A float on Miracle - 20ft narrowboat

I take it that this lovely tub won't end up going for £370?

sadly it will go for much much more, my guess is 4 - 5k. and its a project still. fully done up she would go for a healthy five figures.

She's got both an engine and sails the spar is only removed for work purposes, its all included in the sale. Hence, owning something like that would mean proper sailing training. She's not a canal boat but a costal cruiser.. when on the tidal waters its best to know what the hell you are doing.

boats on lfgss! nice

everyone knows boats are the new fix

Hey Pirate,

I lost my hat. What's the chances of getting a new one made from a long absent seamstress turned seacanalmaster?

Object
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sadly it will go for much much more, my guess is 4 - 5k. and its a project still. fully done up she would go for a healthy five figures.

She's got both an engine and sails the spar is only removed for work purposes, its all included in the sale. Hence, owning something like that would mean proper sailing training. She's not a canal boat but a costal cruiser.. when on the tidal waters its best to know what the hell you are doing.

God, that sounds brilliant. Taking my deposit for a flat and using it to buy a boat I can't operate or fix suddenly seems like an awesome idea.

UK waterways to become active routes on Google Maps

About effing time!

this week duckie has brought home a shrew and 2 mice. mice were this am. I upended everything in the boat to catch the first one. I took it out to the towpath and let it loose. 15 mins later he was back with it. Probably the same poor battered thing, this time I didn't open the door though. so he sat on the gunnels with it in his mouth to show me. This time it was dead.

this week duckie has brought home a shrew and 2 mice. mice were this am. I upended everything in the boat to catch the first one. I took it out to the towpath and let it loose. 15 mins later he was back with it. Probably the same poor battered thing, this time I didn't open the door though. so he sat on the gunnels with it in his mouth to show me. This time it was dead.

Don't tell Chris Packham! ;)

Would a shrew/mouse die if you were to chuck it onto the other bank of the canal? Maybe aim for a shrub and hope for the best. At least it would be away from Duckie's claws, and it could stand on the side of the canal flicking the V's at Duckie in safety.

... straight into the mouth of opposite-bank-cat ...

or eaten by a duck called moggie.

or eaten by a muck called doggie.

What's a muck?

Vacation.
In 48hrs I am going on a weeks holiday out of country. the nice man on the boat next to me is going to feed duckie. I am a ball of nerves as he's planning to do so on his boat not mine. I've argued that I'd prefer it on Miracle but apparently its too much hassle to let duckie in and out of Miracle. I'm a bit skeptical that it'll work but at least SOMEONE is going to be watching out for him.

I actually want to cancel my plans its upsetting me so much. (i won't but it is very tempting).

B.O.A.T

Someone once told me NEVER buy a boat. She sat, drink in hand slurring gently and prophetic.
Do you know what BOAT stands for?
No.
Ha! Her glass waived near her face before it met her mouth, Bust. Out. Another. Thousand. Boat's are money traps.. I know, I've sailed the best of them for rich fuckers all over the world - and they always, ALL WAYS need something..

An unlikely meeting half a dozen years ago, around a kitchen table in the port town of Galway, the first time I contemplated life afloat. That night, and her words ring in my ears even as I write this now.

Mastic - the white sealing stuff around windows last an average of five years. Miracles windows were resealed when she was painted, 5 years ago. The rain has proven that its time to do this again. I envisaged painting her this year whilst stuck north london for the Olympic period. I now have to alter that to include resealing the windows. Its a quick job, that can be done in one to two days.
So when i come back from holiday my to do list now reads:

1. sand down boat
   
2. order paint, mastic, sovent
   
3. pop windows out - remove old mastic
   
4. paint boat
   
5. reseal windows
   
   

Two windows are showing signs of leaks, I'm going to do them all though, no point in only doing 2 when all of them are at the 5 year mark.

Stangely I'm not intimidated. I've read up on it, and there are people around me who've done it before.
It's hardly 1000gbp, more like 200, but I can't help but remember the words from that whiskey soaked night in Galway.

I worked on a number of boats (well, yachts really) when I lived in Malta, one of the owners once described his as "a hole in the sea which I pour money into"

Someone once said to me that boats are like weddings when it comes to money...

So sir, I hear you want some flowers, they start at £15
Yes that's right, they're for my wedding.
Oh, I see, wedding flowers, no problem they start at £60....

And with boats..

So sir, I hear you you need to buy a new, alternator/boiler/regulator/bulb/stove/cooker etc... they start at £x

Yes that's right, it's for my narrowboat..
Oh, I see, a boat alternator/boiler/regulator/bulb/stove/cooker etc..., no
problem they start at £4x

All good fun....

Gareth
Making good progress south, now just north of Rickmansworth
N/b Lucy Alice

Heh, when I did the Tall Ships Race (years ago, before I went to uni), one of the old hands that was sailing with us told us never to buy our own boats. Always be happy sailing someone else's he said, it's cheaper. If you ever get tempted to buy your own boat, go and stand a a cold shower with a stack of twenty pound notes, and tear them up as fast as you can. If that still feels good, then go and buy a boat, it'll still be more expensive than the tearing the notes up in a shower, but you might at least get a little more pleasure out of it.

I'm still often tempted by the boat, and I might even get myself something small at some point, but not any time soon.

Some of you may recall in one of my early posts telling you of my friend who works in a boat yard and has his own project boat. My friend, Seb helped me immesurably in the early stages when I was searching for Miracle. His project has taken 6 years so far and he's chronicaled it very well. If your're interested..
http://thevoyageofwendyann2.blogspot.com/

speaking of cost, must bump this, was a fascinating read.

i would literally love to float away

I did a bit of walking practice the other weekend. Caught a train out of London and walked back along the canals (Potters Bar, Tottenhale, Walthamstow/Hackney Marshes) all the way to Lime House along the Lea river - 20 odd miles.
Saw loads of happy folk living on the river. Made me wel.jel. Something to consider in my future for sure.

Saw loads of happy folk living on the river. Made me wel.jel. Something to consider in my future for sure.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary - YouTube

Good Egg.
The mechanic who sorted Miracle for me has been off the water for six months. It's hard on him. He's lived on the water for more than half of his years and misses it, but owing to his dedication to his missus - who has been through a mirade of opperations as of late, they have been landlocked. Neither of them want this.

I feel for him.

Yesterday I woke up with the mother of all hangovers, owing to ONE cocktail at a friends birthday. I couldn't imagine that one drink could hurt me so much but coming home yesterday evening after just the one, my body was ill behaved, my head swimming, it was very wrong. I'm convinced the drink was spiked. I can happily drink a 14% bottle of wine and not feel as bad as I did.

My own misforture aside, something rather great happened in the morning. A boat was listed on ebay with a "buy it now" of 5k. I re-read the advert several times before looking outside to see the mechanic sipping coffee on the next boat.

I pondered the boat.
It came with a working vintage engine.
Kelvin Engines are around 2-3k in working order. It was included and installed in an appropriate iron rivited hull and all steel shell.

Anyway I figured it, the boat wouldn't be on the market long. It'd been listed less than 12 hours and had two bids.

I bungled myself out of Miracle, laptop in hand and thrust it into the mechanics hands.
"You need to look at this" I demanded.
He looked shocked.
I hadn't said hello, good morning or waited for the conversation he was having to come to a pause.
"This is a remarkable engine. Trust me, I know"
He admitted knowing nothing about Kelvin engines.
They're vintage and easy to work on, I reply.
He looks at the ad.
He calls the number.
The boat is 4 hours drive.
He arranges to go see it.
It takes them 9 to get there owing to various accidents.

Today he's the proud owner of a 46ft iron hulled narrow boat with a perfectly running vintage engine.
I am happy.
I am more than a little envious, but pleased nonetheless.

Just seen this!

Good work - you got the chap back on the water!

27.07.2012
Getting ahead of Myself:
In the past two months or so, I've been obsessed with the notion that Miracle needs re-plating. I kept reading about other boats and the thickness of their hulls. New builds are typically 10/6/4. Thats the measurement of the steel from bottom, sides and above the gunnels. I got it in my head, like so many others that the make of my boat (a Springer) was about to fall apart.

This quietly ate away at me, causing many sleepless nights.

Then yesterday I read a of another Springer owner who, also terrified had expressed their fears to the boater community. Someone commented quite realisitically that its only been in the last decade that boats were made 10 / 6 / 4 and that there are more Springers on the water than any other make.

The person was a surveyor.
He noted that steel composition has varied greatly over the years, and that people's maintenance also plays a major factor in a boats condition. He reassuringly and objectively went over the facts. A typical springer was made with 3mm steel. He challenged that a survey showing a Springer, of 1991 parentage, like Miracle for example that's reading was at 2.9 -2.8 was infact an incredibly stable composition having in 20 years only lost .2 overall of her steel.

He was further in reassuring reminding me that this loss, wasn't entirely accurate in showing true loss. The paperwork for Miracle clearly shows and documents her having undergone a professional shot blast treatment. This treatment is done to secure longevity, its an intense process bringing her back to bare steel and removing any and all rust. It is accepted that the process itself removes a nonminal amount of the steel (approximately .1mm)

I re read my survey. Miracle is 2.8 - 2.9mm of steel. She's VC coated (the best product to prevent rust). In 20 years her steel has degraded .1mm overall ownig to use and .1mm from shotblasting.

In short. I was worrying that despite a nominal loss in the first 20 years of her life that somehow me being aboard was going to "magically" change her composition and expedite the deterioratioin.

I have a pretty high expectation of myself, don't I?

Realistically, there's no reason why my little Miracle can't happily, under a strict maintenance programme happily continue her life for another 20 - 40 years.

Silly girl, me..

I'm really glad I re-read my survey. It's made my day.

A bacon sandwich, mug of tea and a 'Miracle' post...

Made my morning! Ta!