First Visit as Owners

Mary and I went up to Yorkshire on the weekend to see Misterton for the first time as owners. All previous visits had the former owners in attendance, so it was quite a novelty to have a look round own our own.

The broker's family (Lynn, daugter Julie etc. ) had done an amazing job clearing out the boat and already it was looking much better with all the clutter gone. Apparently it had been quite grueling work, as food had been left and gone off etc. 

Here I am unlocking Misterton for the first time.

 Here are a few shots of the inside. One minor problem with everything being cleared is that the enormity of the task had become apparent. A lot of the interior had been fitted out in chipboard (the floor for example) and this will all need replacing.

 

 

As the weather was so good, we decided to suspend reality regarding the inside, and clean up the outside of the boat. This actually makes sense, as the first work to be done will be de-rusting and plating any anreas of the deck that need it.

Before we started there was all sorts of old rope, wood etc. strewn on the roof.

We ended up making three runs to the local dump to get rid of all this, lots of fun in the baking heat. Going to the tip seemed like a popular activity with big queues of cars every time.

Mary was so happy to see the ropes go, she took this picture, much to the bemusment of the truck driver...... 

Another little activity I amused myself with was starting the engine. Misterton has a Lister JP3 engine, its a 3 cylinder diesel of about 4.3 litres size. And its hand start only. As should be expected with these things, there is obviously a knack, and I've not quite discovered it yet. It took a lot longer than I'd thought, but eventually it burst into life. Mary suggested that the engine offers a gentle 'vibro-massage' effect, as she sat on the deck reading her book, but she's a girl and clearly has no idea of the emotional bond being formed as I stood on the deck listening to the steady beat of this ancient device.

 

The engine room needs de-cluttering and cleaning too, not sure what industrial chemicals thats going to require..... 

We left late on sunday afternoon, but before going took a few pictures. To our eyes at least, she seems a lot cleaner on the outside.

 

Comments

[Dave W]

Hey, where are the windows? Or portaloos, I think they are called. It's an early idea, but why not think about a car port on top?