An update at last!

Saturday 3rd October.

Hello people, yes it's been a while hasn't it!

Actually I promised myself that the first rainy day that came along, I would bring the blog up to date. Unfortunately for you readers, but fortunately for us boaters, it hasn't rained for oodles of time! However today was cool enough to persuade me to light the fire, so here I am indoors trying to bring you all up to date with progress.

Compare with the heading picture taken one year previously.

First I thought I'd post an up to date picture of Bracken, flower tubs are looking good aren't they? They've been a riot of color all summer. They're a combined effort between my sister Jenny and myself and I think they're lovely. That's my idea of Gardening!

So, hows the engine installation going? - I hear you say. Well actually it's going ok now. 

The exhaust flange finaly arrived from Vetus in Holland after a ridiculous 8 week wait and what a disapointment that was. I was expecting a nice Vetus yellow, casting, and what i got is an unpainted, inch and a quarter BSP socket welded to a bit of 3/8 plate with 4 bolt holes! If i'd known what was coming I would have had one made for me in a quarter of the time it took for them to send it.

Having acquired the flange, I was able to connect the exhaust through a flexible pipe to the silencer and then lag the pipe work after installing an angle iron to support the silencer.

Stainless steel flexible pipe.

Cooling system is complete and filled with 50/50 water and antifreeze.

I have wired the alternator and starter motor through the old engine panel as a temporary measure as I have aquired a rather posh MP34 Vetus panel. However the wiring is proving a bit of a headache so I'm using the old panel for a while.

The brown terminal block had been snipped off by the previous owner, so I had to rejoin all 12 wires by soldering and crimping and then heat shrinking the insulation on each wire.

beautiful panel, £600 new from Vetus, a lucky find on ebay for less than a quarter of that. Fingers crossed it works! Now waiting for the 4 metre extension cable from Vetus to connect from engine loom socket, to panel socket.

I'll continue this tomorrow.