Old Son

That’s what I had on my narrow boat, a 10kw model. Always reliable and never let me down in 8 years despite everyone saying they need to be worked hard.

I had a solid piece of timber which sat across the runners. It incorporated two dead locks. When the hatch was closed the dead locks opened up into a couple of keeps on the underside of the hatch. Seemed to work well.

Get the guy back who did the job.

I sold the boat after that.

I used Jotun in this area and touched up scratches with Hammerite smooth. You couldn't see it unless you really searched.

Jotun does not fade if you use the correct type of paint. Some of their paint likes water but not ultraviolet, others like ultraviolet but not water. Speak to SML or somebody who knows about Jotun and they will ensure the paint is correctly specified. Jotun cannot be applied on top of Bitumen/single pack systems though.

I've used Vactan on the welds to my roof handrail Didn't overcoat for two years and it didn't rust anymore. I also coated the galvanised chains holding the button and rear fender. These had started to go rusty. Again, no further rust. Funny how some of these materials work for some and not others!

Why the River Lea?

I had a rocker switch fitted below the gunwale. It never got wet and easy to operate without being on view.

My mate had that orange fungal growth on his hull one time he dry docked. The guy who ran the dry dock suggested he spay the hull with bleach and leave overnight. We did this, washed again the following morning, towel dried and painted bitumen. The orange growth has never come back. Still moors at the same spot. Very weird!!

To put this in perspective, I am paying £400 for gas and electric in my house PER MONTH and I dare say there are others paying a lot more. Boats are fantastic but they are not as cheap to run as some people might suggest. Hopefully the weather will warm up soon and we can go back to normal.

Very sad.

Imagine if we all did this? Some people are disgusting, excrement down the bank??? What a lovely sight when taking a walk down the towpath.