Sea Dog

All as above, but note that the opening times and days are restricted in the winter months when the same lock keeper will travel to see you through multiple locks. Ring Gloucester Lock for bookings and info.

You may well be right, but the serious mistreatment amounted to it being exterior woodwork exposed to UV and foul weather. Of course, you could say I should've revarnished it more regularly, but then my 'ease of application' bit kicks in. This may well be it, although it doesn't seem to stain per se, perhaps because I used the very pale light oak. However, the Ronseal does the job required which is to weatherproof the exterior woodwork with a nice aesthetic finish. Worked nicely on the internal woodwork around my rear slide too. This sums up perfectly the direction I've taken. I'm not sure about varnish looking 'much' better, but if an expert was doing my woodwork for me for a similar outlay, I'd happily let them use it! They could even use the Le Tonkinoise I bought for the job before I realised I'd rather use the additional time to be out boating!

Not my experience with Ronseal's 10 year Woodstain Stain. I'd agree that the 10 year bit is somewhat fanciful, but it's so much easier to get a decent finish with the recommended 3 coats, and so much easier to 'refresh' than yacht varnish or similar, that it's not an issue to revisit every 3-5. Certainly seen no evidence of raising the grain when I took my formerly solvent varnished cratch boards back to the wood.

Always read the label.

I'd add a 2 foot space for the fairies to live in. Now I'm still stuck with the same useable boat space on the inside, but it's 2 feet longer on the outside! If I could have another wish, I'd wish I hadn't been persuaded to believe in fairies...

Elsan do "fresh water tank cleaner". With such a name, it's almost like its made for the job! About tenner for a bottle, which nominally does a 250 litre tank iirc.

You definitely wouldn't be saying that if you had a 55-60 ft boat!

Moored in Castlefield Basin for 2 nights a month ago. Stuck our nose in expecting there to be no room and It to still be an unpleasant mooring. It doesn't look much different in itself, but the transformation as a decent place to moor was huge. Perhaps it's the proliferation of new apartment buildings around it, but key I think was that the once public car park is now private and has barriers, so it's not a magnet at night. No anti-social behaviour, just a relatively peaceful place with plenty of foot traffic to stop it being the dimly lit dodgy backwater it was a couple of years ago. I'd happily moor there again, which i didn't expect to be something I'd say.

This. I think you'll have change from 2 5 litre cans per coat. Either buy on a sale or return basis, or black it somewhere you can buy as you go along. Don't delay booking it in somewhere though - it seems to be harder to find a suitable slot every time.

It says it has a slipway in the description. (But then, of course, an estate agent wrote that!)

You'd be hard pressed to find a car with it's sunroof open this "summer"!

517066? Really easy!

On purpose or are you reaping the benefits of being a messy cook?

Interested to hear what happened to you as I stopped using yacht varnish on my exterior wood several years ago and changed to Ronseal 10 year woodstain. Its water based, but performs as well if not better in this application, although I'd give it 5 years rather than 10. Its much easier to use and... wash brushes in water.

Perhaps they're worried about being torpedoed?

Just for accuracy I actually said.... And I also said... And I also said... Which should have started "nor", not "not"! I still don't.

Funny you should say that... Thanks, you've helped.

I take your general point about the cable clamps requiring the fitter/purchaser providing their own solution to ensuring the cables are properly, although it's not an insurmountable issue. However, the installation here doesn't look highly professional, does it. The OP has provided another photo above where he's later used a patress to clamp the two heavy output cables, but the two lighter input cables and the ground here were much easier to bend gently and clip neatly to the bulkhead yet were also left trailing. Plus, he's mounted the unit further from the bulkhead than Victron's design made provision for as a "just in case" measure which exacerbated the cable securing issue. I think we could agree that Victron could have possibly implemented improved cable connections, but to run their products down when, to my engineer's eye at least, it's more the fitting that leaves something to be desired is a wee bit unfair on them. Anyway, I don't have shares in Victron, nor do I expect to everyone to meet the highest professional standards in self installations, not do I wish to give the OP hard times, so I'll leave it at that.

I'm sure you did think of it, but you haven't come up with a solution other than blaming Victron for poor design, which is not something I've seen in the Victron products I have fitted. That being the case, your cables remain at risk (which I can see you don't want) but there's more than one way to skin the unsupported cables cat. Treating them like flex into a plug top with just a cable clamp in the terminal isn't one of them though as it doesn't stop them flapping about and is probably why Victron don't offer it. By way of suggestion, since it may be helpful, fitting a raised batten to the bulkhead to support the clips might be one solution, whilst routing the cables at a reasonable bend radius back to the bulkhead for clipping might be another. The latter is how I've supported the Victron MPPT cables it in own boat.

Yep, cable clips. I can't imagine why, given you obviously realise there's an issue, you didn't do that immediately.

Nice to hear that - I'll put it back on the list!

Although if you use it to push you alongside, now you're sucking silt and debris from the edge through your thruster. Best not to do that for obvious reasons, and then you'll also leave your battery fully charged after you you moor up. If you use it a lot or insist on mooring with it, then follow @matty40s sound advice above.

I think we should also consider the security aspect here. What if everyone is used to seeing any Tom, Dick and Harry wandering on and off boats, starting engines, moving them, etc? If it's almost always the usual guy, the brass necked burglar or boat thief stands out to the staff or other moorers and quick check with the office will answer any suspicions.

I don't disagree with you, just answering your question. I think it would be rather lovely to preserve these stables (and the rest of salvageable Gas Street) as an oasis amongst the new development. One can often act as a counterpoint to the other and they end up enhancing one other.

Because there's no money in it and the council is bankrupt so investors for that approach will be thin on the ground. Birmingham's changing landscape is being driven by business and private investment.