Bee

I think that with a little ingenuity it could be en suite.

I, of course, have never made a mistake. Well except for .. Oh and that time at ... Ah, yes, now you mention it, ..... and of course there was that other time. Well charts aren't always right. And the moon was a bit early that time. etc. etc.

Think I'd still like to put it on a bit of a hearth.

Yeah but SOMETHING must have gone wrong, stung by a wasp? chased by a bull? malaria? I'm just off to work and I don't want to spend all day being jealous.

I've used 6mm polycarbonate for pigeon boxes / dog boxes whatever you like to call them. Its safer in case someone falls and puts a hand out ... nasty. seems ok. I've also used it on vertical windows and it seems ok, still clear after 9 years and tough as old boots.

If its an old wooden one it'll weigh about 10 tons, if its GRP it'll weigh 8.532. Do I win the boat if I guess right?

And another thing, the buttys tiller is turned up so they are moored up. The butty should be on the inside. (wanders off feeling smug) - oh, and happy birthday by the way.

You will spend a fortune on petrol etc doing all that travelling and you will grow to hate the whole project if its miles away. I was at Gweek some years ago and there was a narrowboat in the yard there being worked on. I really would try to get the boat trucked down to your area.

Is it possible to `wear out` several litres of oil in 100 hours (or saturate it with carbon and goo) seems a bit quick to me, most engines have got a filter after all.

I wouldn't worry too much. As long as the engine runs ok with no horrid noises and smoke and the oil is reasonably clean I would just go by that. If the boat is old and shabby the engine may be as well.

Think I'd drill them out and put a nut and bolt through with a couple of washers or bolt a bit of ply over the area with some rubber / tarry stuff / felt or something.

If you google window cleaners water tanks you might find something, probably not of food quality, some plastics leach oestogen copying molecules but we've had one for years with no ill effects apart from my liking just a teeny bit of mascara on Saturday nights.

As Tony says, need more info, head gasket troubles do not always lead to water in the oil and vice versa, sometimes just water in the oil. Have you actually got an oil cooler on either the engine or gearbox?

Get in touch with M.G. Duff, they make them and will give advice. Personally I don't think they are really much use in fresh water except near the propeller but I have fitted them just in case - its a bit like religion, I don't believe in it but I still put C of E on forms, - just in case.

So long as the steel is covered in something its ok. If B&Q white gloss stayed on it would be ok. I use Sigma epoxy but that was applied from new AND it had the Sigma primer underneath it as well, I still lift it out every 3-4 yrs and it always needs some work. But as Matty says, why remove stuff that's still working? If I bought a boat that had always used some tarry stuff and it was reasonably ok I would carry on, lift it every 3 years or so but expect more work than if it was epoxied.

If the prop is thrashing the water to froth its the same bit of water its spinning in all the time. Its not pulling itself through the water. It sounds like awful water flow to the prop.

Non floating fenders are banned in most of Europe for these very reasons, have to admit not all of mine comply but there is no way they will ever fall or be pulled off.

If the shaft is spinning and the prop is turning, ie there is a key in the keyway then something should happen. If it is thrashing the water to foam then it is not gripping the water. If the blade tips are out of the water it will not go very well, is the prop fully submerged? it should be. If it still is not working then you either have some sort of weird prop problem or the boat has been built with absolutely rubbish water flow to the prop, that will give all those symptons and I have seen a couple of boats like that that simply never worked properly. Who built it? Where is the boat, if its nearish I can have a look.