*SPECIAL* Lifeboat Conversion Ep20: Multi-day sea trials in the Thames Estuary, England [4K] 

For those of you who've missed earlier episodes, bilge keels or deeper keels are discounted for use due to vulnerability to sea ice. I won't be replying to each comment suggesting them from this point on!

"..the engine was still there" dude you crack me up every time.

Alan may be short, squat and slow, but he's definitely the Danny DeVito of the seas. Congratulations on the sea trials.

Quirky boating, DIY, and dry British humor? This channel is everything I could want. Just binged this whole series this afternoon and I'm looking forward to more!

I'm relieved I wasn't the only one to think Apollo interior.

Alan finally got wet, and not just from above well done mate !

Dunno how I ended up down this rabbit hole but these lifeboats are apparently surprisingly cute. Definitely would make a more interesting house than a canal barge

Total RU-vid domination? I'm in.

Wow that opening drone clip at the opening. Little boat big waters. You have done so many awesome things to thing ship.

You mentioned sleeping platforms Given adaquite warmth, reinforcement, and willpower, hammocks could be more comfortable (they accommodate somewhat for roll) and space efficient.

Cool! And I loved the footage of Red Sands. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the coolest-looking WWII relics still in existence.

A depth finder would be a good add on especially for shallow conditions and gps as well as with some lowrance ones you get a map gps, depth finder and can even set waypoints. You Might also be able to have a speedometer on it too. You should cross drill the top rail so you can rely on it and maybe even use a stronger pipe so it’s a proper railing that you can lean on.

Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait. Thanks Alex for this fantastic episode. Dick was a pleasure to watch and listen to. Onwards with the next chapter of Alan's journey!

I really like this life boat. It seems safe and comfy.

That's a really nice boat you've got there! I can't imagine a more robust vessel than the one you chose, it makes for a very good starting point. How strange that some viewers are hostile to a man working to get his boat just how he wants it, it would be difficult to imagine a more positive thing than what you're doing! I shall have to spend some time watching your earlier videos in order to discover what you've done and the reason that you're doing it. Lifeboats have come a long way since the days of open boats and yours looks to be quite sophisticated.

Loving the detail you've put in this video

Just found this series. Glad to see Alan getting touchups.

Man... Alex, I am so drunk at the moment but, I am really proud at this appraisal of ALAN within your own prerequisites and the old man despite his doubts which I can see you both respect and are determined to transcend for the sake of your quizzical venture called. ALAN

Congrats Alan, you’re almost on your way!! You look great on the water, ya dinky little boat. 🥰 Very nice flying on that drone, I’m quite impressed.

I'm so happy to see you in the water! Hope you're having an amazing experience! I'm looking forward to see you traveling soon.

Love the way you describe Allen as it is apart of a family but for sure I agree that Allen is my big brother that I look upon to. Thank you Mate

Sound proofing the engine is great and you should do your best, but, in my Diesel Motorsailer, which is actually pretty quiet, the engine drone still gets to me after a couple of hours and I have resorted to wearing earplugs which for me makes things quite pleasant. It also cuts out most of that nagging sound from the wif......I mean other crew members too! :) Great vids!

At last a decent length Alan show!! 👌

So I've been completely addicted to watching these videos ever since episode 1. Great job amazing

excellent job you are doing. love to see thing get a new life. a thought on the anchor mounting if you have not done so already. as there are two metal brackets on the bow just above waterline, you might fabricate a mount there. and perhaps a small grate to stand on when handling the anchor. safe journeys.

Great vids buddy, Im not even an ocean man and I absolutely enjoy these vids of yours. Kind regards from South Africa.

Nah we know your boat belches out bright red smoke from its exhaust 😂 “I paid the full tax”

Having only recently discovered, and subsequently caught up through a solid binge watching session on all activities thus far, I can only say how disappointed I am to now have to wait in line for the next update. Liked and subbed.

Congrats good to see you out on the water

Totally awesome to see the updates :)

Awesome project, I’ve enjoyed watching it come along. You asked for suggestions, so I’ve got one. You might get a hair better fuel consumption by routing the engine intake through the cover to let it suck colder air

Lovely to see your progress Alex and so full of interesting lessons to be learned from all your developments. This is all a great asset to all the other lifeboat projects under way and is very much appreciated. One little comment I must make is for you to get into the habit of ALWAYS tying a secondary safety line to your little tender on a secondary point whilst being towed along at the back of you. We learned the hard way many years ago when some unnoticed chaffing on the line led to our tenders disappearance under passage! We had friends quite recently also lost and never recovered over £8k's worth of dingy, electric outboard and lithium batteries during a coastal passage. They are still fighting their insurance company over a year later that have deemed the issue as their negligence. Keep up the good work my friend, you are a great ambassador for this fraternity. Regards Gavin (Scottish Borders) Electrical engineer currently planning full solar & kite powered craft.

Congrats on the sea trial!! Can’t wait to see where Alan takes you!!

I did a fair bit of research on sound insulation when rebuilding an old land rover 101 a few years back, as in the cab you sit right beside the engine. Foam will help a bit with reflected sound but if you want to reduce noise transmission you really need a layer of the most dense material possible. I went for thin lead 'foil' in the engine cover but there are other options like rubber sheets with high density mineral 'fillers'.

Thank you for acknowledging my provocative attempt at humor on the last one. Cheers. I'll bring you some pastries next time I'm in London. ;) You should ship him off to do sea trials in the Caribbean during hurricane season. Haha

Radio system is a necessary feature. Excellent job mate 🤘

Cool project. Like a big floating carrot! Love it :-)

Hooray…….Alan does what he was designed for, love it…….👍🇮🇲👌💪

I know what you mean about the first time you fly a drone off the boat and out over the water, it made for some nice shots though. There are generally four or five Thames barges where I am moored so you have to watch out for the tall masts rather than the usual trees.

Awesome video thanks for sharing it ,,looks like all the hard work paid off

Yeah a new video of Alan

I think it's nice, that you called tools on board same name as the boat

Thanks alot for this video. I have often wondered about those cute little boats, even to the point of looking to buy one. After living most of my life on my sailboats, perhaps one of those little fellows will be in my future. I find life at six knots to be more than adequate for happiness.

That looks like a great adventure boat. I'd love to find one of those to explore the straights of lake Michigan/Huron.

You are amazing. Still learning every day....... Happy trails dear. Peace Love and Hope. Stay safe have a great day. Cheers....❤💙💛

Two years before the mast by R H D Jr was a story that every one needs to know about before going to Sea for some reason , this remindes of the Alan

Great idea with the tank to figure out fuel consumption. I might swipe that idea as it really is time I got accurate figures.

I'm obsessed.

You got the most reliable engine on the planet high quality

Very informative great work you are doing

Alan looks great. Less is more. Also interesting as an alternative to a narrow boat.

Hi. Yes, Alan needs plenty of ballast to help against lateral rolling. It is designed to self-right after a capsize, so needs lots of ballast low down in the keel. This will also help against rolling and make Alan sit better in the water. The downside is that it will make Alan even slower and possibly harder to control, or not as responsive. Alan was designed to keep people alive, in open seas, until help arrived, not as a pleasure cruiser. Alan is a great craft though, and I can't wait to see your adventures in him.

Great video. Couple ideas: some type of bow thruster - thinking on a hinge to drop into water as needed. Second steering wheel and throttle mounted high (no need for foot). GPS guided autopilot (when in open seas it is really point A to point B). In general, it needs more brackets.

That's "Tasmanian Liquid Sunshine" coming in drops, all the way from "Straya".

I've I've always though of getting one of these boats and fitting it with a mast and sails and putting a keel kinda like the Dutch racing barges are made. With a retractable keel on each side . Seems like they have a lot of room to work with

Absolutely amazing!

Much fun thank you!

Very cool, I like it! I would fabricate two retractable outriggers that could be lowered and locked into place to help sooth the roll in choppy waters.

As far as blogs. vlogs n sea dogs go, very enjoyable humorous vid. nice one!

The brewing of copious mugs of tea brings to my mind the need for a pee tube for the helmsman.

U did well going astern, I've 4 times the rudder as u and even mine doesn't like answering the helm astern. Happy float day Alan 👍✌

I’ve been interested in these rescue boats for the last couple of months and I came across your channel and I have to say for the links of your presentation I actually stayed the entire time which is not typical of me on RU-vid unless I’m extremely interested in the Content, great job, great presentation very interesting topic

Awesome boat and idea. I think roll with that boat will be a problem in its life, even if you ballast it and try to adjust. That being said, what an awesome idea for a low cost boat for adventure. Not surprised people convert these to houseboats.

Your friend Alan is absolutely right about learning to manover your boat, backing up and figure of eights and they are semi standard tests both for driver and boat and are best practiced in flat clam conditions, a single screw boat will always prop steer at low speed, so to have any control going astern you need to get way on (speed) once going astern keep the rudder straight and only give it tiny corrections to get where you want to go 2 or 3 degrees from centerline. You haven't run then engine flat out of an hour or so, you need to know if it is going to do it.

I can clearly hear the wind. Nice. Oh, and you were saying... something.

happy boat day to Alan🎉🎉🎉

Always informative and hilarious😂

At anchor could use a "flopper stopper" to reduce rolling. There are some commercial ones, and numerous designs for diy. I built mine myself, a plywood square weighted on one side with reclaimed lead flashing and covered in grp to stiffen and waterproof it. The idea is as the boat rocks one way the unweighted side of the board rises allowing it to slip down through the water easily, then as the boat rocks the other way the board is pulled horizontal offering considerable resistance to the roll. Having it on one side of the boat working in one direction ensures each direction has a different resonant frequency to help prevent that resonant build up of rolling that has everything crash to the floor. Of course it's no use under way, but makes things easier when anchored somewhere. I think some fishing boats have towed things on booms out the side to alleviate rolling, but not sure how that could be adapted to a life boat in ice.

Congrats! Maybe you can add an endoscopic inspection cam to your list of tools needed.

All went swimmingly as I would expect ... it was built to save lives in the worst of conditions after all and while you have a specific job in mind for Alan .. I'm looking at a live aboard pipe dream for him or one like this ... the change I would make is to add more visibility especially from the helm .. I would want to see where I was going better ... other than that ... it's a great little craft ..!

Congrats on successfull sea trial! Just an idea but I think you should make same kind of simple crane or winch system on aft to load/unload batteries and other stuff more easily. Good luck and have fun.

A compilation. Yay! :D

I support your plan for dominance by purchasing some merch. While unfortunately located in the Colonies I so enjoy seeing your progress.

Nice to see Alan afloat. Re the rolling: Bilge keels you've already rejected due to ice. Good call. Stabilising booms and anti roll "fish” on cables are relatively cheap. Just use hinged aluminium pipe and painted steel fish. Super common on small fishing boats. Watching the roll period Alan is VERY stable. One other item that you could consider is an anti roll U tube tank. They are partly filled with sea water. You have to adjust the amount of water and cross flow tube restriction so that the natural frequency of the tank is the same as the roll period but 180 deg out of phase with Alan's natural roll period. Harder to sort out compared to booms and fishes.

i'm not sure why this was in my feed, nor why I watched it, but in order to take part, I am unadulteratedly outraged. Well done.

One thing you might wish to consider is adding a small deck to be taken inside or stowed topside .. something you could stand flatfooted on .. just outside the side doors. Maybe even a permanent deck off the stern to give you some extra footing, etc. Enjoying the build process .. really cute boat.

Fabulous video, first time seeing this channel, l love your humour, it's an interesting project i am going to fast forward a year and see how's it going...🙂

So exciting !

I've been seeing these lifeboats on RU-vid for a while now. They look like they'd be great as a houseboat, much like people convert a bus to a RV.

Enjoyed this, thanks!

11-2-2022 Congratulation, that's ( they ) are the best made boat in the world .

I am so freakin hyped for this!!! Way to go allen!

Alan is a tank, with the top hatch.

I think these are a great base for a modified boat, solve ventilation (those things are quiet moist inside if used) and you are pretty much sorted out. But I think you know what you are doing!

A 4 foot wooden deck off the stern sure would give you more room, especially for fishing

Thanks Alex, enjoying the journey of Alan. Given you're off to much colder climes, have you considered a few extra stainless safety railings around the stern, bow and not least for the accessing the top out of those sides.....?

Right on Allan

Nice job :) reminds me and my boat goes only 6 knots burns 1l diesel per hour :)

Brilliant!

you need to rig up some outrigger stabilizers for this tender little vessle! I'm not sure if they are called "Birds" in the UK, but there you go. should help tremendously. if you feel like spending a fortune, a seakeeper would also help but probably be crazy overkill. cheers!

I like your video, your boat, and your humor. Subscribed:)

Few life improvers for a sea: nmea like system with a GPS, magnetic compass and underwater speed sensor. This would give you heading over ground vs magnetic heading and speed over ground vs water speed. Also think about maybe a navtex (get storm warnings and weather forecasts), ais reciever (get warned before you get hit by a huge boat in the middle in the ocean) and maybe autopilot (explains itself), steering remote (steer while sitting on the deck) and some emergency equipment (inflatable lifeboat for your lifeboat and some *pyrotechnic* flares). Btw love your vids.

Make sure to check for stowaways once you head up north.

You need a sea anchor on the bottom. It will stabilize the roll and make it take waves better.

Me encanta la idea de convertir un bote salvavidas en un bote de recreo,siempre me han llamado la atención estes botes,me parece una fortaleza flotante,mucha suerte,saludos desde Galicia

I clicked on this by accident and am very pleasantly surprised and want to go to the start.

Sick ride

I love stupid, insane, And Safe Ideas on the internet. Perfect...10/10.

I used to work at the factory that made the glass fibre for those, in Hindley, Wigan.

Maybe a small set of outriggers/oma's will stabilize the rolling and provide a net or deck area to both sides. Any consideration for solar panels? What is the ultimate purpose/use?