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@arducius - he's coming for a one hour consult (free) with a sample. Then he'll measure and we'll agree the look, size etc., When its fabricated and red oxided he'll bring it back to me and with his team here on the tow path they'll cut her and fit her. Apparently the cut and fit takes around an hour.

The Norwegien is going to sit in on the consult and is thinking to get two hatches himself.
It could be a very good day for that gentleman's company :)

Did I just see the forum's very own "TNRC" written on the road?

that would be so cool...

can anyone see dan??

@andy - thanks for the heads up on Dan Craven's twitter. I do like that young man, wishing him the very best!

It's for real, Mike. That's Greipel on the left and Forstemann on the right, and the far right and most of the centre too.

while I admire them on the bike, off the bike that's freakin terrifying!

Back when I was looking to get a boat back from Birmingham, some of you mentioned you'd help out locally.

Would any of you be willing to meet up with my mechanic friend - ie go for a cruise, crew, help set up locks?

He is bringing his "new" vintage engine boat from Northwich through Brimingham - from thursday next week.

Questor Thews is the name of the boat and if anyone can help out, please let me know! (i'm not publishing his mobile but will pm)

You'll be in good boater hands, Darren is one of the most solid / honest people I've met. Its not necessary for you to know how to sail, and he's got plenty of space to store bikes on the boat if you ride out to meet him. She's only a shell, stove and engine..

I'd be grateful and I know Darren would be too.
Even if its just someone to make cups of tea... he drinks a LOT of tea.

personally, I'd ride out to him, then cruise back into town.. If I was in Birmingham!

@ardicius - your FWIW is very reasuring. I'm pretty positive that the gent's work in question is pretty amazing stuff. The pictures ooze quality...

He's coming next Friday to measure up for me. When we spoke on the phone, I got a really good vibe.
I'd really like to video it and do a 30 second speeded up version to show people. By all accounts so far it seems to take just over an hour, which totally amazes me.

Just seen this!

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

Back when I was looking to get a boat back from Birmingham, some of you mentioned you'd help out locally.

Would any of you be willing to meet up with my mechanic friend - ie go for a cruise, make tea or help set up locks?

He is bringing his "new" vintage engine boat from Northwich through Brimingham - from thursday next week.

Questor Thews is the name of the boat and if anyone can help out, please let me know! (i'm not publishing his mobile but will pm)

You'll be in good boater hands, Darren is one of the most solid / honest people I've met. Its not necessary for you to know how to sail, and he's got plenty of space to store bikes on the boat if you ride out to meet him.

I'd be grateful and I know Darren would be too.
Even if its just someone to make cups of tea... he drinks a LOT of tea.

27.07.2012

Planning for the future.

This morning I sucessfully passed a very important milestone. I passed the Life in the UK test and will now be eligible to recieve my UK Citizenship.

I could not be more pleased.

Last night, after realising the Miracle was NOT likely to become a money hemmoraging concern in the near future, I gave myself permission to er, splash out if you will.

I have allocated a small amount of money for "boat beautification."

Originally, I intended to move off her within six months.

Originally, I thought a lot of things, like that I would purchase a bigger boat by now.

But this has been coupled other realisations, like:

• Miracle is, unusally (it seems) nicely fitted
  
• she's got no major issues
  
• nothing is about to go "BOOM" or surprise me
  
• everything works as it should
  
  

In short, I've really landed on my feet with this boat. The "other rookie" of last winter was my now good friend, the OC teacher. OC Teacher also bought a Springer.

**They couldn't be anymore different. **

OC Teacher has already had to replate 3/4 of his hull. He has entirely gutted his interior. The wiring was a tangle of 20 years rewiring by amatures, none of which worked. His gas doesn't work.

Despite all of this, he is one of the most upbeat and positive people I've ever known. This morning when I saw him he hung his head.

*What's wrong?
I've got a leak in my water tank.
Oh.
And my stern gland is fucked, again.
Oh.
And my deisel is dripping.
Oh.
And the new hatch is letting in water. *

No wonder he's down.

All of these things are managable, one at a time.

To wake up and realise you live in a empty shell and ALL of these other things need attention before you can isulate, is like being hit with an avalanche.
He's scared, understandably.
More than that, he's overwhelmed.

I walk back to my boat. I'd always wondered if he' d gotten a better deal than I did with that boat. Now I know.

I was incredibly lucky with Miracle.
She's something I can handle.
I now know a bigger boat will have to wait. I am not they sort to take on a project like OC Teacher has. That means either being incredibly lucky, again, or saving quite a bit more to get a bigger boat that is in the same sort of solid condition that Miracle is.

So, what's my boat beautification fund getting?
I've decided on retro-fitting a hatch.
I've found a ship builder who does this and brings the fitting to you.
I'm very excited.

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.

i was asked to bring my dog to a few interviews. which can work in your favour if the dog is calm and well trained. it may also be in your benefit to get your past landlord to give you a written reference pertaining to the dog's behaviour

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.

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.

Order this, oh and ill send you dem recipes tonight

Veal tongue, cotechino, peara (bread and bone marrow polenta), candied mostarda & salsa verde

Mr. XH do you cook tongue? I really want to try doing it.

I've just did well with Lamb Hearts (stuffed w sage and mushrooms) - having never had heart i wasn't very confident & I bought them spur of the moment so had to substute "lamb fat" for roasted garlic & butter but it was nice.

good luck. bring someone with you. My friend jamie had his bike taken in brick lance after he'd just gotten back from a long cycle trip. he hung out all day. saw the bike, followed the much bigger guy, saw his chance, grabbed it. The guy punched him so hard he says he saw stars but didnt let go of the bike as he knew he'd never see it again. He ended up making a movie about it. I think its still the exception rather than the rule to get your bike back - but good luck.

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).

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.

when i was a student in canada I regularly shopped with a 5 dollar weekly budget. It was peanutbutter and white bread, rice and onions, tin tomatoes and a dozen eggs a week and a bag of apples. I didn't think much about it then.

Peanut butter toast = breakfast
Boiled Egg & apple = lunch
Tomatoes & Onions with rice = dinner.
Plenty of protien, carbs and 3 veg a day.

---

Last night I saw stuffed lamb hearts at the grocery. I've never had them, but bought them, I am still obsessed with cheap cuts and things I've not tried before. I butter basted them whilst they roasted. I'd have them again.

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.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221046310073

this is what i am currently lusting.

in reality, it's not suitable for my canal adventures as the draft is too deep. Which makes me incredibly sad. I'd need to be a REAL sailor to own and use her properly.. which i am decidedly not.

has anyone test rode or bought the new "tall person model"?

My new british built folding bike is on order.

Yay.

who did you order with? I want one. I've developed a fear of ebay for this, its annoying. I keep wondering whos' stolen brompton i'd get. I think its that they're so, simillar to eachother. I know, its highly irrational.
But I also can't bear walking into evans.

this morning is about building the courage to take Miracle for water by myself. its only one lock and a 30 min trip each way. It's been a long time though since I've gone solo.

Jacqui, there is a thread on CWDF talking about the pros and cons of wooden tops that might be worth a read here: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=47345

arducius - that was very insightful. I wish i would have seen that before I went to see the wooden top.

Quick update with a proper post to follow.
Yesterday darren the mechanic came to do the fine tune on Miracle's outboard. This had to be done after the parts had been used for a few hours. Darren is awesome. You'd never get that sort of service for a car.
Fully reconditioned 9.9 outboard, Miracle now runs so smoothly she's a dream.
I went joy riding yesterday afternoon.. just for kicks.