Another boat?

We liked this one but it is not  available till the end of the season.

A bittersweeet journey

Moore 2 Life at Cropredy marina

Back in January we decided to have our boat painted but the arrangement fell on stony ground. Then we considered the implications of down sizing to a shorter boat for 'summer cruising' and started to look at the market. A cruiser or semi trad stern less than 50 feet would suit us now.

Our son suggested that selling now and buying later would get the best value. Could we face up to the idea of not having a boat for a while? ABNB gave us a valuation just based on our description. If they had created a brochure they would want to put the boat on the market before we had found another boat and charged us 6%!

It was while we were looking at boats for sale when we met Dave and Chris who were looking for a 'live aboard' boat. Perhaps it was fate, being in the right place and the right time. They came to see Moore 2 Life and liked what they saw. Eventually an offer was accepted subject to a survey. That in its self is the binding contract!

They were happy to hand over a 10% deposit after a trial run. We all then signed an agreement to sell and buy describing what was for sale. A witness also signed the document. Dave and Chris have been lucky to be able to see all our boat documentation and have us as owners to provide an in depth demonstration.

Our buyers arranged for a survey to be carried out at the marina. There were a few things that needed fixing before a 'pass' could be obtained. Every thing except the gas bottles had to be removed from the gas locker. We had anchor and concrete ballast in there! These were relocated in the well deck store space. The gas locker floor had to be painted and the bottles made secure away from the regulator. The shower pump out pipe had to be looped up higher than the outlet to ensure water could not get in when on a river. Our solar panel feed although fused was connected to the wrong side of the battery isolator and should be direct to the batteries.

It is so annoying when so-called experts carrying out work on boats do not seem to know the rules. A boat survey is so much more involved than the safety test!

During the six weeks it took from start to finish we had traveled up and down five times to remove all our personal belongings. The new owners are to rename the boat 'Morning Mist'. That was her original name when we bought her as described on the CE plate.

August visit

We have been busy giving Moore 2 Life some much needed tender loving care.  The gas locker had a very rusty floor and needed a major scrape and repaint.  We used the locker to store an anchor and a load of concrete blocks as forward ballast.  We have been advised to remove the anchor and ballast.

Our boat has always been a bit high at the front and the ballast helped to lower the bow.  Luckily we can move the ballast to the well deck where it can reside under the front storage compartment.

So all of you boaters out there be warned, the gas locker is for nothing else but the gas bottles.  Those bottles are heavy and must be made secure to prevent them hitting the gas regulator.

Then we removed the cratch cover and gave it a good scrubbing.  All the spiders scurried away!  The boat is beginning to look like a new pin at the front.

Even the engine compartment has had some attention.  I discovered that the engine control cables and wiring loom were gently resting on the exhaust silencer!  I have managed to pull them up with tie wraps to a 'sky hook'.

Do we all need a Galvanic Isolator?  For many years we traveled the waterways without one.  Our anodes have been doubled a while ago and are still serviceable.  Out on the cut no boat is connected to an earth.  Now that we are in a marina most boats are connected to earth with their land line.  Does that make the difference?