ChrisPy

On the subject of painting : I will be receiving my boat in the raw. It will rust gently for 3-6 months while I concentrate on the lining and utility systems. Once the factory millscale has fallen off I will wirebrush it thoroughly and apply Vactan (a tannic acid based and environmentally friendly rust converter and base acrylic coat). This will hold for months. See the website. The only complication is that I will have to accelerate the process at the window and vent openings, so I can fix them permanently ASAP. any comments?

and there's no reason why steel should rust under the fast grab adhesive that fixes the battens. But just in case, and if you have the chance, DO lightly grind off the factory millscale (the shiny dark grey stuff) with just the edge of an angle grinder so you are down to the real metal where the adhesive will stick. I see this started with Scouseboat sailaways, same as mine. I am paying them for urethane foam and battening. It should include timber battens on the cabin sides, including window and porthole framing. I hope I get what I pay for. Delivery is now agreed for about 22 Feb so I'll let you know.

I have read (Nigel Calder) that you would expect to lose 1% of it's charge per day from a healthy conventional battery that is not under any load. That represents about 1amp-hour or 12watt-hours per day for an average size battery. It would seem that a 5watt charger would keep this in balance if it works for about 3 hrs per day, which sounds more than adequate for the starter battery. Any comment?

a better comparison might be between a horse-drawn gipsy caravan, an old VW Transporter with the engine under the floor and covered in knick-knacks nicely painted to look like a gipsy caravan, and a chromium plated motorhome with the engine neatly stowed out of the way. If I'm going to live on board I want some boaty character along with most of the mod cons. And that's what I intend to get. It doesn't include a smelly diesel in the next room, gimballed cookers or swinging hurricane lamps. It does include polished wood & brass and some nice round portholes.

so you need the smell of hot diesel from the engine breather to really feel alive !

Robbins Timber in Bristol can supply plywood in 10x5 ft sheets in some grades.

sorry, I didn't mention my plans for the stand-up engine space and extended hatches that ScouseBoat has kindly agreed to incorporate, along with the wheelhouse surround that will form the basis for the boatman's cabin and wheelhouse (and conservatory when I'm residentially disadvantaged). I'm still trying to work out where to garage the car. Impressed by those Rhine barges with a 2CV parked on the cabin roof.

could be fun. I worked in Oman for 6 years and took back half a ton of belongings. Seemed good stuff while I was out there, but most of it seemed like rubbish when I un packed it in ukay. Except, coincidentally, a modular wall unit thingy that had been imported from Sweden, made from 40mm thick teak veneered board. That was in 1982, and I cannot confirm if it was by IKEA or not. Never heard of them then, of course. Point is the wall unit is still in excellent condition, having graced our living room for 10 years until we went minimalist, and now in the games room. ??.... NO, BACK ON TOPIC. I knew I could bring this back to IKEA somehow, just to piss Richard off.

of course my engine is where it belongs - hidden away under that enormous rear deck, sharing space with no-one and nobody.

so what you gonna do? Collect a container load of stuff for your narrowboat and send it back to ukay, or ship the shell to Riyadh and fit it out Saudi style? (no, Maffi, don't even think of sailing it ...... too late!! )

most overseas postings I've been on, they still do that. your apartment is furnished out of IKEA flat packs. no complaints. Richard: like maffi I still think you were done. a year ago I visited Suits Etc. and bought a brand new ex-hire suit for £15 that had never been worn. I'm a sucker for a bargain. Trouble is I've probably spent as much on bargain clothes that I never get a chance to wear as you do on designer labels. Somehow I never thought of you as a designer label trendy dresser. If you haven't been wearing jeans for most of your life, what have you been wearing? No need to answer that

save space and do without internal doors except to the you-know-where. hang heavy curtains from brass rods with nice big curtain rings. soft and cosy appearance, no need to plan for door swing, keeps the boat open and airy during the day, keeps the heat in and the draughts out at night. my wide-beam will have just one door, to the bathroom. There will be a curtain at the end of the corridor past the bathroom where it leads into bedroom 1, and another between bedroom 1 and the rear cabin (occasional bedroom 2 also serving as utility room).

Obviously I know no better! This could develop into a class war. I don't care who it's produced for, I love the stuff. Never been disappointed in the quality of anything I have bought there. I appreciate some of it is cheap, but I don't agree it's all tack. I will be fitting out my galley in their solid oak shaker style. But then I don't spend £80 on a pair of jeans, because I don't feel the need to pay for a label. On the contrary, the manufacturer should pay us to display his label. All that kind of stuff comes from similar production lines overseas (some of them are sweat shops), and I'll bet there is little distinction at the source between diesel and other cheaper brands. Next time I'm in Bangkok I'll buy you some designer labels, to sew on to whatever you want.

I suppose you spend £100 on a pair of Versace jeans ?

they'll use any excuse. how can the effect have got that far down the supply chain already? does oak come from South Asia? I haven't seen any when I've been working there.

All this stuff about sizing an inverter may be misleading, taking into account Charles Sterling's warning about different manufacturers rate them. I believe that a Sterling 1800W inverter would support a continuous 1800W load at 40C and a start-up surge of about 3000W.