PhilR

Your house must be badly built or have you succumbed to door to door sales people?

Bristan shower mixers are at the cheap end of the market so don't expect miracles. Having said that we have one at home in a soft water area and it works fine although the taps tend to tighten up after a couple of years.

The OP said " I will be looking for a 2 berth permanent fixture bed as a continual to moor for the Winter months." It would be helpful if he gave a bit more info. I am struggling to understand

If the batteries have been performing OK and not getting hot wouldn't it make more sense to fit a replacement CO alarm and keep an eye on the battery situation?

My Teddesley built boat is now 40 years old. All the 7 mm (or maybe quarter inch?) plate is original. I have never blacked the base plate but the sides and uxter plate have always been blacked with comastic during my 23 year ownership. The last time this was done the base plate was coated with fresh water molluscs which I was advised to leave on! I have no 240 volt on board and I conclude that this + the quality of the old British steel is why it has survived.

I thought Dorlan's posts were very relevant to this topic. Are you suggesting that comastic or bitumastic is not a protective paint system?

We went on a trip from Llandudno 4 or 5 years ago aboard the Waverley. I was surprised at the speed a paddle steamer could achieve. It is a lovely ship. I hope they sort out repairs asap.

Do you really have a scaffolding pole as a gear lever or is than an exaggeration? Is the tootle a typo for throttle? What engine do you have and where is it located on your boat?

Precisely. No problems before covid. The problem is not with staff shortages. It is due to shorter operating times which is, laughingly, blamed on covid.

I agree with Arthur. The response from CaRT was pathetic and confirms what little understanding their management people have of operating the waterways as an efficient going concern.

If you can keep the bilge permanently dry you shouldn't, in theory, get any further rusting. I had a similar problem 23 years ago when I bought my current boat. After drying out the bilge I left it untreated and there has been no further rusting since. It is a good idea to have an inspection hole in the floorboards above the lowest point of the baseplate so you can check regularly for any water.

Yes. Owatrol oil is very effective if loose rust is removed first. Is this a cabin bilge or engine bilge you are dealing with?

An excellent engine. Congratulations ?

Don't hold your breath ................

What have I fettled today? After several BSS advisories over the years on the lack of low level ventilation I have finally killed 2 birds with one stone. I have cut out the bottom panels of the front doors (which were rotting) and fixed massive ventilation grills to both doors and beaded them up. Staining/varnishing is the next job. But I suspect it mighty be a bit draughty in the front cabin during winter with OTT ventilation?

Our 1980 Teddesley has an air cooled Lister without any ducting through the hull. Inlet air supply is between the well deck and counter. Hot air outlets are by the steerers feet. In cooler weather I have warm feet. In summer I probably have sweaty feet! It isn't any noisier than through-hull vents ? But I digress! I am sure the OP would have noticed symptoms of overheating if there was a problem. His engine must be getting enough combustion air and ambient cooling.

Tell us what you did. Then we can judge if it haunts us. ? Not sure it will be good for us though

You will probably have to shred the majority of the sleeping bag and remove it in small pieces before you can unwind the remainder. I use a patio weeding tool (sharpened on all edges) which is ideal for the purpose. IMHO, it is much better, and safer, to use a pulling action rather than using knives and saws. Good luck, keep positive and the chances are life will be back to normal by midday tomorrow!

Dead simple on either Android or iPhone. Look in settings and it should be straightforward.

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You are braver than me if you can judge normal viscosity!

I changed the oil last week on our SRM2 after a 1.5 hour cruise down the canal. The oil change was much quicker than when I have done it after half an hour running the engine in neutral on our mooring. I use a Pela vacuum extractor shoved down the dipstick tube. Surprisingly, there is less than an egg cup of oil left in the sump afterwards. That is drained from the gas tap that I fitted in place of the sump plug!

I was wondering the same. Mine is 40 years old and there is evidence on it that a previous owner has probably used it as a mooring hammer! Mind you the wall thickness is probably over 5mm.

The Ashton is narrow.

Hang on, you are trying to re-write history. The British canals were built for wooden boats (not steel ones). And the first metal boats were wrought iron or composite. I would be interested to hear about the "historic experiments with wood" Wooden boats were the norm for over 100 years?