Higgs

You imagined the sweet shop.

A mismatch of subject. The car has to be everything, it is an advert for it. I'm beginning to think it is a cynical ploy; meant to be ambiguous and likely to cause a reaction. Advertising on this scale isn't usually haphazardly thrown together, without a clue.

I had a look at the picture. The car is red, it is aggressive and not that friendly. The setting looks grey and concrete, not a promenade or view to the "sweet shop". The photo is ambiguous, to say the least.

Have you tried using a bathroom, when access was from a boatman's cabin, through the engine room and through a bedroom to get to it. Unless you're very friendly with the person in the bedroom, you walk around the outside of the boat and back in through the front; I have. Difficult week.

I think it was useful to me that I'd been with the same insurance brokers for many years, although not SAGA, before they asked for another survey. The boat is now 38 years old. I had it surveyed in 2003, when I bought it, and it didn't have another until 2018. The insurance company was also very obliging and extended my policy renewal date, to accommodate the somewhat rushed planning I faced to book a dry dock in order for me to comply with their request. They asked for a survey and a valuation. All this has to be done by surveyors with recognised qualifications.

If you can get the old pieces out and have some new pieces cut, then fit them yourself - the cost won't be that much. Other's labour will always make the cost look bad. The best other necessity is to stop the wood getting wet and seal properly..., to avoid the problem reoccurring down the line.

There's no way gravity is going to empty a bath/shower on a boat unless it's fitted above the waterline. Either need a Gulper or a pair of step ladders to solve some practical problems. The work is not massively over complicated, and as cheap as you can make it, if you do it yourself; with time, tools and patience, and planning. Bulkhead, floor, plumbing...' what budget do you want to work with? Under a £1,000?

Thanks. I'm getting the general picture of this cowl. Luckily, I don't have any such thing on mine. I can, as well, get my hands in and around the top of the back boiler and remove most of the deposits from behind; finishing off with a vacuum. Some smokeless fuels are not particularly clean burning and are worse than others for creating buildup in the flue and acid, when mixed with condensation or rain in the flue. Will eat through your flue in no time.

This cowling does sound like a pain in the neck. It may be ok in a house setting, where the flue has more height.

The image is a bit small to make out the detail well. Got one any bigger?