G Man

Cheers everone for the advice, I might still prime the back of the boards because as you said smileypete, it's possible it will leak again at some point, so belt and braces approach gives better peace of mind Also good point Murflynn about the end of the boards sagging, I might still try to do length way battens (possible because I've already started ), but have some short pieces in between at the ends, plus I'm planning on using celotex type insulation so the should give some sturdeyness behind the boards. Further to this, for the bathroom I'm planning on plywood with fake tile boards on top (this type of stuff), and will be having a bath with a shower. Do people usually have an additional layer of water proofing in between, like a waterproof plastic sheet material, or just prime the boards with waterproof paint and seal the top layer as well as possible? I was also thinking of having some sort of gutter/tray under the seals of the bath so that if (when) the seal ever does break and leak, it won't go straight the the wood and I'll notice before it become too much of a problem to fix. Cheers all, J

Okay that's great guys, sounds as if i can run them length ways then. We are doing 6 mm ply on the ceiling, but will then do T&G on the walls coming down, another question actually is should I seal/paint the wood before putting it on for water proofing reason? I'll paint it all after it's up anyway, but just thought it as we're essentially starting from scratch now's the chance for these sort of precautions Cheers, J

Hello, We're currently fitting out our recently purchased narrow boat, and our general method is, rip it all out We've currently took down most of the front half back to the shell, and I need to replace some of the wooden ceiling battens that came down with the ceiling. Some of the wood was very old, and due to previously leaking vents or screw holes had rotted at some point. When replacing the ceiling battens do I need to run them width ways, meaning having to bend the wood, or can I run them length ways? we're planning on putting 8x4 plywood on the ceiling so no need for width ways for T&G. There are screw holes in the roof, 3 I think in a width (middle, center left, center right), so I was planning on running the new length along these holes, using a mixture of new screws and industrial grip adhesive for extra measure But is there a reason I shouldn't do this? I can't imagine the wooden battens needed for hull strength, and the thought of having to bend the wood and it at some point wanting to bend back to it's original shape isn't pleasant. Many more questions soon to follow Cheers, J

I did notice it had no air filter in the intake unit, but logic tells me it should do, otherwise why would it have an housing that would fit one? one such as http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310868960085?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Cheers, J

Oil Changed! Found the sump plug on the engine, and put the correct dip sticks in the gear boxes, so all seem's good now Thanks for help guys, muchly appreciated I'll be back in a couple of days with my next problem I'm sure Cheers, J

So I got round the the oil change this bank holiday weekend, it went average... After trying to vacuum pump the oil out of the gear boxes (which was very muddy) and not really getting anywhere fast, and having to fix the pump a few times, I gave up and found the sump plugs instead, much easier! however I'm not convinced the dipsticks are in the correct boxes, maybe someone with the same gearbox can help. The reason I think this is Richard suggested 1.2L in the main box, 0.3L in the reduction, but the reduction took about 0.4 before being full, and the main box only half a liter before it was registering as full? I'm just a little concerned about putting in way too much. The two dip sticks are different sizes, with the smaller of the two in the smaller reduction box, which makes sense, but they do fit in each :S is this the correct way round? Also trying to suck the engine oil out was a pain also, I had run the engine for about 20 minuets but still felt painfully slow, but I couldn't find the sump plug, can't seem to find it on and manuals either, does anyone know where it is? If not or if it's too difficult to get to, I may invest in an electric oil pump. Cheers, J

Haha good point on the strength/weakness, guess I'll find out one day Another thing I've noticed is there seems to be two oil caps, can I pour directly into the top cap (first image "45") with the theory it will all flow down, or do i need to do half in one half in the other (second image "21") to avoid clogging the cylinder head? Also I appear to have the version without an oil filter, and although it looks possible to add one, is it worth while or best left as it was built? Cheers, J

Cheers for that it's appreciated. From what i hear these engines are pretty bullet proof, but I still like to minimise any risks if i can Cheers, J

Hellooo all, Quick introduction as this is my first post (although I've marked where my question starts if you want to skip ), about a year ago me and my partner started looking for a narrow boat to call our own after enjoying many holidays previously on the canals. Fast forward a year of intense research and lots of boat viewing, to a couple of weeks ago and we can now call ourselves proud owners of our first narrowboat There’s number of issues to sort out, it’s defiantly a project boat that’s going to take some time, but by the end we will have put our own stamp on it A lot of our research has been done on this forum, and I’ve never posted before because as is often said, search the forum and it’s bound to have come up before. However I’ve run into an issue I could really do with a definitive answer for (if possible, many opinions might be about to follow ) Question I’m servicing our engine (I’ve always serviced my own cars so this isn’t too out of my depth). We’ve got a Lister ST3 air cooled, with a LH150 gearbox and reduction box. The oil needs changing, especially in the gearboxes as it’s emulsified. So to the point now, what oil do I need, as far as I can tell... Engine: 20w50 API SF/CC and 7.5 litres of it (preferably mineral not semi-synthetic) Gearboxes: (both the main and reduction box) EP 80w90 GL4 and 1.2 litres in each box. My worry is, should i be strict with the SF/CC, some people seem to suggest don’t stray from that grade at all? Same with the gear oil, can you use GL5 on these boxes, or must it be GL4? As far as I can tell GL5 would be okay if certain parts aren’t brass, however I don’t know if they are or not. Also do those amounts sound right? I aware too much oil can be as bad as too little. You’re help will be greatly appreciated, and chances are I’ll be around on here asking a lot more questions, and hopefully in time being able to give my knowledge back to someone else in my position now Cheers, J