Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Kantara’s survey

Today we went with great confidence and excitement to meet with Trevor Whitling, who was doing an in-depth survey of Kantara.  We arrived at ABNB in Crick just before midday, and Trevor had been with the boat for over two hours by then.  He met us with a big smile on his face, announcing that all had been going very well, and the boat was looking good.  He gave us a run-down on all of his findings so far, then we went off to get some lunch while he finished.

After a good lunch in a nearby restaurant, we returned to find Trevor manoeuvring Kantara out of a crowded marina towards the exit onto the canal.  We hopped on board, and Trevor took the boat along the canal for a mile or so, testing Kantara’s engine, steering and general handling.  All was fine, and he was further impressed by the boat.  Chatting with Trevor, we gathered a number of hints and tips from one who has much greater experience of boats than us, and were given more details of his findings in the survey inspection.  The only matters which merit attention, it turns out, are a couple of batteries which need to be replaced, a fault with the bowthruster – probably another old battery, or perhaps a cabling fault - , some grommets missing where electric cabling passes through metal panels, and something to do with the need for a valve fitted somewhere – a detail which flew over my head faster than a duck.  I realise I still have quite a lot to learn about the systems in canal boats!

On which note, we were pleasantly surprised by the very extensive documentation which has been kept filed in the boat – a complete course in the electrical systems found in boats, a thick folder of instructions specific to Kantara, an historical collection of receipts for what must be every penny spent on the boat over its eleven years, and an eleven year old copy of a magazine which featured Kantara when she was first bought in 2000.  She’s not changed much!

Now we wait for Trevor’s written report, promised by the end of the week.  We then work with the brokers, ABNB, to get any reported issues dealt with by the vendor, and… we buy her!  It felt so good being on the canal on her this afternoon – we just want to get going now.


No comments:

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear from you!