Happy on the Water just found this in drafts

Back home for almost a year now, moored up all safe and secure, and looking good on the water.

This one refuses to go upright, always something !!! harrumph harrumph ha ha

Wildrose Reborn

The crane just managed to lift her, missing the roof by a few inches, feeling very nervous now, what have I not done ???? 

crumbs, the day of reckoning, is the ballast in the right place? is the grease packed into the greaser? ropes in place? diesel in the tank? water in the heating system .......all on board as soon as she sits in the water to check for any unwelcome water ......

But all seems ok, she sits pretty level, all dry inside the engine compartment. Master switches on, Alt on, in neutral, full throttle and press the button and...........blooming marvelous

   And what a delight to at last feel the movement on the water.. It was noticeably still all the time I have been working on her and she just didn't feel right. Now she feels at home and doing what she was meant to do....phew. Never really thought I would get there, several hiccups this year were overcome and the electrics safely in place.
The horn still works, well I say horn but in actuality it's an air raid siren from WW2 !!! and a pretty fearful sound to match, but there is a way to make it not go full throttle so some practice away from civillisation will be needed.
Now she has her own electrics cupboard, master switches, fuses, a split diode, batteries boxed and fastened in and other useful things.
I did the exhaust pipes lagging, well done me lol

and well done to all who have contributed in time and effort.

Coming out of the Parkhead lock on the way to Merry Hill on her inaugural cruise.

Hooray

That went on a bit too long !!!

Mainly because of the XP situation and my machine refusing to recognise my phone pictures Harrumph Harrumph

So its been almost 12 months since my last posting. this doesn't mean that I have been skiving off because it gives me great pleasure to announce the successful  launch of  the rejuvenated Wildrose on 10th July ....phew
and just relieved she floats, engine runs a treat and she starts up with just the push of a button. gosh and am going to try to insert pics from my phone direct so here goes..

Thank you to COX's Cranes of Oldbury. Did a marvelous job taking her back to the nearest place we could put her in the water and she cruised back to her original moorings like a dream. No leaks, slightly high, well 2inches up in the water so I need to get more ballast sorted out. 2inches on a 10 tone boat is I think quite a lot of it.....that should be fun and will continue to keep me fitt-ish

Back home at Bumble Hole, and a misty morning at Merry Hill Waterfront on her first trip out, 3 hours, 1 lock and 5 fishermen (10 minutes in the car ha ha) but a magical journey through the narrows of Netherton

Nice new wall to moor against, Thank you Stan. A black cat and a heron appeared the day she arrived and so did the owner of her sister narrowboat, Wild Musk. So thats how we ended up having a 2 day stayover at Merry Hill Waterfront. Four boats and excellent company. Sitting outside Weatherspoons in the evening looking across the water at the boats and the sky was just unbelievably beautiful. Who would have thought, I have been there many times but never really looked around but it was as good as any waterfront on the Med...

Yes thats us Wildrose in the middle, moored outside the Copthorn Hotel (nice toilets) lol. AND the Bowman exhaust gas heat exchanger has worked a marvel, I can recommend for any air cooled engine. Will be able to say more after a winter cruise

WOW back on the water, what were the odds
and now to just enjoy
Whilst cracking on with the garden, somewhat bigger than before !!!

Listen to my engine .... again Ha

Don't know whether the video will come up. but there has been some progress just recently and what a treat to be starting her up. Here we are testing the waterpump with a bucket of water ha ha, but can hear how easily she starts up. Its getting a bit tight now the compartment is filling up....

not mushroom for feet !!!!

Now to make sure that everything connects together and the pullies and gears go the way they need to, hmmm clockwise or anticlockwise??? which way should the propellor go round??? 

The engine is running two pullies, one for the water pump that will pump hot water from the Bowman (part of the exhaust system), round the boat as heating, through a couple of radiators and a calorifier (hot water tank) with a header tank to form a sealed system that will operate when the engine is running.. This has to flow in the opposite direction to the exhaust gas flow.....

The other pully is on the gearbox flange to run the alternator, just hoping the tickover speed will be fast enough.??? something to find out ...

So Now

The accelerator cable, gear linkage, fuel system and starting up are all operational

the diesel tank is connected to the fuel filter

the fuel filter is connected to the engine..

the engine is connected to the Bowman and 

the Bowman is connected to the water pump

the water pump is connected to the engine.... need a header tank...

the engine is connected to the gearbox 

and the cogs in the box go round and round ..... Ha Ha

Blooming marvelous ...... so far, quite brilliant

Cracking on again

 Difficult to see the shape of the diesel tank. The top half is almost rectangular on top of a triangular prism, to fit neatly on to the swim and down to the base plate

 Held in place with a couple of steel strip and bolts

 Stripped down, reconditioned injectors, first coat of paint

 Cleaning out the engine compartment and a couple of coats of Hammerite. Bowman ready to drop in place, Henry Hoover at the ready..

 Back together with finishing coat of original green

 Yellow flywheel, still to do black quadrants, fun to watch turnover ??? a bit sad that thought ha ha

 Hoisting her back on board








Battery boxes now fixed in place opposite the fuel tank

After connecting the Bowman in the exhaust system, fuel lines connected, ready for new battery leads and then for another listen to its dulcet tones !!!lol...

A little weld here and a lot of filler there !!

And its Happy Birpday Jim Day so very fitting that a pair of aluminium cowls arrived from the very helpful Mark at Trinity Marine, suppliers of reclaimed marine stuff. These are needed to increase the airflow in the engine compartment as the Petter is air cooled.  Most boats have air grills in the side just under the gunnels, but Wildrose has about 12" drop from the gunnels to the back deck. Any grill would be too low and close to the waterline for Wildrose. So I thought that these would be worth a try.
Both needed a lot of cleaning off and so today I have been scrapimg off the cruddy coating and revealing patches of delightful polished aluminium.....unfortunately not enough to go for that as a finish for both ... one has too much pitting, so out with the Dinitrol (still some left from the roof !!) and I think they will look good painted. outside blue, inside red.

They will be seated on the back deck, connecting to a couple of bilge blowers under the deck with aluminium hose directing air to the air inlet on the engine..

A few snatched dry days have seen the diesel tank in place to fit the holding brackets. 10mm extra on any one dimension and it wouldn't have gone in !!!!! phew that was close.
And the tiller has had a new bearing and housing fitted. It had to be cut off in the end but has welded back together nicely with new bar linking it down to the rudder..and it now lifts off for security, excellent job.
a bit at a time eh!.........

Just downloaded the updated specs, January 2013, needed for the Waterways certificate requirements before going in the water, so now I have a checklist...and here's a scan of the old licence

By heck  well this year hopefully she will get a new one whoopydooo







and here's more from the archives ....

Navigating the Netherton Tunnel. Almost half way through you can just see the end in the middle of the picture.

 Beyond half way and its jolly dark down there just my sticky thumb print on the photo......messy me huh.
Hood up needed badly to save drips trickling down yer back brrrrr but oh what fun

Returning to Bumble Hole at Darby End one blustery night on our way back from  New Year in Birmingham moored at Brindly Place.

Fab times with treasured memories
Thank you Jim
xx

And the paint goes on

Well a surprising visit from Kinver Canopies to measure up for a front deck cover was the catalist for the start of another push to get Wildrose sailing.
So the engine compartment cleaned out yet again and this time a coat of Hammerite Direct to Metal in silver slapped on the base.. and so far it looks GREAT

 hanging on in there !!!!!

 Shows well the fabrication for the engine fittings

  Just remembering where it started

and what has to go back in .......oh what fun. Big back deck means much easier access than a trad and  many advantages phew.