NB Willawaw

These hourly rates are useful. I'm obviously not charging enough !

Roydon Marina is a nice marina really, but it depends what you want. Its off-line on a large and very deep lake and access is via its own lock. There is also a train line running behind it and the Rye House speedway track not far away and this can be heard when the wind is in a certain direction. Its a fair walk to the village as the complex is quite large (the marina is only part of it - they have log cabins as well). It has the amenities you would expect in a modern marina including a rail station just by the entrance and is in a nice part of the country. As has been said already, Roydon village has some nice pubs. So, depends what you are looking for really.

It's very hard to get to boats in London with a heavy tool kit and there aren't many places to park safely near the canal while you are working. I do work on the private river berths, but don't come inside the M25 for canal boats.

Glad it worked out for you, Richard. I've never just bought the valve and have only used them as part of a gas alarm system, but I was sure they were CE certified.

Air draft-wise, not much different than having a topbox on the roof. You can mount them so they can be removed in times of high water levels etc. Many on here will probably tell you that you don't need one as you can get TV cheaper with digi-aerials, suitcase systems and bits of damp string, but its your call. Camos had a good reputation, but there have been a few changes in the product range recently which I don't fully understand.

Have you spoken to Adverc and asked for a list of their authorised installers ?

What I fail to understand is why the glass level is above the waterline. From the outside it looks as if she is in distress and is taking on water. A small thing but the glass Canopy is meant to resemble the waves to give her an underway look. It would have been a lot more striking if the canopy was a few foot lower. She always had beautiful lines. It's pretty hard to conceal those.

Not this year - went last year.

Thanks Brian. Mine works both ways though - you can remotely switch stuff on at the boat and the boat can send you a text when there is a problem (battery voltage status or bilge alarm, mains unplugged etc). It sounds like Biggles just needs the one way type i.e. to remotely switch something on. Some of these, will switch things on and then text you to say its been done. I had a look, but I don't think this will text you an alert from your Bilgewatch.

You could try Jon Ody on 07766546645. He's at Oxford, but knows his stuff.

I supply one that does all kind of things like being bi-directional (alarms transmitted as well as receiving switching instructions), texts you the boats battery voltage on demand or when falling below a present threshold and runs from its own internal battery back-up if the power is disconnected etc. However, if you just simply want to switch the heating on (one direction) and nothing else, a gate opener would work and these start at about £70.

Hi Riverqueen Hopefully, problem sorted.

If I were you, I would ask your electrician to explain and substantiate those claims to your satisfaction.

Its probably better that you e-mail me at nbwillawaw -at- hotmail.co.uk where -at- is @

Unable to PM you as I don't believe you have reached the 5 posts necessary for access to your PM box, so have e-mailed you instead.

A Spitfire ? - now that DOES sound like a money pit..

Perfectly possible if the boat is up to it. BW starts at Limehouse or Brentford. EA starts upstream of Teddington. PLA have jurisdiction downstream. Most yachtie navigational equipment is small now and can be removed from its bracket and taken home if required.

Just watch where you moor going through London - there are definitely places to avoid. Once you are past the M25 outbound, its pretty safe. Enjoy. Roydon is a nice marina but a pig when the wind blows hard - its 25ft deep and poles don't touch the bottom.

I tend to fit them on every boat I work on. Nothing is perfect and certainly not for £150, but it does give you an idea about the state of charge of your batteries, in a simple to understand "fuel gauge" type presentation that most family members can understand. To be honest, I normally fit an ammeter as well, as I think its useful to see the amount of current flowing into and out of, your batteries. Very useful for cycling batteries between 50 and 80 pct charge to avoid over discharge and running engine/generator longer than necessary, but this will depend to some extent on your particular installation and charging habits.

My experience is that 24V causes more problems than it solves. 24V devices tend to be more expensive and there is less choice in the market. Cables can be thinner or voltage drop problems less, but on a new boat its debatable how much of a difference this really makes in practical terms. The 24V boats I've worked on always seem to end up with 24-12V converters to drive items of equipment. Gas-free boats are a different issue. We are gas-free and most of the gas-free boats I've encountered either live on a shoreline umbilical or have large generators.

I've seen both red and green Beta keel-cooled engines. is your engine keel cooled or raw water cooled - does your exhaust eject water when the engine is running ??

I was born in Barking Creek, well not literally. She's needs to be seaworthy and insured. This time of year, not a good idea by sea. In the late spring/early summer with the right forecast, yes do-able.