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Hello Canal World! Some of you may remember by boat (Fairstar, now Lady Doris), sank last Summer. Thanks in a large part to your amazing help & support, she's floating again, and she's doing ok (touch wood!). And now the serious job of restoring her to her former glory is starting in ernest! And I'm afraid I may be a bit of regular around these parts as I ask (hopefully not too man) stupid/novice type questions... The first question I'd like to ask, is what is the best possible action I can take in the bilge/inside of the boat to prevent rot? - She's Larch on Oak construction. - Last out of the water in Winter 2014, When I replaced about 20m or larch, mainly around the stern/transom. - I put in extra ribs where needed. I'm in the process of giving her her a DEEP clean inside, and clearing a huge amount of black oily gunk & sludge from the bilge that's accumulated over many years. I have heard before that this oily gunk can in fact be good for preserving the wood, and stopping rot?! That may or may not be the case.. but regardless of that, it stinks, so I'm planning to get rid of it!! However, what would be the best thing i could do, once it's clean? I've heard the suggestion of linseed oil for example. At least that smells lovely, so quite keen on that idea?! Is that a good idea? I'm also going re-paint the entire inside of the boat (including where practical, in the bilge. I'm planning to use a decent grey primer. I'm assuming that if the wood is "sealed" with a top coat on the inside too, that you're asking for rot issues? Is that correct? What would be the best primer to use please? In the past, I've heard that putting large bags of salt in the bilge can help prevent rot? Is that true/worth doing? She's sat in the non-tidal River Thames at present... The other question I have, is not about prevention of rot, but about stopping the existing rot spreading.. or whether there's even a way of curing it? There are a few bits inside... non structural I hasten to add, that are a bit flaky. I'd like to at the very least, stop the rot spreading any further... and at best cure it, and neaten it up! Any wooden boat / rot experts there? I sure hope so! A pre-emptive thank you for anything you can suggest or advise that would help me to keep this beautiful Lady in tip top condition! All the best, Marcus & Lady Doris!

Hello fellow boaters & learned members; on our 40' x 7' 1926, teak on oak cruiser, I intend to fit (at least) two magnesium anodes. I was thinking initially to protect the steel rubbing plate under the keel as well as the stern tube and steering gear, but our boat builder assures me there's a lot more metal in the boat that needs protecting, in particular, the 1,000s of copper nails/rivets that hold the boat together. He's given me some sensible and logical suggestions as to where to place the anodes, but I'd like to read up a bit more on any theory of how anodes work on a wooden boat and where best to place them. Does anyone please know about this or can anyone suggest any books that might cover this? Thanks in advance for all help. The Hairy Animal (aka Charles Lyne)

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum so please forgive me if I somehow posted this in the wrong place. I'm looking to buy my first boat and came across an ad that looks like my perfect, ideal one: lovely interior, desired layout, in my price range etc. BUT it hasn't been blacked since 2016 AND it's a wooden cabin, which I don't know much about. How worrying are those things? I've read extreme opinions both ways about wooden cabins... This one looks in great condition on the photos but I'm not an expert so I need advice: what to look for? Do you have any recommendations for a surveyor who knows enough about wooden cabins to spot hidden flaws (the boat is in Oxford ATM)? I have read as much as I can about this but all the posts I found about this on this forum were at least 8 years old hence this new thread. Also, it's got a Lister Petter SW2 engine, which — again— I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing. I hope it's ok to ask these questions here — I'm new to all this and I want to find a boat I can call home for the next few years! Don't mind having to work on it/learn DIY skills/spend some money on it but I'm not rich so can't afford to buy the wrong boat! All the threads I've read so far were very helpful and friendly so I hope you'll be able to help. Many thanks

In case any one had heard about it when the town class narrowboat Drake sank on the Lee a few weeks back, and had a hole carved out of the hull so that some thieves could try to recover the (Rusted beyond recovery) range, I've seen pictures today of her (him?) being towed past Old Ford on his way to Aylesbury either for a full restoration (according to someone on the boat towing her), or at worst, a full measuring up job, with all the ironwork being recovered (According to the Historic Ships register). Original name was Taunton:- http://hnbc.org.uk/boats/taunton There's a picture of her as she is now.

When would you think the first narrowboat specifically designed for leisure use was built? Previous to buying Malaya I would would have thought maybe the 1960s or 70s. Before that, most leisure use on the canals seems to have been with converted working boats, as indeed was Tom Rolt's Cressy in the 1940s which really popularised canal cruising. Malaya though was launched in May 1926 and designed at the outset as a leisure narrowboat with a beam of 6' 9" and 40' in length, three cabins able to take a family of up to six, and a toilet and small galley. Waterways World latest issue (October) has my article about Malaya's history which readers of this group might, I thought, be interested in reading? Enjoy.

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