Bod

I may be preaching to the already converted, but narrowboats exist in a world of their own, many normal world things don't appear in the narrowboat world. 1. The current BSc will become invalid once any major work starts. Will need redoing at the end of the works. 2. Boat electrics are all negative cable return, No "earth/body work" returns. Voltage drop is far more of a problem than current carrying capacity, due to cable lenght. 3. All water systems are pump pressured, no gravity system works, even sewage has to be lifted, either by pump or muscle power! 4. Spirit levels are useless on boats, Right-angles are as rare at hens teeth. 5. The ability to work on engines will be helpful, be aware boat engines are sometimes based on very old car designs, but marinised by different companies. Each installation is unique. 6. Gas work needs doing to BSc standards, by either a "competent" person or a GasSafe engineer qualified to work on LPG systems and boat systems. The average boiler installer is NOT suitably qualified. 7. It will take at least 3 times longer and cost 4 times more than expected. Bod.

Question more for the experts. Seeing the quantity of sludge, will the new oil soften the remaining sludge? To the point of frequent changes, cleaning the internals of the box? Bod.

C&RT Trustee's I expect, it is they who appoint the management to run the system. Bod

Read and understand exactly what your insurance covers. 3rd party only, will recover the boat, the rest will be up to you. Comprehensive Liveaboard, will cover the repair/replacement of most things. (often only to the value of the boat) Mementoes' photos, paperwork may be beyond recovery. Good luck. Bod

Back in the day, I worked with motorcycles. One customer had a 400cc Yamaha RD400, which had been run on Bel-Ray 2 stroke oil from new. The baffles from the exhausts were a light fawn colour, bone dry, needless to say the performance was stunning for an otherwise standard machine. All other 2 strokes had black oily cacked up exhausts, no matter if Castrol 2T or other makes of oil had been used. Bod.

Why are you looking for 79' boats? This is an unusual length and will seriously limit any travel. Bod

Ok Gas. The main thing about gas, it's too expensive to waste! A 13kg cylinder of LPG propane, now costs £40-45 each. It must also be realised that gas (LPG) is heavier than air, so when released to atmosphere it sinks to the lowest point it can find, and stays there. Remember a boat hull is a sealed container, to keep the water out, This also creates a sealed container that gas cannot find it's way out of. For this reason gas lockers have holes at the base to allow loose gas to escape out of that part of the hull. Leaking gas, inside the boat, falls to the floor, owing to the large gaps in and around the floor, large by gas standards, the gas falls to the very bottom of the hull, where there is no further escape. The gas level then rises up past the floor till it finds a way out, often around knee height. Your cat by now will have expired, and the dog will only stand up. Watch the small spark needed to light a petrol cigarette lighter. A spark smaller than this is all that is needed to burn the gas contained within a boat hull, by burning read explode, for the burn will be as quick spreading as that. Other combustable items will take fire at the same time, which may be fed by the original leak. Bod

Ok water. Your boat will have a water tank, with a capacity of at least 600 litres, more is better. This tank will supply all water needs for the boat washing, clothes, dishes and self. The tank will need refilling from waterside "water points", a mains fed tap, often locked behind a small door, unlocked by a "Water-mate" key brought from C&RT. Filling is done by a hose pipe kept on the boat, either garden or food-safe types are available. Canal water has duck poo, fish poo, mud, and god knows what else in it, filtering will only remove the bigger lumps. This water is best avoided like the plague. Toilet systems. Small tank = cassette system. small tank sits under the pan, needs emptying, by carrying to an "Elsan point" to be emptied, these points are around the canal system and are normally free to use. Large tank = pump-out system, this has a large tank, often under the main bed, the pan contents are pumped into this tank, which is emptied by a Pump-out machine at most marinas, and is a paid for service. The frequency of emptying is totally down to how often use is made of the loo! Be aware that the chosen system has to be known before the build commences, as the large tank may have to be put in place before the roof is constructed. Mr T, having a boat constructed to your liking, does need alot of fore thought, and knowledge, some of which can come from the builder, but an input from yourself has to be made. You would have to try very hard to to make an original mistake, it's all been done before, often by folk on here, who are trying to guide you from their experiences. Bod.

As you approach your first lock with a mixture of trepidation/petrified, it matters not what energy system you have, provided it works! Many marinas will have "Winter moorings" available, with electric hook ups, meaning no engine running at all, whilst moored up. Old flooded lead acid systems, may end the winter in better condition, than they were in mid summer. There are ways of "learning" boating, without spending a fortune, on something you don't know if you will like it. Bod.

If all the internal walls and bulk heads are fitted, then be aware the door sizes are much smaller than houses, so getting items in place can be interesting! Ready built kitchen units won't go through a 500mm wide door way. Bod.

Hopefully a few pictures of said boat and faults? Bod

You said this boat is a "self fit out" by the current/previous owner, how old is the boat? Bod

A photo of your set up will help for your sidebar question. You may have to raise the valve above the top of the tank to ensure that any fluid in the pipes goes into the tank, rather than leak out. Bod

Sprit level bubbles? Bod.

To be safe move once, then move on. For a hospital appointment, an authorised overstay could be asked for, which should be given. Bod

Be aware the output from the wind generator, maybe very much lower than expected. They only work if the wind is strong enough, and can actually reach the blades. Many wind turbines on boats generate more noise and vibration than electricity. Bod

When making major changes to any engine, the original designers specify everything to match, both for fit and strength. In this case, fitting a very non standard pulley, driving much more powerful alternators, may cause problems with the crankshaft, front main bearing, oil seal, and in this case the cam belt lower sprocket. It may be better to look to not altering the engine, but to why bigger alternators are felt to be needed. Are the electric demands to great for the system to cope with? Can the electric use be reduced? Are the batteries in good condition? Is the electric system in good order? no loose, dirty connections, undersized cables, etc. There are limits to can be sensibly powered on boats, unlike houses, which have almost unlimited supply. Bod.

Does this outboard have a Kill Switch? If so is it set to Run? Bod.

Given that C&RT lay claim to 2 metres of the off-side bank, along most of the canals, then 90%+ of the vegetation is the responsibility of the Trust. Bod

I have found the secret of buying tools second hand at carboots, is to look for a manufacturer name, if the tool is good enough to put your name on, then the quality is probably good. BUT look for damage, wear, modifications, etc. Don't worry too much about rust, or dirt, they will clean off. Big older names, Britool, King Dick, Elora, Snail Brand, Draper (marked "Foreign" as country of make. These tools were made in Japan or Germany, just after the 2nd World War, and would not have sold marked Japan or Germany, but the quality is very good.) are all good, as is almost anything with the Govenment Arrow symbol. If you are buying Whitworth spanners, don't forget Taps and Dies, including Dienuts, and thread files.(Can be job savers!) All cheaply available via carboots/ebay etc. Bod. Ps. WW spanners will often be marked BSF (British Standard Fine) as well. There are 2 thread standards which use the same, although differently marked spanners.

If all your pipes are rigid, and glued together, can the system be unblocked? Without spilling the pipe contents. Bod.

I recall the first time about 12 years ago, we passed through, there was quite a liveaboard community there, all was well kept. Fairly recently they were moved out, as the old factory buildings were sold, and considered unsafe, the scrots moved in and now the place is wrecked. There was a thread on here about it, Lawrence Hogg I think had something to say about it. Bod

If you see a boat with a" Z" drive system (inboard engine with an outboard looking propellor) be certian to have it looked at properly by someone who knows this system well. It's a system that needs looking after well, if it's not to cause problems. Bod.

I have seen a water pump, where the vanes had completely rusted away, being made of pressed steel, rather than cast iron. This did cause the engine to over heat, as there was no meaningful circulation. I do not know the engine or water pump being discussed here, so may be not helpful. Bod.

Ask for "Castle" nuts, rather than plain nuts, The Castle nut has slots for the split pin to lock it in place. Plain will do to find the correct size, then buy 1 Castle of the right size. Bod