Blogging last year’s Crick trip was a pain. I took an old Galaxy Tab and cheap Chinese keyboard that got more and more dodgy as time went by. In the end I did a few notes using the on-screen keyboard then gave up. This year I need better IT. Apart from the blog I have … Read more »
Category: DIY
Seren 2019
Over the winter 2018-19 I’ve done a lot more work on Seren, fitting new propshaft bearings and couplings, replacing the rear deck, finishing the WC/Shower, installing a proper hot water system and recycling a daughter’s old kitchen units. There was a plan to take Seren out of the water in the spring for a thorough … Read more »
Seren (more backstory)
Once on the Great Ouse we had to register the boat with the Environment Agency who control the various Anglian waterways. We took the opportunity to register her under a new name ‘Seren’. One day I’ll get around to making new name plates. We did few local trips on Seren in 2017 then I set … Read more »
Coralita 2017 (more backstory)
I looked at a lot of boats online. We like canals more than rivers and many of them are narrow so a narrowboat would suit us very well. Unfortunately new-ish ones are expensive and old ones need a lot of work. Narrowboat-style cruisers are built of steel and steel rusts. Boats old enough to be … Read more »
Voyage to Llan (the backstory)
During the late 70s and early 80s we lived in Blackburn, Lancs and we (I) wanted a boat. So I built one. It was cheap and rough and intended to be upgraded as time money allowed. Then we moved to Cambridgshire where a cheap, rough home-made boat stuck out a bit amongst the floating gin … Read more »
Decking Seren part 4)
I’m a bit late posting this as I actually finished it more than a week ago. It took a while because the gas locker sits on the deck but the gas pipe goes under it and once the deck is in place you can’t get to the pipe easily. So I laid the deck boards … Read more »
Decking Seren (part 1)
It appears that the Trentcraft 25 was available with outboard or inboard engines. The outboard version just has a well at the stern and a door for access to the engine only. Seren has an inboard engine (in the front cockpit with a long propshaft in the keel). In this version the well is decked … Read more »
Day 2. Hardly boring at all.
Last year we brought Seren up the New Bedford river partly to save time, we’d had enough by then, partly because I’d missed it 30 years previous due to tides and a lock keeper who didn’t think we’d want to go that way. It rained the whole way and yes the NB is boring, especially … Read more »
Day 1
Long day. I left Kelpie at 09.00 and had one of those days. Every lock set against me except St Ives. Two were even worse than that because a bunch of young lads in a day boat kept leaving the slackers (paddles) open. Then I lost my EA key, probably at Houghton lock.Realised when I … Read more »
Seren is nearly ready
With the plumbing finished (for now) I’ve been putting stuff back and having a clean up. I’ve recycled some old kitchen units for storage (the rest will replace the existing kitchen one day) and Linda has recovered the sofa/bed cushions. Read more »