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I need to get this done as time is running out so after a waist of yesterday with sorting out a way to sharpen rill bits, i had to return a MM one to ry another jig type where you need to be a sciencetist to set it up lol. And today getting up late i got a bit done. spent it all cutting and shutting this thing together. still needs a lot doing but it is taking shape, and now it may just be a narrowing of the top is needed, i have 1.6m width for the solar panel. Just still a bit to wide i think, what i ended up with, from a few angles as in some i dont like it but most i do, looks different also in the pics, It looks a lot better with the rails on I made it way to high at first so them i can fettle it but then i moved the top back as i didnt like the over hang on the front. still to high so Still to high so i dropped the front by 3 inch but the rear just 2 inch, this way i still have 6`6" head room at the rear of the canopy top And after a few more trimmings and rails to see how it will look, the top did loo a bit high but when the rails were all fitted this made it look that bit lower. As said the side overhang does look to much but that is giving room for a good size solar panel of around 250w, also i like the idea of fitting some down/deck lights under them to light up the gunnel at night. At first i used 6" nails to hold the panels in place, just push them through at 45 deg angle and they hold nice while things are be altered as you can pull them out, if you dont push them down flush which just makes it harder to remove them, then, i used expanding foam and board to keep the sides inplace as it is not easy on a windy day and bits moving around, so once i got the position i set it in place, not the top though as this will be separate. So not much done but as always, slowly but surly.

use an old hosepipe cut into about 3inch lengths, alternatively get hold of some old twin and earth cable and cut that up to use as spacers

I polish my boat once every 25 years. Whether it needs it or not...

A motley crew, Max! I have noticed Sailor Vee before, she's been for sale for some months so there should be room for price negotiation, but at 32 feet she may be too short. I am amazed that ABNB, a very reputable company, are asking £32,000 for a 1985 40-footer, that's a remarkably high price. They must know something that I don't, as they aren't rip-off merchants. My dark horse is Brownleigh - because she is a reasonable size and has had a lot of time, effort and money expended on her recently, so she should be in great shape and offer good V.F.M. You could soon sort out the somewhat dishevelled interior.

I would have thought the surveyor carries a basic duty of care and the broker would have to act reasonably in terms of entering into and brokering contracts. I may have pitched it too strongly by suggesting it was specific legal protection but in both cases I would prefer to be protected by professional standards than not at all. Which I think should bring us back to the issue of helping MissMax choose a boat. I will second RLWPs point about viewing some. Particularly get a feel for the difference between the £20k and £30k boats. If you can't find it that may tell you something. And if you do proceed my advice in this case remains that you should get a survey (for the right reasons ?). JP

I think the reality of places like Barbridge is that however much you use correct sound signals, the close proximity of the very busy road would make it confusing for anybody approaching from the main line. This is made worse because a lot of narrow boat horns sound very similar to car horns. Remember too that Barbridge is a busy place because it is a focal point on the 4 Counties ring with many hire boats who are very unlikely to understand the meaning of a signal. In your case, being single handed, I don't think it is realistic to expect sound signals to be effective, so what you did - proceeding very slowly and being prepared to stop/ reverse - is all you can realistically do. The alternative of everyone blowing horns would not help the situation and might only lead to more frustration. Howard

One often overlooked advantage in having a survey (and attending) for a first time buyer, is that of seeing how the various systems are operated, as well as piece of mind re hull thickness etc.

I don't think you would be prosecuted if you went out on yellow only to find the next flood lock closed. If it's operational it's not closed!

As an elderly and fairly deaf ex cyclist. make a lot of noise from quite a long way back and be prepared for 1) getting off and walking past because I haven't heard you and 2) me stepping across in front of you to look at some object of nature I have spotted.

My advice to the grandkids on any canal walk is to stand completely still if they hear or see a cyclist. I think that they are more likely to be hurt if they suddenly move to one side for a cyclist especially one approaching from behind. Steve

I think towpath users should all be equal from the 2 year old toddler to the Lycra clad Eddie Merckx racing cyclist. For this reason it is important not to 'jump out of the way' of cyclists. Let them slow down and pass safely. The more they think people just flee as they approach the more dangerously they will behave. Once they have a might is right mindset then you have a group who apparently have more rights than others to use the space available in the way they wish to use it. Why is it the default that one must give way to someone on a bike? Is it jus fear. Its very sad if it is that

I'm not sure that legitimately holding a boat into the side with a rope is the same as a cheese wire across a road but of course cyclists are never in the wrong are they?? If you are going so fast that you can't see a rather large boat & rather large bloke joined by a bit of 14mm rope then I think perhaps you need to think about your speed and attention. Cheers Gareth.

I suppose one way to discourage the selfish attitude of wide beam owners would be if they had to pay a licence fee according to width as well as length. That way they would pay their fair share for the amount of space they use.

It is a bit like asking people who drive cars if they know the correct hand signals for manouvers The short answer to your question and my statement is 99% 'NO'

We do of course know the answers to your rhetorical questions but perhaps it is helpful to consider why the events might happen as you describe. Do you know that the boats in question heard your horn? We don't know how loud it is and how loud the other boat's engines were. Some boats have such loud engines that the steerers are almost certainly deaf! Do you know that if the steerers did hear the horn, they were able to "locate" it despite another boat not being in view. Yes you could argue that they should be aware of the marina but with so many folk cruising along in a daydream mode I'm sure a lot aren't. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you should bear in mind that sounding your horn doesn't give you right of way. Many boaters are car drivers first and foremost, and will have a mentality that since they are on the "main road" and you are coming in from a "side road", you have to give way to them not vice versa. So I think what transpired was not unreasonable. You tooted, edged out, you saw a boat passing, you had to wait until it was past before proceeding. I can't see anything wrong with that sequence of events.

I suspect you are one of the very few who know any horn signals. There are not many using them on the canals. I certainly can't remember ever hearing them and I know I never used them because I don't know them.

Just a suggestion. Try polish! Martyn

PART2 – the regulator 7. Next the regulator. First examine the pipe leading fromthe regulator to the burner pot. This is where condensation collects. 8. Remove the nylon filter. As you can see mine was full of slime, water and general muck. Pic. 7 Before. It looks as though I had a touch of the dieselbug. Pic.8 After. 9. Remove the regulator knob and the three screws holding the cover in place. 10. Remove the float assembly by undoing the three screws holding it in place. (Pic14, screws 1,2 and 3) Pic.9 Float assembly (A ) controls the height of the metering stem and hence the rate to flow offuel. (B ) controls the fuel level and prevents overflow. 11. Lift out the metering stem and spring. Remove inlet valve and spring. (Note the spring holding the valve open is very weak. I have known one of these to become clogged, preventing the inlet valve from operating.) Pic.10 Inside of the regulatorbefore cleaning. Note the pool of water! (A) Outlet tube. Metering stemfits in here. (B ) Overflow pipe. (C ) Inlet valve. Pic.11. After refitting the float assembly, turn the control knob to fully open and check that the metering stem is free to move up and down. 12. Thoroughly clean out thechamber. If, like mine, your flame doesn't fully extinguish, or you find that there is diesel swimming in the bottom of the burner pot when you comeback to the boat after an interval, it's probably because there is dirt at the base of the metering tube preventing the metering stem from closing fully. If you look carefully you can just see the speck of dirt that was the cause of the trouble. Pic 12 Inlet valveand spring Pic.13 Meteringstem. Note the thin delivery slot. 13. There are four adjustments you can make. You shouldn't need to touch them, but it's useful to know how they work.. Metering stem adjustment. (A) in pic.14. This raises the metering stem exposing more or less of the fine slot, thus allowing more or less fuel to enter the fire. If you find that you need to turn the knob up more and more to get the same degree of heat, as a temporary measure you can give this screw a couple of turns clockwise. It doesn't solve the problem of a blocked or dirty regulator, but it might get you out of difficulties in an emergency and keep the fuel flowing. Overflow level adjuster. (D ) in pic.14. When I moved my Refleks from the motor to the butty, the trim was different and fuel leaked from the overflow pipe. Adjust the level until it the diesel begins to flow then screw it down by half turns until the overflow stops. (B )and (C )The high fire and low adjusters. These really shouldn't be touched. However, if after renovation and cleaning the fire burns with a dirty yellow billowing flame the mixture is too rich. You should heat the fire up thoroughly and set the flame to mark 4. To make an adjustment, screw the high fire screw (B ) in half a turn at a time, letting the flame settle, until you reduce the yellow licking flames until they are blue with yellow tips. There are detailed instructions on how to do adjust the high and low fire adjustments on the Harworth website . Again,you will only need to do this if someone has fiddled with them instead of tackling the root causes of the problem. Pic. 14 Adjustments A - D Assembly is the reverse process. However, to make it easier next time I replaced the rivets with 4mm self tapping screws. Also a little grease round the burner pot made it easier to get back into position without having to apply brute force. Before lighting, check that oil is flowing. It should be seen instantly in the bottom of the burner pot and should shut off equally quickly. You can also check to see that that the rate of flow changes as you adjust the control knob. Pic. 15.Fuel should flow freely into the bottom of the burner pot The change was marked when I lit thefire. Bluish flames, improved responsiveness from low to high andcomplete extinguishing of flame when the control knob is set to zero.. I should add that I'm in no way qualified to offer this advice. I'm not a heating engineer and have had absolutely no training in servicing Refleks stoves. You follow the above steps at your own risk. If in doubt you should consult a professional. I'll be happy to amend anything that I've got wrong.