Alan de Enfield

Ex- EV batteries and DIY ? Stereotype = cheapskate boater.

And do not use when repairs / maintenance is required.

Sounds like you may have a problem - if your boat was built in 1999 it should have all the necessary paperwork and compliance certification as the RCD became mandatory after June 1998 The original Recreational Craft Directive, 94/25/EC, was enacted in 1994, came into force on 16 June 1996 and had a transition period which ended on 15 June 1998.

That refers to VAT If a boat is bought by a company then they would (normally) reclaim the VAT back from HMRC - wwhen the boat is then sold it does not have "VAT paid" and so becomes subject to VAT on the sale price. Generally, for boats sold to 'private individuals', the VAT will have been paid.

I'd suggest that scuttling about in muddy ditches, you'd be better doing it monthly, or even weekly. Maybe ask the question as to why that system is so rarely found on canal boats ? The vast majority are cooled by a closed system - no sucking up the muddy water caused by dragging your bottom along the canal bottom.

That doesn't work - you must be specific and say something like "are there any oil leaks on the engine", then you MAY get an answwer. If you simply say are there any 'problems' with the boat they can say "non that we are aware of", or "all of the details we have are in the sales literature" you will also find that most brokers will have "small print" in their sales details with something along the lines of : Naburn Leisure The Company normally acts as Broker for the Vendor who unless otherwise stated is not selling in the course of Business. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of these particulars, the correctness is not guaranteed and they are intended as a guide only and do not constitute a part of any contract. A prospective buyer is strongly advised to check these particulars and where appropriate at his/her own expense to employ a Qualified Marine Surveyor to carry out a survey and/or have an engine/sea trial conducted, which if conducted by us will not imply any liability on our part. The vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change or withdrawl without notice. This specification it's content and all photographs are copyright of Naburn Leisure Ltd. Whilton Marina Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law. Boatshed The particulars detailed herein are intended to give a fair description of the vessel but their accuracy cannot be guaranteed, these particulars are not a part of any contract or offer and are supplied on the understanding that all negotiations shall be through Boatshed Brokerages, who are acting as brokers for the vendor. The vendor is not selling in the course of a business unless otherwise stated. The prospective purchaser is strongly recommended to check the particulars and where appropriate, at his own expense, to employ qualified agents to carry out surveys, structural and/or mechanical & electrical. ABNB PLEASE NOTE: This is sales information and not a survey report; providing content details only. The specification in these pages is based on ABNB's visit to the boat and on information given by the owner. This is to help you decide whether to investigate the boat further, be it by surveyor or otherwise. The information here is given in good faith but no description, statement, promise of work to be done, or suggestion for future use, constitutes an offer. If the craft leaves the UK, any necessary VAT paid status may not be available. Aquavista Please note: this is not a survey report and all pre-owned boats are sold without warranty. The information provided is based on a superficial inspection carried out by us and information provided by the vendor. No guarantee is given or implied regarding the specification, but descriptions are given in good faith as could be ascertained at the time of inspection. Aquavista takes no responsibility for the accuracy of this information and recommend the use of a marine surveyor to establish the condition of the vessel. Nationwide No guarantee is given or implied in respect of age, specification, condition, suitability for a particular purpose or legal title. All vessels are sold without warranty or condition as to the fitness either expressed or implied by status or otherwise. No appliances or systems have been tested. All measurements stated are approximate. These details are not intended to, and do not, form any part of any current or future contract. In this transaction we are acting as Brokers only. All sales subject to contract. We are relying on information supplied solely by the seller and the Company cannot be held responsible or liable if information is proven to be inaccurate. All information is given as a guide. Plating thickness cannot be measured during Nationwide Boat Sales visit while the boat is in the water and is based on information supplied by the owner. A prospective buyer is strongly advised to check the particulars and where appropriate at their own expense to employ a qualified insured Marine Surveyor to carry out a survey of the vessel. It is ultimately the reasonability of the buyer to ensure that all the particulars are accurate prior or during the purchase of the boat. Nationwide Boat Sales advises that a qualified independent surveyor carries out a full out of water survey for every vessel.

I Know : That was why I explained that logs are twice the volume and half the calorific value, and therefore you need 4x the volume of logs to get the same "heat"

Find a boat you like Make an offer (subject to survey) Sign to accept the sellers T&Cs Check the sellers T&Cs - some will not retun your deposit, some will have a clause stating that if work is needed amounting to - maybe 5% or 10% of the value of the boat then you can pull out and get you deposit back. Pay deposit (or walk away) Arrange a surveyor and make sure that what he offers is what you want (ie a 'full survey', hull, engine etc etc etc) When you get the survey decide what yiu wwant to do - proceed or walk away. If the value of work need is greater than that stipulated in the sellers T&Cs request your money back. Brokers are not legally required to tell you of any problems with the boat, and neither do they any method of finding out who is the owner, is it stolen etc. Buying a boat is "buyer beware".

Seasoned wood has roughly 1/2 the heat value than coal, and 1/3rd that of Diesel. So you would need ~2x the weight of wood compared to coal to generate the same heat. Wood is roughly 50% of the weight of coal per cubic metre (depending on specie) Coal weighs between 1050kg and 1400kg per cubic metre - depending on type Soft woods weigh around 500kg and hardwoods up to 700kg per cubic metre. So, to provide the same heat, you would actually need to store 4x as much volume of wood, than you do of coal, Mixed Camping Gas = 14.2 Wh / gram Seasoned Dry Wood = 4.2 Wh / gram Methylated Spirit = 7.22 Wh/Gram Petrol / Diesel = 12.5Wh / gram Anthracite = 8.6 Wh / gram Or another source .............. Net calorific value (CV) or Lower Heating Value (LHV) given for all fuels. This means that the latent heat of vaporization of the water vapour created by combustion is not recovered by condensation Fuel Net CV by mass Bulk density Energy density by volume GJ/tonne kWh/kg kg/m3 MJ/m3 kWh/m3 Wood chips (30% MC) 12.5 3.5 250 3,100 870 Log wood (stacked – air dry: 20% MC) 14.7 4.1 350-500 5,200-7,400 1,400-2,000 Wood (solid – oven dry) 19 5.3 400-600 7,600-11,400 2,100-3,200 Wood pellets (10% MC) 17 4.8 650 11,000 3,100 Miscanthus (bale – 25% MC) 13 3.6 140-180 1,800-2,300 500-650 House coal 27-31 7.5-8.6 850 23,000-26,000 6,400-7,300 Anthracite 33 9.2 1,100 36,300 10,100 Heating oil 42.5 11.8 845 36,000 10,000 Natural gas (NTP) 38.1 10.6 0.9 35.2 9.8 LPG 46.3 12.9 510 23,600 6,600

Assuming it's insured, that's the route I'd take.

Thanks for that - one or two interesting snippets about "my" Ffrwd canal branch

She has a mobile - we have had so many stories about it (after the estate agent, the broken rudder, the kitchen fitter the electrician) - the phone has been lost, the cats eaten it, the battery is flat, the charger is lost and then got broken, no signal, the service provide won't talk to her and on and on ............................

It was a moderator who posted the above. As the ban appears to have expired, presumably he's voluntarily decided to continue his 'isolation'.