Elleo

Ah okay, thanks. Less interesting than I was expecting .

Not having seen the ad and for the sake of my curiosity, what was the context?

Thanks everyone, that clears things up nicely. I have been wondering about trying to replace it with something a bit more comprehensive, but for now I'm really only concerned with making sure the battery level doesn't get too low (I've typically only been allowing it to go as far as about 75% on that gauge).

Hi all, My boat has a battery gauge on one of the panels which is supposed to show the level of the domestic and starter batteries, it looks like this: With the switch beneath it selecting between B1 (starter), Off and B2 (domestic). What I'm wondering is under what load conditions should it actually be read? e.g. Is it likely to apply its own known load level to the batteries and calculate the remaining level based on that, and so is only accurate when there isn't much of a load from other devices? Or should it be read when other devices (fridge, inverter, etc.) are drawing a reasonable load themselves? I ask because it shows a fairly large difference (in the region of 15-25%) when the fridge is running compared to when there's only a light load from the LED lights + inverter. So I'm a bit confused as to which is likely to be the most accurate reading. Thanks for any insight.

I've sent them an e-mail hoping for a clarification, unfortunately the survey was carried out nearly 2 months ago (the final purchase got held up by some repair work needed to the central heating system) so I don't know how well he'll remember.

That might be what he was getting at, I guess the best thing to do would be to get the old one out so I can get a clearer view myself and maybe take a picture. I'd just hoped to be able to get a replacement in advance so I could remove the existing one and fit the replacement all in one trip (the boat's currently a 1.5 hour drive away).

I don't *think* so (but I'm not certain about anything), someone I spoke to at the marina when purchasing it seemed under the impression that it was simply how that type of fitting was designed.

Hi all, I recently purchased a boat (yay!), but the surveyor recommended I replace the hull skin fitting for the bathroom sink due to it being damaged. However I'm having a bit of trouble finding the right sort of replacement fitting online and am wondering if perhaps I'm not looking in the right place. All the hull skin fittings I can find appear to have a large exterior portion and seem to be fastened by a nut on the inside of the hull. These are different to the current fittings on my boat, which are pushed through from the inside and the hole in the hull receiving them is apparently tapered to match. I'm not sure I'm using the right terminology in attempting to find replacements, so any hints on what I might really be looking for would be much appreciated. While I'm not entirely averse to taking a different approach it would really need to be along similar lines in terms of not requiring a nut to be tightened against the inside of the hull as the way the boat is fitted out makes the hull difficult to gain access to in this area. Thanks for any insight you can provide. Edit: Thinking about it I guess this should really have gone under Boat Building & Maintenance, sorry!

Yeah, those certainly sound like words to live by . On that topic, are there any recommendations for where might be the best place to get that sort of work done, ideally along the Grand Union between Whilton and Paddington?

Thanks for both your advice so far, I had been hoping to set off this winter if possible; although probably only moving around a fairly minimal amount, I'd been looking at getting some CRT winter moorings to stay at until the days started getting a bit longer/warmer after which I'd be continuously cruising (although this would entail an initial week or so of cruising to get to the winter moorings). I'm glad you mentioned that, since it wasn't obvious to me. I'm not likely to be using mains shore power particularly in the foreseeable future, so that one can probably go a little further down my list of priorities for now.

I've almost completed the purchase of a boat, and looking at the list of recommendations from the surveyor I'm wondering what items of work it makes sense to try and group together, e.g. if more than one thing require the boat to be out of the water then presumably it'd be best to find a marina that can handle both of those tasks at the same time? So if you've any pointers on which of the following items would make sense together, or which items an enthusiastic (but incompetent) new owner might be able to tackle themselves I'd appreciate it: Pressure wash, de-rust and re-black the hull. Top coat any areas of the hull that is finished in primer. (I assume this shouldn't be an issue for me to do myself?) Replace the lid gasket. Re-pack the gland. Investigate stiff greaser operation. Install an inspection hatch into the aft cabin flooring. Dry out, de-rust and repaint the entire engine space. (Would suitable drying out of the engine space be possible while still in the water?) Treat all bow cants with an anti slip coating. (Also, doable myself?) Replace the broken bathroom hull skin fitting. Treat all corrosion blisters to the roof and handrail and repaint. (Another one I can do?) A full service to the engine and gearbox. Check coolant density. Install a Galvanic isolator. Re-fix loose gunwale trim. Thanks!

For small enclosed areas (drawers, wardrobes, etc.) you could chuck in a few bags of silica gel (or a similar desiccant) to help remove moisture from the air.

It's starting to look like the delays I've run into in completing the purchase of a boat might be good fortune after all. If things had gone to plan I'd probably be somewhere between Stoke Bruerne and Milton-Keynes right about now...

Hi all, I'm currently in the process of buying a boat to live aboard, I'm waiting for the results of the survey at the moment. This has been my plan for the past 7 or 8 years and after spending that time living cheaply and taking on extra work I finally have enough cash to make a go of it . So at the moment I'm pretty much just crossing my fingers and hoping the survey goes well...