Opener

One minor point which is probably very obvious to anyone who already has a shower fitted but maybe not so obvious to anyone planning to fit. Step 1 - pop outside and take a good look at your boat. The bow is higher than the stern, isn't it? That's why you check for a wet bilge at the stern. 'Make sure you take that into account when you install the shower tray and position the drain/plughole towards the stern. Otherwise you will be pumping out the water from the top of the slope in the tray and forever mopping out the rest sitting at the bottom. Ask me how I know!!

OK - seriously weird!! We just got back last weekend from having done the self same trip. Just a couple of learning points. Make sure you are well 'watered up' before you moor up in Leeds centre. The last water point is just above Office Lock so fill up before you go down. Opinions seem to vary on 'length of stay' - in the first 'bay' on your left (Granery Wharf) there are rise and fall pontoons for about 6 or 8 boats (50ft pontoons) but they are labelled 48H - not wholly clear what that means. There is a power outlet for each pontoon with what appears to be a coin meter but no instructions - decided not to play with them. There is also a tap on that bollard but non-operational when we were there. There are also white bollards around the edges of this bay which you can use without obstructing access to the pontoons. Just round the corner there are about four moorings in a couple of bays - just hope that they have sorted an obvious problem with the local sewer by now!! Speaking of sewers, there is no sanitary station as advertised in the CRT boaters guide, so arrive with an empty tank/cassettes. The option appears to be to sail down onto the river or transport your cassette by hand via the free river bus. Enjoy your trip - we did. The run down into the city centre is very pleasant despite dire warnings about mooring before the centre.

I used to fill my rainwater butt at home via a vertical length of small gauge plastic water pipe - forever blocking at the top with cr@p! Too high to reach without stepladders. Pop to your friendly neighbourhood curtain shop and get yourself a suitable length of plastic covered curtain wire and keep it coiled up in your oddments box. Most of the time you should be able to clear blockages with a bit of aggressive poking. Maybe leave one end of the wire fairly rough and you can screw that end into an obstruction (assuming it is just leaves or general crud) by turning the free end. Also useful for clearing blocked sinks and similar.

No names - no pack drill!! Whilst grounded on some silt on the L&L last year, we asked a passing day boat for help. "Sure" he said and took the end of our bow line. He held the end firmly in his hands as the boat motored slowly away.........

One of the disadvantages quoted is that the 'Magic' hose only expands when there is internal water pressure so you have to turn on the water at the tap end and, as the hose expands, drag the business end to the boat tank and insert the end without getting soaked. I'd agree and accept that as an issue. On the other hand, what are you using now? My hose, before the arrival of the 'magic' hose, lived on a hose reel in the bow. Since it spent 99% of its life coiled around the reel, it wanted to maintain a coiled shape no matter what I tried to do with it. Connect one end to the tap and jam the other in the water tank - fine, as long as it stayed there. But if the end pops out or when you want to reel it up again, the spiral/coil shape takes over and it is the very **!!%% to reel up again. Wash the boat with the hose at full stretch - put the end down for a moment and "sproing!!" - its gone!! So, for as long as it lasts (reports of premature failure of the inner) I'm a fan of my new toy. Yes, you need to find a way of keeping the free end in the tank - not rock it science. The ends are moulded to the hose so cutting to a desired length will not be an option. Both ends tend to have an internally threaded connector - fine for screwing directly onto a standard CRT tap (so no click fit connector to forget) but you may find difficulty in getting fitments for the other end eg a /jet/nozzle etc if it doesn't come with one. But I like the space saving aspect and portability. Turn off the water, disconnect from the tap and let the water drain out while the hose contracts (without leaping into the cut like the old semi-rigid ones), then simply coil it up loosely like a mooring rope. Mine lives in a small plastic box (ex-fat balls for the bird feeder) which can live in the saloon so that the hose dries out regularly and does not get musty/mouldy. Yes - the tank takes an age to fill but when did you ever have a one that filled quickly!!?

I've got one of these (29xx) as well - agree with Jess-- about the lighting procedure with a couple of reservations: - the lighting procedure is turn the big black knob (assuming you've opened the flap that conceals it half way up the body of the Alde) anti-clockwise (looking from the top) until the lighting/lightning symbol is to the front. Press down and hold the knob down. The amber light should flash for a bit and you will hear the clicking as it tries to light the pilot. If it has not been lit for a while it may take a while for the gas to come through to the pilot and then light the pilot then heat the thermocouple/cut-off (you did turn the gas on, didn't you!!). If you are double jointed / super flexible it is just about possible to do the above whilst lying on the floor and looking through the little window near the bottom, front. You should see the spark then the pilot. Once the pilot has settled and warmed things up you can let the black knob spring back up but be prepared to turn it further anti-clockwise to open the valve for the main gas feed to the main burner. You may get a bit of a 'whump' as the main burner lights. Now make sure your thermostat (somewhere in the body of the boat) is turned up high and the pump is switched on and running. - You should now get hot water and heating - the thermostat should control it so that the main burner shuts down periodically (depending on ambient temperature / design of heating / use of water) but the pilot stays on and you may hear it relight / 'whump' periodically as it relights. - to turn off, stand quietly near the boiler. Turn the black knob back through the low numbers, past the lightning position to the off/solid white circle position (where it should stop). Wait! After 10-ish seconds you should hear a distinct click / boing / thud from near the floor as the system cools down and shuts off the safety on the main burner. Now go and turn off the pump. Congratulations - you are now an Alde expert!

"..sections of old hosepipe.." - don't want to pour cold water on your solution but it may be a temporary effect. I did the same a good while ago using hose - green ribbed on the outside and black on the inside. Fairly rigid with a bit of residual curve from being on a reel. Over a period the sections seemed to become harder (perhaps a function of the age of the pipe) and the also started sticking (temporarily) to the underside of the hatches. So, when I opened the hatches the hose sections fell off and ended up under the engine (sod's law!!). I've given up on them for the time being - interested to know what kind of hose you used and how successful it remains. I like Jess--'s solution - I think I've got some left from my weed hatch relined.

How are we supposed to identify the culprits? We can't see their faces!!

No guarantees offered but I used to find with car engines in the dim and distant past that squealing had a lot to do with load on the alternator but also the state of the pulleys. A heavier load AND a nice shiney pulley permitted more squealing. So grab some glass/emery paper or something similar and bust the glaze on the pulleys. Nothing too radical, just spoil the shine. When the belt is gripping rather than slipping you should lose the squeal.

I don't really go for those naff little metal tiller pins so I'm working on an alternative: Admittedly, the training is not going very well so far but I'm working on it!!

Have a look at the Road Traffic Act 1988. Lots of 'ifs' and 'buts' involved but essentially charges can be levied for the first medical treatment given (and not for the ambulance transport as is popularly believed), for any follow on outpatient treatment and for any in patient treatment. These are fees set under the RTA and are revised periodically. Normally managed by the hospital. The first mentioned is chargeable regardless whilst the latter two depend upon whether any compensation (for injury) is paid to the injured party. All charges will normally be covered by your car insurer - have a look at your policy under RTA fees.

If you are feeling ambitious (wait until you have had your tea) it's worth having a look at: http://cruisingthecut.co.uk/2016/10/04/vlog-62a-poo-sticks/ David gives advice on how much kitchen roll to use, what size marigolds, etc. Instructive if nothing else!

I would have but it sounded a bit frightening. Oh, sorry, tOrrefied......

Hmm! Looking at mine it looks like a single black cylindrical battery. But looking at the tool packaging it does say L521. Must be 3 sandwiched together in a black sleeve. Cheers mross.

Apologies if everyone knows about these already. Fire up your browser and search on Ring Tool Light. Don't take too much notice of the advertised prices - I got mine at The Range for a couple of squids. There are lots of little dark corners on a boat where you need to poke a screwdriver or spanner - this little device uses a couple of magnets to grab onto your tool which also completes the circuit to switch on two powerful little LEDs so you can actually see what you are attacking without needing a third hand to hold the torch. And the light is pointing where you are working. Limited battery life claimed but, at that price, you can class it as disposable. Just consider carefully where you store it. Don't just chuck it in the toolbox or it will cuddle up to the nearest screwdriver and flatten the battery (which is replaceable even if it does look a bit strange).

You might like to have a word with http://www.bankhalldrydock.co.uk - I havent had occasion to use them myself yet but, as you see, they resurrected the dry dock and probably needed new stop boards. I'm sure the entrance was open before they took it over.

Why not just spend the time reading old threads on here and trying to work out what posters actually typed before ortokrkt decided that they meant something totally different eg see #16 above!

I've got a couple of bed head reading lights and one in the saloon. All take bayonet fitting bulbs and all now have a bayonet adaptor with an LED array plugged into that. Ten elements on a circular baseboard. Two pins / rigid wires come out of the rear plugging into the adaptor. The only issue was the length of the pins which brought the baseplate too far out of the fitting but this was solved by snipping a bit off with pliers. I'm not sure of the power consumption implications but the light output is great.

Found reasonably priced kindling, compressed logs and bagged coal on a visit to Aldi this week (to buy some waterproof trousers). But my usual source of supply away from the cut and woodyards is Morrisons. Handy sized bag for a couple of squids.

Phew!! I was going to go for 350 but SWMBO said "Why not go for 300 just to be safe". Thanks for the link - all the ones I looked at - including the handbook - only give the outside dimensions.

Greetings, o helpful ones. Is anyone sitting nice and warm and cosy in front of a Villager Chelsea Duo, please? I'm cutting up some nicely seasoned timber (at home) - it would be very useful and reassuring to know the dimensions of the front opening so that I can be sure that the bits of wood that I end up with will actually fit! I'm sure that I've already measured it myself but I've written it down on that piece of paper that has all the important bits of information on it which is carefully filed away somewhere safe!!! Cheers!

According to the destructions, it's an LED which indicates that the circuit is powered up and it varies in intensity according to current and, therefore presumably, stove temperature. When the body comes up to temperature (or when there is current via the USB input) it starts to glow. I'm guessing that when the glow of the LED is bright and visible from outside the boat it means that the stove is quite hot!

Topaz uses the 1800 version in a 50' cruiser stern Pinder. To my shame it can go months between starts but will fire and start within seconds every time. Can be (blue) smokey on startup - hardly surprising - but that clears when warmed up.

A few months ago I had an issue with an overheat warning but a feeble alarm beep. My skin tank had not heated up although the top hose was hot. Not the same symptoms as your problem but you never know! Have a good look at/feel of the fan/drive belt. I looked at mine initially but only when I laid hands on it did I realise that the backing was still there but the rest was lying on the floor (out of sight). So no drive to alternator hence the feeble beep and no water pump so overheating. Hope yours is that simple.

Have a look at: https://www.vinylcutgraphics.com/boat-graphics/misc-canalia.html Seems to be fairly standard that stickers come on a protective backing sheet which is opaque and obvious. Masking tape the graphic in position then carefully peel the backing sheet out from under the sticker smoothing down as you go. What is not so obvious is that the elements of the graphic are also held on a carrier sheet over the front​ of the graphic. Once you are totally happy, position-wise, you need to also peel off this carrier making sure the elements of the sticker stay in position (eg on the boat and not on the carrier sheet) - I nearly 'lost and eye' during that step.