ronnietucker

I'm no sign writing pro, but I do like arty things. Some advice I'd give: buy good, soft, brushes (flats and points of various sizes). Skimp on these and you'll get crap results (streaks, etc.) paint needs to be oil based. I'd say go with enamel. Gloss might do. use a disposable plastic plate/tray as a palette. Ditch it when done. Don't use paper as the paint will soak into it. mark up the letters with soft chalk/pencil. Even masking tape if you can. OR: write up the wording on computer and print it out on several sheets of paper. Tape the sheets together to get it full size. Put chalk/graphite on the back of the sheets. Masking tape it to the surface. Gently draw around the design and the chalk/graphite should transfer to the surface. Or you can use transfer paper behind the sheets. don't think of the letter itself, think of it as shapes (lines, curves). It sounds daft, I know, but it helps when you're a lefty (like me) and going right to left. keep a rag with turps on it at hand to mop up mistakes make/buy a mahl stick to steady your hand on.

I keep mine at the back of the boat on a little platform that lets me put the drain house out the vent grill to drain into the canal. That way I can do a washing without opening up the back of the boat. Especially handy in winter or rainy days.

I use this one. Uses hardly anything. https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L89RRFP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Guilty as charged!

Bloop!

Touch wood. Outboard started first time today. 🙂 Seems that Sea Foam is the secret sauce. Things definitely improved after I managed to get that through the engine.

Thanks for the advice. I've got the good super unleaded petrol through it just now. The Sea Foam that I mentioned is a kinda cleaner and petrol stabiliser in one. So we'll see how that goes. Hopefully, I'll be using the outboard a bit more often now. Previously it was left sitting for a while at a time between uses.

I usually just turn the key to shut it down. Should I pull out the fuel line to run it dry?

Got it running today. Replaced both spark plugs. Initially it was trying to start, but still not reliable. Yesterday I added some Sea Foam to the petrol tank. It ran enough times (I believe) to get some Sea Foam petrol in there. Left it overnight. Went back to it today and it took a couple of tries, but it did start then cut out. Got it started again and quickly put it into gear to rev it up a bit. It kept running until I switched it off. I'll try it again tomorrow and see how it goes. Did the Sea Foam make a difference, or was it sheer coincidence? Can't say for absolute certainty, but I think the Sea Foam did do something as since using it I'm getting somewhere.

As Tony said: you'll need to provide more info on what you have and need. On my DC22 I have one starter battery (for the engine) and one leisure battery (for lights, USB charging, etc.). To help top up the batteries (on brighter days) I have a solar panel and controller which tops up the batteries as they go down. Unfortunately, the solar panel is pretty useless in winter. Do you just need 12V for lights and stuff, or 240V for power tools or something??

Hi @Tony Brooks thanks for the tag. I didn't see this post Yes,I have a Dawncraft 22. Mine was already fitted out when I got it, but I've since done a couple of small modifications (6ft seating area into a table and seating area that converts back to 6ft seating/sleeping) and tweaks (scraping off old paint on the hull and trying to restore the original). I'm definitely no expert, but feel free to ask me about mine @Littlegrebe.

Dammit. This seems to have returned. Moved the boat last week. Eight hours of constant movement and it was fine. Started after a couple of tries. Now... back to this again. *sigh* 🙄 NOTE: Ignore the bit in OP about moving the wheel. Can't seem to edit the OP to remove that bit.

Thanks for the info. 👍 We're still trying to find the right size of container. We don't need a lot of flush water in reserve. I have a water source running up to above the container with a tap on it. We manually fill the container to make flush water rather than having the water source connected directly to the flush mechanism.

No, it was a build up of calcium debris and other goop. The pipe from the toilet to the tank, and the elbow joint, hadn't been cleaned in the 6 months we've had the boat, and Christ only knows when it was last cleaned before we bought the boat. Done now. Thanks for the advice along the way.

Hopefully the end of this saga... No air lock. Had to take everything apart from the back of the toilet to the tank. Turns out the elbow joint where the outlet pipe meets the tank was blocked. Oh well, at least the outlet pipe and elbow joint are clean and won't need done for a while.

Almost complete, but I'm going to phone Jabsco tomorrow. I think I have an air lock or something. Sometimes the handle just won't go down for a second pump. The output pipe curls up (with no kinks) to the top of the tank to dump the junk in. As it did with the previous loo. I don't have a vent on the output pipe from the toilet to the tank (as the boat would stink) but I have a vent to the outside world from the tank itself. Anyway, we'll see what Jabsco say...

Nearly done, it's not of the highest quality, but it works. That's what matters! There's a little tap up there to fill the flush water when it goes low.

I'm only using the main supply to test the unit (brand new and clean). I'm making a separate 'cistern' which I'll fill manually.

Thanks all for the help. I've got the Jabsco compact loo. I know a few people are saying not to connect it to the main supply, but I'm giving it a try and it seems to work fine. I flick the lever and the bowl starts to fill. Flick it off and the flow stops. The handle pumped empties the bowl. So far so good. I just need to get the proper connectors to join the water line to the loo (different widths of pipe). I just hope pumping the loo to flush isn't going to inflate my tank like a balloon!

I see, sorry, I get you now. I might just use the existing water source (with a little tap or something) to top up a flush tank or something. Although, I do like the shower as flush water idea.

Yeah. What he said. ☝️ I was thinking from the boat water tank like my existing electric flush. It's just that some of the Jabsco leaflets make it look like they're for marine/sea use where you're dumping your dumpings overboard.

Is there a way to use the water pipe I currently have for the flush with the Jabsco manual pumps? As in: hook the water pipe to the new Jabsco toilet and use the current electric flush to supply to the new Jabsco? Then use the twist lock pump thing to shove the 'goods' to the tank.

I have water pipes beside the current pan. Currently it uses an electric flush to get water into the bowl. I could use that to get water in? But, yeah, it might take a bit of Macguyvering to get to work properly.

Thanks for the advice. I was looking at this one (since the place is local): https://www.duncanyacht.co.uk/098637-Jabsco-Manual-Twist-nLock-Compact-Toilet

No, I'm not swapping out the tank for a standalone unit. My Jabsco (58040 series I'm told) has crapped itself. Fills with water no problem, but it won't empty. The pump kicks in, the water whirls, and tries to do it's bit, but I don't think it's pulling the water down. I've checked the one way valve (separate from the pump) and the rubber in it seems OK. I think the pump is at fault. Taking the pump separate from the pan I can put water down it, 'flush it', but I don't see much pressure from the pump outlet. Anyway, I'm having trouble finding replacement parts for the Jabsco (ones that won't take weeks to get here) and was wondering if it's probably just better, and cheaper, to buy a new pan and flush mechanism. Are manual/electric marine/sea toilets compatible with a pump-out tank? Things like the Jabsco manual twist and lock ones?