Jen_P

Actually boat got really toasty with the eberspacher last night. Thought I was going to have a hot flush. So next question is: where to buy diesel? I have only filled my boat up once since I had it and that was when I was just coming out of dry dock! Denham has it for 52p a litre but I would need to go and fetch it in the car. Is that safe? Or does anyone know which boats deliver to Brentford and at what cost? I am between Thames Lock and Brentford Gauging Lock.

And I did sciences at A level. Was great at physics but all the amps, volts, watts stuff has always addled my brain!!!

Made in Yorkshire!!! Anything made in Yorkshire does it for me! How much do you think fitting would be? How much fuel does it use in an hour? Watching some guys raising a boat that sunk opposite me this morning so getting free entertainment from my sick bed. Hated seeing it sink though

Bit better thanks but surprised at how long its taking and worried that tomorrow when I'm off the steroids, I won't be able to breathe again and will end up back in A&E. Just been reading up on the links between asthma and multi-fuel stoves. Think my stove is now redundant!!!

Thank you Peter. Calm now (well, about this issue anyway!!!)

It's brand new . yesterday was second time on!!! It's brand new . yesterday was second time on!!!

They did after an hour. But took longer to warm up. My boat is big and lounge and galley are open plan. There's no air lock. Have back boiler on multifuel stove on same system and it all kicks off big time with an air lock!!!

No, it was on its full setting. It's my oil filled rads that aren't using as much fuel as I thought. 20 minutes. I am sooooo jealous.

Thanks Tony. Don't understand but hey!!! Tried eberspacher last night. Was disappointed. Immersion on for 40 minutes first then 1 hour 40 minutes of eberspacher and boat was still freezing so I resorted to electric heaters.

Why? Have I calculated wrong? Is it £50 an hour or something and I'm going to bankrupt myself?!!!

Think that's when she meant - when starting from completely cold. All useful advice. Thank you. Using a little gadget, I just measured how much electricity the oil-filled rad is using in my toasty warm bedroom - 0.3 kW per hour which is 6.9p !!! Much less than I thought. Warm days await with no dust or mess from stove, I think!

Wow, thank you. A lot cheaper than I thought. My boat builder said if I put the immersion on an hour beforehand and then started eberspacher, it would warm things more quickly. Do you do that?

Can't use my multi-fuel stove at the moment due to breathing problems that landed me in A&E at the weekend. I am asthmatic - not normally an issue but it is at the minute. I have an eberspacher DW5 but have lost the manual. Does anyone know what the fuel consumption would be? I don't want to run it then find I've used heaps of diesel. Still in bed sick at moment so relying on small oil-filled radiator at the moment (on shoreline) but would be nice to sit in the lounge (currently freezing and too big to heat with oil filled rad) for a change!

TalkTalk will take me. I am worried though about the speed being slow now though after what you have said.

I have a gadget from EE that gives me 15GB of data for £20 a month but it's just not enough. (I watch a lot of videos online!) Several boats where I am moored have telephone landlines and broadband with BT so I thought I'd get one myself. On USwitch, my cheapest option was with Sky but when I rang and asked them if they'd install it on a boat, they said no. It seems strange that BT will but Sky won't. I could go with BT but I want unlimited broadband and that's more expensive with them. Anyone any other ideas about which companies might be willing to do it?

Thank you so much. Those are all helpful replies. It's my first trip out so want to know what I'm letting myself in for. I was panicking over nothing! Which side of Packet Boat is Cowley Lock? I am going to Uxbridge for the boat to be blacked and have to be there by Saturday morning. Planning to leave on Thursday so as to allow myself plenty of time. Wondering about a night (or 2?) moored at Packet Boat? Or if it's better just to go straight to Uxbridge and moor there.

Can anyone please tell me how long it will take to go from Brentford to Uxbridge? And how many locks are there? I know the section from Brentford to the Hanwell flight but after that it's a mystery! Are there any good websites that help you work this stuff out? I did google but found nothing really useful.

I don't know how you can bear the wait!!!! I'm loving life aboard Aurora. It's totally brilliant. I even don't mind emptying the cassette loo which I thought would be totally hideous! And Lainy has been totally brilliant - really, really supportive.

It's already been cranes in and even I didn't get to see it! Hoping that this time next week I'll have made it down the Thames to Brentford and will be spending my first night at my new mooring!

Blacking her in a couple of months Wanted to do it before she went back in but shepperton marina said the muck would be too dry and hard to get off after the journey on the lorry! She'll be a tea and cake palace amongst the gin palaces! I can't tell you all how much I am looking forward to moving on board and starting a whole new way of life!

If anyone is interested ....

That did make me laugh! As Sue said, the baby referred to is the boat! So funny! But yes, no partner! Sad little me! Fingers crossed that Mr Right will come sailing by one day...!

Thank you Steve! Do they let Northerners like me into posh Surrey? I'm heading for a mooring with elec hookup! All fine! If I ever decide to cruise, obviously I use laundrettes and I'll have to invest in a 12V fridge. But I think I'm way off being that brave yet! This morning watched my beautiful boat being craned out and put on a lorry! Such an amazing experience. I filmed it on my phone and I might edit it and put on Youtube if anyone is interested! I might even blog about my experiences. Undecided yet. Used to do a lot of blogging and quite fancy going back to it!

Hello, I've just got my first boat and will be temporarily moored at Shepperton whilst waiting to go down the Thames to my new moorings. Not sure how long I'll be at Shepperton for - depends on the red boards! I'm wondering if anyone out there is moored at Shepperton - for two reasons. 1. The friend who is moving my stuff in his van has just had an emergency appendectomy and needs follow-up surgery in a few weeks. He will be able to drive me next week but not to shift things as he shouldn't lift heavy loads. I can manage almost everything myself except the washer dryer (too heavy) and fridge-freezer and mattresses (not heavy but too awkward for one person!) If anyone would be willing to lend a hand with these next Friday afternoon (probably) I'd be very grateful. 2. Also, I've never lived on a boat before and am a bit nervous! It would be lovely to know the names of one or two people at Shepperton Marina so that, if I didn't know how to work something, I could come and knock on your door and ask! I think it'll be a bit daunting suddenly living on a boat in a place where I know no-one. Once I get to my permanent moorings, I'll be fine as I've a friend who moors nearby. But in Shepperton, I know no-one. Jen

That's really helpful. Thank you! I have a long term health issue and am just about to move aboard. I won't be continuous cruising but I don't have a fullly residential mooring so probably can't register with a doctor. In any case, I need to keep my medical stuff in Yorkshire in order to stick with the same consultant. Blood tests are the hardest as I might need these every week in January but then cutting back to fortnightly and then hopefully a lot less frequent. I think I'll manage by regular trips to Yorkshire to see friends and doctor at the same time, but it'd be good to know of any more places - especially in the West London area - that will do blood tests for visitors. There's quite a lot on Fiona's site but none in the area where I'll be!