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Lily Rose

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Everything posted by Lily Rose

  1. My admittedly limited experience of the system suggests that the elsan at Foxton (been there once) was way above average but that Snarestone (been there about 6 times), at the top of the Ashby, was the best. Sutton Wharf was pretty good too.
  2. To clarify, the first time was 5 or 6 years ago (and about 2 or 3 years after I bought what was then a 15 year old boat) I used Vactan followed by two coats of Black Jack blacking. Last year I lightly sanded the rust patches that had appeared and gave it two coats of Vactan all over. The 2nd coat was probably of little benefit other than catching any areas I might have missed with the first coat. After leaving it a couple of days to dry and cure I rinsed the tank out before re-filling and using it again. I did not use blacking this time so it was much easier. We carry fresh water separately for drinking and cooking. We would use tank water, as I'm sure it's fine, if we ran out of fresh but it hasn't happened yet.
  3. That's exactly what I did 5 or 6 years ago. Last year I decided enough rust patches were appearing (albeit nothing like as bad as it was before I did it) to make it worth doing something. I didn't fancy blacking it again so I just used Vactan. I don't expect it will last as long but it was much easier and more than a year on nothing seems to be amiss yet.
  4. That's exactly what I did just over a year ago. It was a lot easier than when I blacked it. So far so good.
  5. I'm with Newton Crum. They charged me £79 eight years ago when I bought a 15 year old 45 foot narrowboat. Eight years later and they're still charging me £79. I do wonder sometimes if they're cheap for a reason and maybe I'll regret it if I ever need to claim. On the other hand a total loss that they refused to pay out on wouldn't be the end of the world. I've always assumed that when my boating days come to an end the boat's value will be nil. If it isn't then I'd look on it as a bonus.
  6. I used Black Jack about 5 or 6 years ago on mine as it was very rusty. The prep was a pain as was, to a lesser extent, applying the Black Jack. Last year I decided that I should do something about the rust spots that had started to appear again, albeit nothing like as bad as when I first did it. No way was I going to try all the prep work again but I also didn't fancy blacking it again either. What I ended up doing was a bit of sanding to remove any loose rust then went over the whole thing with Vactan. Much easier. More than a year on it's still looking fine. It was so easy to do I could live with doing that every couple of years if necessary, though I'm still hoping it won't be.
  7. I recently tried carnauba wax on my very faded paintwork. It worked really well on the green but the one panel of maroon I tried it on looked a bit like the OP's photo albeit not as bad. I had already tried another maroon panel with Johnson's baby oil and it looked much better. I knew this would not last as long but it was a fraction of the price and about a quarter of the effort. I then went over the waxed panel with baby oil and it looked a lot better. Worth a try on a small test area. It's cheap, currently £1.50 for 100ml or £2.90 for 500ml in Tesco.
  8. My weed hatch is not easy to get at, requiring crawling under the deck of my trad stern, so tends not to get much attention. In 8 years I've never needed to use it to clear the prop. However, when the boat is blacked (not DIY) every 2 years the weed hatch gets blacked as well and the tape is replaced with new. This was last done 14 months ago. In light of this thread I checked it a few days ago and found the screw-down thingy could easily be tightened by almost a quarter of a turn by hand. I suppose it could have been left slightly loose but I also suppose it could have been due to 14 months of vibration. There was no sign of water penetration. I'll be checking it regularly now, probably each time I turn the stern gland greaser which is located quite nearby.
  9. Hopefully the person who asked the question hasn't been holding his/her breath waiting for an answer.
  10. Blimey, "18 years later". Is that a record?
  11. I normally do it (and use stove blacking polish) early summer if it needs doing and by the time I light the fire (September at the earliest) it seems to be fine. I try to do it on a day when the weather's not too bad so we can evacuate if it's bad but so far I haven't had any problems.
  12. This is the stuff I've been using - as recommended on this very forum. A bit pricier than some similar-sounding alternatives but this seems to work fine so I'm sticking with what I know to work. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Envirograf-Silicone-Sealant-Proof-Temperature/dp/B077B9QF7G/ref=sr_1_6?adgrpid=1174279317747666&hvadid=73392659549259&hvbmt=be&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=41664&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-73392599059067%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=24889_2220815&keywords=envirograf+sealant&qid=1692544967&sr=8-6 When I used fire cement it cracked badly in one season so needs re-doing every year.
  13. In theory. In practice they do get sold. In the unlikely event Calor said they wanted it back then they'd be out of luck as it had been nicked a while back.
  14. If I ever choose to sell my 3rd one (at home in the garden and little-used) that's the last place it would go. £7 is a cheek given how much they charge when you buy - assuming you could find somewhere to sell you one without a swap. I'd rather give it away to a deserving cause.
  15. Forgot to mention, I went for this one and something similar for at home because I wanted simple manual controls. When you read the reviews concerning air fryers that failed soon after the warranty ran out it often seems to be the electronics that are the problem. Often an error code on the display and the damn thing is rendered useless.
  16. I bought this one a few months ago when it was £50. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2998361?clickSR=slp:term:instant air fryer:2:71:1 It's on the boat but only for use in the marina, left in the car boot when we go out (batteries, solar and inverter are not up to it). I bought something similar for home use. Observations... Chicken thighs seem to work better than legs. I cook them upside down for about 10 minutes then right way up for about 15 minutes. The crispy skin is far better than in my fan oven at home. Seasoned potato wedges work well. I par boil for 5 minutes, leave in the hot water for another 5, drain and leave a few minutes to dry off. Stick into air fryer basket, bit if oil, bit of seasoning, shake all about, cook on full with a shake every 5 minutes until they look good enough to eat. Occasionally cook oven chips but not that fussed. Very good for heating up pies and pasties etc. Far better than the microwave! Probably my favourite use is homemade bread rolls. The c.4 litre size is perfect for 4 bread rolls made with about 440g of dough (275g flour, 165g water, optionally about 30g of seeds). Mixed up (NOT kneaded) before bedtime using just one third of a teaspoon of yeast. Leave overnight. In the morning do a quick one minute knead to knock CO2 out then divide into 4 and place on a non-stick sheet in the basket, cover and leave to double in size. They join together as 4 batch rolls but separate easily after cooling. After trial and error I now cook for about 16 minutes at 180 then remove, peel off the non stick and put back upside down for 5 minutes to ensure the bottom is cooked. Lovely rolls and far more economical than doing in an electric oven.
  17. Given the latest two very very brief responses from the OP it is beginning to look that way.
  18. That's basically what I meant. It's now been 20 hours since he visited. He probably has other stuff to do that stops him visiting the forum a dozen times a day. Once a day is enough, perhaps more than enough.
  19. His post was made 13 hours ago and he appears not to have visited since then. Given that, he is presumably currently unaware of any follow-up questions raised.
  20. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  21. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  22. Apologies if this has been posted before. Relates to a death near Iffley Lock on the Thames last November. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-66288128
  23. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  24. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
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