Smoke on the water

Smoke on the water A blog about boats. Family and mental health battles, with some art and history thrown in for good measure 🫡

Updates are a little slow for the moment as I'm not with the boat. And with little un due I won't be until she's back no...
21/04/2025

Updates are a little slow for the moment as I'm not with the boat. And with little un due I won't be until she's back north.

Been doing surveys and playing games for peanuts to try and make some funds towards the boat transport. And that's before any more improvements.

I've had to leave a shoddy cover over the boat and most of my tools and other items are in there 😑 so sooner the better.

Waiting for a response today about some work in a breakers yard to hopefully get there a little sooner than these surveys and PIP payments allow, whilst also living or more like surviving 😂

I need to start an order of works to figure out what my next financial goals should be. And add those to the list. Honestly can't wait to build my little home on the water.

I have been putting some material together for my first real video blog. Including a brief history of Norman boats. I'm also tempted to show what I'm doing side earner wise. There's lots of folks with money on the cut. But there's a whole lot more with none who may find it helpful. Even if it's a means to an evenings feeding.

Hope you all had a fantastic Easter.

07/04/2025

Although I'm settling back into the whole family life living in preparation for baby jacks arrival. I'm a man and like a typical man I've only got one thing on my mind and it's disgusting 🤮🤮 my next boat fix 🙄😂

Making arrangements for my trailer to get over from Yorkshire for measures/fabrication. Susan of evri delivery services is bringing me a breakaway cable today apparently.

And on speaking to my cousin (in law) looking for a 4x4 with a decent towing capacity. Seems there's a lot of people having issues getting their boats moved. Extortionate pricing and uncertainty as to whether these people will even turn up.

Met up with a guy I seen post on some groups who had been had over for many hundreds of pounds for a lift/transport. Paid and never arrived.

So, we are seriously considering setting up a reliable trustworthy transporters aimed at the smaller grp cruiser/sailboat market by road. And may possibly explore moving boats by water. But that requires... Well... Water to be in the cut 🤔👀😂 and there doesn't seem to be much of that up north 😳

Also, found a multi fuel stove on a local free site. Needs a service and some new flue pipe, followed by a bit of stove polish but will work grand in the boat. So I'll be picking that up after 2pm today with the assistance of my mates driving skills.

Hope you're all having a good day folks.

Yesterday we went to see how our "not so little" chunk is getting on.31 weeks and estimated around 5lb 1oz already 😳 we'...
04/04/2025

Yesterday we went to see how our "not so little" chunk is getting on.
31 weeks and estimated around 5lb 1oz already 😳 we're expecting a big lad the end of May time. Although there's a lot of talk it nah be earlier than that given his size.
Either way, he's growing well and appears to be healthy. 💙

This means I'm away from the boat now, pretty much until I go and load her on this frankenstein trailer.

The winch should be out for delivery today according to emails. And yes, to me that's about as exciting as packages could be 🤓 I will start my quality control process by staring intently at it from various angles for several hours.

Also, when I landed back in Lancashire I passed a "garage supplies spares" type shop I've seen, but never had the need to use whilst living here. Spied a few sets of trailer mudguards for sale so thought I'd call in and have a chat.
Turns out he (the owner) and his wife own a 63ft NB on the L&L in the very marina I had set my journey to end at when using canalplan. Very nice friendly and polite chap. Warrants paying the extra 8 quid he's charging on ebay prices to shop local too with customer service like that.

Anyways, time for an Americano coffee. Granola with Greek yoghurt and freeze dried banana for breakfast.

Have a lovely day folks

Sometimes. When life gives you lemons. (Or people make it really hard or expensive to lift or slip your boat) You buy an...
02/04/2025

Sometimes. When life gives you lemons. (Or people make it really hard or expensive to lift or slip your boat) You buy an al-ko caravan chassis off a Yorkshireman for £70 and make a trailer to fit your needs.

I'll get some hull measurements taken tomorrow and figure where I need to add braces and rollers. Check marketplace for an old winch. And I was already manifesting this additional build to the boat build with a light board I'd already had waiting for such an occasion.

20/03/2025

The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting away, with blue skies behind. Welcoming in the spring equinox 🌞 here's to longer, warmer days. The animals and plants come back to life 😁

I have questions....I have an old milk float motor. This 275a 24/36v dc controller, and a few other bits I can't tell yo...
19/03/2025

I have questions....

I have an old milk float motor. This 275a 24/36v dc controller, and a few other bits I can't tell you at the moment. They came with the boat.

I have managed to couple the stern drive and motor (although I still need to make a proper motor mount and housing for the controller/electrics as our boys will be in the aft cabin) one we know has his fingers in everything, and the other we won't meet until the end of May.

Can anyone simplify this diagram and tell me the actual names of things that need to be put in place for a safe circuit please?

I've spent many years building led lights and automation equipment so not exactly a dafty, but this has me stumped.

Also, the motor controller and the motor should have the ability to run in reverse. But the drive itself usually works on a lever/linkage system to morse controls. To engage forward and reverse. Would it be possible to have morse controls purely to use as a linkage to shift gears. Or do I need another method? I plan to use a 5kohm potentiometer for the throttle (which I know will work) but the gear system is still throwing me.

Also, as a temporary measure. I am considering using a generator mounted on the transom - salvaged from a scrap pile. I'll use some evening times next week to strip it down and rebuild and hope it works.

Could I use this to power a 36v driver to the controllers +- without the need for a battery? Or do I need to try and figure some cheap batteries that I can keep topped up using said generator because at the moment batteries are far out of budget. To be fair most stuff is 🤣

Hoping in the next week or 2 we can get her structurally sound... Stringers/transom glassed/floor braces/having to cheap out and use 18mm OSB on the floor..... Simply so I have a floor and she's dropped In the water to make a hasty journey up towards Lancashire from Leicestershire for the arrival of our son.

All of this to be fitted around 40+ hour working weeks on other boats. (incredibly fortunate and grateful for this 🙏)

Also would anyone want to see videos of these things being done? I'm quite eloquent with vocabulary when written. But stumble and stutter in person and on camera. Such an awkward feeling 😂

18/03/2025

Sitting with pen and paper, Because some times the old school methods are better.

Bill of materials lined up for flooring, fibreglass work. Bulkheads and the v berth. And a week outdoors in What's looking to be cold weather stripping a NB to bare metal to pay for them.

Spare time will be spent. Painting the inside of the hull on mine (because bilge envy is a thing and nobody wants to store anything in a grotty space 🤢)

Searching for bargains and freebies on marketplace and the likes for kitchen units. A shower tray, so I know what size to build the "heads". Cassette toilet for the journey back.

As the boats on blocks at the moment. The wharf owner. Who is an absolute gentleman. Such a friendly place but far too far with a baby so imminent. Is sorting a trailer to slip her in the water once she's glassed and patched. Might not get to manage paint before I have to set sail, or more like cruise back up norff (with 2 f's not one, or a th) 😂

I must be mental but the progress I wanted to make I am making relatively quickly.

Yet, this journey is still likely to be fraught with problems in conditions no one but bear grylls would enjoy 💯

Still rough as. The wharf owner had a bit of work and a fitted out yet tiny boat for me to stay on. I don't mind slummin...
17/03/2025

Still rough as. The wharf owner had a bit of work and a fitted out yet tiny boat for me to stay on. I don't mind slumming it for a while but I'm currently nice and fresh. Stern drive is reattached. And the milk float motor is coupled to it spinning freely. (I've seen a video of it running and throttle can be controlled with a simple potentiometer) I've got a 24/36v 275amp controller and a few other bits.

Now. The roof that was cut off, and in is almost positioned right and currently strapped with bits of wood and screws although 5kg of resin and some fibreglass matting should be enough to see the roof right. Patch the gunwhales where old screws etc have been, and refit and glass in some 2x1 stringer (also cut out)
And repair the top half of the transom.

I'll be figuring my exact floor plan shortly. Incorporating a large ish kitchen and a shower room/cassette toilet in the front cabin.

The original layout on these had room for a dinette which I'll be happy to sacrifice for a larger shower 🚿💯
Pop a table in the v berth or maybe a half depth worktop breakfast bar?

Be worth it for a silent cruising electric adaptation of a 1960s piece of GRP beauty.

Need to find a decent multi fuel stove to pop on there too

07/03/2025

This is yesterday's tour.. Still needing a whole lot sod cleaning. Did manage to get the forecabin ceiling painted up. Hopefully manage the walls today. Floor can wait for now as I won't have enough paint. Be a while before I can get any more.

Today's jobs. Get the stern drive back on with fresh seals. Try and make a mount for the motor and attach with the coupler to stern drive. No reduction to gearing needed like most motors. Acceleration will be via a potentiometer.

Really need to figure a cable shift system as the reverse function will be via stern drive and not the motor itself. Today's update will probably be tomorrow.

Peace folks ✌️

Water bailed out. Onwards now 😎
05/03/2025

Water bailed out. Onwards now 😎

The original brochure advert for the Norman 25 centre cockpit. Thinking about doing a little bit of the history of Norma...
28/02/2025

The original brochure advert for the Norman 25 centre cockpit. Thinking about doing a little bit of the history of Norman boats in my first video.
The boat will be going back to Lancashire where she started life eventually.

Is there anything else you guys would want to see?

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