blackrose

To clarify, that's fine for a dinghy but I don't think the leg should hang below the bottom of a narrow boat otherwise it will hit the bottom of the canal or river. As I said previously it needs to hang below the uxter plate but above the bottom of the boat.

Aren't those short Springers called Waterbugs? I think you'd probably need 15hp at least but others will offer better advice. The leg length will be important. With the outboard mounted you want it shorter than the draft at the stern to protect the prop, but longer than the uxter plate depth so that water can get to the prop - assuming it has narrowboat-style swims.

Thanks. It looks like the same ones as I've just bought from eBay, same wattage and same interchangeable covers.

There are bare computer fans but it's very difficult to find a decent looking 12v fan that's low profile enough to fit. I've only got a 50mm maximum depth recess in the galley. There are AC extractor fans with low voltage adaptors but I'm not sure they're suitable, so I've gone for the eBay 12v fans + the voltage stabilisers which I found on eBay for £18.

Thanks, much appreciated

Thanks. That voltage stabiliser is 4A max, is that correct? Whatever amperage goes in will be what comes out up to a maximum of 4A?

I'm looking to buy a couple of these as replacements for the Manrose 12v extractor fans in my galley and bathroom as manrose no longer make them. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-24v-Extractor-Fan-Light-DC-Caravans-Motorhomes-Marine-Boat-Ventilation-4/264787240069?hash=item3da68ca485:g:DCkAAOSwbOBfA0ID In the ad it says: Please Note: If fan is used while battery is charging please make sure the voltage doesn't increase above 12v or 24v, if the increase is to high the fan will burn out, You can use the 24v fan for 12v battery so if you are using while charging and have this issue mentioned above go with the 24v instead of 12v as this will give you the extra voltage needed when attached to the battery Is this advice correct? Wouldn't a 24v fan run at half the speed if connected to a 12v system?

Ok, thanks.

Couldn't disagree more - that's the best thing for it. Get rid of the horrible sh*t tank!

As a follow up to this, I just put a 5amp fuse in (which in hindsight was the wrong thing to do given that a 2amp fuse was already over-specified); I switched the fan on and it started smoking! Looks like a new fan is in order. Would I have damaged the wiring anywhere?

I was originally responding to Matty's post, not Tony's. I guess the question might be, is it just obscuring the bleed screw in the pictures or obstructing a small spanner from accessing it? "If" There may be a difference in what we can see from a badly taken picture and what is actually accessible.

You're obviously seeing something in those pictures which I can't, but I'm just looking at them on my phone. Assuming it's a conventional curved skin tank built along one side of the swim what would be the problem with batteries located over the skin tank anyway - apart from the possibility of heating the batteries up? From an engine cooling perspective the vast majority of heat transfer from a skin tank is to the water on the outside of the hull, not to the air in the engine space so it doesn't really matter if you place anything over the tank.

Given how long they normally last I hardy think they're worth messing about with. You can pick up a brand new whale gulper 220 for about 100 quid on eBay, or if it's just a diaghram problem then a head service kit for about £20. But is anyone seriously going to start replacing the gears? I don't imagine it would be much cheaper. I'd just buy a new one and maybe keep the old one for spares but that's just me. I fix lots of things. I fixed a leak in my freshwater pump a few years ago as that was simple, but when it comes to replacing gears in a pump my time is more valuable to me.

Isn't that the famous Top Paddle lock on the Rochdale? Surely everyone's heard of it?

Is it worth using the craftmaster wax on a boat you've painted yourself? The finish isn't bad but there's lots of brushmarks and it's not a professional job. I'm going to add vinyl coachlines. Does the wax go over that ok? The other thing I was thinking is doesn't the wax gradually wear off and go all over your gunwales making them slippery?

So in other words you knew a bloke who did it all wrong but got away with it. Ok, but bad practice is not what we should be recommending here surely? Ultimately people can do what they want with their own boats. Carry on by all means...

But had the vibrations and resonance been in that area it may have been a different story. Within a system of materials it's extremely difficult to know where those areas of vibration will be focused. I knew a bloke who stuck battens up with Pinkgrip and some fell off.

Don't use Gripfill, it's too brittle for boats. Use Stixall from Toolstation or Marineflex Also resist the temptation to drill or screw anything into your gas locker bulkhead as some examiners may see this as a breach of its gas-tight integrity even if you seal it with an approved sealant.

I'm struggling to find too much sympathy for the OP for not being able to go on a boating holiday down the K&A at a time when about 44,000 families in this country have suddenly become bereaved. I only have so much sympathy to go around I'm afraid. Let's get things in perspective.

If you weld a thin protrusion onto the outside of a skip and drag it through the water it won't make any noticeable difference to the way it goes through the water. 😋

People usually fit an external skin tank in addition to the original internal one because there isn't enough room to fit an extra tank internally, but whichever side of the hull it's fitted on it should perform exactly the same function. It seems odd that your original tank isn't connected. If you take your boat out onto a wide river and rev it hard against the current for an hour or so you may actually find that the engine starts to overheat and requires both tanks to be connected.

I fitted 2 separate gas systems on my widebeam myself without any previous experience just by following the BSS Essential Guide to the letter. It's really not that hard. All joints checked with leak detection spray and both systems tested with the bubble testers I installed. That was about 14 years ago so it's all been checked by several different inspectors one of whom told me it was one of the best gas installations he'd seen. You don't need "a professional", that's not a BSS requirement. You just need someone who's competent. In other words too many people who don't know what they're talking about