canals are us?

Now Clean!

Cleaned the windows one day then gave the whole boat a wash! Not washed the roof/sides in 3 years. Amazing the amount of dirt that came off. Also dirt on the sides that had a film on. So much cleaner looking. Plan to replace the stove pipe as rotten in roof collar when I cleaned the chimney a few weeks ago. Repaint well deck as rusty under rubber matting. Grinding disk job in grinder. Touch up boat paintwork on roof and well deck. Surprisingly no rust scabs since I last painted the boat 3 years ago and rest of paintwork looks good, if not as shiny as new. Biggest job is to remove most of the windows, grind back rust on top, paint and refit. Probably paint a border round each window in same colour as still got some paint left Re-paint boat fully in 3 more years! James.

To replace. Buy a box spanner or crank spanner. I bought a cranked spanner. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1311.R1.TR4.TRC2.A0.H0.XImmersion+heater+sp.TRS0&_nkw=immersion+heater+spanner&_sacat=0 If your not confident on electrics don't proceed! Spray some penetrating fluid the day before around the join of heater/calorifier join. Turn water pump off at 12 volt switch/fuse board. Turn water off at tank shut off valve. Most likely near water pump. Open taps to get rid of dregs. Turn off the immersion electrics. Disconnect wiring of old immersion heater. Have plenty of old towels and wrap them around base of calorifier. As calorifier is still full of water gives better protection to not damage/tear it when undoing the heater. I had to give my crank spanner a few taps anticlockwise with a hammer to loosen. You will find as you loosen you will loose water out of the calorifier, just have plenty of towels. Inspect mating face of calorifier flange is free of old seal/ PTFE tape and flat and install new supplied calorifier O ring seal to base of immersion and refit. Check taps are closed except one and turn water on and pump electrics and refill calorifier, checking your immersion isn't leaking and vent taps until they stop spluttering. If all good reconnect the wiring following the wiring guide on the immersion heater instructions and turn mains back on. James.

Thanks, for the product link.? Ordered 6mm x 15mm to reseal my bedroom and kitchen window! Bedroom window terrible. Currently got gorilla clear tape to stop my mattress getting wet! Hope the 20 year old Channel Glaze windows come out in one piece! Mine are screwed in. James.

For me it was my solid fuel stove with back boiler 8 years ago. So glad to install it in Mid February. James.

Always use my own facilities. Washer/dryer. 4ft bath with shower over. Only use Marina elsan disposal and rubbish skip. James.

What with Coronavirus, life's to short to think things over too much. If you fancy buying and living on a boat, then go for it. If you buy something sensibly priced, and in good condition and you don't end up liking boating then shouldn't loose too much. I lived with my Grandparents till I was 32 and returning to the UK and thinking of housing and viewed 6 boats until I found the one that spoke too me! This was 8 years ago and I don't regret it at all. Paid 25k. The only regret I have is I'm Marina based as self employed and haven't got out the Marina! Was going to go last year and didn't as I put work first, as that's what pays the bills. I'm hoping this year to at least do local trips out. Work has dried up at the moment but have a bit of savings and get £39pw working tax credits, so better than most and may get the self employed government funds in June. I'm loving solar. Gave them a clean, as been a while! Unplugged the landline at 12 and running my 12 volt fridge and seperate freezer great. Currently 14 volts showing. Was thinking the voltage would plummet as trojan T105's are 6 and 2 years old. I have a bank of four. My plans for this year are take the windows out de-rust, paint and reseal. Paint roof a more cream colour and get out cruising! James.

Thank you for your kind gesture, restores your faith in human nature. James.

I have swapped from the cheap Brazier etc. Really like Oxbow RED. Less ash and even though not smokeless, very little smoke. Lasts well and good heat. James.

Definitely good for once. Makes up for the expensive paint and dear plumbing fittings or only 1 in store when you want 14! We moved to Normandy in 2002 and returned in 2010. We didn't regret it and had a good time renovating at the time. We used to go to French lessons and the restaurant had an Invicta stove, which had a curved base and big glass door. Very welcome on a cold day. We had a SUPRA make HF something or other and replaced it after a year as oil heating in 2008 was nearly 1 euro a litre. At the time virtually no boiler stoves, so bought a villager AHI for £780. This heated our house (11 rads) and used 20 cubic metres of mixed logs. We paid between 15-35 euro a cube seasoned, cut to our size 50cm and delivered. Lit for around 7 months. My Grandparents felt the cold. James.

Last week went to B&M and got 3 bags of Blaze and 4 nets of logs and 2 kindling. Not used any yet as too warm inside my boat. Also topped up with Diesel for the Webasto when my boat was in for blacking etc. I buy coal in as I go as not a lot of storage. James.

3 weeks ago had my boat blacked and 8 new anodes fitted on my 50ft trad. Also replaced the gearbox for a new PRM125. Filled with diesel so ready for winter. James.

I bought the same stove for my Sister the hamlet hardy 4kw around a year ago. It's fitted in her 23ft springer and for what it cost new at £265.00 you cant beat it. The collar is a standard 6 inch one with around 5 inch internal. I packed the 4 inch flue to collar join with the 1 inch stove rope and high temp vitcas silicone. So far no issues. James

When I bought my boat 7 years ago it had a separate shower room off an unused space corridor to bedroom. After living on it for a few years I decided to remove the shower and wall and have a full width bathroom. I find it good, as before the multifuel stove gravity heating rad was in the corridor, now in bathroom and have 4ft long bath with shower over and space to move around. The biggest change this enabled was having a central door to the bathroom was having units on both sides in the galley. Enabled space for washer/dryer. Separate fridge and freezer and slimline dishwasher. I don't like the toilet being on view with the door from galley open but existing window layout dictated bath position. Would of had corner shower cubicle where toilet is. A few pictures of current bathroom and old galley with corridor. Got to raise up toilet wall as new loo higher than old 200. James

I wired my immersion heater of 1.1kw from the consumer unit using a 10amp MCB and using 2.5mm arctic blue to an digital immersion heater timer located in wardrobe, then used white 2.5mm heat proof cable to the immersion heater. I used the older LAP timer from screwfix. Works well as liveaboard at Marina. Just don't run 2 power hungry items together. My bollard is rated 16amp. Around 3.5kw? James.

I find my 50ft trad narrowboat fine for just me, and have all mod cons in the galley. I also wouldn't mind a 58/60 footer to get a 2nd bedroom in to use as a bedroom or mainly as a study. James.

My boat found me, a trad stern. Liked it as more internal space than the other boats I viewed. A 50ft narrowboat with beta 1305. I haven't been on any other sterns cruising so couldn't say which I prefer. I suppose with cruiser stern have a nice seating area and space for plant pots/ social area. Must get out next year as not been anywhere in years except winding hole and back, ran lovely. James.

My boat name isn't very original. KYLEMOOR. Kyle is my surname and Moor as in mooring!

I'm surprised by how thin the concrete is. Also cant see any rebar reinforcing the dam slabs and side wall. Seems the bank is what holds the water back with little in the way of concrete. I suspect the right wall separated from the dam concrete as no reinforcing and water got underneath through the crack. Hope they get it drained in time and everyone is safe. James.