As I have changed around the battery connections to balance the heavy draw from the inverter I found that the lids covering the batteries don’t fit, yet another thing to do for the BSS.

So new lids have been made and a new box to house the two extra batteries. You need to be a contortionist to get at Alacrity’s batteries as when I have to top them up. I still haven’t modified the cupboard above them, that’s another job.

 So fitting the lids and extra battery box was to say the least a trial well that’s now done and all is ready for the BSS.

Well you’ve heard of the joke about the gynecologist who decorated his hallway through the letterbox, that’s just how I felt when I decided to repaint Alacrity’s gas locker.
Alacrity’s Boat Safety Examination is coming up soon and I noticed that one of the things they were looking at were rusty floors in gas lockers because there may be pinholes in the plating allowing LPG to get into the bilges with possible dire results.

The floor in the locker was sound and just needed the loose rust sweeping out. I painted the cleaned floor with Kurust then two coats of International primer and then the whole locker with two coats of Danboline.

I was lucky that it was a hot day the Kurust dried converting the rust and leaving a great base for the primer, but it was a killer trying to reach in and paint. I used two paint brushes taped onto lengths of dowell to reach the corners and with my head and one arm in squeezed in the hatch managed to get a great finish despite a headache due to the fumes.

I even managed to get in a bit of fishing (I didn’t catch anything) while I waited for the paint to dry !!! 

Im going to fit some Dri-Dek Tiles to stop the gas cylinders resting directly on the locker bottom so hopefully keeping it rust free for the future.

Its that time again, Waiting for me on the door mat when I got home was my licence renewal form from BW, always a welcome sight  Not.

Included was a notice telling me that I needed to renew my Boat Safety Certificate, minor panic ensued for a few moments while I located the last inspections paperwork. Since nothing has changed hopefully all I need to do is check that there are no obvious faults.

What I did notice was the warning that late payment now gets hit with a penalty of £150 OUCH !!!

Up at sparrow fart on Saturday with a quick stop for breakfast on the way. We were at Braunston for 9am. It was shaping up weather wise to be a great weekend.
I was a man on a mission. On our last visit we found that the water supply pipes from the Tank were weeping and as always the leak would be in an awkward place, beneath the cooker at the back of the kick space in the galley unit, it could  just be reached laying on ones back with one arm extended.
Well after removing the false floor in the cupboard and the wooden trim covering the pipes we cut away all the old pipework . That was the easy bit, Jo had to feed the pipes in and I had to try to get the pipe ends to align with the push fit connectors, not easy looking under the unit with one eye and trying to judge the distance  shouting at asking Jo kindly to push, pull and twist the B***** pipe.
After much cursing and one leak Job Done………Beer Time…….

Sunday.

Sunday dawned sunny and bright. I had a choice, start to fit the new Webasto heating boiler or have a couple of hours fishing, well it was no contest fishing it was. I was using wholemeal bread as bait (healthy ??) within twenty minutes I landed a five pound bream then a large roach not bad for me.

It was great to see NB Jubilee pass through the marina delivering coal.

and yes I did find time to fit the Webasto boiler I just now need time to plumb it in and remove the Alde !!! and remodel the wardrobe sounds like refit part two .