Photo: Enslow in the rain

Photo: Enslow

Mark Paris: Mobile Workshop on a Narrowboat

MARK PARIS

Mobile workshop on narrowboat'Helene of troy'
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The Canal Scene

Shower Pumps: Uxbridge Boat Centre

Shower drainage methods have been on my mind as I am 'doing' the bathroom, and I had decided to make a box which the water would drain into and inside the box would be a pump protected by a filter which would pump the water outside. This, I thought was a great idea and had great plans. However, I have heard fabulous reports about the Whale Gulper which is virtually un-blockable and ideal for showers. I telephoned around a few places and looked on the internet and found the prices varied a great deal. I telephoned my favourite chandlers Uxbridge boat centre (see links)and they are selling them for £90... the cheapest I could find. Apparently the RRP for these pumps is £90. I love Uxbridge boat centre, it is rather like a cave containing everything you could ever want, and all the things you didn't know you wanted. They are very reasonably priced, and as far as I can tell they generally do the best prices around.

Bathroom

Sunday Technology

After much umming and erring and advice I decided to upgrade my music system and spent some vouchers I was given as a leaving present on an ipod nano.



I have spent a great deal of the afternoon trying to work out how to play music from my nano through the computer without recording it onto the computer in the first place (disc space is at a premium), after much faffing around I have resorted to trying CDs. The sound quality is appauling for everything except folk music!

Donal Lunny 'coolfin' is playing and making me most pleased.

Technology can wait for tomorrow.

Maffi and the Milly M

Many of us watched Maffi's boat being built at Ledgard via the webcam and this week I discovered via the canalworld forums that Maffi was moored in Uxbridge. As I needed a trip to the Uxbridge Boat Centre for a few bits I was delighted to be able to finally meet up with him. After a visit to his boat (which is lovely) we had luncheon in the Swan and Bottle which was excellent. I'd definately go back there.

Maffi's blog is not only a valuable insight into the process and difficulties of having a new boat built but is also a story of his trials and tribulations of his time in Saudi during the whole process. It was a triumphant moment when Maffi stepped on english soil once again, and as far as I can gather from my recent visit, he is having a fantastic time cruising the waterways!

My very own hump back bridge!!!!

My chum sent me two models to cheer me up after being ill. Here is part one - I feel most proud of myself for having made it without ending up with my fingers stuck to my eyebrows.

doing the bathroom (still)

Some time ago I finally decided to use Vinyl flooring as a wall covering in order to waterproof the bathroom. I picked up some vinyl, but I have been unable to fix it to the walls as I decided it was a 2man job. Today the beloved had some available time so I was able to enlist said devoted assistant to the job.

After very little time we decided that putting vinyl flooring on the walls is not a 2man job but rather a family day out.

After much heaving, hilarity and near misses with the stanley knife we have managed the job. The vinyl covering however is not quite as I remember it, and rather than being a rather styulsih cosmopolitan white it is more beige and unconsmopolitan rather like an old age persons apartment. I wonder if I can persuade the fashion world that "old age beige" is the new black.

Putting up shelves - how do you do it?

How does the average person fix cupboards and shelves to their narrowboat?! I have no idea... but I know how i do it, and here is a diagram.

Top Tip

This evening I have been trying to do lots of sums in order to submit an application for funding for a job. I am not very good at sums, but I have discovered something else during the process, and this is where my top tip of the day comes from.

When doing sums on a boat at night with dim lighting, do not rely on a solar calculator.

Photo: Snow!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo: The stove

Here is a more up to date picture of my stove. I have added some tiles and grouted the black ones. You can see them here:

Photo: This Afternoon

Smaller Kitchen

Whilst out and about collecting things other poeple have thrown away I have found some worktop for the left hand side of the kitchen that matches that of the right. The only problem being that the worktop is 10cm shorter than the kitchen is....so I have shortened the kitchen. I have taken out the 50cm unit and replaced it with a 40cm unit I had kicking around. I moved the shelf from the disguarded 50cm unit into the remaining 50cm unit (I hope you are keeping up here) which has helped the storage side of things. The only draw back with the 40cm unit is the way the door has had to be fixed... which means the handle that was on it is now at the bottom of the unit rather than the top. At least you can't say I am size-ist, the short and the tall can access my cupboards. It looks rather swanky. Nothing like the bespoke to finish off a kitchen!

Photo: Squirrel

This photo is on here somewhere, but to save you scrolling around here it is again - the much loved stove.

Morso Squirrel Stove

I have a morso squirrel which I adore. Here is a manual for it for those of you who have the stove and not the manual

Morso Info

and this one has some extra info on fitting various bits

Morso Info on fitting bits

Not necessarily the same model.


There has been quite a lot on the news about carbon monoxide poisoning and my stove has a leak I am trying to find. I think the gaskets around the door need replacing.