More Modifications

Here are some more bits and pieces that I forgot about earlier, probably because I thought them less interesting to read about.

Shower Convenience

One of the inconveniences that have to be endured on a boat is the constant worry of running out of water, due to the limitations of the storage tank. Having a shower like you would have at home with constantly running hot water is a no-no! To resolve the problem of saving water, I wanted to cut off the supply of hot and cold water part way through my shower without altering the temperature that was already set by the taps. You will see that there is no mixer tap to do the job, so I had to devise some alternative method. With my usual blinkered method of solving problems, I searched in vain for a threaded tap of sorts to fit in the hoseline from the taps to the shower – alas, there were none to be had. I happened to mention this in the pub one night and lo and behold another boater suggested shutting off the water pump with a switch. Why didn’t I think of that? Easy Peasy! So the switch was wired in parallel to the main pump and mounted at the far end of the bath and under the gunwale for added protection from water. Naval showers are all the rage on this boat.

Better Drainage

After blogging about my cabin top drainage system, Neil on “Herbie” described his system, also on an ‘Andicraft’ boat, so here it is, just a piece of wood glued on with mastic. Whether it works as well, or better, remains to be seen when it eventually rains! I still have the wicks in place to test it.



Bow Marker

I think most single handed boaters have all nosed gently up to the gates of an empty lock and pushed them open, just to save time and effort. Entering an empty narrow lock and nosing up to the cill gently without breaking all the china is also a tricky maneuvre. The problem here is being able to judge exactly when the bow will make contact. Boating earlier this year with Peter Darch on the Oxford, I was impressed with his solution and unashamedly plagiarised his idea. The pennant is glued to the top of a 3mm glassfibre rod, which is extremely flexible and it is pushed into the bow fender, so that the pennant is visible to the steerer, as below:-