Ex Brummie

Ready aye Ready !!!!

I'm pretty sure that the seal in my stuffing gland on the de-carbonising rod on my bubble is fibre. If any leaks are noticed, then as already stated, nipping up the stuffing gland cures it. When you can't turn it any tighter, then you know you need a new seal.

If you look into the existing gas locker, you will probably find that there is a 'drain' hole in the bottom to overboard. This arrangement is quite common, and there are many hire boats that have a similar arrangement. Who is the shell builder?

That is what I would think of as a Supreme. I've only seen them with oil conversions. I would imagine that it must keep things very warm,but you do have another cooker. There used to be a 40 ft boat camped on the Shroppie that had similar installed, and all doors and windows were permanently open. There was another on the residential moorings at Norbury that had one, and he also had a pressure jet oil boiler that Harworth made. The heating load was so small that it cycled so frequently that for 3/4 of the burner running time it was either in pre purge or post purge. I think it rotted the return port through condensation very quickly.

That is my service interval.

Are you sure it is a Nouvelle? The nouvelle is an oilfired full cooker and boiler which has two burners. A vapourising burner on the cooker, and an aspirated vaporiser on the boiler. The size is about the size of a 2 oven Aga, and would take up most of your galley space.

My Perkins 4108M runs with Morris Multivis 15/40, and after 27 years, after 200 hours, there is little or no oil loss. Cheaper oils always needed top ups. The only downside is that with a PRM gearbox, I need to carry a mineral 20/50 as semi synthetic is not suitable in the gearbox, or so I'm led to believe.

I have a Bubble with backboiler that runs a radiator on gravity at the front of the boat. The heat is constant and it is lovely to get up in the morning and it is as warm as when you retired. The fuel cost difference is minimal unless you burn any old logs found on the towpath. If you use a decent quality of coal, then you would not notice it. No ash, just an occasional decoke. A good chimney is needed for efficient operation.

The squeaking wheel gets the grease!! But remember, if you make too much noise or are impolite, the attitude with which the job is done may not be as good as it could be. Locally we have 3 boatyards and the same yards get totally different reports from different people, so I suspect that the initial approach and discussions make an impact on the relationship.

A raised dinette is one solution, but may not be the best for comfort at general leisure. Large mirrors inside will give you a 'back to front' view. Be aware also that moving away from standard windows may make it awkward to get replacements if any get broken whilst out.

I also use a Dunton Double extra ( with jubilee clips - not s/s). I did see one with 35mm Armaflex on the long arm and the lady swore it floated.

Still have good memories and would never deny my origins, but when I go back now, it does not feel the same. Where I now live has many "ex's" so I can still keep my funny talk and not be out of place. Much of my boating is on theBCN, but as you will know, most of that is not in Birmingham. We all rub along well together, but are proud of our individual heritage, and I still look for the results of the only team in Birmingham. Keep right on etc.

That's good then? Long may it continue Thanks

I notice on my posts, there is a mention of nil warning points. I can't see this on any other posters. What does it mean?

I now take my tongue out of my cheek!!!!!!

Theoven incorporates the thermostat, and any dismantling may upset calibration. If it won't turn off, then it could be something has broken and is jamming the mechanism. If it almost gets there, it may be worth trying some Rocol gas tap lubricant which can be applied into the tap by removing the gas feed pipe and working it. Worth trying before spending a lot on spares. At £125 ish + the cost of an fitter and you are not far off a new unit.

FJC is like body filler, except it does not completely harden. It can be rolled out into thin strips and pushed into small gaps. I use it to seal oil boiler flues at the joints, but still use fire cement at the boiler collar. At that point the temperature rarely exceeds 300c . I've used FJC on my flue, but this is on a Bubble, and does not reach the extremes some solid fuel stoves do, and also it isa consistent temperature.

If you use nice shiny stainless steel jubilee clips they will match the polish of your windlass.

F J C flue jointing compound, by Purimachos is a non setting flexible flue sealer and is available from heating merchants. Fire cement will crack with vibration and is degraded with damp such as condensation. A boat that is left for a week or two will get damp and this will be absorbed by fire cement. An occasional dressing of a joint is to be expected. FJC will last much longer.

Sitting on a ring of rope is essential to allow for expansion and contraction. It also helps to eliminate any vibration between flu and stove. You also need rope or similar to eliminate any direct metal to metal contact between the stove pipe and the collar.

I installed a unit that incorporates a twin bank of small LEDs that is about the same length of the fluorescent tube lamp it replaced in the galley. For reading in the saloon, I purchase a couple of strips of LED bulbs off Ebay. These are installed behind the curtain retaining rail and give plenty of concealed light. The galley light cost £4.99 and the strip s under the rail were about £3 each

You need to take another measurement to give it authenticity. The fan speed varies with the strength of current, so you need to measure the temperature of the top of your stove. You could produce a hysteresis (?) to show the relationship of the three values.

I challenged Graham Wigley, who operates Collingwood & Ash as camping boats (very popular with scout groups) with the amount of money he had cost me! He looked startled until I told him that sfter a long weekend with a youth club group on Collingwood one easter, I had to buy a boat. Forty five years later, I'm still bitten by the bug.

At £14,000, could be worth a look, but they are quite old and IIRC they are recycled from other hire fleets.

There are many compliant filter separators available and they are worth fitting, but if acomprehensive service is carried out regularly, you do not need to be able to see it is clogged. But then, many peoples maintenance is done on a reactive basis rather than proactive. Reactive is fine, until you are on a flowing river and the engine stops.