The First Overnight Away From the Marina!

20th and 21st June 2016

David,  good friend of mine who I met through learning to fly wanted to come for a trip on the boat along the Thames, so as I'd recently fitted the Ruddersafe I thought it would be an opportunity to try it and to make sure it didn't fall off!

On arrival at Thames and Kennet Marina the weather wasn't great but it was scheduled to improve in the afternoon so we just chilled for a while until it brightened up.

We left the marina and headed east, soon we were at Sonning Lock, David's first and as luck would have it we had to operate it ourselves so he could play at being the lock keeper!

The cruise down through Shiplake to Marsh lock was pleasant and uneventful, we just admired the beautiful houses we passed along the way. Marsh Lock was attended so we were swiftly through.

 

We passed through Henley bridge and around the regatta course, there were many people busily setting up marquees and stands on both side of the river plus lots of rowers practising.

We thought about pushing on to Marlow but decided Henley would make a better stop for the night so we turned around, back down the regatta course, under the bridge and moored up on the park.

We experimented with the hood, just to see how easy it was to open it up to enjoy the sunshine, I'm sure it would be neater to remove it completely!

After some beers in the sun we headed into Henley where we enjoyed a lovely meal in Cau (steak) with a few beers, then back to the boat. The rest of the evening was spent talking about flying and making some rough plans about places to fly to meet up again. Time for a drop of port then some much needed sleep!

Next morning we started the day with bacon sarnie (is there any other way??) then headed back to the marina.  The approach to Marsh Lock was a bit challenging due to strong current from the weir and gusting cross-winds (to use a flying term!). The boat was being bobbed about a fair bit but as I approached the shelter of the lock it was fine.

Marsh Lock

We motored back up river past the lovely houses again, through Shiplake Lock and then tied up at the lay-by for Sonning Lock.

Val Wyatt Marina, with contentious 'house boat' office

Some pontoons heading downstream, leaving Sonning Lock

Once through Sonning we tied up on the bank and went for a snack at the cafe behind the lock, very nice it was too!

Moored at Sonning, first time the stakes have been used!

Soon we were back at Thames and Kennet Marina.  We stopped at the fuel pontoon so I could fill the tank (from a jerry can, but still best to do it on this pontoon) and we brimmed the water tank ready for  the next trip.

Finishing off the Ruddersafe and New Cleat

19th June 2016

Today I returned to the marina with future son-in-law Lewie to finish fitting the Ruddersafe, yet another fender and a new foredeck cleat. Lewie and my daughter Alex are getting married next weekend and will be using our boat for their honeymoon - I want to make it as easy as possible for them and the Ruddersafe has a good reputation for making the boat more controllable.

A couple of weeks ago when I tried to fit it there was a fault with the bracket on one side, Norfolk Marine sent me a new one straight away but I haven't had the chance to fit it before now. As I'd done most of the work previously it didn't take long to switch the bracket over (utilising the paddling pool once again!)

I think the Ruddersafe is designed to be a bit closer to the propellor than I've got it.  The anti-cavitation plate on this engine gets much narrower further forward and the curvature means it would be hard to get the clamps on properly so I'l try it like this and see how it goes.

Next up, the cleat on the foredeck. The standard item is not very big and struggles to take the 2 mooring ropes and the one for the anchor, so I decided to fit something a bit more useable.

To access the fixings meant removing the forward headlining inside, quite easy to do. I was surprised that the cleat was only held on with 2 M4 fixings, the 2 on the stern are fitted the same and already both are loose.

I chose one of these to fit and used 4 M6 fixings (and bedded it on silicone) so it should be fine.

I wasn't able to use the 2 existing holes as they weren't quite spaced the same (and not straight!) so I filled them with Araldite and drilled 4 new holes.

From underneath you can see that the ply lining has to be drilled away so that the washers and nuts are recessed, otherwise the roof lining won't be able to go back on. So the cleat is only fixed to the outer layer of GRP, but this looks quite thick and with 4 fixings it should be fine. Drilling upwards with a 16mm bit to counterbore the 4 holes was a bit nerve-wracking, one small slip . . . . .

Lewie re-fitting the headlining panel

New post has plenty of room for all the ropes

The new bow fender was easy to tie on.

Once the work was finished (we also added another 25l fuel tank to increase range) we went for a trial run up to Caversham lock and back, the Ruddersafe makes a very clear improvement to straight line stability.

Odd Job Day and Fitting a Ruddersafe

4th June 2016

I made a visit to the boat today to do a few jobs and to fit a Ruddersafe unit, but I also took a few photos of the fixes that have been done to resolve some of the snags we found after buying the boat.

Ballast boxes on the hull floor (under the rear cockpit) and up the transom containing lots of builders ballast to  level the boat correctly

A useable step/footrest in front of the co-pilot seat (a locker would be more useful so I might modify this)

A block to raise the dinette table a couple of inches, makes it easier to sit around

A plywood bulkhead to keep the water tank off of the bow thruster pump, temporary fit to be revisited later

I bought the Ruddersafe from Norfolk Marine who provided excellent  service and a good price.

When I opened the box I was initially impressed with the quality of the contents, it looked like a well thought out piece of kit made to a good standard. Unfortunately there was a problem with one bracket - two holes for the grub screws were over-size so the screws were a very loose fit, but I decided to try to fit it anyway.

The contents of the kit 

This would be a much quicker job with the boat on land, but mine isn't so with the boat in the water and the engine raised I'd have to do it by reaching across from the pontoon. Fearful of dropping tools or parts of the Ruddersafe into the marina I came up with a simple solution.

A 5' paddling pool is a perfect fit to catch tools or anything else I drop!

In theory this should be an easy job, there are only are few fittings to fit! In reality, it's a bit fiddly and much of it has to be done 'by eye'. The rudder blades clamp onto the cavitation plate, they must run parallel to the centreline of the outboard and the blade needs to be 2.5cm away from the propellor, so the alignment process is a bit of trial and error.

First rudder blade fitted

Both blades fitted, not quite in their final position yet. Excess studs to be cut off later

While I was making final adjustments and tightening up the fixings it became clear that the 2 over-size holes were going to prevent me from tightening the 2 grub screws correctly and I couldn't risk fitting it and having it come loose and move or fall off. I called Norfolk Marine and they are putting a replacement bracket in the post for me so I can finish off the job next week.


Unable to finish this job I set about adding a couple more fenders to cover a point we realised could easily be knocked, adjusting the positions of the fenders and trimming off the excess ropes (leaving about 30cm spare, putting a little heat shrink on the ends and sealing using a lighter).

Soon I'd like to add a bow roller so I can tidy up the mounting/stowage of the anchor and possibly replace the fairleads on the bow with cleats - if I can access the fixings from inside.

Our First Guests - Trip to Goring

31st May 2016

Our daughter Alex is getting married soon and the happy couple will be using Life's too Short for their honeymoon. Alex has been on hire boats with us in the past many times and future son-in-law Lewie came on holiday with us last year - so they both have some experience but they've never tried to manage a boat with just the 2 of them so this weekend was a chance to practice that. Due to other commitments we arrived late afternoon on Sunday, so we had some evening time and all day Monday to play.

On arrival at the boat it was pleasing to see that Tingdene and Viking had been busy resolving some of the snags from the list. The boat now looks to be ballasted much better (although I think a lot more ballast has been added at the rear but I don't think any was removed from the bow), the dining table is a bit higher which makes it easier to sit around, there is a usable footrest for the co-pilot and a new bulkhead to keep the water tank and bow thruster motor apart.  Good progress with just a couple of bits left to do.

Once we had everything loaded up and had gone through the 'pre-flight' checks we went for a short trip towards Sonning and back, this showed Lewie and Alex how to leave the mooring and safely join the river, plus they both had a chance to take the helm for a while. No problems, but the boat wanders a bit in a straight line so I'm fitting a Ruddersafe this weekend which ought to help.  Throttle control hasn't been fixed yet so it's still not great, particularly in reverse.  Back at the marina we headed to the fuel jetty and topped up the tank from jerry cans (on the pontoon, not in the boat of course).

The Happy Couple

By the time we were back on our berth it was almost dusk. We tucked into a curry and a few bottles of wine (to help us sleep of course) before settling down for the night.

In the morning we had a quick breakfast of bacon sandwiches before going through the checklist and heading off. We decided to head upstream to Goring via Caversham, Mapledurham and Whitchurch locks. At Caversham Caroline and I demonstrated how we manage our way through a lock with just the 2 of us, easy! It was probably a bit unfair to give them Mapledurham as their first, but we tried it anyway. There was a stiff breeze and weir stream to contend with as well as a family on a hire boat ahead of us struggling to moor at the lay-by so Lewie had to just hold off and wait until it was time to go in. Mapledurham lock is quite tall and Alex isn't, so rather than embarrass ourselves we all mucked in and got through it OK. Lewie drove out of the lock slowly and smoothly, very well done!

Leaving Mapledurham Lock

Next up was Whitchurch Lock. Again the breeze wasn't helping much but this time Lewie and Alex managed just fine. Caroline and I struggled to not pick up a rope and join in, but we needed them to practice without our help and they managed with only a few reminder prompts from myself ;-)

We made it to Goring in time for lunch but the pub was full so we just had a snack in the cafe instead, then headed back.  Going down the locks was easier and the benefit of having the easy-access platform on the boat was obvious to us all, good decision made there.

As we passed through Reading I checked the fuel level - at first glance it appeared that the tank was nearly empty! We'd used more than I thought we would. I reckoned there was enough to get us back but rather than take the chance and risk running out we tied up at the park and Lewie and I wandered to the Shell station up the road. I was able to get 20l in the main tank (so there can only have been 5 left in it) plus I filled 2 10l jerry cans, there will be plenty for the next trip!

Unusually I didn't take any photos on the way back, it was a pleasant trip and the 'youngsters' showed us that they can manage the boat OK, Lewie even reversed it into the morning at the marina OK! So this means I won't have to wrap my precious boat in bubblewrap before the honeymoon after all!

G&T Time!

Next weeks plan is to fit the rubber safe and add a couple more fenders (you can never have too many!) and maybe a second 25l fuel tank if I can get one.

Trip to Henley for Lunch

7th May 2016

Having not visited Life's too Short for almost a month due to other commitments we decided to grab a day onboard while the sun shone, destination Henley for lunch!

On arrival at the marina it was very disappointing to notice that nothing had been done with regards to the snag list and also we've had no communication about when this situation will change. We knew that as ours was to be the first 295 that there could be some teething troubles, but we were told that things would be rectified promptly. However, it is now well over 2 months since delivery and since we reported a list of snags - with very little actually being resolved so far.  UPDATE, Viking have since spent time on the boat and resolved many of the snags, thank you chaps.


As we weren't overnighting it didn't take us long to get our stuff on board, run through Uncle Bryn's checklist and set off. As we left I got in touch with Keith (the proud owner of the second 295) and we arranged to meet him and Wendy for lunch which was a great idea of Keith's.

The Thames is lovely all year round but particularly so in spring with the trees coming into leaf and blossom, the ducklings, goslings and cygnets paddling after their caring parents and much more boating activity on the river itself. The downside of course is that everyone else decides to come out to play as well! As we approached Sonning lock we noticed it was on self-service, that the lay-by was full and we had no where to moor while we waited. I held off near the approach for a good 20 minutes until there was an opportunity for us to go through.

Sonning Lock

When the lock keepers are there they are really good at making efficient use of the space available, it isn't the same on self-service - in fact it seems to be selfish service where some people are concerned! I use the Thames Book to plan ahead, looking at the sizes of the lock before I get there so that I can get a reasonable idea whether we'll fit in or not with the other boats waiting.

We left Sonning Lock, safely negotiated the bridge and headed on to Shiplake. This lock was manned so we got through quite quickly this time.

Shiplake Lock

The stretch from Shiplake to Marsh passes some wonderful properties, the kind of places that we can only dream of so we have to make do with snapping a few pictures as we cruise past (we've probably taken the same pictures for the last 30 years!).

On arrival at Marsh lock we noticed this one was also on self-service (to be fair it was lunchtime) and again there was a queue of boat waiting to go through.  There was a huge barge 'African Queen' at the head of the queue and she went through the lock by herself, she didn't look easy to manoeuvre and took ages to get through so it gave us the time to chat to the others who were waiting and of course to get some more photos. When it was our turn we took quite a while to get all the boats organised to make best use of the lock, but then we were soon through.

Marsh Lock

Moments later we were alongside in Henley where we met Keith and Wendy for the first time.  Please forgive the poor routing of the bow-line on this picture ;-)

The park at Henley

We had a lovely time in the pub with Keith and Wendy, but eventually we had to head back, hoping to catch the lock keepers before they packed up for the day. We didn't have to queue so much on the way back and all 3 locks were manned so our passage was much smoother.

We were back at the marina by about 6:30. Life's too Short looked a little used - not damaged but dirty from the grime on the lock walls, we need to give here a good wash and polish, but not today, we're out of time. We added something else to our snag list though, the throttle control in reverse is awful, 90% of the lever travel doesn't change the engine revs from tickover (not very good for stopping the boat) then suddenly a couple of mm more and it lurches to almost full revs! If the engine isn't in a dead straight line when this happens the boat lurches to one side or the other, very embarrassing when trying to manoeuvre slowly in a lock and potentially dangerous. I've asked Tingdene to take it back to the place where the engine was fitted to get them to adjust it. It can't be right like this. I'm also keen to try a rudder-safe to see how much it improves straight line stability, because there is quite a bit of play in the steering and it gets a little tiring having to continuously steer to keep it in a straight line.

Not sure when we'll be back on board, hopefully in the next week or 2 and I'm anticipating a few snags to have been resolved!