woolyhead

Our Mikuni was a right pain, wouldn't fire up, we were constantly getting the heating plug cleaned or replaced, smoking etc., until a mechanic friend suggested that the alternator wasn't working properly, even on a new boat & then we were charged for a replacement one that was the old one cleaned up, but that's another story. Since we've had a brand new alternator & batteries fitted we have no trouble with it, fires first time every time so long as the batteries have a good charge. We also have a Morso Squirrel for space heating in the sitting area. In our previous shared boat if the gas went out in the night then the pilot light on the Alde was a real pain to relight, but don't know if that's been improved in the last 10 years or so? The one thing that I would have now would be a water heater so that we didn't need to run the engine or central heating for hot water.

There was a time when people could be fined for not collecting their urine to be used in the woollen & tanning industry, used to be quite a nice earner at 1p a bucket (and yes I know it was 1d way back then)

Back on topic, we buy the cheapest we can so that it disintegrates easily. Trouble is visitors use half a bloomin' roll up & look at you as if you're mad when you ask then to empty the cassette 'cos they've just filled it in one visit.

We went for semi trad when getting our boat built, thinking about dogs & visitors, some of the rather smaller variety, & have wooden doors at the back. This means that we can close the back in so that it gives some protection in winter & to stop dogs leaping onto the bank at bridge holes, we can get visitors sitting with us but we can also shut the boat up to keep warm in the winter with only the steerer having to suffer We didn't go for trad, as we wanted to be sociable with visitors & knew we'd get fed up with having to bend double all the time when going up to the deck & being short the tiller was too high for comfort & I hate having to steer sitting sideways which you do if you sit on the roof & being asthmatic I didn't want to risk having exhaust fumes in my face. Cruiser was a definite no because of winter cruising, far too exposed to the elements

I just got this & being a new member I very nearly fell for it. Another board I use ask prospective new members a cryptic question that only people truly interested in the type of board would get the answer to, this helps stop spammers.