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The middle ground is where I (we) all want to be. It's fairly clear, from the previous experienced posts, that the signal quality is directly proportional to your location. Even with satellite equipment.... There are lots of pro's and con's. If you want to use a satellite system. It needs to be set up at the end of the cruising day. Using a directional aerial needs to be raised and directed, at the end of the cruising day. Is an omni-directional aerial a plausible solution to the end of the day set-up regime?

I used 3/4 inch scoop fittings (obviously downward facing)to terminate the intake & exhaust on the outside of my cabin sides. £10 for two on Ebay. I didn't see the need for roof fittings.

Just thinking about the reply from MJG. What would be the better solution?

I'm just experimenting with a bilge pump, plastic food box with clip down lid and a float switch with auto 12v relay. My theory is that as a bilge pump takes in all sorts of gunk, it will be able to pump out the shower waste with relative ease. The float switch allows automatic switching on and off. It's in and connected up, but haven't properly tested it yet as the shower needs sealing before it's used. It cost me about £20.

I was wondering about the output of a Gulper pump. If my fresh water pump delivers 17 lpm (Litres per minute) will it keep up with the water flow?

24mm x 40mm timber is cheap to buy. Build an external frame and then infill with crossing, half lapped braces. This ensures you have the exact profile of the floor, walls and ceiling. Remove the frame from it's location and lay flat on the floor. Draw round the frame onto the back of your chosen ply wood wall material. Cut out the shape and fix to the frame with no nails, clamps and weights. Repeat for the other side. I've used this to build 5 bulkheads in my boat. They are strong, slim and cheap.

Tree loppers work well. Plenty of leverage and a sharp blade.

I fitted a Propex Heatsource 2800 in my 62 ft boat just before Christmas 2010. Fitted under a bed box with vents out through cabin sides. Yes you can hear the fan in the background. But you have to listen for it. Oh. Forgot to say... Remember how cold it was over Xmas! The Propex heater did a fine job of keeping me warm whilst working on my boat. I had to keep notching the thermostat down time and again. Very simple to use. A real fit and forget bit of kit.

For TV on board I've bought a Gazelle omni style antenna with a 12volt amplifier. I'll be connecting this to a 230v LCD TV. I have a 3KW inverter on the boat that will power the TV and 230 domestic fridge. I haven't coupled all this up yet, but don't foresee any problems. The only thing that may happen is a bit of interference from the modified sine wave inverter. As I understand this, I might be able to cure any interference by using chokes on the 12v supply to the inverter? We will see.

I've owned a boat since August 2010 but I've only just joined this group. So, by way of getting up-to-speed, I thought I'd give a potted history of the events so far. After much research and deliberation, we (my wife and me) decided to bite the bullet and invest in a narrow boat. We'd been turning this idea over in our minds for several years. We looked at used boats, with a view to re-fitting but decided that fitting out a pre owned boat would restrict the layout we wanted. We would have to base our layout on the existing window placements. You'd want a window above your dinning table, wouldn't you? We also thought that by buying a pre-owned boat, no matter how much money we put in to it, we'd still have a 10 or 15 year old boat.... (Obviously, I'm not talking about historic boats) The decision was made. We chose to invest in a sail-away. We chose our builder, paid the deposit and began.....