Sea Dog

I've found Victron support staff to be particularly helpful so, once you've eliminated all the possible ID 10 T errors, try giving them a call or use the appropriate help forum on their website.

It's the gate at the Shroppie end that's the only issue with Autherley stop lock. It always seems to have something preventing it from opening fully. If only there was someone with a kedge and an interest in canals close by - for example a hire boat company who open and close it regularly to show their hirers how to use a lock perhaps.

One reason might be that, whilst it's great shrugging off diesel and is very resilient to the elements, it doesn't always withstand the scrapes a boat that cruises inevitably gets from locks, dodgy Armco, the Shroppie shelf, etc. I found any scrapes above the waterline went chalky white on Jotamastic 90, so cosmetically there can be issues. However, my bows were as good as the day I did them 2 years on, as was the waterline. It was the underwater damage I'd only spotted when in crystal clear water that caused me concern. Once you have (or consider you might have) underwater scrapes and damage to attend to, it still ought to come out, whether for routine blacking or 2 pack examination, repair and recoat. Some, including me, would not be comfortable not looking at the underwater bits for much beyond 3 years, less if there's a possibility of coating damage. That said, if you're content your 2 pack is in good shape, maybe extended periods between haul outs are fine. Marina queen's? Definitely. Lightly used boats? Maybe. Well-travelled boats? Maybe not. You pays yer money as they say. A tin of SML Ballastic Black is a little under half the price (£40+) of Jotamastic 90 (£80+) so it's a bit cheaper for materials (depending on how many coats) and an easier job if you DIY or cheaper job if you pay someone else to do it. Anyway, the above is why I've, rightly or wrongly, recently gone back to blacking after trying 2-pack!

He's right. Just turn the breaker off so there'll be no current flowing until you are happy you've done it up correctly. With the breaker off, you can be confident that you won't get any arcing and sparking when you connect it either. Just take care to keep the bare end of the cable away from any metalwork whilst you're poking about.

Confidence in her own understanding and/or ability to do this particular job herself would be my guess. It might sound easy to you and I, but it clearly isn't for her, even with the helpful guidance from the likes of @Jen-in-Wellies and @Tony Brooks. Plus she's right - what sort of a job did she get from the "professional" installer? I'd be cheesed off too.

Awesome! Thank you everyone above, just the sort of help I was hoping to get. The photos are particularly useful. The toilet is still winging its way from Xylem Europe (or not - who knows!) so plenty of time for further contributions before I get down and (hopefully not) dirty...

Dunno. Since it's a macerator output it's not done that with the existing flexible so I'd not expect it to do so with smooth plastic with a reasonable fall, I suppose could add an access plug just in case now you have raised the issue. I do want to be able to separate it at the end joints, which is the original point I'm looking for advice on. That 40mm plastic stuff is cheap enough to just redo if it blocks though, which sounds rather better than getting involved with the unblocking!

Thanks all. Plastic is where I was aiming, but which one I hadn't really considered beyond what's available in Screwstation or Toolfix Whichever way I go though, what I am really seeking to resolve is the interface between the tank and toilet fittings which accept 38mm inside diameter flexible and the rigid 40mm plastic pipe or it's fittings. Adaptor? Short length of something stretchy?

I'll be replacing my Jabsco macerator pump out toilet like for like shortly. Whilst the existing 38mm flexible sanitary pipework should make it "plug and play", that pipework is aging and probably pretty badly scaled. I could replace that like for like too, but lots of posts suggest there can be issues with flexi pipework going a bit whiffy, even if you have fitted the most expensive stuff. So, I'm thinking that I might replace the 38mm flexible with 40mm solvent weld pipework as others have before me. I've trawled the posts that refer to this, but what I'm still unsure about is the mating of that 40mm rigid pipe or associated fittings with the toilet output or waste tank input which will be made to be a tight fit into 38mm flexible hose. Can anyone recommend how I might tackle this?

Not if you're turning right out of the marina to head south towards Fradley Junction. Derwent Mouth lock is a fair way north of you, where the T&M connects with the River Trent. Have a great holiday.

Well, the stoppage notice does go on to say: We are working with our colleagues from the West Midlands to run water down the system and are doing all we can to get the levels back to normal. We will update the website on Friday 7th July. So, unless it's essential to go through today, your plans (and my own) are still in with a shout.

Take a look at SML Ballastic Black 2 pack Epoxy Primer (not to be confused with SML Ballastic Black bitumen based blacking). The idea is that this is tolerant of any remaining bitumen. SML recommended Jotamastic 90 over the top, but you can get their advice over the phone and make your own mind up. Mine was done like that, with thorough hand prep, 2 years ago and it was generally very good when hauled out this year. Notably the bows and waterline were still perfect, so it beat bitumen there and shrugged off diesel spills. I did treat some areas with Vactan before applying the 2 pack which there was concern (raised by @TheBiscuits ) could have been less of a bond than the epoxy, but found no evidence of failure due to that. However, where there had been scrapes below the waterline it was more or less back to bare metal. Very little corrosion though, perhaps because the remaining primer was still giving some protection, but I think largely because I was assiduous in getting the boat out to see how the 2 pack was holding up and caught it early. My experience tells me that the 2 pack was generally tougher, but more brittle than bitumen based blacking. Whether this was down to the primer or the 2 pack system as a whole I can't say. I think if your boat is lightly used or sits in a marina, it's a good solution but if you're cruising a fair bit using locks, etc, where scrapes are unavoidable, then I'd still want to have the boat out to inspect it every couple of years or so. This being the case, it's far easier and a bit cheaper to stick with bitumen, which also tends to smudge rather then scrape off. Other folks experience and opinions will be different, but that's mine. As a result, my boat is now resplendent in 3 coats of SML Ballastic Black bitumen.

Around a dolly, just use the simple hitch known as the canalman's hitch. If it's a T stud, look up what yacties use. Both are simple to do, thoroughly reliable, and easy to release even under tension. Just make sure you coil the free end of the line neatly rather than wrap it round things or "use it up" by more knots or hitches. No need for anything "midway along a mooring line". Google will find you tutorials for both.

They do say 5 years but then in a less forgiving environment with a high speed shaft and a long sea voyage from a mechanic I can see why they might cover their ass! Hardly the case in a narrowboat. Not sure about the 500 hour figure - why would they provide more than a finger full of grease if the only going to last 2 or 3 the service interval? Mine (and @Jen-in-Wellies ) have lasted donkey's years with no issue. I think catastrophic failure is no greater than any other seal, and the failure mechanism is most likely a developing drip - unless the 200 hourly greasing is ignored. The gaps in the cutless bearing allowing water lubrication are pretty small, so hardly a deluge even if you took the boot off. Expensive? I just did a quick Google and found it at £120, which has gone up significantly since I last looked, but hardly a lot to pay. I'd say your second hand issue was more likely to be shaft related - maybe an imperfect surface or an odd size? Metric v imperial? I can see a perfect fit would be essential. More pertinent, perhaps, your mechanic did use the lip seal protector when sliding the new replacement for your old leaky one it onto the shaft, did he?

Purely by luck, I have a Volvo seal. I can't think how a stern seal could be simpler, lower maintenance or more reliable in a slow speed vessel like a narrowboat. A bit of silicone grease every 200 hours keeps it happy (I'm still on the original tube, so even Volvo's own specialist silicone is hugely economical). Mine has never dripped a drop in 15 years except for when you deliberately squeeze it to "burp" the air out and ensure lubrication water is restored on relaunching after haul out. I'd suggest the most likely failure mechanism would be to drip like a conventional greased gland. The water channels in a cutless bearing are so small that rag held around the shaft covering the cutless bearing would allow you to change it whilst in the water with very little water ingress in case of a failure in service, but it would surprise me if replacement ever needed outside of a docking period. No issue if you need to slide the shaft back for any reason - it comes with a little plastic sleeve with which to protect the lip seal.

Oxalic acid is the stuff for removing the black staining on the wood. Comes in a white powder for mixing with water - you don't need much. I got mine from eBay. You'll find videos on YouTube showing how to use it.

I think that restriction occured some years ago. I remember mooring there overnight on a number of occasions with no issues, but the last time resulted in some woman on the balcony of one of those flats throwing her cigarette butts on our roof. "Serves you right - you shouldn't be mooring there" was her response. Not good behaviour on her part, but I suspect something had precipitated it and the inconsiderate few had once again screwed it up for the rest of us with those residents.

This ^^^^ My own pump is close to the tank and I still had an issue with the original pipe from tank to pump narrowing under suction as it aged. Cured by replacing it with a wire spiral reinforced hose, which isn't cheap over a long run. Whilst you could use tough plastic water pipe as the feed, it's best if the pipes either side of the pump are flexible and have a loop to help isolate noise and vibration.

After this unbeatable gem, all the others posts somehow seem superfluous.

And whilst the cost of diesel and solid fuel might have changed quite dramatically, a bag of solid fuel last me roughly two and a half days. Even at the £15.80 for 20kg of Excel I just paid, 60 hours of diesel can't compete on cost. However, whilst the current publicity about solid fuel and woodburner emissions is to do with atmospheric pollution, there is little doubt that the particulate contamination inside the boat must be quite high when burning wood or solid fuel and it's doing us all no good.

Two and a half grand for a diesel Bubble Corner Stove like my current solid fuel version. I'd have thought it possible to mitigate at least some of that cost by already having the same case. I suspect if there isn't a solution as of now it's down to lack of demand so far, but market conditions appear to be on the move.

Good idea! I'll add it to the plans for my new boat - NB Hindenburg.

Question prompted by another thread related to the threat to woodburners and solid fuel stoves. Has anyone successfully done this? Is there a 'kit'?

So, has anyone successfully converted a solid fuel stove to diesel?

I've had a common or garden car wash type sponge under the bench in my cratch for years so, whilst I have seen the sponge break up phenomenon before, I haven't had it on the boat. I can only assume it's a storage issue rather than that I've found a magic sponge. I'd start with avoiding UV as already suggested, cos it's hard to beat the ubiquitous (and cheap) big yellow oblong sponge for so many purposes, not least mopping up.