Bobbybass

Yup...stops thermosyphoning. If you have a nice tank of hot water...you don't want it keeping your engine toasty :-)

Could be lots of things...but if there's a large motor start capacitor..may be worth changing that. They can get a bit leaky to earth if left discharged for a time. They can work initially...then start to fail.

I'm a reasonably qualified boat person..having lived onboard a narrowboat in the past. I also own a cruiser type boat. I was thinking of buying another boat..when a friend discovered they had a bad family situation..and they have to get rid of theirs in a hurry. They are asking around £35k. It's a GT boat..built in Staffordshire in 1991...so she's 26 years old. Because of circumstances..she has not been blacked for 3 years. It was re-engined 13 years ago...so may have done quite a bit of cruising. I like the layout..and the fitout...but ordinarily would not touch a boat of this age without a hull survey. His own insurer will cover it until 30 years...but I'm thinking of my possible ownership when it hits 30. My 'gut feeling' is that there will be corrosion that will soon need attending to...and ordinarily..I would insist on the hull survey. What I'm asking here..is really opinions. Are there people here who have owned a boat of this age or more..who feel that I'm overreacting? There is a certain amount of hurry here...and I can't decide whether to just take the risk and jump ? My experience of boat mechanicals..is enough for me to test drive it for a few hours and decided from that point of view..but the hull..? Opinions....?...thanks...

Errr.....? That was 4 years ago........

Total sod...! All of my front assembly came loose..! My neighbours brand new engine was written off after 100 hours...and he threatened legal action for Beta. They eventually agreed to fund a replacement short engine and fitting....but their engineer said that they had tried ...pins...nuts...and even welding the front nut...to no avail.. When my engine failed...I had it investigated by an engineer. The taper on the end pulley was not at the same angle as the taper on the crank shaft. That meant that when you tighten up that large nut...the pulley is not squarley gripped....but sits on a shoulder. Yes...its is tight...but then that shoulder wears into the crankshaft and it all waggles. This is not helped by the fact that on my engine....the alternators including the Travelpower...were all on one side and thus the belts all pulled like hell in one direction. I obtained a new double aluminium pulley from Beta...had one of the pullies machine off...and then bolted that onto the iron pulley. I then made a completely different 'saddle' for the Travelpower to sit on. I angle grinded off the end of the engine cradle....and fitted the Travelpower much lower down... This was a real 'faff'...but I actually found that having the Travelpower at a different angle to the alternators...the engine was better balanced.. My advice...? Every months...tighten that huge nut (was it 43mm..?) on the end of the alternator pulley... Second advice...? If you cut the end off the engine cradle with an angle grinder...remove the batteries to the dock side. It took me 20 pots of bicarbonate of soda...to neutralise the acid ! PS....if you have an oil leak...you can remove the pullies..prise out the old seal and fit a new one. The oil leak..is usually when the pullies are running 'eccentric'...so tightening up that big nut...fitting a new seal.. may cure it...in fact it will cure it. Removing the engine...as you say...and machining the crankshaft...will be a waste of life and will NOT cure it.

My engineer...used to just let it flow into the bilge...and then hand pump it into a container...rather than try and catch it.

It looks like the model that B&Q did a safety recall on last year...? Dehumidifiers......they have a freezer and a heater...and you need to keep doors and windows closed as they 'drop' the humidity around them... I used to hire them out...both domestic and industrial. Turn them on...they go into a 'cycle'. The freezer turns on...and the fan draws air across the cooled elements...with the water in the air...then turning to ice. After a period (usually around 2 hours)..the freezer turns off...and a heater is turned on. The water thaws and flows into the tank. After a while...this repeats. Not all that magic really.

Have you got a Travelpower/ Electroluix.....?

Time for a song : "You picked a fine time to leave me loose-wheel".....

As has been said...you make it look all nice and then within and short time...you or someone else has scraped it. As such...I would just buy tins of cheap household gloss for the upper hull...as it was cost effective for touching up again.

Yes...you can have a TV license without a permanent address. I have spoken to them on several occasions...given them my details and they licenese it to a 'care of' address...and deliver it online... When I moved into a land based address I phoned them..and they transfered it to the land address...and then back to 'care of' when I moved aboard again. I don't know why they are giving you the runaraound....? Maybe you are speaking to someone who doesn't understand...? I found them extremely helpful..and they totally understood that I was living on a moving boat as my more-or-less permanant address..

I like the spikes idea..having negotiated the 'skiffers' at Henley recently..I think big long spikes...would be great !!

This large Estonian lady who looked like a prison warden..do you have a phone number..?

I Think Timothy West..can shorten a boat..usually with the help of a bridge.

A computer mate of mine...told me to switch off Cortana ..that comes with Windows 10. Apparently....in the small...and smaller print of the Windows 10 agreement.....they install this as part of your agreement....and you entitle them to use all data gathered as part of the agreement (did you not read that amongst the hundreds of pages..?) This is the 'thing'..(I'm told)..that listens to you and you say "Cortana..do this..or that"..as demonstrated on TV. My mate said it is also a 'gathering system.....for example...if you are sitting with your wife/mate and you say " hey...I need a new setee"...Cortado identifies key words..and suddenly you receive...'buy a setee' crap. You don't need to be using your PC/ Ipad/ mobile phone...it is always listening to your conversations...while nearby. To switch off : right click the task bar.....it will list 'Cortana'.....click on the part that says..'hidden' so there is a tick next to it. It freed up a lot of resources on my notepad.