Toilet Again

Toilets not a nice subject, but we all use them don't we, even the posh people, but it must be quite cold sat on a gold seat hey.
When I'd set-up the bathroom I realised that on Narra Boats they don't have toilets with cisterns like we have at home, and the space was a bit cramped for the knees anyway, so it was back to the drawing board.

Toilets these days are now cassette or pump out type, gone are the days of straight into the river or canal! thank goodness.

Chemical type sold these days.

So a bit of scratch building was in order, Should have done that in the first place you might say, but I have tried to keep the things bought to a minimum .

First it was a container about the right diameter.

This was cut down to size and wrapped with a piece of Plasticard, glued and clamped. 

Cut to depth required and back added.

Top on and edges smoothed out, don't want any cut bums, then cassette added, 

Then painted, flush button and stripes added, and seat changed over.

As you can see, gains a lot more space and a lot more authentic.

So out of the bathroom set I bought at the shop still used the basin, loo brush and toilet  seat, so not all a loss.

I made the kitchen basin, but the bathroom basin was a Bridge Basin too far for me.

New toilet without seat free to good home!!

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Fred was determined to keep healthy in his old age,and when he turned 60 he decided to walk five miles a day,. He has now reached John-o-groats.

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DO not complain about growing old.

Many are denied the privilege. 

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Old Pete went for his annual medical check up. "your hearing is getting worse," said the doctor.

"You will have to cut out drinking, smoking and sex."

"What ?" cried Pete in alarm, " Just so I can hear better"

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That's all for to-day folks.

Chimney's continued

Yesterday the charity dog show was not up to the usual standard of previous years and just stayed long enough to let Pepe check out the other dogs!.

Pepe on the rocks, sounds like a new drink doesn't it

After picking up my new chimney the day before I couldn't wait to get home a paint it up and here it is!

What a beautiful job hey,even though I say so myself! , I didn't  want to spoil Bob's nice job.

Just trying it out for size here

Here it is with my mooring weight

And with the watering cans bought from a florists shop. Noticed them in a floral display as I was walking past and talked the girl in the shop to sell me two.

Bought another later for George who is building a working Narra Boat can't wait to see his build, will no doubt knock the socks of mine, but there you go.

How true!!

Chimney

Went to my mate Bob's yesterday after he e-mailed me to say my Narra boat chimney was ready to be picked up, he had very kindly offered to make me a chimney that I could put my Smoke unit in, and knowing my engineering skills had said I'd make a pigs ear of it! , true true!

The real things

Bob Abell working on his lathe

Bob's Chimney made and ready to paint, he decided it wasn't right whilst I was there and added the collar at the bottom, more learning on soldering ! can't get enough can you!

Smoke unit bought at the Blackpool show , forward planning you see.

Also had a tutorial on uploading pictures to Model Boat magazine whilst I was there, I'd forgotten,  its been so long since I've done it, and I wanted to add these pictures to Bob's thread.

Helped him take out the main drive shaft in Great Eastern that he wanted to replace for his present project, so  I hope it helped to repay him a little for his help.

Off to the Charity dog show to-day at Debdale park.

Sponsored dog walk

To-morrow at Debdale is the annual sponsored dog walk organised by the 

Manchester and Cheshire dogs home

Click here to view

Pepe has done this each year we have had him, its his contribution to dogs less fortunate than himself who has got his owners right where he wants them, doing tricks like bringing him food and taking him out for walks when sometimes they don't feel like it.

Seriously he is more intelligent than me as he knows what I say, whilst I haven't a clue what he is on about, though Velda seems to know him better than I.

Good event and if you like dogs there are all the breeds there you could wish for, Free food samples , every dog  gets a goodie bag and Micro chipping at £5 (last year) perhaps Velda should get me done.

Notice that the hair on his rear offside leg is growing back nicely after his op!

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Notice in local newspaper.

"Lost dog"

Has three legs,blind in one eye,large scar on throat right ear missing, tail broken in two places, no teeth,recently castrated,answers to LUCKY

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Guy took his dog to a flea circus and the clever mutt stole the show.

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Boom Boom

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Front head light

Then it was on to the head light, which I wanted to look a bit more modern and be seen on the water !

First the materials, two tubes that fitted inside each other

Three pieces of the larger of the two were stuck together and top cover added

Resistors were then soldered on,as you can see there is a collar on the led

Plastic collars fitted with the smaller tube , this stops the led moving about inside the larger tube.

It works 

And its all down to instructions from son John trained electrical engineering draughtsman, that learning was not wasted then!

Three soldered together, resistors on positive leads covered with shrink wrap

Gives you an idea of the size of the unit, and all made a lot easier with the soldering talk and demo from the club meeting the other week by Geoff !!

 The finished unit, finished for the electrics that is , needs cleaning up and painting and wired up under the roof

Looks a bit like the robots head in the movie  "Short circuit" doesn't it

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091949/

 .

And it all works as you can see with the battery box attached and a good light given out!.

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Definitions

Electrician ..A switch doctor. 

Humbug ...........a singing cockroach.

Marconi ...........The first man to send a message though a length of spaghetti without it touching the sides..

Alimony ........A mistake by two people paid for by one

Absentee.......A missing golf accessory.

Adamant.........The very first insect.

That's all folks

Next the toilet, not a pretty subject but we all need them!

Sitting area

Yesterday after the daily walk round the park with Pepe, (Don't mind really as it gets me out and about and some exercise doesn't it.)

I upholstered the settee in the sitting area.

This was only a case of Evosticking the material to the foam padding, no zips and openings for cleaning at a later date, so it didn't take too long.

Bright init Bob!

So that's most of what I call the drop in cassette for the boat finished, that brown strip has to be fitted to this side to finish it all off, then some carpet fitted!.

Looking at the toilet I bought I've realised that Narrow Boats don't have toilets with cistern's do they ?

So I will take that out and use the seat to make a chemical toilet as advertised in the real boat mags.

Watch this space!

Bedroom scene

Yesterday after taking Pepe for his walk round the park,came home and got stuck into the bedding in the bedroom section of the boat.

Need traffic lights in here soon!

The bed !

The mattress comes off, so at a later date can change the colours of the bedding, the cupboards over the bed head don't open, but at a later date could fix that if so inclined.

At the other end of the bed there is a clock on the wall .

Why is it when you retire you always receive a gold watch, when the time isn't of such importance any more and there is always the clock on your mobile.

 I got a beautiful one on retiring and probably only worn it half a dozen times in as many years. Still its the thought that counts hey.

Made a start on the front headlight as well but not got it finished yet, its looking good though I say so myself, will film it when presentable,ie cleaned up and undercoated which always seems to throw up the defects doesn't it.

Still got the upholstery to do in the seating area , might have a look at that between finishing the light and taking Pepe round the park, might even try the reservoir if the weather holds out.

Club night to-night and the trader from the Model shop in Hyde is coming, trial run see if its worth his while.

More Narra Boat build

Went to Hobbycraft again yesterday, should keep away really, couldn't resist the kitchen add-ons, I mean you can't make bottles,can you!?.

Just had to get these bottle containers to add to the feeling of gourmet cooking, Big plate of mussels hey Bob.

  Nearly finished the toilet area now and here is the outcome.

Toilet area

Back of doors

Layout

Just have the flooring and the pan brush to place now, should be easier as I've only placed the items in at the moment, Decided that the bath was a no go-er, there is only so much that will fit in a 55ft boat even a real one, I've been on one.

Don't get much smaller than this one!

Couldn't swing a mouse round never mind a cat!

The longest flight of locks in the UK at Devizes,Wiltshire.

A system of 29 locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal,which raise the Canal level 237 feet over a distance of 2 miles.

And this is pleasure??.

In-between the toilet area build,  I've been thinking of the front headlight,something that would be seen,and wanted something modern on this Narra Boat cruiser, so it was Led's and something to mount them into. Made these fittings and couldn't decide  which one to go with?

 Which one to chose?

In the end I've chosen to go with the flat one, easier to mount the Led's in and wouldn't take over the area with the bulk of the other one, I've got plenty of stuff to go on the roof.

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Critic: "What do you consider your best work of fiction".

Author: "My last Income Tax Return".

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She was trying to get a new car for her husband, but nobody would swap.

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He had a stereo system in his car for years, his wife in the front and her mother in the back!.

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That's all folks

Beautiful Babes at Etherow.

Yesterday we went to the lake at Etherow, Velda did her thing and planted some Bizzie Lizzies and that purple stuff in the club garden, will have to find out the name of that plant doesn't sound very good saying "The purple stuff" does it, anyway here is the picture after she had finished with her green fingered touch!

Will look better when its grown a bit obviously , more like this picture where I got the plant from, (given not taken I might add)

After a bit of lunch we took Pepe round the lakes and I took a few movies of the wildlife looking after their young, on getting home strung them together for this video for your pleasure.

Not everyone's cup of tea specially when we are swilling off the landing stage before sailing, which we have to do or walk the bird poo into your car!

Still you can't deny these are cute little bundles of fluff.

My wife does bird imitations,she watches me like a hawk.

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He was responsible for feeding the Pelicans at the zoo.

It wasn't much of a job but it filled the bill.

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The stork brought a little Peach said the nurse,

I'm glad it wasn't a Pear, said the father.

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Life is full of complication, even when you are born there is a string attached.

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That's all folks

Kitchens and reservoirs

To-day finished the kitchen area of the Narra Boat

Lower view

From above

Kitchen finished

 Then mounted it on the floor cassette, and joined it to the bedroom area, that will be seen in the next blog

After that Pepe and I went to the park and on to the reservoir adjoining it Gorton Lower Reservoir, nice walk round there and then back via the under road tunnel to the Dogs Home charity shop, checking out the books!

On the way there stopped to admire a garden full of flowers and the lady was nice enough to give us some plant roots for the Boat club garden, see there are nice people about, its not all muggers and rapists out there.

The plants were that purple stuff that grows out of garden walls and spreads. One place we will not have to replenish every year if it takes off.

Purple stuff mentioned.

 See video of the reservoir, spend many happy hours here over the years and only five minutes walk from home,how lucky can you be!.

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Air traffic control to Aer Lingus, "Identify yourself and what is your height and position?"

"I'm Captain Paddy Murphy , I'm five feet two and I'd be sitting up the front!"

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Make your MP work ,don't  re-elect him.

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"How did the new salesman go to-day?" 

"He got two orders, One the get out and one to stay out

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That's all folks!

Raining again

Raining again yesterday,but you have to look on the bright side! it means you can do a bit more modelling without the background "I thought we could go out" 

Having painted the cabinets at the front of the boat, I varnished them and then I started to mount them  on the floor panel of the boat to which I had previously bonded a sheet of plasticard , so now its only a case of placing the item of furniture on the floor and running some Plastic Weld round the bottom.

 This is the start of the floor cassette, its easier to paint the different items and add them when they are finished isn't it.

Items collected whilst shopping over the past months

Clock, TV, books and book end

The back of the cassette will be given a coat of paint when everything is placed and finished 

Do you like the wooden elephant ornament on the floor , found it in a charity shop on Monday whilst shopping in Ashton, was a keyring!, only 50p. Velda said  "Made your day hasn't it" and it had, sad isn't it.

Kitchen , bedroom and toilet in the process of being painted at the moment, watch this space for colours of them

Its nice to see your idea's coming together at last after all the head scratching and the falls of soot!

Another picture of the faithful hound, Pepe, 2 years old now.

Taken in Debdale Park in-between coats of paint drying.