• Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 9 months ago

    Abandoned Boats – Inside Of A Boat Wreck The above photograph is the aftermath of a hi-ab crane trying to lift a wooden boat wreck out of the mud.  Boat wrecks on muddy rivers are a […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 9 months ago

    Painting steel boats is always a losing battle especially when the area your painting is a cleat. Let’s be honest iron and salt water don’t mix but with the right paints and protective layers, they stand half […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 9 months ago

    Abandoned Boats – Steel Paint Flaking When a boat is left abandoned it’s often the windows that are the first element to get broken. Kids just love chucking stones at old windows, […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 9 months ago

    Abandoned Boats – Once Used Tugboat This abandoned tug boat was recently hired for use as a TV prop. It now sits and awaits either or a new owner or a Bristol based scrap yard.  […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 9 months ago

    Boat Storage – Dropdown Shelve Everyone know’s that’s storage is an essential part of living on a boat. It’s obvious, right? If you live in a tiny home you need to make […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 9 months ago

    Boat Galley – Drying Out Chilli's For Storage A friend of mine recently noticed a ton of chillis in the reduced section in our local shop. He, like myself, is a thrifty boat renovator, who […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 9 months ago

    Contour Sanding Using Old Rollers There’s only so long you can put off those dreaded tasks, so today was the day I started one. Having just removed a Volvo Penta 280 Outdrive I […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 10 months ago

    Grunt Boat Cleaner – A FULL REVIEW WHAT IS GRUNT BOAT CLEANER? Grunt Boat Cleaner is heavy duty marine cleaner designed to remove those hard to tackle stains that can occur […]

    • A lot of the caravans that iv’e come across seem to use a simlliar gelcoat/ topcoat to the the one found on on most GRP boats. On my Seamaster 950 which is polyester GRP it didn’t cause any damage and did a good job of protecting the area for what seemed like a good year after. The non slip area was very well cleaned without removing any paint. It’s not overally agressive in my opinion. Run a test patch first.

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 10 months ago

    Tool Storage – A Simple Solution For Boats Meet Eli St. Amour‎ a boat renovator from Pennsylvania, USA. Fed up with not having enough space for the tools Eli decided to build himself a cu […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 11 months ago

    Worst Positions In Boat Renovation A reader sent in a photo yesterday morning and it got me thinking. What’s the worse position you’ve found yourself wedged into while trying to […]

    • I worked for Volvo penta for a few years it’s basically torture. Changing turbos in sun seekers for 1990’s is rubbish. I have pulled a few guys out of places that they would certainly still be in if I didn’t. New boats take the biscuit, azimut are the worst

    • I remember having to soap up an engineer who went into the boiler to inspect and clean and then couldn’t get out. Worst one I had was clearing out the condenser on a 300000 tonner after we sucked up a couple of tonnes of shrimps.

    • Man, this is why the first thing I look at in any boat is the engine setup. You’re going to need to be fooling in there frequently, if you can’t get to it don’t buy the damn thing.

    • No picc, cuz 1. I’m by myself. If there was someone else there, THEY would be the ones scrunched up in there, and 2. I’m usually too busy to take pics.
      I think i’ve been in like 20 positions that would tie for “worst” – one being the “hobbit hole” I had to fold myself into (sometimes risking compression asphyxia) to work on the back of the engine in my Crown 28.

    • Crikey, as an engineer I’ve had to get upside down with stuff dripping on my face while I hold the stupidly long extension bar and not drop the heavy starter motor into the oily bilge full of water……. not managed to take a photo of myself while at it but perhaps I can with a fourth arm..

    • I actually managed to get stuck while making one if my first boats, a Glen-L Squirt, some years ago. I forget exactly why, but one day I was on my back in the bottom of the boat and had shuffled myself backwards so my head was up against the transom, and the deck beam that forms the seat back was across my stomach just below my ribs.
      The problem was, when I tried to shuffle back my ribcage would expand and catch on the beam, trapping me in that position!
      Try as I might I just couldn’t move. Eventually, after a bit of shouting, a neighbour came along to see what all the noise was about, I explained and he was able to drag me out by the ankles!

    • When I was younger and smaller my name in the boatyard was Bilge Worm. The worst situation I recall involved locating a blind latch on an irregular hatch. I didn’t quite fit on my side in a fetal position. So we had a 300 pound man sit on the hatch to compress me a little more.

    • End of Oct, blowing 25+ out of the NW, 2100 hrs, 25 mi offshore from SW Hbr ME, out new eng oil drain plug fell out. The bottom of the bilge was 3’ below the bottom of the engine pan. Upside down for 3 min to retrieve. My only time being seasick and friggin cold.

    • Sorry no photo but, I was working in the port lazarett. I was completely inside laying on the floor working on a thru hull when I heard the lid close😕 I first thought no big deal I’ll just open it but, then I realized the hasp had closed when the lid went down. I was locked in! I banged in the area of the hasp hoping I could pop it up and off the latch, no luck. I had my cell so I called a dock mate and asked him to go to my boat and open the port lazarett. He immediately asked, did you lock yourself in? I must have had more anxiety in my voice that I realized.
      With my friends a yes reply would have generated a response of: “ What’s that you say, no problem no hurry? (The sound of a candy wrapper being crumpled up next to the mic.) You are breaking up, I’ll call back tomorrow. And they would be at the hatch as soon as possible.

    • To work on rebuilding the outboard well on a Columbia Saber (32.5 L x 6.5 Beam) one has to shimmy through the leg space over the port bunk, drop down into the void past it and crawl up to the work area. Not too bad, getting out in reverse is the real treat, there are always those tense moments as you are trying to squeeze back through the bunk space when it seems you aren’t making progress. I have dropped 24 pounds since October 31, I’m trying to drop another 25 or so by mid April. I’m still expecting it to eater uncomfortable. After reading the first comment, I’m thinking bib overalls might be a good fashion choice.

    • Upside down, between Perkins 426 and the bulkhead, that backs the shower, working on bilge pump wiring, with belt loop stuck. No one with me either. It was a bloody mess when it was all said and done and I got back out. I am talking liquid red all over the place. Lessons learned.

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 11 months ago

    Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor Paint – A Full Review When it comes to boat renovation we can’t always afford to splash out on products that are labelled as “marine”. The marine paint industry is a […]

  • Louis wrote a new post 5 years, 11 months ago

    Simploo Compost Toilet- A Full Review There’s one thing all humans have in common, the clue is in the title of this article, that’s right! We all poo, yes its true, with the […]

    • We have a Simploo on our boat in the UK. Happy enough with it but we have a C-Head on our Bahamas boat, which we are on now and which we think is better we have had it for 6 years. But nearly 2x the price plus shipping from USA having said that both sre better than a conventional sea toilet

    • we started with peat moss but now use compressed pine pellets (cat or, better, horse litter, but not clay based cat litter) as that seems to work better and takes up less storage space. the pine pellets are cat litter we got ours on Amazon. As i say dont get the cheap clay type. And horse litter is also pine pellets if you buy in bulk thats cheaper. We use 2 coffee jars at a time and it lasts 2 weeks for 2 people. 3 weeks is maximum

    • I got one in my boat. I know, i know, i know… it would take me a years worth of defication to equal the spew of one whales wet fart… but its fun filling that thing up with a years worth of excrement, and all that extra weight stops it from sliding and sloshing about while at sea… ciddling up with defication while out at sea has kept me warm and comfortable.

    • I too have had a Simploo for nearly 2 years. I LOVE it! Easy to use, easy to clean. I double bag and bin and use wood shavings from a carpenter mate as cover. It’s cheaper than all the other compost loos (unless you make your own). I don’t see the point of the lid thing for the poo box so Ive chucked that – it prevents the fan from access to the box anyway. After about a year, the separator started to crack slightly down a join – nothing major, but Kate immediately sent me a new and thicker one free of charge. I feckin ❤️ Simploo!!!!!
      (PS I don’t make compost but reckon once it’s in Landfill it’s gonna turn to compost anyway so no harm to anyone or environment.)

    • One major problem with all composting toilets, and especially the simploo is their height. Obvious, as there has to be a large container to hold the waste. But many small boats cannot fit them as the heads compartment lacks headroom. Its a bit of a stretch to use our Simploo as it was fitted on the old seatoilet plinth. So bear that in mind and measure carefully before ordering/fitting

    • I would actually say the Simploo can be quite problematic when it comes to the urine separation. Especially when guests use the toilet, the wee tends to go into the solids container then this taints the solids. It’s fine once you know how to use the toilet and are well practised. For this reason, I would say your wife is correct.

  • Louis wrote a new post 6 years, 10 months ago

    Making A Wooden Boat Shell From 2×4 TimbersIn this tutorial, Stephan runs us through the entire process of making a wooden boat structure.  What’s most interesting about this boat is it’s […]

  • Hello all, as I’ve previously discussed in my articles which can be found here- Renovating Our Off-Shore Cruiser And Liveaboard / Repairing A Rotten Bulkhead I am currently trying to renovate a Seamaster 950.  I’m on a budget and between sporadic days off from work so in order to keep the story told as I spend all my time doing the renovation I’…[Read more]

  • Hello all as I’ve previously discussed in my articles which can be found here- https://www.boat-renovation.com/renovating-our-off-shore-cruiser-and-liveaboard/

    Why Is It So Rotten? Repairing A Bulkhead

  • Hey Michael, the first idea that came to mind was using Owatrol Marine Strip, but I seem to remember something in the technical data about it not stripping polyurethane paints, so I’m guessing it might be the same for marine varnishes that are often made from polyurethane. Strippers can work wonders, but they’re messy and you need the right type.…[Read more]

  • I am renovating a traditional 10 metre glass fibre sailing yacht that was built in Berlin circa 1970 on which the timber spars are hollow rectangular section.
    I am having a real problem to remove the multiple layers of varnish from the 11 metre mast. Can you advise me as to the quickest way to achieve this laborious task?
    The Boom took me about a…[Read more]

  • Louis wrote a new post 7 years, 3 months ago

    Why Is It So Rotten? Repairing A Bulkhead My time is currently split;  one-half of the week I’m working hard trying to earn money to renovate my boat and the other is half is spent […]

    • Haha cheers Dude- Hope everything is alright in Yoland – keep it WordPress is awesome!

    • Hello buddy, do you have a photo, a multi tool is going to take quite a long time. You could possibly use a plungesaw and set to the exact thickness of the plywood. I use a Titan mini plunge saw which I picked up from screwfix. Its the tool I use the most, worth the money.

  • Louis wrote a new post 7 years, 5 months ago

    This First Boat Renovation Meetup 7 months ago I moved to Bristol from the South Coast city of Brighton in hope of finding work and opportunities in the marine sector. In Brighton, […]

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