My name is Helen and I am a shopaholic. I thrive on the frisson of pushing open the door at Liberty (or even Lidl), stalking my prey up and down the aisles, stroking the potential purchase longingly before it is tissue wrapped and I march out triumphant. Convinced either that I am definitely worth it or that I have snagged a sale of the century bargain.
And to add to this, I have the ability to shop in almost any category. From hardware shops to book stores to the garden centre, I am pretty sure I can find something to buy in pretty much any shop in any location and, if not on the high street, I also consider myself the Queen of eBay (life-sized brass deer anyone?).
Now this boat business opens up a whole new genre of potential purchases. I will hold my hand up to already having the breton sweater and boating shoes side of things well and truly nailed, but the interior of the ship is a whole other proposition. I can definitely do vintage. But can I do vintage boat fixtures and fittings?
Turns out Trinity Marine (http://www.trinitymarine.co.uk/) is the place to go for the architectural antiques of the water. A little spendy, as fully cleaned up salvaged goodies are wont to be, but good for ideas and terminology nonetheless.
Initially I got a little distracted in my search…
Never knew you needed a jet fighter pilot seat in your living room now did you?
But I soon refocussed and hit upon an absolute gem. Below is a playing card showing one of the monitors – water cannons – on board Beta III.
They are no longer on the boat however you can still see the marks on the deck where they would have originally stood.
Well, turns out that at Trinity Marine they are still in stock…
They look just like a higher end photo and I imagine they would pretty much be the perfect size.
The downside? That is GBP 420 of water cannon you are looking at. Sigh. Maybe next time. Gives a whole other interpretation to the idea of pissing your money away!
betaiiifireboat 
Hi Helen
I was just looking at Betaiii on Appollo Duck and then did a search and found your website. Looking at the images it is a great project.
sorry…pressed the wrong button without finishing!!!!! I run a fabrication company and boat building company http://www.rivetednarrowboat.com and http://www.arcfabsussex.com and was interested in buying and restoring Betaiii. I would still be very interested in pop down one day and have a look if that is possible and if I can help you out with metal work then give me a shout…we are based in Lewes, East Sussex so not a million miles away. All the best Toby
Hi Toby, Thanks for getting in touch. Yes, it would definitely be great to discuss the boat with you – there is a lot of work to be done and I will certainly be after some advice and able contractors. If you can bear with me for a couple of weeks while I sort out getting the boat out of the water, I will then get in touch about a visit! Helen