Serendipity

I've done exactly that with a long shackle padlock. Shackle 8mm, drilled through the cap and spout in situ with a 9mm drill (turned the cap a 1/4 inch back from fully screwed home, and popped some kitchen towel on a string in the spout to catch the swarf. The padlock sits inside the fuel guard on the deck, completely out of the way, and the small tolerance in the hole I drilled means very little opportunity of water ingress. I checked with my BS guy before doing it and he was quite happy on subsequent inspection.

No, they can and they do - usually between the two bridges. The steep bank just makes life a little difficult. I've moored there a couple of times when the wharf is full.

Looking at lots of little chips on door frames, stern rails, and cabin corners today, I got to thinking I wish I had one of those little cannisters with a brush in like I have with my car. Much more practical than getting out a litre can of Craftmaster, stirring it thoroughly, and using a little watercolour brush for touching in the chips and then cleaning it - how about it Phil? Maybe you could just source and sell empty ones that can be self filled?

Since my original post I bought some packing, and about six weeks ago I crawled down into the engine 'ole. Backed off the adjuster nut completely, and pulled back the 'sleeve' that pushes up against the packing - it didn't clear the thread to allow new packing to be inserted. Tightened it all back up (the adjusting nut goes all the way up to the limit of the thread), and it leaked a little less - until this weekend when it leaked (trickled) a lot. Something has to be done, so I crawl down and repeat last exercise, hoping for some gap to force some packing in. This time unscrewing the adjuster results in loads of water and whats left of the old packing looking like soggy blotting paper trying to push back in. So much water there is no way, even if I could get a clear run at getting the new packing in, that I'd remove the old. Then a solution occurred to me. The shaft is castellated, so I cut a couple of rings of packing, and hammered it flat. I then fed it into the stern gland sideways through the gap in the castellation, and by pushing and pulling through the gaps in the castellations managed to get a turn in. That's all it'll take for now (perhaps my packing is slightly too large, perhaps it's not fully pushed back in yet), and I've now got only a drip every minute whilst underway - best it's been in four years of ownership. I'll get it properly sorted when I have the flexible rubber hose that holds the stern gland replaced this season. Thanks for the helpful comments originally.

Good explanation I've seen is here The interesting thing is max gain in poor conditions - i've seen some 'relatively' inexpensive ones compared to Morningstar.

I'm interested too. When you factor out the hassle and cost of mounting and securing a conventional panel the price looks better. Installation linky from their site.

According to Nicholsons you pay, and as already mentioned you get use of the shower at the leisure centre, though why on earth that's considered more appealing than most boaters showers i've no idea?

That may well have been a post of mine. The chap you want is Graham Cutmore, and the instructions for removing the burner unit are on his site. Do call him and run your symptoms past him first, although for the reasonable cost and ease of removing the burner i'd have it serviced and calibrated in any case.

Very subjective. As previously mentioned some like the low meat/high rusk fine ground item, others the coarse ground 95% meat stuffed into some chewy intestine variety. For me both have their place - the former as a breakfast sausage, the latter for dinner. No one's mentioned The Porkinson which is widely available? Edited to add: And these Royal Berkshire are my personal shop bought faves

You may as well have let them through.

I know exactly what you mean, the standard varies enormously. Moonboats are aimed at the luxury end. No connection, except I've seen the boats. Odd - my link isn't working - http://www.bath.co.uk/moonrakerboats/

How does that work? Best bet is to unchain, close padlock empty and remove key. You then have the option of waving the next boat through, or b*gg*r*ng off if three come round the corner.

Would you consider separate bowl and drainer? - The size is right.

As an aside, can an alternator energise and present a load whilst cranking?

I meant the coincidence was that both '91 boats were not just 10mm as billed, but actually in excess of it. What about yours?

That's a coincidence Tony - my 1991 Colecraft built for Wessex Narrowboats measured between 9.7 and 10.4 when last surveyed in 2005.

How about this? Expensive, but shows those sort of sizes are available - bit more Googling should turn some alternatives up perhaps.

It doesn't, and there are indeed signs of twisting on the hose. However the new hose I have sourced is a triple laminated re-inforced affair specifically sold for the job (no idea about the one on there), and is thicker than the old one (about 10 mm as oppsed to old which is about 7-8mm), and is only about 60 mm between the jubilee clips so i would hope more rigid than the old.

Thanks for the advice Tony - I stand corrected on the 'maintenance free' bit It's not a river boat, but a 91 NB - just because it has a flexible rubber stern tube, would it also have a rubber bearing then? (Edited to say: Just Googled cutless bearing and see it's a rubber bearing! Although the diagram I linked to states cutless bearing, but I have no idea if I have one. All I know is that the flexible coupling and stuffing box shown are identical to my setup - but I suppose since it's designed to flex, it follows that I must also have a rubber cutless bearing at t'other end). Your remark regarding wearing the shaft is of particular concern. Moving my problem forward, the rubber tube is showing signs of age and clearly needs replacing. I've already sourced it and just need to arrange a yard to do it. Now I'd assume there would be some wear on the shaft in any case? Would I be right to assume in that case it's important the stuffing box goes back on the shaft EXACTLY where it came off? So it's vital that the replacement tube is cut to the correct length so as to allow precise positioning of the stuffing box back on the shaft before tightening the jubilee clips? If my assumptions are correct, it sounds like a big ask to me, and maybe i'd be better off replacing the lot with something more traditional. As someone whose never seen the innards I'd appreciate your comment. Julian

Hi Alex, It's a conventional stuffing gland on a rubber stern tube extension, but no greaser. Edited to say: Like the second diagram here. I'm miles from anywhere and don't fancy removing the old stuffing whilst in the water. Julian

I've always thought I was OK (and was in the big freeze last year), but got to the boat yesterday, switched the lectrics on and the water pump immediately fired up. Not good I thought. Turned out that one of the shutoff's installed before my taps had failed. This is an Acorn pre Hep20 shutoff, which has screw up ends to seal the device to the pipes, rather than the newer push-fit equivalent. One of the screw caps had failed. If it had been the newer push-fit I'm sure it would have been fine, but if anyone has one of these older types beware.

Got a lot of water coming through my 'maintenance free' stern gland which is now adjusted up as far as it will go. It's almost a steady trickle when the prop shaft rotates, although it settles to a drip every couple of seconds after it's been stationary a while. I'm very tempted to back of the adjuster nut and put some new packing in whilst it's in the water, if only as a temporary measure. I understand it's generally considered a no no to leave the old packing in - can anyone tell me why please?

...and if you are paired up on the flight, the quickest way is to leave and enter the locks together, provided you trust each others steering. I usually do this with fenders down between the boats, but up on the lock side. The locks either side of the afore mentioned 'tight' one do clearly warn you not to enter that one together.

Six if you've crew enough to lock ahead or manage to pair up. Do try the 'real' village pub at Seend - Brewery Inn, five mins walk beyond the Barge.

Indeed I did. I considered taking the opportunity to change, but the quick realisation that I 'knew' the Rinnai, and that replacing like for like was a twenty minute job quickly won me over.