We are a bit late with this because for once I have been busy.

Dawntreader is an old boat; it has polyester resin glass fibre decks which suffer a process called crazing, basically the glass fibre cracks, and no painting will ever work properly as water gets into cracks and lifts it off in the first winter.

For those with long memories, a few years ago I used DC fix all over the decks. Incredibly cheap and cheerful (I stuck it down with impact adhesive!) and much to my surprise it's still there today. However I wanted something more boat like, so I ordered (from a cheap internet direct from manufacturer) some of this new foam teak look-alike stuff which, after a bit of a wait and plenty of tracking updates as it made its way from Asia to Europe, eventually arrived.

The first and hardest job was to remove all the deck fittings. Here was the problem, Dawntreader has been owned by a series of owners, who, like me, have all been broke! So I doubt the fittings have ever been off since the boat was built. The fittings are a good quality aluminium which polished up with a wire wheel like new – also taking years of paint off which had been accidentally daubed on during “tart “ ups. However, the screws that held them were plain old steel, well rusted in and worse, much worse, about ¼ of their original size. Basically, one more good jerk and they would have given up. The only way to remove them though, is to centre punch the screw, drill a pilot hole and send in one same size as head. Once screw head is off you can prise it up and punch out anything left, then grind down any bits protruding through the deck.

With all fittings off deck, cleaned etc., I realised that the dc fix was so good it wasn’t worth removing. The decking cuts very easily with a sharp blade and the glue worked well (possibly because it was going over vinyl to start). However, my biggest fear was drainage, especially the fore deck and where the cabin top meets decks.

After much thought I used roofing gutter repair bitumen in a tube to seal all edges, this went off hard within 24 hours and even in heat hasn’t softened. The side decks being long, I laid in lengths with a gap to allow for some expansion and again shed water from the channels with foam.

The results! it looks like a boat. I did not do all the fore deck but left gaps between each section filled with bitumen because this is a boat's Achilles heel – the fore deck barely drains. Cost £2 rolls at £14 each if you prepared to wait and £5 of gutter fix and £6 of stainless-steel screws for deck fittings – that must be cheaper than paint. The whole job took a day although there are edges to finish.

The biggest issue I have had over years is the water pump. Open a tap, and water burst out under pressure, soaking everything nearby – usually the phone. What I needed was an accumulator like posh boats have to even pressure (basically a large rubber balloon stuck inside a tank you can pressure by pumping air in – the balloon fills with water, the air pressure in the tank pushes against it and even flows. Luckily work had one, or rather it was being replaced as part of a service. So I stripped it, cleaned, de-rusted the inside of the tank, checked bladder and more importantly changed valve rubber. £0.35 plus £7.99 for rust convertor – so for a tenner all in.

Now the clever bit, this must go near the pump and comes with 1¼ inch screw fittings. You can drive yourself nuts searching internet stores for fittings or you can use lateral thinking!!! A well-known garden watering system sells many fittings of the same size that allow you to do, guess what !! attach an approved drinking water clear plastic pipe to it. Cost of pipe per metre £12, fittings £8.

The hardest part was getting pressure right, remembering we have pumps and not mains pressure – and also remembering that 15 litres or so is going straight up the pressure vessel.  So top tips: 1) brim your water tank and 2) isolate the water heater – sending 45psi to shower so it behaves like a pressure washer is one thing , blowing the seals on a Paloma is another. The results are truly amazing it’s the one thing I am so pleased I did. The shower is even, and the taps work immediately without spluttering.

It still needs rubbing, strake sanding and painting and I still haven’t ever got around to finishing the shower room, but do you know, who cares? If I wanted perfection I could buy a new boat.