Planning major engineering works!

When we first bought "Mind Like Water", all the controls were in one box on the stern rail.

Not very well designed as the ignition key was postioned behind the arc of the throttle movement making it very easy to catch one's knuckles on it... Also needed the cork key-ring to be secured out of the way like this...

So... Andrew started laying plans for a new control box!

 This involved a lot of time searching the internet for information about narrowboat control systems which are mostly bespoke units. Not much available off the shelf.

Then needed to try and identify what the current connections were. Can be summarised as "a bit of a mess"! For example, one of the warning bulbs in the control unit only had one connection. Now even a rudimentary grasp of electrics will tell you that one connection does not a circuit make... These shots of the wiring show what I was up against...

During the investigation work it became clear that access to any part of the engine is pretty difficult. Something else to bear in mind when looking for boat II...

One purchase that helped quite a bit was a USB endoscope! This is a long cable with a tiny camera and LED lights on the end which plugs into my netbook PC and allows me to reach most parts of the engine and take pictures. Such as this one!

With this sort of detail, I managed to identify the exact model of engine and even buy a manual on the internet!

Had a bit of a hair-raising moment on one fact-finding trip when I managed to totally dismantle the ignition switch when trying to work out the connections in each key position. Alison was due to take the boat out with our son later that week, so I was very glad when I managed to gather all the terminals and springs and work out how to reassemble it....

Found a nice range of weather-proof boxes from RS Components. and gradually gathered parts for the new control box.

Plans started to take shape...

See next post for the actual final construction which took place over the Easter break..

Making deposits in the sanity bank!

We both have quite hectic and stressful jobs.

More and more we are finding that time on the boat is an invaluable counter-balance.

In fact we have come up with the term "making deposits in the sanity bank" to describe the way that even a single night on-board helps to replenish our depleted reserves ready for the demands of the working week.

In fact, with a little mental gymnastics, even going to the boat in my mind can help! Not as good as actually being on board with the stove lit and a glass of something refreshing though...

Good to know that we have several trips already planned during 2015 with plenty of weekends as well!

Cholmondeston Lock Open Day

Hail at Cholmondeston Lock Open Day 21st Feb 2015

On Saturday 21st Feb 2015, as members of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) we helped out at an Open Day at Cholmondeston Lock which is near the Shropshire Union end of the Middlewich Branch. The lock was drained for refurbishment of the gates and walls. Apparently there were increasing troubles last summer in getting a decent seal on the gates. This slowed traffic down and increased the already frequent queues at this busy lock.

The lock was open to visitors on Saturday and Sunday and it was a great opportunity to see what happens under the water.

Apparently there were about 250 visitors over the 2 days of the Open Event which is not bad considering that the site is well away from the main roads and the weather was not great. There was a heavy hail shower just after we had set up.

Short trip to Audlem for Valentine's Day

We had a nice Valentine's Day trip to Audlem and back. Travelled to the boat on Friday night ready for a prompt start on Saturday if the weather looked OK.

It was a bit nippy pleasant enough so after a quick visit to the marina office to top up the electricity card, we got under way about 09:20. The trip to Audlem took about 5 hours with a brief stop for lunch. We are getting pretty familiar with the Hurleston Locks though do need to remember that you definitely need a short throw windlass on one of them.

Passed through the Hack Green locks and the signs to the Secret Nuclear Bunker that we visited way back in August 2001. Read about our trip on the Shropshire Union canal in August 2001 on our website.

Got turned in the winding hole at Audlem and moored up by about 14:30. Had a wander round the village and got a few bits and pieces in the Co-op followed by a pint at the Shroppie Fly.

Then back to the boat for a very nice meal of steak and jacket potatoes with chocolates for dessert. With a bottle of wine to wash it down, it was a very pleasant way to pass the evening.

Uneventful journey back to the marina.

Replacing stove door glass

Having your own boat is quite a learning curve!

Latest challenge was cracked glass on stove door. Bolts holding it in place sheared off when tried to undo them...

A little light Googling showed this to be a common problem. Managed to drill out the existing bolts and replace with new ones. Didn't try to tap holes, just went for through bolts which seem to work OK. Put a little stove rope like washers to stop the nuts grinding directly on the glass inside.

 While Googling, did discover a source of replacement doors which are not too expensive if needed in future. Better stove design where door hinges sideways rather than down would probably be useful to avoid danger of dropping coal on glass! Something to look for in boat II.

Fitting new curtain rods and spice racks

For some reason all of the curtains on board had nice solid brass rods at the bottom to keep them from flapping but rather flimsy telescopic plastic/metal ones at the top.

Result was that whenever you tried to open the curtains, if you didn't hold the pole together with the other hand, the pole would fall apart.

Now with some solid brass end and middle posts from http://marinestore.co.uk/ and brass poles from https://www.limekilnchandlers.co.uk/ we have a full set of sturdy curtain rails.

Andrew spent Friday and Saturday nights on-board to do the work. During the same trip, he fitted some small spice racks that Alison had found online. They fit perfectly at the end of the plate rack in the galley and are very convenient for cooking. Great use of the space!

New Year on our boat

Nice quiet New Year's Eve on the boat avoiding another party back at home.

Think we managed to stay up till midnight, just...