Practical Projects

Colin Jones draws on his experience to bring you his top tips for helping keep costs down this season.

Boat costs come a close second to the weather during happy hour discussions. And one way or another, everybody seems to agree that owning a good boat is tantamount to standing under the shower, tearing up £20 notes. So why do we do it?

Boating is an enormous pleasure and an ever-changing adventure. That is worth a lot of money in itself, so even though my own cruise boat is the main drain on my limited finances, as long as I can afford it, I shall be pleased to carry on - but this does not mean extravagance or waste. 

Before any major expenditure, my wife and I ask each other if we really need it. If the answer is yes, we unhesitatingly stump up the cash. If the motivation is desire rather than necessity, we hold a board meeting. If we both agree that the pleasure of buying would give sufficiently enjoyable returns, we buy it. If one has serious doubts, the project is put on hold until the next meeting.

This immediately tells you that a good way to keep control of your budget is to involve a partner. As a gadget freak, I am the more impulsive element but I am lucky to share the boat with Rita, who is so adept with the financial mathematics of our boat life that our French friends call her ‘Mme La Ministre de Finance’. Between us we have managed 20 years of ‘Champagne cruising’ on a tiny cider income - and still had a bob or two to spare at the end of the season.

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Scrapyard restoration
Renovation is not just about the big things. Sometimes, smaller pieces of essential equipment can also be renovated to save cash. Take this lifebelt for example. It is a Department of Transport approved belt, bought at a ship scrapyard for just a single solitary pound. It is perfectly serviceable but it has faded and lost its shine after many years of exposure to sunlight. It is one of a pair that has been on board for several years and it has often been used when swimming, so we know for certain that it has lost none of its buoyancy.

make do and mend
While looking round for a simple winter job, I realised that, although the belt did not look that great, rather than replacing it, I would have a go at restoring it - and it was a disarmingly simple job. All I did to revive this item was first remove the old grab rope and then lightly rub the belt down to remove the powdery surface. I then coated it in the normal way with two coats of two-pack polyurethane, carefully masking between the different colours to achieve a smart finish. The old grab rope was then replaced with new terylene rope and the result speaks for itself.

get creative this winter
This is one of probably hundreds of small items that can be renovated in a few pleasant hours of winter work. Use your imagination and if you find yourself a good renovation job, make sure you tell us about it. Visit www.boatmart.co.uk, log onto the reader’s forum and share your latest DIY experience with the rest of us.

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It can be difficult on these cold dark evenings to muster enthusiasm to go outside and work on the boat, but you need to maintain a regular sequence of checks to keep everything in good order, ready for the Spring . . .

Cleaning avoids damage
Inflatable boats and tenders require a little love and care. A wash with mild detergent and fresh water will extend their service life and reliability - and apart from anything else, it will also give you a chance to examine the fabric in detail. Look for scuffs, scrapes and seam separation. Clean the inside of the bottom of the boat (pictured above) to ensure that no sand or grit can cause damage. The seam between the tubes and the floor is a critical area. Any sand or grit lodged here can cause serious problems. After all, sand is the basis of sandpaper, and we know what effect that can have. And be aware that solvents, chemicals or mild acids for cleaning (that are not specified by the boat’s manufacturer) are best avoided altogether. A specialist cleaner is the best bet.

Air Valves
Inflation valves also warrant a close look. Check for air security and condition. Most valve air leaks are caused by grit getting into the valve seating. Fortunately, they are easy to clean with a high-pressure hose around the valve when the valve is in the open position. It may be necessary to remove the valve completely to clean it well. Keep the inside of the tubes dry by ensuring that valves are closed when the boat is deflated or not in use.

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Compared with metal, GRP is a brittle material. Whereas steel might bend or dent under impact, GRP is more likely to crack. When that happens, you need to know how to repair it. David Greenwood explains . . .

Cracks in a GRP gelcoat are relatively easy to repair. If it is a simple matter of damage caused by a collision with the pontoon, grinding out and refilling is probably all that is required. But cracks can appear for several reasons and, unless you know what caused them, you may be only dealing with the symptoms - not the cause.

The design compromise
All boat design requires compromise. It would not be cost effective or practical to construct a GRP craft with a hull thick enough over its entire length and breadth to resist every force applied to it. Generally therefore, a designer will draw plans for a boat with a hull skin strong enough to cope with the expected level of external water pressure and then add strengtheners to cope with all the additional pressures that a boat will tend to encounter in a seaway.

Strengtheners are both longitudinal and transverse, and designers have applied a great deal of ingenuity in building them into the structure - in some cases as cabin furniture and bulkheads. The purpose is to break up the hull skin into panels, so that the load on any particular part of the hull is ‘transferred’ into the stiffeners and then diffused and shared by the rest of the hull structure. If the panel is too small, it will make the hull stiff and brittle in that area. If it is too large, the panel may be too flexible, in which case, cracking can occur.

For the full story pick up a copy of the January issue of Boat Mart or subscribe today