Ryeland

I have had to replace a couple of the fixed panes on my Caldwell windows, after the boat had been broken into. They are really easy to dismantle. The fixed panes are held in by a single U shaped rubber seal. I seem to remember that the seals are cut away where the drain holes are, so the holes aren't blocked. Agree with comments on Caldwell's customer service. After making a pane the wrong size, resulting in a second 300 mile round trip for me, not a hint of any apology from them. Richard

First rope up the rudder using the hole in the top, to avoid losing it! Then the shaft needs to be separated from the rudder. A large cold chisel, mooring pin or other wedge shaped object has to be forced in to the slot in the rudder just under where the stock taper fits into the taper socket in the top of the rudder. Hit the wedge firmly with a hammer and the taper will part. The stock can then be lifted out of the bearings (it's heavy) leaving the rudder in the bottom bearing on the skeg, and supported by the rope. It can then be lifted out of the water by the rope. It can be done in the water, but depending on how tight the taper is, it may be difficult. Out of the water is easy. Richard

I did mean something to give a resistive load, a charger could be anything, probably a switch mode power supply. When investigating problems you need some knowns, and a working light bulb or heater is simple enough to give you a starting point. The light bulb will even give you a visual signal! Has to be a filament type though not compact fluorescent or LED. Richard

If the inverter has no load, is it in standby? I would always use an old fashioned 40w bulb to give some load on an invertor or generator when making measurements. Richard

Ours was fine last year just west of Brewery swing bridge in Skipton, good pilings to attach to. Richard

I have cheap eBay electromechanical one. The only disadvantage is that it is sealed and so can't be quickly rolled forward to match the engine hours. I have left it clocking whilst off the boat, for some 4000 hours, so it seems reliable! Richard

I've used Hall Lane, alongside the church wall, with no problems.

It looks like Comastic is no longer manufactured, due to the new regulations banning coal tar from Jan 2019. Does anyone know of a supplier who still has some in stock please? My boat has been blacked with Comastic from new, and I would like to carry on using it for as long as possible. Richard

I use Midland Chandlers cf171 spring catches very successfully. Richard https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/store/product/cf-171.aspx

The remote release latch idea is a good one, a garage door latch looks almost perfect... https://www.garagedoor-spares.com/item/henderson-lock-cable-and-release-latch/ I shall be trying one! Richard

Cover the cross bar and central bolt with thin foam glued or cable tied on. Worked for me! Any condensation on the curved surface should run down to the edges and on to the roof. Richard

Bird cage sand from a pet shop - it's nice and dry. Use a kitchen sieve to get out any big bits. Mask up the area, apply a good coat of gloss, sprinkle with plenty of sand immediately. Let it dry overnight, vacuum off the excess sand. Apply a thin top coat over the sand. Richard

This happened on my Beta 38 as well, just after crossing the Ribble estuary, worn right through. 15mm copper pipe fits better if you solder a coupling to each end, makes up the diameter and gives the clip something to bite on. Rotate the air filter away from the pipe. Richard

If you mean the sign just after the lift bridge, it refers to the entrance to the boat yard. The (big) winding hole is about 200 yds further on. Richard

Try these; Inline filters FFR-CA5315 Midland Chandlers EA-094 Reisse 46100020 Fram CA5315 Beta 211-61831