simplicity1987

I have a Liverpool 47ft Steel Narrowboat - I've just checked the papers - it's a 5mm roof

Thanks for the tip with regards to the moisture. At the moment I'm storing my logs on a wooden palette, so would probably do the same with the troughs to minimize this problem. Maybe I'll start with two medium sizes troughs and keep the vegetable sack at the front of the boat. At the moment, I'm growing my herbs in-doors. Keep em coming please ...and judging by the reaction, perhaps I've got the thickness of the roof incorrect.

That's good to know. I'll politely ignore it and scare the neice and nephews with tales of 'monsters in the deep' when they venture round then. Thanks for the quick response Happy Boating

Afternoon All, Hopefully this finds you all on the back of a great bank holiday weekend cruising!!! I am a fairly new liveaboard (moved in at the start of the year) and having now seen the first few rays of sunshine coming through I'd like to get a little roof garden started and would appreciate the community's insight. A few questions: 1.) Will my roof take the weight? I was hoping to have a couple of large troughs on the roof alongside a few vegetable sacks. I'm already holding my logs and a kayak on the roof, so just wanted to make sure this extra weight would be suitable. My roof (from memory) is 8mm steel. 2.) Any general tips/stories from other peoples experiences. Limitations? Strong growers? etc... Thanks in advance, as always for your insight. Happy Boating

Afternoon All, This maybe a rather stupid question, but have asked quite a few on this here forum, and always been given helpful tips and PATIENCE in abundance, so here goes. I've now been on my Narrowboat (liveaboard) since the turn of the year - best choice I've ever made . However, recently I have started to hear/feel quite a lot of air bubbles moving from underneath the boat and bubbling around whenever the balance of the boat is tilting one way or the other? Like I say, I have been on the boat through the Winter, but don't remember hearing this happen as much through this period as it seems to be doing now. Granted this could be down to the winds and rain blocking out the sound, but wanted to make sure this was something other people experienced, as I am assuming it is simply air bubbles caught under the boat being displaced and brought to the surface when the boat shifts it's weight. The boat was taken out of the water, surveyed and blackened when I purchased her in the Autumn of last year, so would assume nothing is wrong with the hull. Any insights to put my mind at ease would be gratefully received. Cheers

Thanks for all the advice, So...I am finally ready to start with the battening. I have had the engine serviced, de-greased the room, sanded back the rust steel interior and primed it ready for it's make over. Anybody had experience of insulating their boats? Mine is a late 70's vessel with foam sheet insulating the rest of the boat within the space between the steel and interior walls. I was thinking of simply following this into the engine room with some 50mm battening and 50 mm insulation foam sheets. Does anybody know if you are advised to leave a few mm's between the foam sheets and the steel/wall to allow some kind of air circulation, or are you advised to get the foam in as tight as possible? Thanks again for all the help. Slow Progress!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the feedback. So I've just got back from unpacking the fridge and confirming my initial fears - the fridge fits almost exactly (0mm) on both sides. I have therefore extended out the space to allow for an inch on either side and 4 inches at the back, hopefully doing this an cutting a coupe of fans into the floor should do the trick. So, with regards to the fans, should I just pick up a couple of cheap computer fans and have the wires split into the back of fridge compressor? I assume this is a simple DIY jobby? Also, having just read my worktop instructions, it recommends placing tin foil on the underside of the worktop directly above the fridge? Would this be to improve insulation or just to better protect the (wooden) worktops? Thanks again

Morning All, Just a quick one. Having just gutted the old kitchen out on my new narrowboat and fitted the brand spanking new units (a few wasted minutes were taking trying to level the units out with an air bubble measure!) - I've just realised we have measured up the units to house the stand alone fridge pretty much flush - about 5mm on each side. The fridge will have around 15mm above and 40mm behind for circulation - but is this going to be enough to allow for enough circulation or is it going to burn out the fridge? Anybody know the recommended distance to leave for a stand alone fridge that is to be housed in units either side of it? Also, I can see on my worktop instructions, they recommend placing tin foil at the base of the work top directly above where the firdge will be, so hopefully this will help to reflect the heat away from the fridge and not just back onto it? I am yet to fit my worktop, so worse case scenraio I can remove the battening of the units and just increase the space if necessary, so any prompt help would be gratefully received. Cheers Max

So, Crown Narrowboat Ltd - do you reckon, if I was to: a.) Batten and insulate as much of the room as I can. b.) Cut slots and place vents into the lower deck walls either side of the engine. c.) Mount batteries in lidded boxes wherever applicable. This would be a good way to go?

Hi, sorry for lack of information. Please find listed below: Engine is a Lister Raw Water Cooled. Located at the rear room of a 43 ft Trad Stern (Hatched room) At the moment the engine has no way of circulating air around the engine when it is being used. Just has a battery fan that effectively circulates the hot air around the room with noweher for it to be ventilated. Hence, why I have been advised to ventilate the room with two vents cut into the steel, remove the fan, and then batten around the vents to improve ventilation for the winter months. The room actually backs onto where my bed is going to sit, so would imagine could get cold during the winters. Hope this helps to explain? I assumed the RAW water cooling mechanism would keep the engine cool enough, but the engineer I had in advised me to batten out the room to improve insulation and then cut in some vents to provide air flow through the engine room for when it is in use. The engine room currently gets really warm when the engine is being run, so I guess it's about insulating for the winter months, but still having those vents to provide an air flow for when the engine is being used. Are vents in engine rooms quite a strange thing to have then?

Most ovens nowadays are 'LPG adaptable' meaning you can either request the correct valves to be inserted, or you can buy a seperate LPG conversion kit - only costs around £10.00.

*300 Watts

Thanks nicknorman - good sound advice. I think a 12V fridge will keep it simple, so am going to stick with the option discussed. With regards to the cooker, I've phoned the store and the fella on the phone seems reluctant to offer any advice on the matter. 'Legal reasons' apparantly. From doing a bit of reading, it seems the hobs would be fine to light with a match, but the main cooker could be tricky as it has a shut off valve if the oven isn't being supplied with electricity. Will probably end up buying a cheap invertor like this one (http://www.rockshore.uk.com/maypole-300w-power-inverter-12v230v-6822-p.asp) for the dake of £30.00, this seems like a decent option. I will find out the wattage needed, but would imagine the iginition starter wouldn't need much more than 3000 Watts Invertor as seen in link provided?

[typo] *baot = boat

LPG - Liquefied petroleum gas