SuzyQ

Thanks G&F. Yes, have ordered and am looking forward to seeing how much mess I can avoid making. Only trouble with eBay is the other half always finds whatever I buy comes with a free gift, quite often in a separate parcel and completely unrelated to the original purchase ;D

Thanks Mac, but nothing as sophisticated as a back boiler on Meg. Am pretty convinced that it was rain getting in to the flue now. Haven't had goo since deploying extra anti-rain procedures.

That's possible, it has been pretty wet round here recently. I will go and check the sealing around the flue on the outside. Although there's no obvious dribbling on the stove. Perhaps the rain got in when we've had the chimney off navigating low bridges. Will have to get something to cover it when we can't use the chimney. Coal seems ok and stove is toasty, with no leaky or blue smoke, but will give the flue a good brush. Not sure what the best thing to use is other than a small Victorian malnourished child. Will do a search on DIY flue brooms. Thanks both for giving me some good hints.

Mostly coal with a couple of those sawdust block things and a fire lighter to get it under way. Not sure the brand of coal. It was inherited from the previous owner.

Noticed the other day that there was a sort of dark goo under the multi fuel stove. At the time I thought maybe I'd spilt a bit of tea or something and some coke dust got in it. But, whilst having a tidy, today I noticed it had returned. It's not a lot and seems to have come from a bolt on the underside. I'm not sure why it's happening and, therefore, if I should be worried. Had a good search on here, but can't find a similar thread which has only proved to make me feel a little uneasy. There's many a question I haven't needed to ask since I got to grips with the 'search'. And this is the first time I've been completely stumped. Can anyone help shed some light on this stovey ectoplasm? Cheers muchly in advance.

I reckon Iceberg would be more fitting ;D

When we got our cat from the RSPCA the 'keepers' had called him Dylan. He was incredibly affectionate and purry. We brought him home and decided on a new name - not that there's anything wrong with Dylan. As soon as he had settled in (5 mins after climbing out of the cat box) he has been a right unsociable b*******d ever since. Despite been the most loved member of the family by all who meet this good looking fur ball, I have seen many a full grown man cower with fear and leave with lacerations. He has kept the name Dylan because it rather suits him, but I have always wondered what his first name was before he was found (very large, fit and healthy) by the RSPCA. Possibly Pyscho or Killer...

Just a thought, just because it's environmentally friendly, doesn't mean you need to use more. (edited out double posting) Agree environmentally friendly may be a bit strong, no cleaner is, but it is certainly a lot less damaging.

We use ecover in the house too, have done so for years. Does the job as good as, if not better than, the 'brands'. Much kinder on those with sensitive skin who enjoy a bit of washing up. Baby shampoo works just as well on grown ups and removes the need for conditioner as it doesn't strip your hair like the worth it types. I have copious amounts of long hair and don't need to wash it every day. Looking after the environment is often the same as looking after yourself. After all if it is harmful to the critters...

What a fantastic adventure you will have. And with no clock watching required too. Am very jealous! If it were me I'd take the most rambling route possible. Don't understand those who charge everywhere. The journey is always the fun bit, the arrival is just that. Have a fantastic time and make sure you blog your travels. B-)

Too many choices and probably not enough time. Looking forward to a trip down the Regents. Started the new year with a trip up the Lee to Ware today. It was a beautiful blue sky and a lovely calm ride. A real pleasure.

We've got a really good wind up lamp which serves us well, but fairy lights are always medicine for the sole and make a lovely boudoir accessory. How long does the battery last? This was a top tip. The man of the boat was getting quite obsessed with the remenants of recent storms in the bottom of the engine bay/room (not sure what it's called as it's under the deck). This is a brilliant way of reaching the parts the bilge pump can't quite manage. The man was very pleased with the results of this week's moppings.

Love this forum. We had a head scratching moment, I said I'd look it up on here, did a bit of a search, and, hey presto, I have followed all our questions and their answers - followed by a few more questions as a result of the previous answers, plus all the answers to the new questions that I would have asked, summed up by Psycloud in a journey of learning and we genuinely think we've got it. Thank you all.

Many thanks for the advice Tony. There is no way we'd let such a good engine go, had nothing but praise from folks in the know and she may have been around the block a few times, but I reckon she runs as well as anything on the cut. A bit of sound proofing round the engine room might help a bit though, plus it would be something that we could have a bash at ourselves. Not sure how much of a difference it'd make though...

We've got a Lister SR3. Lovely tone and rarely rev'd (unless a bit of reverse in lock approach - still learning), but would be really interested in noise reduction. Can we fit a silencer? Or are there other ideas that might help. We're not mechanics so would need to get someone knowledgable to do it so major work is out of our budget.

A curtain door which I made a couple of weeks ago has snugged up nb beautifully. A bit of net curtain wire, a piece of duvet cover and a couple of stitches between the bed(room) and the galley, quick and cheep, plus it comes down and folds away in seconds. Rather pleased with that one so had to share with the comrades in this drafty weather.

Am a newbie myself, so didn't even occur to me that there was either an etiquette or a reason to have them up. Have learnt something from other peoples' mistakes which is as handy as it is rare. Like RichLech, I'll hang on to them for now, but watch those locks...

Thanks, some good reading. Will take you up on your offer once we're a bit more clued up.

That's a mighty fine bit of storage. Bit beyond us for now, but definitely one for future lookouts.

As we don't use shore-power this is a cracking idea. we've got some really odd little spotlights with funny little bulbs in. We are going to have to work out what these bulbs are, but that Bedazzled seems to have a bedazzling selection. Thanks. NEED PHOTO!!!

I like the magnetic bottle top catcher, but was going to say we'll leave the fan til the summer - then i looked it up! wow! sounds too good to be true. we are working on our stove-craft skills and can get Meg fairly warm, but this could be the answer to toastie heaven as the temps drop. does it really make a difference? too much of a scaredy cat to go near a chainsaw, but good logic. PS loving the photo We've got a good radio, but only 3 AM stations at the mo. He who has the screwdriver licence is investigating the aerial situation. Now solar panels are already on our wishlist. A lot of research is needed for this one, too many choices for laypeeps - i'm following some other threads, but will be breaking a new one soon i reckon.

Waterproofs and gin installed on first day ;D Thanks, a dehumidifier is a great idea. I am off researching now... As soon as I hit post, I did wonder if someone would go all university on me. ;D

As a newbie nboater I've started to look around my nb and think about what I can bring aboard that'll add easy or happiness to my trips. As the basics are pretty much sorted, the first thing on my list at the moment is a replacement for the plastic kitchen bucket that's storage for the stove fuel. A coal skuttle would do, but I rather fancy an old fashioned painted tin bucket, the sort you might get a the seaside. I've seen some old icebuckets that could work well too. Just wondering what sort of things fellow nboaters look back on as a favourite early addition to their nb days.

I envy myself at the moment I'm enjoying it so much. 50 years is fab though. Bet you've seen some sights and have a few tales to tell!

Yep a bit nervous first time out, especially as everyone told us we're next to the most ferocious lock on that stretch! But, with some friendly advice, we were through safely and off into the great beyond. More than a few people have pointed out these boats are built of steel so we shouldn't worry too much about the the odd 'mooring bump'. Luckily the Lee is wide enough for any learner at the tiller, so by the time we had reached the Stort we had mastered (fairly) straight lines. The bridges on the Stort are low so make sure you take the chimney off before setting out! We've had Meg for about a fortnight and apart from a week on the Broads, when the bug bit, we really are new too this. This site is great though. Have read so many excellent tips and pointers. It's also a good place to ask those seemingly silly questions that your regular mates can't answer. We're just weekenders for now, enjoying getting to grips and learning the ropes. And you?