Sir Nibble

Yes. I'll try it loaded with a heavy discharge tester next week.

No. Just, no. So unsafe. I've done this stuff, but with all the sensible precautions and proper waste disposal. Interestingly, only the negative plates have any cohesion. If you drop one on the floor it goes thud, a positive plate goes splat and there's no way there's enough solid lead to weld. All the plates this guy is reusing started as negative ones. Since every cell has one more positive plate than negative, building a battery with reclaimed plates would need three donor batteries.

The absolute best was the customer who's truck wouldn't start. Does the dash light up when you turn the ignition on? No, nothing. Does the starter make any sound when you try it, clicking or anything? No, nothing. So out I go, turn on, dash lights up. Try the starter and it cranks the engine briskly. Customer: See, nothing.

This is one of "those" things isn't it. Unlike bizzard, I've never seen a problem with it. I must have done thousands and thousands of starting problems over the last 50 years and not one was due to vaseline, dozens due to corrosion. This is like never using emery to clean a comm, you should use glass paper. Tried it once, glass paper just not up to the job, 50 years with emery and no problem.

Added advantage that the ducks wouldn't have to come out for blacking either.

We were warned that this would happen if we didn't do anything about it. We didn't do anything about it, it's happening. Quell surprise.

The trick is to not get the paddles wrong.

Going up. Bowline on the centre rope over a bollard towards the back of the lock, forward gear, tickover.

Looks like the easy way to me.

Could try aralditing nuts to the inside, with the windows out and screws to hold them in place.

If the starter in question is one of these, then the common (very common) fault is burned solenoid contacts. New ones are cheap. Access by removing the 3 screws on the back of the solenoid.

greetings earthlings, 'tis I. Considering taking the current Mrs Snibble boating this summer and looking for recommendations for hire. I don't want to travel too far from home on the south coast near Portsmouth. Last time I saw the K&A it seemed to have become even more crowded than when I sold my boat, and the Oxford was heading the same way. looking for somewhere rural where I don't need to be on a 14 day rota to moor at popular spots.

Absolute kudos to you mate. Well outside your comfort zone but you got on and did it. Respect.