Some photos of my 3 month old granddaughter - Havana
Sunday 19 January 2014
Finally bought a Porta Bote
So I have finally found a Porta Bote at the right price. I had organised that any new listings for a porta bote on Gumtree or ebay would be emailed to me. I received an email from Gumtree on a Friday and the boat and what came with it looked good. However I decided to wait and think more about it. It is a lot of money and I don't have much left. Should I do it or should I wait and see if I really need a boat? By Saturday afternoon I had decided that - yes I would need a boat and even if I didn't then I could always sell it for what I paid for it.
Rang the seller on Saturday afternoon, to try and organise when I could see it ( as he lives in Lara - near Geelong - which is about 5 hrs drive away) and while talking to him realised that there was a lot of interest in it and if I couldn't get there quickly I would have no chance of buying it. I have been watching the prices of Porta Botes for a couple of years , so had a good idea of what it was worth. Made the decision there and then to pay what he was asking. It worked, he was happy, I transferred the deposit straight away and organised to pick up the boat the following Thursday. Just happened to be one of the hottest days in Melbourne for the summer.
Anyhow, got the boat back here and today I will unload everything out of the car and see what I have got. It came with a pull apart trailer which I will unload on ebay, as I will not need it. Be good to get some money back.
Some photos of the boat:-
You will see the sides look funny but that is because I have attached the dolly wheels. The motor is a 5hp Yamaha about 6 or 7 years old but has virtually no use.
It took less time than I thought to put it together - very easy. Cant wait to take it on the water, maybe with Ben and Michael after I finish at the Motel
Rang the seller on Saturday afternoon, to try and organise when I could see it ( as he lives in Lara - near Geelong - which is about 5 hrs drive away) and while talking to him realised that there was a lot of interest in it and if I couldn't get there quickly I would have no chance of buying it. I have been watching the prices of Porta Botes for a couple of years , so had a good idea of what it was worth. Made the decision there and then to pay what he was asking. It worked, he was happy, I transferred the deposit straight away and organised to pick up the boat the following Thursday. Just happened to be one of the hottest days in Melbourne for the summer.
Anyhow, got the boat back here and today I will unload everything out of the car and see what I have got. It came with a pull apart trailer which I will unload on ebay, as I will not need it. Be good to get some money back.
Some photos of the boat:-
You will see the sides look funny but that is because I have attached the dolly wheels. The motor is a 5hp Yamaha about 6 or 7 years old but has virtually no use.
It took less time than I thought to put it together - very easy. Cant wait to take it on the water, maybe with Ben and Michael after I finish at the Motel
Sunday 5 January 2014
Clarke's Lagoon Reserve near Walwa NSW
Also known as Clarke's Nature reserve, this lovely little area is approx 20k's southeast of Walwa. Saw it first on Wikicamps and a few weeks ago had a Sunday drive out to it and several other campsites around the same area. A photo of it below:
A photo from the reserve looking south along the Murray River ( looks more like a creek)
Well, decided to take Jemma and myself out there for the night. It has great camping areas beside the river with plenty of grass, so no dirt. you have to be self sufficient in everything, but as you know thats why I got the Kedron Van.
Just a nice area, here are some photos of where I was camped:
So as I was there just for the rest , I didn't go fishing , and the only fish I saw caught were Carp.
Got the choofer out for its first run and it worked great, cooked the evening meal on it.
These choofers are great and they don't take much to make. All the black stuff you see on the ground under it, is the burnt off paint.
So after about 24 hrs relaxing, I am back at the motel. The van went well but each time I use it something breaks and therefore gives me more jobs to do on it. What can you expect from a 10 year old van? The list for this trip is:-
External 240v power point cover broke.
2 of the stays on the front window covers rusted shut, so two more stays.
and coming back I have lost most of the radio aerial, so got to get a new one.
The advantage of all these repairs is that I am really getting to know the van. Oh by the way I installed a 600w inverter and wired it into the living area of the van. It worked great.
(ps click on a photo to get them all full screen for seperate viewing)
A photo from the reserve looking south along the Murray River ( looks more like a creek)
Well, decided to take Jemma and myself out there for the night. It has great camping areas beside the river with plenty of grass, so no dirt. you have to be self sufficient in everything, but as you know thats why I got the Kedron Van.
Just a nice area, here are some photos of where I was camped:
View from the van over the Murray
The expensive new awning in use
So as I was there just for the rest , I didn't go fishing , and the only fish I saw caught were Carp.
Got the choofer out for its first run and it worked great, cooked the evening meal on it.
Neils choofer Mark 1
IT Works, It Works!!!!!
So after about 24 hrs relaxing, I am back at the motel. The van went well but each time I use it something breaks and therefore gives me more jobs to do on it. What can you expect from a 10 year old van? The list for this trip is:-
External 240v power point cover broke.
2 of the stays on the front window covers rusted shut, so two more stays.
and coming back I have lost most of the radio aerial, so got to get a new one.
The advantage of all these repairs is that I am really getting to know the van. Oh by the way I installed a 600w inverter and wired it into the living area of the van. It worked great.
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