Vlog 239: Cratch of the Day
Some footage filmed from summer-winter last year that I have now compiled, about the new cratch board and cratch cover I had made.
Go Boating!
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A year down the line and how is your cover now? Glad you chose vinyl? Does it make the area stuffy seeing as it does not breathe as well as canvas?
Oh, it’s not been a year yet – it was only installed in November so it’s not even six months. Doesn’t seem to be stuffy though, there’s plenty of air that can come into the area under the canvas flaps.
Have been watching your blogs a lot recently, I like your presentation style, a nice rounded mixture and quite soothing.
Hoping to get out & about later this year, my boat is just about finished now, (who am I kidding, there’s always something needs doing!
I’m convalescing now after a bad run in with covid & pneumonia, so your blogs keep me interested in canal boating.
Keep up the good work, I’m sure we’ll cross paths at some point!
Hi. Glad you enjoy the videos and good to know you’ve beaten the dreaded Covid. Double whammy for you too there, not fun at all.
No, it’s not been fun at all, I’m still short of breath..
I’ve been watching your blogs recently, and very good they are too.
Most of the others are too in your face and shouty..
Mr John’s is the cool calm professional!
Except that time you nearly lost it baking the bread! Brilliant!
I love sitting in the cabin on a cold winters evening, rain & wind lashing down outside,
Stove going & all nice & toasty.. bliss.
Do an excerpt on this please next time the weather is foul!
Was watching out for my boat when you passed Furness vale marina on your blog,
You got to bugsworth basin & had to beat a hasty retreat.
Keep them coming, I look forward to the blogs immensely
Good evening Mr. Johns. I am Steven Scalabrin, a sailor living in South Florida. As a sailor, for over 40 years, I too also had a mold canvas problem, as well as on the sails, deck, gunnels, bimini, sail covers and between the hulls. The boat always smelled like mold. Every month, I was cleaning with a chlorine base spray and not making any headway in controlling it.
One of the other sailors recommended a product called Wet & Forget. It is not based on any strong chemical but rather it is an enzyme base cleaner. Think the enzyme based cleaner that gets grass stains out of your cloths but designed to eat mold, mildew, lichen and algae. It works over time eating the mold and the residue just weathers away over time. I now spray everything about once every six months and do not have that problem anymore. Even the inside does not smell anymore. And, when I say everything I mean everything, from the sails to between the hulls and down in the bilge.
It does not work instantly like a chlorine based cleaner, but rather the mold will fade away over time and never return.
I hope you find this information helpful.
As a final note, I enjoy your postings and vlogs. They are well thought out and very interesting.
I wish you fair weather, the wind always at your back and joy in your heart when you are on the water.
Sincerely,
Steven Scalabrin
Thank you Steven; I’m glad you enjoy the videos. I’m really hoping that having changed to a vinyl-based cover that I won’t be plagued by the algae anymore but time will tell. Thanks for the tip :-)
So very glad to see your new vlog. You’ve been missed and I must say this particular vlog was most informative – and – the new cratch cover looks smashing.
Thank you Gail; it certainly is a huge improvement over the old rotten one. Cheers
Great to see & here you again. We have missed you & your professional videos.
Mick finds you very easy to listen to as he has industrial deafness. Take care & stay safe.
Thank you, both. Glad you enjoy the videos. Cheers
Amazing to me how you can make something like replacement of a cratch cover – a word and object heretofore unknown to me – into a highly nuanced and illuminating subject. I will probably tune in in future to listen to anything you decide to go on about. Such a great voice, a good dose of honesty and humor, and a mind that thinks ahead and covers all the bases. Thank you for what you do! Tuning in from Portland, Oregon, where Cruising the Cut’s ‘not a vlogs’ are favored relaxed viewing for my 92 year old mum. Best wishes in any and all future projects and plans.
Ah how lovely to hear your mum enjoys the “not a vlogs”! Wonderful. And I’m glad you enjoy the videos too, of course. Thank you for your kind words. Regards
Thanks David, very interesting video, glad to see something from you again. Hope you are doing well.
Cheers Jim, yes all well here thank you
How lovely to see from you! Great just to watch. Cratch cover is mighty impressive, presumably made out of degenerate matter harvested from dying stars.
Haha thank you – aren’t we all? :-)
Firstly, thank you for posting this video. I have certainly missed your contributions. While, as you say, there are many other canal boating Youtubers out there, they aren’t you, and they don’t have your particular take on things. Its great to see and hear everyone’s experiences, but I for one hope you’re back soon!
Secondly, I wonder, did you begin to worry a little when time rolled on and you heard nothing? Perhaps the contractor had a few issues – it looks like it from the sealing around the glass. I must admit, I wouldn’t have accepted that from a tradesman. “Not of a merchantable quality”, as the Trades Description Act says.
Regarding the creases on the side flaps, i think you’re right – there is likely to be a lot of wear, and perhaps eventually holes appearing there.
Finally, a question – you had to remove the headlamp and horn did you not? Did you replace those or was that part of the job the tradesman did?
Many thanks again, David.
I did indeed and had to do a certain amount of chasing up by email. I removed the headlamp but the horn was removed years ago after I squashed it against a bridge…
Hi David..really enjoyed your latest vlog, as always. Metioning how you find the external zip covers frustrating, my partner has to replace the zips on the cover of his cruiseras, they have deteriorated badly, and commented that had they been covered like yours are now, he might not be having to replace them!
Cheers and keep up the good work
Cheers. Yes, they definitely need to be covered, it’s just that on the new design, the cover is in the wrong place! Cheers
I very much enjoyed this one David. Your coverage and insights were thorough as is typical for your productions. And . . . I know we Americans are far more open about sharing what we may have spent for even high-ticket items, so I appreciate the fact that you gave us a good Ballpark figure on what one may expect to pay to have this work done. Time will tell how well the vinyl and the wood fair in the elements. The wood is absolutely gorgeous and the larger windows were a decision well-made. Thanks so much for this one.
Glad you enjoyed it, as ever!
Looks very sharp!
Thanks for the update.