Another Shiny Boater is back on the cut!

Well - its been a while (almost 3 months) and I have enjoyed these few months away from blogging. I needed a break,  I also needed to concentrate on some other pressing matters. 

However, now I have returned.

One reason was a complete refurbishment of 'Rosie'.  Our boat's paintwork was tired to say the least. After 12 years and 3,500 hours of cruising the inland waterways, 'Rosie' was in serious need of a repaint. We had patched and partially repainted bits of the boat in the past. But it was time for a complete cosmetic makeover. We looked at many boats out on the cut, comparing them for quality. Time and again when we checked boats that we thought had been well repainted. You would see the name of Granthams Bridge Boatyard and the name of the painter, G Moore.

Rosie (semi-trad) had always had a problem with drainage in the foot well. She had a second problem in heavy rain, with water cascading from the roof and into the foot well area. So new roof scuppers were made and the back deck was given two additional drain points. The end result has already been tested by a very heavy torrential downpour - everything worked as we hoped.

We left behind 'Rosie' and went off for a couple of months to tour France in our motorhome. You can imagine our joy when we returned to find that 'Rosie' had been repainted and we had to make time to discuss the signage with the signwriter.

We are pleased with the quality of the repainting and structural changes. So much so - we also decided to have some of the boat internals remodelled. Now sporting a new Dinette and some boxing in of kitchen equipment. Not only does the outside look good - but the inside is much better and meeting all of our requirements.

The old pram cover had done sterling service, but like the old paintwork, was also tired and ready for replacement. So we also had the pram cover replaced and once again we are pleased with the quality of materials used and the fit.

The boatyard is a friendly place to visit. Its a very relaxed atmosphere and you can also talk to any of the team and get advice and opinions about their specialities. 

Would we recommend Granthams bridge boatyard for painting, structural alterations and internal joinery, yes we certainly would. We will be back at Granthams bridge in the spring 2017 to have a diesel heater fitted as a replacement for our existing but tired LPG system.