Chewbacka

If you refuse to make a declaration and refuse to state if you are private or commercial the supplier should refuse to sell you fuel. If you claim to be commercial (so all fuel duty free) but it is obvious you are not the supplier will supply, but must keep details in his records. If like everybody you do make a declaration it is entirely up to you to fix the percentage for propulsion and the supplier will supply accordingly. The supplier should note your name & address in his records but is not required to ask for proof etc. If you want the full information see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/excise-notice-554-fuel-used-in-private-pleasure-craft-and-for-private-pleasure-flying/excise-notice-554-fuel-used-in-private-pleasure-craft-and-for-private-pleasure-flying

That's good :-) A bottle of leak detector is not a bad idea - it's a sort of soapy water in a bottle - spray it on the joints and check there are no bubbles/leaks. Something like this - http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p68325?table=no

1 Something like this??? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wentronic-67228-GB-Ground-Breaker-Galvanic-Separator-Coaxial-Plug-to-Coaxial-IEC-/291362880096?hash=item43d694ba60:g:AtYAAOSwm8VU1Z6v added - it is tv coax rather than car radio which may be a problem for you

If you need a hose quickly you can get one in any caravan place. Now it's not clear if the regulator is on the bottle or on the boat. As you mentioned a crimp I would guess the regulator is on the boat and you need a high pressure hose between the bottle and regulator. The hoses are different for butane (m20) and Propane (POL) If you have a 2 bottle system then the pigtail (hose) MUST have a non return valve built-in, not all hose do. If you are not sure of what you need PLEASE ask here or a boater that understands gas as the wrong hose could be very dangerous.

Taking the opposing view, as my propshaft rotates in neutral the engine alignment must be pretty good. I have no reason to think it isn't aligned, but one day I will check it. That is now job number 23

6mm2 will have a conductor diameter of about 3mm for multistrand cable - ie not a single solid wire like the earth wire in domestic twin &earth

That's good to hear, but you are in the fortunate position of being able to take good care of your batteries whereas Mike's work commitments don't allow adequate charging during the week. It is possible a bigger bank of batteries which would take longer to over discharge and so last the working week and then be recharged at the weekend would help his battery life, but the downside is he would be spending a lot of his weekend battery charging............

Looks really good, I wished I had a 'real' engine.

Try this Merlin link for the spec www.merlinequipment.com/page/document.asp?id=159

There is another idea and that is to use batteries that are tolerant of abuse, but the initial cost is very high. I am thinking of NiFe batteries. I don't know why NiFe batteries are so high cost as the Ni is not that expensive compared to Pb. Never used one myself - cost too much - but the spec looks good and they do tolerate a lot of abuse.

mine didn't until I changed the oil, and now it does :-))

56lb weights seem to have become trendy and so rare to find any at a low cost, tractor weights on the other hand do come up from time to time on ebay. I got 270kg for £130 though I did collect them and that cost me another £25 in fuel. Being 'flat they do fit out of site behind the shower on in cupboards and being up against the side of the boat ar far more effective than laid flat. One I move from side to side depending on how full the toilet tank is.

Thanks for that - I do like learning new stuff. Have a greenie

Copper and Brass, but now they are aluminium which is not only cheaper but also lighter.

I have always considered Kidde as an ok brand. I prefer separate units as I place the smoke alarms on the roof as smoke goes up and the CO alarms on the walls to be more at a breathing level. I have 3 CO detectors in a 56ft boat, so that is just me being a bit 'over cautious' with CO.

I thought copper, so I checked their web site and it is copper, which is good as it tends to kill bugs while stainless does not. http://www.surejust.co.uk/Product/SureCal.aspx

My coolant was due for a change, so I did a bit of study as I would rather use a long life coolant and found this that advises against using long life OAT (organic acid technology) coolants in systems containing yellow metals https://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/tech-articles/coolant-antifreeze.pdf So I bought some traditional blue stuff. However some coolant manufacturers now specifically claim that their formulation is ok for use with copper & Brass etc https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/pdfs/product_lit/americas_brochures/LT36237.pdf So In a couple of years time when it is due for change I will change to long life suitable for yellow metals. So as all long life coolants are not the same, if you are not sure all I can suggest is that you check the data sheet of the product you wish to use/are using and if it is not clear give their tech department a call.

As it is a 4kW stove my guess would be no more than 1kW goes into the boiler. So probably 3 or 4 rads.

Glad to have been of help. I have a couple on my panel as well and they look so much better than a digital meter.

Not a brand I am familiar with :-)), and after your experience nor will I be in future. Amazing how much smoke can come from electronic kit, sounds like no flames :-)) just the terrible smell of charred polyurethane wire varnish. Pleased that you are fine.

But this method is not recommended for those that prefer taunting and bashing C&RT rather than cruising the canals.

My original DeWalt 12v NiCd batteries (2 off) did both last over 200 recharge cycles (just over 2 years for me) before dying. My replacement from e-bay was a good example of getting what you pay for, it is now about 18 months old and when recharged is fine, but will self discharge in about a day. This has had nothing like the use the original batteries had. Probably buy a new Li Drill rather than another battery.

A quick Google found these - http://www.whb.org.uk/door-hold-back-retainer-rubber-c2x16094875 http://stedall.co.uk/product/rubber-door-holder/ Any use??

I remember 3 things we were told in junior school 1) The sea has unlimited capacity to produce fish 2) The sea has unlimited capacity to absorb toxic waste 3) There are canals on Mars 1 & 2 I now know are not true, but what about #3????