manxmike

SCAM - not just alarm bells ringing, but a rather unattractive frenchman with a spinal deformity ringing them. If they persist ask for payment in cash - mixed denominations, non sequential, then watch them disappear.

If you do a google search you'll find some on-line woodworking courses which might serve the purpose.

A garden shed, wonderful - I thought they had all disappeared! £3500 for that - you have to be joking. When I was looking for my NB I came across some seriously well set up plastic boats, already to spend a winter on for the same or less money. OK, not in London, but within a few days sailing distance of the smoke. Keep looking - don't touch the garden shed.

Any link to an advert for it?

Similar problem, harder to open the windows since a previous owner of the boat sealed all the windows - permanently! At least the bathroom window still opens. I will get around to replacing the windows, when I win the lottery. Of course there might be someone out there with second hand windows at a reasonable price .........?

Console yourselves with the thought that in the next month or so Tesco will be stocking Easter eggs.

Is that David Tennant moving in to your house? Wow, Doctor Who as a tenant, now that's cool!

Living on the Isle of Man I only get a limited amount of time I can spend cruising the canals and spending mile after mile on tickover does tend to reduce the distance I am able to travel. I'm not suggesting I want to go water skiing or break the speed of sound, but it would be nice to be able to make progress. I am fascinated by the boaters who moor up with vast amounts of slack in their ropes and then shout torrents of abuse when you pass them at a speed that doesn't even cause a ripple. Half a dozen of those and most people will say "sod it" and speed up - if you are going to get abuse then you might as well make it worthwhile. Recently I have passed several boats, always moored in the same place, with amazing collections of empty milk containers etc covering every square inch of the boat and spilling onto the towpath. One even had a collection of about six generators - none of them running! Are these the remains of the travellers who took to the canals in the seventies to escape the awfullness of daily life and the rubbish normality generates?

Couldn't agree more - horrendously overpriced, unless all the internal fittings are diamond encrusted solid gold of course. Mike - why do you think Liverpool hulls are the bottom end? I have had experience of two Liverpool boats, both are sound, swim extremely well, handle in a very predictable manner and appear to be well built. Two marine surveyors I have spoken to have both said that they are usually a good selling point as they are well built. My current boat is a 23 year old 43 foot Liverpool boat which cost me a small fraction of the boat me1bee is looking at. Cheers, Mike

I have a Cello TV on my boat, picture quality is excellent. I would go for freesat TV, less cables, easier to mount. Good luck! Mike

Just been in touch with the company I bought the ratchet from and they have the spring in stock too. They have also sent me an exploded diagram of the control unit! Sleeman & Hawken Ltd., Broadmeadow Ind. Estate, Teignmouth, Devon, very helpful, very friendly. Anyone else looking for Lister parts might be well advised to give them a go.

Excellent, well spotted. I've bought the ratchet. Now all I need to find is some sort of instruction sheet or exploded diagram showing how to disassemble the thing. Cheers Mike

Ok, I'll bite, what is a speed wheel?

Would a single action Morse control do the trick? All the units I can find are dual, gearbox and throttle combined.

Hi Bizzard, Dirty great big lever for forward/reverse to a manual gearbox, then single bowden cable for throttle control. The throttle control consists of a quarter radius, toothed on the top of the radius and a lever from the base of the radius which now fails to grip on the teeth. If I could figure out how to upload a picture I could show you! Cheers Mike

Sorted the problem (some time ago now!) had a collar made which has solved the problem nicely. Ray - "Cobweb" is near Nantwich. There is a Chandlery on the Island, it's located on the tongue in Douglas Harbour. Cheers Mike