May 3rd, 2024 Posted in Narrowboat

Narrowboat log: May 24

Time is flying in 2024 as I’ve been busy with my freelance web design work. Lots has happened however, and I feel like I’m getting on top of boat life now.

Deliveries & meal prep

I’ve arranged regular deliveries of coffee, coal and food (from a local farm shop) and that’s really helped keep things running smoothly as well as ensuring I eat healthy things. One of my neighbours loves cooking so I’ve been paying her to provide meals twice a week. As a freelancer I’ve only got so much time and attention and shopping and cooking often falls when I’m busy with work. Having freshly cooked food on hand means I still eat well and don’t succumb to takeaways!

Another neighbour works in demolitions and brings back old pallets etc so I haven’t bought kindling since before xmas. Once a week that’s a relaxing job chopping up wood into kindling for the fire.

Ducks

Ducks have been noisily playing kiss chase and shitting everywhere which has been irritating. They keep running down the roof and soiling it (which can eat into paint) so it’s been a constant process of shooing them away and cleaning that up.

Engine Service & 12v Electrics

Had Lizzy’s engine serviced by HiQ Marine and they did a great job. While I probably could do the work myself, I wanted a professional eye on the state of the engine and by the time I’d bought all the tools etc and spent a day doing it I’m better off working and paying the experts!

I asked for the full check over at the same time and they found out my alternator for house batteries doesn’t work and there’s some sketchy wiring still present from a split charge relay that used to charge both battery banks from one alternator. They also recommended I leave my Victron battery charger plugged in all the time rather than letting voltage dip during the week and charging at weekends like I had been doing. That will help the batteries last longer – the water pump is also a lot stronger now the charger is wired in.

We talked about tidying up the 12v spaghetti wiring and fitting a Victron inverter/charger too. Having one of those will add value to the boat and also switch automatically if shore power goes off (which it did yesterday..). Once the wiring it tidied up and bus bars fitted I could easily add a small solar setup too.

Rust Treatment & Painting

I have been collecting a variety of rust treatments and paints ready to use for when it’s slightly warmer and drier. Paints need a certain temperature to dry properly, and getting moisture under the paint will result in rust coming through sooner. Traditional wisdom says use Fertan rust treatment, red oxide as primer and then a topcoat. I’m going to try Fertan, zinc primer and then topcoat, or just straight Hammerite to see what works best.

Lizzy’s crusty welldeck is going to be finished in Teamac textured deck paint that I’ve already bought, but I’m curious about using Raptor Paint on boats as it’s waterproof and rubbery so a bit flexible. My mate had it on his VW Caddy day van and it was tough and textured – ideal for parts of the boat that get a lot of water and foot traffic like the welldeck.  There’s a lot of tradition with narrowboats, but paint systems have come a long way and there may be better ways to keep the rust at bay in 2024!

While it’s been too cold and damp to paint, I’ve been replacing various rusty bits with stainless bolts and fasteners. I’ve also sanded my chimney cap down and sprayed it with high temperature paint to tidy that up until I replace it.

Replacing Recliner

I’m dating at the moment and there was nowhere for my date to sit when she visited, so I bought a second hand Habitat Evie ‘sofa in a box’ that as well as fitting the narrowboat space, also fitted through my tiny front door. It’s OK – not the comfiest sofa in the world but was only £90 and it’s better for socialising than the single IKEA chair and footstool I had previously.

Misc

There have been worrying ‘bloop’ noises as I move around and the boat rocks a little, as weed regrows around the boat. I’ve swapped the long mooring ropes for shorter ones and learned a half hitch so can tie the boat up myself now, very empowering.

I’ve not needed the stove on overnight this week which is great for fuel bills and dust.

I’ve carried on painting the upper panels of the interior as it’s all a bit yellow – that’s toning things down nicely and should be done soon. Moving all my stuff around to paint each section means slow progress!

Thinking about blacking the hull again at the moment – not sure whether it’s too late to get booked in for this year. As with the engine service I’m going to pay the boatyard to carry out the blacking while I work (and maybe help a little..). The sides could do with a touchup as well where it’s been scraped, so going in dry dock for a week would be perfect to get that sorted while it’s being blacked.