Ex Brummie

My PRM 150 is 2:1 forwards, but 1:1 in reverse.

Not sure what you need but sounds OK at nearly 3ft.

When my boat was new, 30 years ago, it was fitted with Aquadrive. Had it not been installed, I would never have considered it for the cost, which was then about the same as you quoted, though it may have included VAT. If I were to commission another craft, Aquadrive would be top of my list. In the interim, I have repacked the stern gland twice, and the transmission of vibration to the shell is negligible. Even with a plummer block, you can still get misalignment at the shaft to a small extent, creating wear. You will probably need to invest in a new set of engine mounts, such as R & D, to achieve full benefit. Do you have sufficient length between gearbox and propshaft to accommodate the Aquadrive?

When using 'emergency stop' you will only be 1:1 from the gearbox. The engine will find at 2(.09):1 it is harder to turn the prop. Think of the gears on a bike and the effort needed to pedal.

An element in the side of a cylinder will switch off when the temperature of the contents at its level reaches the set temperature. As heat rises, then only the water above the element will be at the set temperature.(The water at the top may be significantly higher because of the physics). The water below the element will be lower than the set temperature. Over time, conduction would equalize the temperature to a large extent, but water usage would negate this effect. In domestic installations where immersion heaters are the sole source of heat, there are usually two heaters, one at the base and one at the top. The bottom one is used for main heating, with the top one available for a quick boost.

I think I've probably 'doing it' as long , if not longer than you. I'm not disparaging your ability, but surely you know that every day is a schoolday in any walk of life. I know I'm still learning, and hopefully still helping others learn.

A sharp tap tighter breaks the scale and creates a gap from which it falls. You then have a 'bit of slack' to go before undoing. Has worked for me in the past. It's a tipI picked up from a very experienced man.

If the plug is scaled in, then a sharp tap to tighten it often helps to break the seal before unscrewing. Always loosen with the cylinder full, only emptying it when there is no resistance. Is your calorifier horizontal with the plug at the top? Posted whilst MTB was replying in the same tone.

It's good to see how Mr. Grumpy's original post has reverted to pleasant conversation.

For about £3-£4, you can purchase water finding paste from heating merchants who sell oil boiler spares and equipment. A dab of this on a stick will tell you what the bottom of the tank is like.

What did you use to seal the lid? cYou may be getting contamination from a silicone sealer if this has not properly set. See the recent threads on Maintenance forum.

I used window glazing strip; one length either side of the screws. If using silicone, make sure it is completely cured before you put water anywhere near it. In an enclosed tank, drying time can be interminable.

In Gas St, just avoid it overnight. It is on the direct route from public transport by Mailbox to the Broad street clubs/pubs. At best it is noisy, at worst you are untied. If it's the only place left, then tie up back to the boat with much knitting and hitch round the bollard so it cannot be slipped off. It will still be noisy. At least in Gas St you go nowhere, not like on the Avon at Stratford, where you can drift down to the weir.

Or you can use Purimachos FJC flue jointing compound. Remains somewhat flexible and can be smoothed. Fire cement will crumble if it gets wet from condensation or leaks.

I used an Ecoboard recycled plastic material which was OK on small pieces, but on bigger parts would not take any weight. Also, the light weight on locker covers made them unstable. Went back to Buffalo Board.

Now we''ll have many pages of best lock flight times, qualified by how high/low the pounds were after vandal intervention. If you don't arrive until 6:30 pm, then after 8 hours on the flight, Broad Street would seem like paradise. Towpath side has been a lot quieter since the club closed in the old yard, offside gets very little footfall, and through the bridge, offside, there is no land access. (nor exit either) Traffic noise is the main deterrent.

Mention the lock landing to staff and be prepared for a disgusting foul mouthed tirade in response, as we had last week, together with a spray from the hosepipe washing down the boat on the lock landing. They claim it is theirs in the lease from CaRT, but in days past, B.W maintained otherwise.They also expect to jump the queue when turning boats. If there are boats on the lock landing, I always breast up to them; just be wary of raised deckboards when crossing. Water point is above their yard, but marked with signs and rings. The shop in Jones Road (which used to sell delicious Bhajis and Samosas) has now been reverted to residential use.

Thanks for that. I suppose we all dress up when we go on the pull!!!

During a short cruise around the BCN and B'ham Worcester last week I could not help but notice that despite a good number of Mallards, I only saw, at most, 2 drakes. Any ideas where they go for their holidays?

If you turn the pump on, then depress the valve stem, do you get water out of the valve? If so, the diaphragm has failed in the accumulator necessitating replacement if you consider it an advantage to have one. Even with no air in the unit, the increased volume of water in the unit will alleviate some short cycling.

Don't think so. At the top of the loop there is a park, the first part of which is No Mooring. The rest of it then is short term mooring administered by the Council, but the signs stop about 20ft from the end. It is a reasonably sized house behind a large hedge, and there is actually a gate in the hedge onto the park.

Fit a tap to the below the level of the tank, extend from this to the float control. Undo the float control connection and push a suitably sized plastic tube over the end. Suck on this until you see oil. You can then close the tap, remove the tube and reconnect to the valve. Upon untripping the float control, the flow should fill up the float control. I have installed a 'T' in the pipework with the offset leg capped off to enable a syphon to be re-established.

If you wish to use the top outlet and rely on a syphon, then use a pipe diameter around 3/16" maximum. This will keep up with the fire's requirements, without it having to pull too much weight of fuel, which will fail when the tank is half full. Also, do not install a filter at the tank, rely on that in the float control.

And handy mooring for Shepperton, 10 mins walk for shopping, eating, drinking etc. Just be aware the resident at the downstream end is meticulous about not overhanging the mooring sign. Infringement will earn a visit from the local council. He also monitors arrivals and reports overstayers. A sunny afternoons barbecue will often be spoiled by motor mowers and hedgecutters. I suppose he will have encountered some belligerent individuals over the years.

If you can clean it up well and apply some Loctite or similar and try tightening it up, then you may succeed. It is however a parallel thread so nothing to tighten against. Also, beware of overtightening as you can distort the tube with too much force.