Bimbling about

[marshlander]

What - no one has posted in this forum? I am shocked!

... Sounds so romantic and carefree living on a boat compared to the confines of being in a house or flat with neighbours! The fact that you can up and go... decide to move on from a particular spot if you want is amazing too!

Glad you managed to get the engine problems all fixed and that was quite impressive you managed to fix it by yourself!

Eek... the sunburn sounds bad... apparently a great quick remedy for it is shaving foam containing menthol! Just rub it on the affected areas for 30 mins... wash off and apply next day if still sore!

Thanks, @andy. Like being a musician, things can look "romantic" from the outside. The view from the inside is often a bit different. I can go into more detail if I haven't already done so elsewhere, but this probably isn't the thread to indulge! If anyone wants a link to my blog DM me. There are plenty of gory details on there 

Believe me, no one could be more impressed (or surprised) than I am that these repairs seem to have held. For anyone who understands such things the trickiest was replacing the CAV housing, which is one of the junctions for bits of the fuel system. The primary fuel filter bolts into it as do several other copper and steel pipes. In order to be able to get one of those out I had to sort out how to move and reroute the throttle cable, which was a puzzle in itself. Then one of the nuts wouldn't budge and I ended up turning what was left of the hexagon into a nice smooth circle. I'd already been warned that I wouldn't be able to move it, by the engineer who tightened it for me a few years ago!

I don't have a lot of use for shaving foam and I don't have any with menthol, but I'll certainly bear it in mind as a handy tip. I've been using aloe vera and ice. It wasn't too bad after a couple of days.

That sounds amazing, I would love to travel one day and I've always wondered what it's like to live on a boat.

@ceez There are plenty of places in the UK (specially England) where one can hire a self-drive narrowboat for a holiday. You could satisfy your urge to travel and your curiosity in one go! I love my life and there are times when it truly is amazing, but I have had to become quite resourceful and used to doing things the hard way. I have to bend double to get in and out of the boat; everything needs to be carried along a river bank and up or down the bank; fresh water is only available if I keep the water tank topped up which involves running four joined hosepipes to a standpipe in front of a barn in the farmyard about 150 metres away - a full tank lasts me  about three weeks if I'm frugal; the toilet needs to be emptied weekly by carrying it to the sanitation point behind the barn; hot water is only on tap if I've been using the engine or, in colder weather, I light the woodburner. When I need hot water I generally boil a kettle.

Well done on fixing the engine @"marshlander"

You know, I knew you lived on a boat from some of your previous posts I'd seen, but I always had the impression it was static, just a floating home. I didn't actually realise it was in working condition and you could journey around the Fens. A lot of hard work, but it sounds enjoyable nonetheless, a true labour of love. 

Thanks, @Bookworm.
The boat was sold to me as being in "working condition", but one of the people who sold it to me was a notorious bodger. Although the boat was only about ten years old when I bought it the first owner had managed to seize the engine solid. He sold it on to a couple of people who wanted a project boat to do up and sell on. Part of that involved finding and installing a reconditioned (allegedly!) engine. It has been a long and winding road/river!

Hello @"marshlander"

Interesting post!  I've never known anyone who has lived on a boat.  Sunburns are no fun, please be careful!!!

Thanks, @CellarDweller.
I thought I was well-enough covered. During the hottest day of the year, last week, I was wearing a boiler suit for protection. I've often wondered, but now I know for sure, why it is called a boiler suit!