel for what we might encounter on this afternoon's first cruise! We don't yet know how far a tank of diesel will take us, nor precisely how often the pumpout will need emptying, nor how often we will need to fill up with water! I'm sure we will learn these things all in good time over the coming weeks...
Right, I've got things to pack! Next post will be from onboard our new home!
Toby.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
And what's more...
In addendum to the previous post:
Never underestimate the sheer joy of discovering hot water pouring out of ya taps! Onboard what has been thus far a very chilly, damp boat for us, the excitement caused by discovering hot water in the system was quite immense!
Also, never underestimate the effectiveness of the switch marked 'WATER PUMP' for producing a result very similar in appearence to the phenomenon known as "fully working taps/showers/water points"!! Turns out that in order to have running water ya have to press THAT ONE! I felt like rather the fool yesterday onboard. Well, ya have to learn these things at some point! And it wouldn't have helped us a great deal on those two days we spent onboard, since we're treating the condition of the water tank as suspect for the time being, so no drinking water onboard yet either way. And now I know.
Also had a brief chat with the Morris's on NB Legacy as they manouvered their way out of Weltonfield, lovely folk!
Never underestimate the sheer joy of discovering hot water pouring out of ya taps! Onboard what has been thus far a very chilly, damp boat for us, the excitement caused by discovering hot water in the system was quite immense!
Also, never underestimate the effectiveness of the switch marked 'WATER PUMP' for producing a result very similar in appearence to the phenomenon known as "fully working taps/showers/water points"!! Turns out that in order to have running water ya have to press THAT ONE! I felt like rather the fool yesterday onboard. Well, ya have to learn these things at some point! And it wouldn't have helped us a great deal on those two days we spent onboard, since we're treating the condition of the water tank as suspect for the time being, so no drinking water onboard yet either way. And now I know.
Also had a brief chat with the Morris's on NB Legacy as they manouvered their way out of Weltonfield, lovely folk!
TTNNNNEPFWFTGITL!!
A visit to Weltonfield today confirmed that both the boiler work and the engine service have now been completed! Nick showed us how best to use the central heating, top up and bleed the system, how they tinkered with our engine in the service and what exactly to look out for from our beloved chunk of BMC iron in the stern, what a top bloke!
Still just a gnat's wing away from actually being able to cruise, once Trevor has been down to inspect the work he will (hopefully) be able to issue us with the BSC, which we can get off to BW asap, along with our license application. That's one thing that those folk new (newer than us anyway) to boating or first time buyers might do well to bear in mind when looking at potential boats; see how much time is left on the current license and enquire as to whether or not the current owners would be willing to sign over the remaining time to you, could save some hassle. Not that applying for a license is a huge difficulty however... Just a thought.
I was thinking about setting up a list of; Things That the Näive Newbie Narrowboaters Never Expected to Pay For When First They Got Into This Lark (TTNNNNEPFWFTGITL, catchy huh?), one entry for which cropped up today in the form of the charge for the "rental" of the new gas bottle! Not the use of the gas inside it, you understand, just the canister - I'm not saying it's an unjust charge, it simply never crossed my mind. So down went our £30 to account for our third 6KG bottle.
We are also now in possession of our trusty BW key, and we located the hexagonal pumpout key, which had been temporarily lost in the excitement of unpacking bags, stocking galley shelves etc.
I'm on the lookout for a replacement rubber impeller for the raw water pump, so that we have a spare with us at all times. Spare filters wouldn't go amiss either.
In short, I think we're finally getting there, the boat is ready - at precisely the same time as we're off to Norway! Truly that is Sod's Law at work... But at least we'll be able to get straight onboard as soon as we get back! We'll be on the Northernmost tip of the European continent for one week, which means leaving Wils on a temporary mooring for a week, at further cost of course. We now know to leave triple the amount of time we think we need for anything boat related!
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Our first nights onboard! Scrubbing Algae! Paint colours! Insurance! Still not cruising yet though...
HURRAY! The floating problem-child is finally ours for keeps! We completed the final purchase at the end of last week (with significant - albeit temporary - help from Jem's folks - Thanks Stuart & Jenny! You're lifesavers!) In short we're still waiting for the boiler work and the engine service to be done, Weltonfield are incredibly busy at the moment, and are facing the retirement of two of their engineers this week, right in the middle of their busiest month of the year! They seem rushed off their feet! So we just have to be patient...
We spent our first nights aboard Wils at the weekend, which was great, even considering that we were without running water, heating and toilet facilities! We had the lanterns burning brightly and some very strange jazz on the tape player (yes, we DID have a little power in the batteries!) courtesy of Mr Herbie Hancock, as we whiled away the evening in furry hats and scarfs and many layers of clothing, plotting heroically the deciding moves in Escape from Colditz the board game! It's a great game in fact, and looks set to become a regular feature onboard, so those who come and stay can look forward to a good ol' fashioned round of Colditz, and no mistake! All the efficient fun of the Third Reich!
A few photos:
Our advanced water system!
We have been carefully analysing our options for licensing, and for a long time we were tempted by the trading license, in the catagory 'shop or workshop' or something like that, because it would enable us to sell what we make directly off the boat. But of course, in true headlock-capitalist spirit, if there's any chance of one individual making money, then a whole slew of other people are legally entitled to make some too, as a result. The trading license in question, which bizarrely is relative to the size of the vessel, was more than twice as much money as the standard license. And them licenses ain't cheap to start with! All for selling the occasional handmade rug onto the towpath...
In all fairness, there is a 55% discount for traders that make less than £65,000 a year, which we would qualify for by a gazillion miles, but the very idea of keeping the books, and having to deal with that kind of business mentality is, frankly, repulsive. So we shan't be selling directly off the boat for the time being, because we can't afford to. We can't afford to make money, apparently. We'll put up a link on here to our Etsy shop as soon as it's open!
We have made many, many journeys by car to the marina in the last week, now most of our stuff is onboard. Just a little logistical juggling to do in order to bring the remainder of Jem's things up this way from down south.
We managed to find an insurance company that were willing to insure us without a BSC, given that we don't actually cruise her until the work is done to bring her up to BSC standard. Waiting, waiting, waiting...
I'm trying every day to learn something new about our engine, our electrics, our plumbing, and I have two books on the way on those very topics, so that there might be at least a small chance that we can maintain Wils in top condition, and fix the bits that (will) go wrong (eventually)!
In an attempt to rid ourselves eventually of water pumps and electrical plumbing systems, we're hunting around for second hand beer pumps, the kind that get discarded from pubs quite regularly apparently. One day I want to have beer pumps instead of water taps in the galley, and perhaps one pump next to them feeding from the cask-conditioned homebrew! That might be a long-term plan! The pumps that is, not the homebrew, that's priority number one!
We're also looking at paint colours for the inside, we're siding on a dark red and cream for the saloon and possibly something different for the bedroom!
Scrubbing the algae off the roof goes on a little bit at a time, as does investigating the electrics to try and get the tunnel light and the horn working again! We're going to have emergency backup horn and light in the form of a handheld air-horn and a powerful torch too! Advanced stuff!
As we're hoping that our first trip will be southwards down the Grand Union, we're hoping that the stoppages at Buckby Lock will be cleared up soon. Officially they are due to end tomorrow, I don't know how often BW manage to stay on schedule.
It seems like every day we get a bit nearer to our new life on the water, here's hoping it won't be too much longer!
We spent our first nights aboard Wils at the weekend, which was great, even considering that we were without running water, heating and toilet facilities! We had the lanterns burning brightly and some very strange jazz on the tape player (yes, we DID have a little power in the batteries!) courtesy of Mr Herbie Hancock, as we whiled away the evening in furry hats and scarfs and many layers of clothing, plotting heroically the deciding moves in Escape from Colditz the board game! It's a great game in fact, and looks set to become a regular feature onboard, so those who come and stay can look forward to a good ol' fashioned round of Colditz, and no mistake! All the efficient fun of the Third Reich!
A few photos:
Our advanced water system!
We have been carefully analysing our options for licensing, and for a long time we were tempted by the trading license, in the catagory 'shop or workshop' or something like that, because it would enable us to sell what we make directly off the boat. But of course, in true headlock-capitalist spirit, if there's any chance of one individual making money, then a whole slew of other people are legally entitled to make some too, as a result. The trading license in question, which bizarrely is relative to the size of the vessel, was more than twice as much money as the standard license. And them licenses ain't cheap to start with! All for selling the occasional handmade rug onto the towpath...
In all fairness, there is a 55% discount for traders that make less than £65,000 a year, which we would qualify for by a gazillion miles, but the very idea of keeping the books, and having to deal with that kind of business mentality is, frankly, repulsive. So we shan't be selling directly off the boat for the time being, because we can't afford to. We can't afford to make money, apparently. We'll put up a link on here to our Etsy shop as soon as it's open!
We have made many, many journeys by car to the marina in the last week, now most of our stuff is onboard. Just a little logistical juggling to do in order to bring the remainder of Jem's things up this way from down south.
We managed to find an insurance company that were willing to insure us without a BSC, given that we don't actually cruise her until the work is done to bring her up to BSC standard. Waiting, waiting, waiting...
I'm trying every day to learn something new about our engine, our electrics, our plumbing, and I have two books on the way on those very topics, so that there might be at least a small chance that we can maintain Wils in top condition, and fix the bits that (will) go wrong (eventually)!
In an attempt to rid ourselves eventually of water pumps and electrical plumbing systems, we're hunting around for second hand beer pumps, the kind that get discarded from pubs quite regularly apparently. One day I want to have beer pumps instead of water taps in the galley, and perhaps one pump next to them feeding from the cask-conditioned homebrew! That might be a long-term plan! The pumps that is, not the homebrew, that's priority number one!
We're also looking at paint colours for the inside, we're siding on a dark red and cream for the saloon and possibly something different for the bedroom!
Scrubbing the algae off the roof goes on a little bit at a time, as does investigating the electrics to try and get the tunnel light and the horn working again! We're going to have emergency backup horn and light in the form of a handheld air-horn and a powerful torch too! Advanced stuff!
As we're hoping that our first trip will be southwards down the Grand Union, we're hoping that the stoppages at Buckby Lock will be cleared up soon. Officially they are due to end tomorrow, I don't know how often BW manage to stay on schedule.
It seems like every day we get a bit nearer to our new life on the water, here's hoping it won't be too much longer!
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