Rubber mat

The rubber mat arrived for the back deck. Chose 3mm rubber with matching chequer plate design. Cut in four places to fit - not sure if it will keep the water out, but, who dares wins and only cost £15 for 1 mtr of 1.2mtr width. Will tide me over until I have a proper cover fitted in March 2014.

Not a lot happening

I have drained the water and removed the drain plug from the Paloma heater. I have lit the fire a few times to dry out the boat. The condensation in the engine bay is a bit of a concern, the batteries are also getting damp. As a temporary measure I have put an old duvet cover over the batteries and engine to help disperse the damp. I have ordered a smal rubber sheet to cover the engine bay cover that is letting the water in. I intend to have the back end covered professionally as soon as possible, however, my preferred cover supplier has ceased trade for the winter and will not be available until March 2014. The reason for the cover is to protect the engine bay and the cover from further corrosion. 

Mooring renewal 11/13

My three year mooring agreement ends in November 2013. Cart have offered me a renewal restricted to the length of the boat I.e. 23 ft (the original length of the mooring was 30.8 ft). As an incentive to pay a year in advance they have also offered me a 10% discount. Although I am a little disappointed to be losing some of my mooring, the cost saving is welcome in these difficult times and I am unlikely to buy a 30 ft boat after my current 23 ft - ideally I would like to move up to 40ft next. I presume the current moorers will be shuffled along to create a new spare mooring.

Couple of jobs 22/9/13

Morning visit to the boat to finish off the blacking - missed bits around the posts that stopped the boat falling over - starboard side. Also looked at the loose engine mount - front starboard. The mount is fully tightened, but the bracket onto the engine has one bolt loose and the other bolt missing. I tried in vain to replace the missing bold but couldn't get it to bite - perhaps the bracket is slightly out of line with the hole. For now all I could do was tighten the remaining bolt which was out by a quarter inch. The result is a mount which is a lot tighter as opposed to one which is not effective at all. A start of the engine proved that the mount is now doing its job and this should also reduce the vibration to the exhaust on the opposite side. The last day of summer today - so put the chimney back on ready for the cooler weather . Will winterised soon - not sure if we are having another trip out this year.

Boat back in

Re launched the boat this Morning. Unfortunately Roy of skaidi had a fall into the water when attempting to take his boat out after i had relaunched mine. He is ok and fortunately had some spare clothes on him. Didn't get the anode fixed in the end - might do it next year. Had a bit of a incident at Stenson lock - the boat got stuck on a brick - the back corner - no danger of sinking but a bit scary and the kettle and cupboard contents ended up on the floor. One safely back in findern - probably lay up the boat now and winterise. 

Blacking day 2

This was tough - did the second coat on the boat sides leaving the counter and v bottom to black. As the boat is leaning to starboard I started with the port side. I used a brush but this proved slow, awkward and painful (contortionary). I am no michaelangelo,but, can appreciate the artists efforts painting upside down for ages. Mind you oil paint is easier to use than bitumen! The starboard side proved impossible to do with a brush - not enough space to reach, it so I used a roller - this didn't give a full even coverage and some patches could not be reached, but, by tea time I didn't care anymore. 

Just need to sort the detatched anodes out now.

Blacking day 1

Started the blacking today - only problems noted were some of the anodes had sprung off at one end requiring spot welds. Stern gear and prop in excellent shape. There is some pitting on the port side - may need plating in a couple of years - this would actually improve the trim of the boat when done as it tends to list to starboard due to most of the weight on that side - kitchen and diesel tank. The only problems were the winch needing a jump start off a nearby car due to it getting fouled and a weak battery. 

Stenson lock was a pain as the lower gates will not open properly causing two long boats to get stuck!