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Only got the boat last Sunday (22nd October 2006). We had it brought from Hull (where it had been parked (on a trailer) on the street) for over 12 months to the White Bear marina in Adlington, Lancs which is quite near where we live. It is now parked on hard standing on its trailer.

We have started renovating the boat. Our first job was to bail out all the rainwater that had collected inside the cabin from a leaking hood. We must have taken out 10 gallons or more. The flooring has also had to be removed as it had got very waterlogged.

We have a new hood being fitted on Monday next by Coverit (we got a Norman dscount) so at least we will then be reasonably watertight. We have arranged for a marine engineer to start work on the engine and the electrical systems starting on Tuesday next so with a bit of luck most of the specialised work will be done soon.

All interior furnishings have been removed and the covers and curtains have been sent for drycleaning as they smelled very musty. The foam fillings for the seating etc, have been thoroughly dried and sprayed with fabric freshener.

Once the boat is watertight and operating its my job then to repaint/refurbish the interior and lay new flooring and carpets.

The hull of the boat is in reasonable condition and we intend to simply clean and polish the existing finish and add new anti-foul paint on the keel section. The top of the boat (the outside cabin section) will need repainting as it is badly stained and peeling.

We still have some problems which we haven't solved yet and any advice you or your members could give on these would be welcome.

The Houdini hatch on the boat needs replacing as it has just a piece of painted ply sitting on top of the aperture. I've looked on the internet etc. for a proper hatch cover but there are no standard ones available to fit the existing opening - I'm thinking of fitting a standard 500mm x 500mm hatch cover and cutting out a bigger hole but I'm not sure if this will weaken the structure.

Where dirty water has stood under the floor boards for so long the fibre glass is very stained and looks filthy. I'm thinking of slapping on some paint to clean up the surface but I'm afraid the paint may act as a solvent on 'raw' fibre glass. Does anyone know of a product which can be put down on the surface.

We are also considering insulating under the new flooring but are afraid that any water getting in will just be absorbed and be held up against the new flooring causing more rot. Any ideas?

Any other advice or thoughts would also be useful as we are inexperienced boat owners.

When the refurbishment is finished it will go on the Leeds Liverpool canal on a mooring a little bit north of where we are at present. Initially at least we will potter up and down the local waterway but if we get our sea legs OK we might venture further afield as our 2007 summer adventure.