NARROWBOAT Living - our BOAT needs some TLC! Gayton Junction! Ep59

This week’s video is a bit different to usual. While we were moored at Gayton junction, we decided to do some well needed DIY on our NARROWBOAT floating home. We start with the porthole windows in the bathroom area. We remove the old tired window vinyl and replace it ourselves. Nikki helped us with the design and we think we did an ok job. Please check out Nikki’s online shop, ‘Burnt on Board’, she has many bespoke gift ideas, from chopping boards, puzzles, plaques, wooden games, mugs, and much much more! See link below. Martin paints our new barge pole, hook and gangplank. And we also tackle our window frames and revamp them, rub down and varnish, before putting up our new hook-up blinds.
In this video we also say our farewells to Nikki, it’s time we went our different ways. We’ve had so much fun travelling with Nikki over the last few months, so we’re going to really miss having her around! 🥰
Hope you enjoy this video! 😃 xx
We don't ask for anything, but if you enjoy our videos and would like to buy us a coffee, you can here bmc.link/JulieandMartin
Thank you so much, it means a lot to us ❤️
Follow us on our socials too:
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Links:
Just in case you all didnt know, our friend Nikki is a boat trader too, here’s a link to her Facebook Page and Etsy shop:
Burnt on Board - Nikki Woodburner
Facebook: / burntonboard
Etsy: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BurntOnB...
The Vlog Couple UK
Paul, Lee and Hector the mighty hound
youtube.com/@TheVlogCoupleUK?...
Sallyanne Sellers
The Crafty Floater - Curtains, blinds, quilt covers, pillow cases, cushions, lampshades, bungs, window clings, nets, fly screens etc
Website: www.thecraftyfloater.com/
Facebook: profile.php?...

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

We don't ask for anything, but if you enjoy our videos and would like to buy us a coffee, you can here bmc.link/JulieandMartin Thank you so much, it means a lot to us ❤️

[@Steve9357]

I have always admired that gang plank and how neat and tidy you and Martin keep your boat! I think you both did a fantastic job and thank you Nikki for the stencils and window Stickers! your all just fantastic.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thank you Steve! We try to keep things neat and tidy and it’s so lovely of you to say. Xx

[@law7897]

Great job with the D.I.Y. The blinds look lovely. You take great care of your boat. Great start to the video, thanks Martin. Bye to Nicky too. Love Lesley xx

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi Lesley, thank you so much, it’s so lovely to get these compliments, we really appreciate it, thank you xx

[@gillgregory6327]

Can’t believe your boat is almost 20 yrs old. You look after it so well! Xx

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi Gill, hope you’re well. Thank you, we try xx

[@theneen3110]

Boat is looking fab and love the design on the blinds looks so fresh xx

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thank you, we were so glad to get shot of those curtains lol, it makes such a difference. Thanks again! xx

[@wendycrooks875]

Blinds look really good. I prefer Roman blinds to curtains too. I have matching bungs in the bedroom in the portholes.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Ooh that sounds lovely, our porthole bungs are blue like the dinette cushions. Thank you for your kind comment xx

[@lizpegden1635]

Gangplank looks amazing - well done Martin Blinds too

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thanks Liz, so lovely of you to say xx

[@kneaded9798]

Good job on blinds and varnishing. Looks great!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thank you, we so prefer them to the curtains. Thank you! xx

[@susanchernuka2159]

Love the new Roman shades you installed. They look great

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thank you Susan, we like them a lot, and love the fact that they just hook up instead of having all the strings. Thanks again! xx

[@mishkawp8200]

Your boat is so beautiful, and in fabulous condition. Sad to see you and Nicki going separate ways but I’m sure you’ll meet up again in the not too distant future. Onwards to new adventures 😊

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi Mishka, thank you for your kind words xx Yes, it was sad saying goodbye to Nikki, but we keep in touch all the time and she’s doing good 😃 Thanks again! xx

[@carolgerrard]

The window 🪟 looks great 👍🏻😀

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thank you Carol, we think they look a bit better than they did before 🤞 xx

[@peterbrown1208]

I still say Blue is the best looking sloop I've seen on the canals. Martin has the touch. And the patience and would be a useful treasure at my house. Fun vlog as usual Julie. Safe sailing!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thank you Peter, what a lovely compliment, we quite like a bit of DIY and were pleased with these results. Thanks again, it means a lot! xx

[@jacquelineryde7339]

Great job guys, what a great boat rhapsody in blue is, you picked a good one. We will be looking soon 🤞👍xxx

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thanks Jacqui, we do love our boat. I bet you can’t wait to find yours, so exciting!! 😃 xx

[@judewilliams9345]

Well done with the DIY 👌. BIG hugs from us all from the Martineers ❤ xxxx

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww, hi Jude! HUGS straight back at you too! how are you, hope you’re well? Thanks matey! xx

[@chrismis2062]

All your DIY projects turned out perfectly! I especially like the new blinds with their sort of watercolors-inspired pattern. I think it must be so hard to say goodbye to companions after cruising with them for so many weeks. And, it must be especially hard for Nikki to go back to single-handing after having you two to help her for all this time. I will miss seeing her smile and her cheekiness! But, now it's on to new waters, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what's around the next bend!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi Chris, thank you so much, it was sad to say goodbye to Nikki, but we stay in touch with her and we’ll pass on your good wishes. We were so glad to get rid of those curtains lol, thanks again xx

[@sallysellers5191]

It was a top choice of fabric ❤

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thanks again Sallyanne xx

[@user-ou8yg7yu8e]

Well nice job done.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thank you Jon, Martin is quite handy isn’t he! xx

[@marionjohansson4235]

Wow good job, Martin!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thank you Marion xx

[@matthewboyle2263]

Blooming marvellous guys ❤

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thank you so much Matthew! xx

[@nigelgregory7308]

Yes a very nice job Martin, and I love your trolley for the shopping I guess it's collapsible, the film was a little dark but on a narrow boat you have to save space so it seemed a logical guess, also getting your shopping delivered close to your mooring, absolute gold to someone like me who is trying to pick up as many tips as I can before I can get the chance of getting a boat, many thanks, stay safe, Nige 👍👍👍❤️

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi Nigel, yes it’s a foldable wagon/cart, most boaters have them. They are handy for getting coal, containers of water, shopping and other bits, always handy to have. They come with small wheels, or fat wheels and they fold down quite small for storage, you can get them in quite a few places, including on Amazon. Most of the time we walk up and try to use local shops, but when we need a ‘big shop’ as you do, we often get a Tesco delivery. So long as you have a postcode, they will deliver (at the end of the day, you’ve already paid, so they don’t mind where they deliver it to) We have had deliveries to bridges before, we use a website called canalplan.uk/ where you can search for a specific bridge and it will give you the postcode, then just put a message in the message section at the checkout stating that - you live on a narrowboat, please call me 20 minutes before you arrive so I can meet you at the bridge - and they always do, some drivers are used to it if there’s a canal or river nearby. The canalplan.uk site is also helpful when planning a route, as you can put your starting point and where you want to go and it will give you a rough idea how long the journey will take, how many locks or swing bridges and the best route to take. Hope this helps! xx

[@nigelgregory7308]

@@JulieandMartinonRIB many thanks guys you are wonderful, canalplan is going in my book, I've started a notebook of boat names and boaters to make it easier to find people and also put any information and tips that they offer, it's going to be a while before I can do it but if I start my research now it will help me get it almost right when I do, stay safe 👍👍

[@yousteven15]

You guys take such good care of your boat and have a great attention to detail. We just finished a 10 day hire boat holiday in Cheshire. We think we're coming back for another holiday in time for the Crick Boat Show. Maybe we'll run into you (figuratively). Cheers!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi Steven, we’re hoping to go back to Crick for the boat show again next year, it would be lovely to see you there, hopefully meet you out on the cut one day xx

[@stevemerrick6520]

Credit to you both. Your home looks amazing. Best wishes Steve x

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thanks so much Steve! That’s really nice of you to say xx 😊

[@gingerbob]

Nice to see Martin talking to us 😊 great to.see you cracking on with some DIY and looking after RIB ❤ stay safe ❤❤

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww yes, I think Martin enjoyed talking to the camera, hopefully he will do more now. Thanks matey! xx ❤️

[@lilo7019]

Thank you very much for sharing take care you2

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thanks LILO, and thank you too xx

[@johnworboys6435]

Ive been enjoying your vlogs for quite a long time only to discover your a pair of Essexites and West Ham is in your blood through and through l was bought up on the 370 bus route Gray's to Romford at West Thurock Love your vlogs on the East Anglian waterways that ive experiencd so many times in my youth all the different villages and towns ive been to years ago suddenly appear on utube fantastic love you both😎😎😎😎

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi John! Well I never, I (Julie) was bought up in Hornchurch and Martin moved from London to Linford when he was 16. He has always supported West Ham since he was a kid. Our first house when we married was in Tilbury, so we know Grays and Romford very well! What a small world! Never heard the name ‘Essexites’ lol 😂 Thank you so much for your lovely comment John, we really appreciate it xx

[@DanOpdal]

Thank you for sharing your adventure! Your boat looks like new. Sorry to see Niki go. Cheers!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thank you Dan, that’s a lovely compliment! We do try to keep the boat looking nice, Martin really looks after the outside! Yes, it was lovely spending time with Nikki, but I’m sure we’ll see her again soon xx

[@DanOpdal]

@@JulieandMartinonRIB You're very welcome!

[@julieblackstock8650]

Your sunset shots were bang on.. I was wondering how much of your Journey would continue with Nikki so today I found out. Onwards eh.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thank you, do love a good sunset. Yes, it was sad to say goodby to Nikki, but we’ll see her again soon, thanks Julie xx

[@user-xw6wj2qh5n]

It is great to see a boat so well looked after. It's also good to see and hear more from Martin. The attention to detail when doing DIY is impressive (both of you). Good move changing the barge pole. If you were to use a rotten one to try to push off from the bank such as when slightly aground and it was to crumble/snap the result could be a nasty fall, head on the edge of the bank and then into the water. At least with the plank it would only be a vertical fall if it failed, so not quite as dangerous, but yes, correct to change it too. Glad to hear you will be using sand to give some grip on the service side of the new gangplank by the way. Many people seem to use gloss paint and then have to add slats because they are too slippery when wet. They are then at risk of rot setting in faster as a result as moisture gets under the slats and the nails/screws holding the slats corrode over time. I thought your boat was still only a couple of years old, but I see comments saying it looks good for a boat 20 years old (I'd say fantastic even). Does this mean there is a lot of maintenance you have not covered in your vlogs? Watching "steady hand Martin" at work is good. As it appears you have been on your boat for some time now are there any things that you wish were different - such as layout of cabinets or location of appliances etc? If so what and why? We were back in UK for a while in September and had a look round a few boats. If anything it left us both with more questions than answers on what we really want in a boat. Suddenly the layout of various parts of the boat seem more important than we have envisaged due to needing to get the best use of space. Our overall vision of a reverse layout with square cruiser stern still seems to work though.

[@user-xw6wj2qh5n]

I have no idea why I am showing as @user-xw6wj2qh5n - usually it shows me as Tim.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thank you so much for your lovely comment, we really appreciate it xx Yes, our boat was built in 2004 and we are the third owners. We were very lucky that the first owner was in the US Airforce and the second owner was in the British RAF, so the boat was very well looked after when we first bought her in 2021. We have continued to take good care of her and have made a few alterations ourselves, like adding the freezer under the dinette, and adding solar panels etc. We are actually really happy with the layout and there really isn’t anything that we would change, everything is where we need it to be. We wanted the traditional layout with the lounge at the front, so as to use the well deck as a sort of conservatory, or sun room, it’s lovely in both summer and winter, we can sit in the lounge with the doors open and have a lovely view. We use the front of our boat as our front door, so most of the time we enter and exit through the bow. This keeps our bedroom private, as when we have guests, even if they need the bathroom, they never have need to walk through our bedroom. I know a lot of people prefer to have the kitchen at the back for getting drinks when cruising etc, but we usually get our drinks/coffees ready before we set off. Also, many of our friends have reverse layout and I personally really struggle with the steps down into the kitchen, they’re often very steep. Dogs especially struggle to get up or down them too. We initially wanted a cruiser stern, or semi-trad stern so that we could stand/sit together at the helm, but we ended up with a trad stern. However, in reality, I usually sit in the bow as it’s easier for me to let Martin know early if there’s anyone coming through bridges and around bends, Also it’s quieter lol. The traditional stern and layout really works for us, but appreciate wouldn’t work for everyone. Hope this helps and good luck with finding your perfect narrowboat, hope we see you out on the cut someday! xx

[@edwardhoughton2565]

Nice touch xx

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Thank you Edward, so lovely of you to say xx

[@cotcottage2788]

👍

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Aww thanks! xx

[@jirijarsky]

0:04 no, Julie is gone, it´s a trap!!!!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

😂😂😂 that made us laugh 😂 Thank you, that made our day xx

[@user-ou8yg7yu8e]

Well if it was not wet it would dry lol.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

😂🤣xx

[@rassman48]

Quick question: Do you use non-slip paint on the gang plank, I was imagining it would be very slippery when wet. There used to be a very thin sticky rubber strips that we used on a patio, but I just tried to find it and it looks like most of the non stick stuff for wood floors is the paint these days.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hiya! The side we showed with Rhapsody in Blue on is the top, the underside we haven’t finished yet and that will be the side we walk on. It will have regular paint and also dry kiln sand and then more paint over the top, this makes it non-slip. Hope that makes sense. Thank you for your comment, we really appreciate it xx

[@lizpegden1635]

Just re watched your vlog - where did you et the magnets from? Please and thank you x

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Hi Liz, Sallyanne provides the magnets with the blinds. I have seen similar magnets in Hobbycraft. The ones that Sallyanne provided are very strong xx

[@lizpegden1635]

Thank you, will have a look