Kathymel

Thanks for all your replies. I agree, TandC, the inbuilt thermostats on the oil-filled heaters seem a tad random. I shall feel a lot more confident with the frost stats and it should save a bit of cash, too. One other thing I was wondering about. I have an Eberspacher which runs three radiators. At the moment, it has just the mini timer fitted. I looked on the website to see what alternatives there are, but I couldn't work out which one, if any, would allow me to programme it to come on every day for, say, a week. Would this be a viable alternative or are there reasons why it shouldn't be run when the boat is unoccupied? Kathy

I thought about building a nesting box for my pump but I wasn't sure how effective it would be. For instance, if the temp dropped from zero to -10, how long would it take to penetrate the box?

That's really very kind of you. I would welcome them. I'll PM you now. Thank you.

Hi folks. I just wanted to run my plans for this winter's heating past you and ask if you have any better suggestions. I use the boat to stay in for about 50% of the time as I am in university part-time away from my usual home. When I'm not there I worry about it freezing. My mooring has a hook-up, so power supply is not an issue. However, I would like to keep my bills down as low as I can. Last winter I had two small oil-filled radiators set permanently on low. This seemed to keep the boat above freezing, but was a little imprecise. Also, I hadn't thought about the water pump which is outside the cabin and developed a small leak which may or may not be down to freezing. (I have only had the boat since Nov so still learning about it). This year I thought I'd get a plug-in thermostat, set to come on at zero (if such a thing exists) and plug the radiators through that and, in addition, buy something like a vivarium heating mat to pop under the water pump, also supplied through the thermostat. Any issues anyone can see with that? Cheers, Kathy

*looks behind sofa and under coffee table* I was just looking at it on Google Maps and wondering about that very thing ... spooky! But really, thanks again!

Thanks Ange! I couldn't have hoped for a quicker or a more comprehensive reply. That spot will be perfect and it's easy to direct a courier to, to boot. Kathy

Hello. I'm just contemplating a few bits of furniture for the boat and, as one of them is a sofa bed, I need a spot where it can be got to the tow path relatively easily. Is anyone familiar enough with the Lancaster to be able to recommend a spot? I'm currently in Galgate heading north. Cheers, Kathy

Thanks everybody for the advice and the tips. I particularly like the upside down tin idea, Rebotco. Andy, That's really kind of you. I would be very grateful for a spoonful of paint. Kathy

Good morning. I want to touch up a few scratches and chips on the boat. It was painted in 2011, so it's barely a couple of square inches. I was looking at the price of the paint (Mason's P-type) and wondering, if I buy it now, how long it will last. £35 feels like a lot to be paying for a few scratches if it's not going to last more than a couple of years in the tin. Anyone got any experience of this? Alternatively, has anyone got a spoonful of Mason's Deep Royal Green that they can mail me? Kathy

Another aspect that makes Waterbuoys a good idea. I dropped my keys into the canal last night and when they came back up, they were under the ice. If they'd been on a cork, I wouldn't have been able to see them.

Hi. Thanks for your replies. I had thought the Whale Gulper sounded like the best bet, but wasn't sure how it functioned. Thanks so much for the ebay link, Blackrose. It is bought and paid for. Kathy

Hello all. I've had a pootle around some of the shower topics here, but can't find the answer I want. In brief, is there a shower pump that doesn't have to sit in a tray of water, but that can just suck direct from the outlet? My problem is the outlet pipe on my shower is slightly lower than its entry point into the pump tray. This means (unless I muster all the crew and half the furniture onto the starboard side of the boat) that the water in the shower stays just above the plug hole. The only alternative is raising the shower. Cheers, Kathy

Hello everyone. I have been looking at houses in Preston for a couple of weeks and a friend just mentioned there is a canal there. So, having lived on boats in the past and having always wanted to own one since, I have made the instant decision to sod buying a house and buy a narrow boat instead. Woo-hoo! I have lots of questions. Here's a sample: I will only be staying on it for two days a week. Will I be able to do that on a leisure mooring or will I need a residential one? I will only be using it during term time and would hope to rent it out during the holidays. Are there firms who would do this for me? Kathy