PGD

Some yrs ago we had a prob on the Stratford. Lost all power, prop wouldn't spin clear in reverse so into weedhatch. Nothing on prop. I ended up calling out RCR. We could only think there was a prob with the Hurth box, so the engineer planned to come back the next morning with a recon one. Frustrated and bored, I took the hatch off one more time & felt below the prop... resting on the skeg was a mass of kapok like insulating material. We must have picked it up going past a building site a short distance ago. In gear the prop sucked it up & choked the drive. Out of gear it fell back where it couldn't be seen. Once removed she ran as sweet as a bird. So... I suggest you reach right down & check if there's anything lying on the skeg that you might have missed. Good luck. Philip

A final note: I took the instrument panel off this weekend & there, at the back of the warning lamps module, were two male connectors below which was engraved: "Hourmeter". Put multimeter across the connectors, start engine - 14.5v! Thank you Vetus for making life easy - now to order said meter from Ebay!

Thank you everyone. I'll have a poke about with my multimeter in the back of the instrument panel & see which dials / alarms get a 12v feed when the engine's running. Chewbacka - thank you; I'll have a look on e-bay. I'm not in any hurry - certainly not if I can save that much money!

My 30yr old Vetus 4.14 doesn't have an engine running hours counter. I keep tabs on when the next oil change is due (every 100hrs) by writing the running times down in a logbook kept at the back end. Trouble is, suffering from regular "senior moments", I often forget. It would be much easier if I fitted a counter. I was looking at one in "Swindlers" today: a Durite one. However, it was 45 quid & before I shell out so many beer vouchers I'd like to know if it's feasible to fit it to an engine where one wasn't fitted before. My question is - what do I cable it up to? I'll have it next to the instrument panel where there's a rev counter. However, it doesn't have an "ignition" key - starting is by a simple push button. I'm not sure what circuits would be live when the engine is running but not when it isn't. Can anyone help please? Philip

Light spray of WD-40 on a rag & wipe along the brass. Seems to work until rain washes it off. I like the idea of beeswax - I'll try that this weekend, it might last longer.

Thank you all, I'll look at the GRP route. I've got a gut feel it isn't structural, just old age. Thanks for the tip about gelcoat - I didn't know the reaction was anaerobic. Cheers PGD

The base of the hipbath/shower in my narrowboat appears to be crazing / cracking. It might only be surface cracking; then again, it might not. I've enough problems with another leak in my domestic water system without the shower water emptying into the cabin bilge! Does anyone know of a treatment I could paint on the base to stiffen it up - or at least, seal the visible cracks please? The underside of the bath is, as you'd expect, almost inaccessible. Thanks Philip

Once again, thank you everyone. I've picked up some cracking advice on here & now just have to start planning my plumbing!

I've watched these and yes, they were very helpful, as was all the info on JG's website. The pipe run from the calorifier to the kitchen hot tap will be nearly 10m, so I'll be allowing for a couple of gentle expansion loops - and only clipping the pipes down loosely

Once again, thank you all for your helpful advice - I'm going to go with JG Speedfit.

Thank you, everyone. I'm leaning very much to JG Speedfit. Smileypete, I'm v OCD when it comes to some things, but all this pipework is going to be "out of sight, out of mind!" All I want is that it'll be ok & maintenance free for 30yrs (as was the original "Qest"), After 30yrs I rather doubt I'll be in much position to care! For the same reason I'm not too bothered about how easy it is to take apart: measure twice, cut once. I know that barnstorming in without thinking it all through is my weakness, so I'll damn well have to be disciplined. And make darn sure I cut the right pipe. Lagging: the calorifier has the std spray foam, but none of the original pipework is lagged. This is something I'll put right with the new system, as well s beefing up insulation around the tank. It'll be nice to wash in warm water on a cold winter morning!

My 30yr old narrow boat has a water leak, which I'm fairly certain comes from the pressurised domestic supply. But the plumbing is 30yo too, an American system called "Qest". It has a reputation for the joints - plastic pipe compression fitting using a brass ring - eventually failing. I knew sooner or later I'd have to re-plumb, now seems a good time. I know of three systems: Hep2o, John Guest & Tectite. I've spoken to a trusted fitter who's used all three on land & has no strong preference for any, nor has he a bad word for any. Does anyone have recent experience of fitting plumbing to a boat? Can they tell me what system they used & how easy was it to work with please? I've read the thread on the PRV with interest & will look v carefully at the fitting at the inlet at the bottom of my (vertical) calorifier. To the best of my knowledge of plumbing (v limited) the calorifier seems to have neither header nor PRV - unless the union at the inlet (marked 2bar IIRC) is designed just to drip on the floor to release pressure - it hasn't done yet & certainly isn't the source of the current leak (which I think is behind an inaccessible panel). Any advice welcome, please!

Thank you, everyone, for your advice. The concensus seems to be that, no matter what the actual fault is, I'm going to have to grit my teeth & wrestle with the engine to remove the starter - this was what I expected before I posted, but hoped against hope that someone would say "oh no, it's just the relay!!" <sigh> Well, I know what I'm doing on Friday as I'm not at work (hoping the weather is fair). A last request please: who would you suggest as the best to recondition the starter? A garage? I'm moored at Kings Bromley, on the T&M between Rugeley and Lichfield. If anyone knows of someone in the area (I have a car) I'd be grateful for the info please. Again, thank you & I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers Philip oh - ps edit: It's definately not a bendix / inertia type engagement; the blow-up engineering dwg of the starter clearly shows the solenoid & yoke which which enages the cog into the flyheel ring. Again, I initially hoped it was the inertia type & just needed a squirt of WD40. No such luck, dream on... and get the spanners out.

Hello everyone - my 1st post here. My boat has a Vetus 4.14, nearly 30yrs old but solid as a rock - ish. I've a starter motor problem: the solenoid puts the cog into the flywheel ring but then drops out almost immediately, barely giving the crank half a turn. The starter motor itself whizzes round. Starting the motor takes several minutes of perseverance & soon I'm afraid it won't work at all - I daren't go cruising. I don't know if it's the solenoid on the way out or an electrical glitch in the circuit from the control panel - even the relay. I've done the tried & tested "squirt WD-40 on all the contacts", but no joy. Of course the starter is in a pig of a position to get off. Has anyone had a similar experience? I'd be very grateful for any advice, please. Philip nb Dollar