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Hi, Please could you give your recommendations on the internal enclosure to separate the cabin from the engine, batteries etc. For a trad stern. Just getting a boat and this is the one area that is still a project. So there is the floor above the engine for the entrance. But now wall around the engine or to close off the engine bay. Beyond being: solid, sound damping, reasonable weather proof easy to clean from engine grime Ease of engine access. What madatory requirements or practical considers are relevent? What construction would you recommend? Eg plywood, metal etc How to make it sturdy and easy to disassemble? Sure there is much I've missed would love to hear your thoughts! James

Hello! I'm reading lots of old threads about gas water heaters. It's been incredibly useful - thank you everyone, who's already contributed so much to this topic! Sorry, if this has already been addressed somewhere else.. although I couldn't find it.... I'm looking for a quick and cheap way to get hot water please... so i can use the hot water to clean my boat, and have little showers at the end of day of hard toil... She sank last summer, and is still smeared with Mud!! Many of you on this forum were incredibly helpful during that rather sad phase!! I'm still so grateful for all the help and encouragement you gave. I don;t think I'd have been able to get through it without you to be honest! Anway, as a quick fix to getting hot water - would something like this do the trick please? http://www.wayfair.c...tid=91671463572 Are there any safety considerations? Would I be rigth to assume something like this wouldn't be allowed by the Boat Safety Certificate people as a permenant solution?! Can anyone forsee any issues with heating water straght from the Thames?! I mean I'm cool with the cleanliness of the water.. particularly, as I'm primarily using the water to clean a very muddy boat!! But could it cause issues in the heater itself, if not filtered?! When time & more importantly budget allows, I'd like a gas or diesel system that heats water for central heating, and for hot water... In actual fact, I was gutting the boat on Friday, prior to getting stuck in properly, and found a Webasto heater?! A storke of luck I thought... but of course, it was under water for a month.. Any of you genisues think a webasto that's been under water for a month could be made to work again?! Or would it be a waste of time trying, do you think. Thank you!! Marcus x

Not to dwell on the past, after a bad last 18 months or so and ending up boatless and very little finance wise to get started back on the boating scene we found this wee cruiser on the good old fleabay,We were after a bigger boat but at the £150 this cost towards what we was looking at spending we got this, good thing is its only 9 miles from home where we could of done work on it......but nah, not go into details i would be quicker to get it done at home. Wont get meithered as much, ( land owner ) Its in a sorry state as are all my boats i get, not all get finished by me but its good to get them a new life than leave them sat in yards or fields etc. This is a Buckingham 20, as said a bit small for what we wanted and for some reason i went to have a look at it and found it good for what we needed, somewhere to sleep, cook and well you know. Got god deck space asell for Ziggy, well jsut enough unless she dont stop growing otherwise we will have to get her on dinghy to pull behind lol. It is as near a shell as you can get, well as soon as i rip out the bit thats left, Its has good room for a 20 footer, i have had a few in the past but this is set out well. The plan is to get it home asap and get stuck in, we did want to get it on the water straight away with just the hull and engine done then go from there buta s said, its coming home to get done, and more than just that, I dont mind roughing it on the boat, just like camping but as it will be home mite aswel;l get as much done as poss. I am in the process of sorting transport, i dont have a trailer or car to pull it now so i am looking on Uship for a full job or a trailer to buy, i have a local framer that can lift iot on for me at this then which will be easie than dragging it on a railer. Will cost more to move the boat than buy it, as always with these type of project boats. Once home we have decided to strat from the top and work down, so top deck fettled and painted then fit windows, i cant decide what to do windows wise yet, either just rubber with perspex, or maybe make some wooden ones again a si did with my old Creighton, they looked good but that was a bigger boat and the wood looked good on it, not sure if it will on this boat. So this is the new boat to set us off again, just happy to be back boating, even if not on the water yet.

Hi all, So, myself an my partner are considering buying a 'sail-away' which will consist of: Shell - primed and blacked, Windows, plywood floor, battoned -out and spray insulation, electrics in situ (inverter, fuse box, 240/24v). I will also purchase a multi-fuel burner (4-5k) and install it. Now, im considering doing The plumbing, gas, and installing partition walls/kitchen/bathroom with one other person full time for 2 months and moving to part-time for the following 6. We have budgeted 8k for the whole build and we will be purchasing second hand items to lower the cost I.e a kitchen with appliances can be obtained for >500 on eBay. I have been dabbling in carpentry for 5 years, I have enough tools and access to a industrial work shop with a CNC machine (yes, that's right floral cut-out partitions!) I have also been living on a boat that requires constant attention for three. I can provide a break down of the projected costs but is 8k realistic? One thing I know very little of is plumbing. Is 1.5k enough for a full water system cold/hot: Boiler (for shower only), accumulator, pumps, etc I appreciate this question may invite the polemicists but lay off the pejorative answers! Thank you in advance

Hi Everyone, Trying to get a gauge on whether buying a sailaway and fitting it out myself is in the long run going to be a better option than buying a second hand boat. i'd like to know roughly what it would cost and the kind of time frame that it would take, so anyone with any experience of having done a sailaway project please if you want to share your thoughts and expenses. My Hypothetical build would consist of a very basic layout. Bedroom at the stern of the boat followed by an enclosed bathroom, Galley and living room at the bow. All rooms with just the basic amenities. I would initially have a month of full time availability to work on the boat then followed by 3 full days per week. I Am fortunate that I have family members sufficient in plumbing and gas heating systems so I would get help with that. I would also get a electrician to install a basic solar set up. I'm fully aware that its only relevant to individual skill, design and availability. But just to help me out please state your skill and experience going into your project.

I'm contemplating buying a project boat... I think we know where this post is heading. It's Dawncraft 25' and it needs a bit lot of TLC. The good news is that it has most of the parts included - the current owner purchased it, stripped it, bought all the parts and then ran out of time. After all, what kind of idiot would want to work on a boat in Autumn? Oh... The engine isn't seized but it needs a good service as it has sat for months. The steering wheel isn't attached. All the parts included though. The ceiling fell down(!). All the wood is there, it just needs to be fitted more securely. No heating to speak of. I'm leaning towards fitting a secondhand multifuel stove like a boatman. Obviously this will involve flue, chimney, hat, hearth, and plenty of protective shield. Webasto would be nice but new they're worth more than I'm paying for this boat No water heating either. This isn't a big deal though. There isn't a shower so water heating for dishwashing can be done via kettle. There's space with easy access for a Morco so I can add one at a later date if I regret this decision. Gas appliances (hob/oven) included but not fitted. Solar panels not included. So I'll need to buy a couple of panels, MPPT, and a battery monitor. After all, who could live without solar power? No wiring. No lights. No outlets. Fortunately everything is accessible as the ceiling is down So there we have it. The price of the boat is very low £££. The parts included are worth more than that. So I need someone sensible to talk me out of buying it. Over to you!

I've seen this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/60ft-HISTORIC-1909-BANTOCK-CONVERSION-Narrowboat-Project-/131755956273?hash=item1ead445831:g:6TsAAOSwHgVW7ELiand wondered where you would consider starting with something like this? I'm not NB owner or prospective purchaser (OH is over 6ft and keen to stay landlocked, for now...) but I am a history buff and work in a museum so appreciate the need to protect our heritage. However, this is just a puzzle to me. It's had all of its guts ripped out and as a bare shell is it as historically important as it would've been left intact? I don't know, I'm just pondering. I think this was briefly mentioned in the Historic boats for sale thread but at over 3000 posts it's a struggle to find anything. If you were rich/mad enough where would you start? Stephanie

I am a carpenter looking for a project to get stuck into. Whilst I'm a complete novice when it comes to all things boat related I have been longing for a life on the water for many years now. I have come across this boat and would great appreciate any thoughts/advice on it. I would be looking to restore and convert it into to a liveaboard. I have no idea if this is a crazy and unrealistic project to take on but I have secretly fallen in love with her and am quite excited about the idea of restoring a piece of history. Here she is: World War 2 Seaplane Tender Historic Maritime boat Thanks in advance

Hi, I have just looked at a 36ft Springer (perhaps early 80's) narrowboat for sale, priced at 10,000, as a project boat. No survey yet - owners have had her for 3 years, in those years they have replated on both front and stern after a survey, and blacked and annoded once (now due for renewal) The project: 1. Pre-purchase: Survey + It is due blacking, annodes and engine service (potentially the costs of this, and any replating needed, could be deducted from 10,000 boat cost) 2. Interior Hull: Need to create access in the floor to the interior hull as it there is currently no hatch etc. - Whilst doing the floor, thought would be a good idea to swap (apparently lumps of metal) ballast for engineering blocks, and, do work on the interior steel hull if needed (wire cup brush, rust treat with Vactan, and overcoat with something - bilge paint OR red oxide???) - Then insulate, plywood boards, and wooden board flooring. 3. Panelling: Taking down wall and ceiling boards which have been B&Q bodged in, to be able to redo with nicer wood, but most importantly, electrics and plumbing. 4. Wiring: There is wiring for 12v and 240v, however 240v is not plugged in at the moment, and the owners are running off solar (owners don't trust the wiring) SO would need completely re-wiring the solar (as it is currently just strung around the boat), utility battery for ceiling lights, 12v sockets and 240v sockets, and waterpump for shower/water. 5. Plumbing: There is also plumbing, but they currently don't use as they removed the old watertank, and currently run off a jerry can of water for the sink, and a cassette toilet. The plumbing also currently runs under the floor, so all old plumbing needs to be ripped out, and replumbed in the wall cavities - would like to plumb in sink, shower and potentially septic tank toilet, and then need to get a new watertank. 6. Other Misc: There is a working gas oven and hob, which seems to be fine and functional, so maybe gas is ok? Also a good, working coal/wood burner. Although engine needs a service, she ran well, when they took us for a 1 hr cruise, i think it is a Lister aircooled engine. So, if the survey all went well, does this sound like too much - In all honesty this would be my first narrowboat, but I am on a budget, hence only being able to afford budget boats. Time is not an issue, although being able to live in it by spring would be great. Main questions; - does the tactic to restore the inner hull sound like an ok approach, if it needed doing? What is the realistic expectation for the steel interior hull of a 80's Springer? - is wiring/plumbing possible to do myself, or is it needed to have a professional for BSC and insurnnce? In which case, how much could i expect for full plumbing/wiring? - what work could i expect to do myself, and what should i look for quotes for? Any advice will be HUGELY appreciated in terms of costs expected, or time taken, or regulations to adhere to when doing up a boat. This boat, technically is liveable, as they have been fine for 3 years, but needing this work, what price for it would be realistic? Thank you!