Batavia

I always used foam board on the underside of sliding hatches. It has an impervious surface which can be wiped clean and comes in thicknesses from 1mm upwards. You can get a self-adhesive version, but I always used a contact adhesive - enjoy the fumes! Chris G

I have used Trevor Whitling, as have the purchasers of both of our former boats. Chris G

Not exactly banned but the Occupational Exposure Level can only be met with appropriate ventilation and correct application techniques - hence it is not available to the general public. Paramose paint stripper contains dichloromethane and whilst in theory it is only sold to the trade, is actually quite easy to acquire - and it works! Chris Gis

Very true, but from my experience of designing transportable diesel-driven pumping systems, using Tico pads can remove a lot of vibration. I think that the cost of Tico, plus the area required (which normally involves installing intermediate steel plates between the engine feet and the bearers) are the main reasons why one doesn't find it used very frequently in boats. Chris G

I would recommend using Tico pads,with the proper bolt sleeves - but you will need a fair area of pad. Chris G

Also, in Berkhamsted, the signs by the winding hole have been replaced (not before time, as the previous ones were more or less illegible) but the new ones are not easy to interpret, as the "totem-ettes" are not in a logical vertical sequence! The ambiguity will doubtless be appreciated by those who choose to moor in the winding hole. Chris G

Up to a point... Volts = pressure Current = flowrate Ohms as described Chris G

Thanks for (most of) your comments! Batavia doesn't have a back cabin because there is insufficient height between the swim and the gunnel to fit in a cross bed - and we didn't like the layout where the bed goes lengthways (e.g. on Pacific). As for the rest of the layout- a matter of choice! It worked for us... The side fenders were initially chosen to stop the gunnel disappearing underneath the lock landings on the Thames, but proved to be very useful elsewhere. Chris G PS It also comes with about 3 tonnes of 1052 spare engines and gearboxes!

I shall take comfort from the fact that I am not a shareholder in the Flamingo Canal Carrying Company! Chris G PS - as an engineer, I am used to spending other people's money to achieve a good result - it is a bit different when it is one's own money...

That's what they said before both Deepwater Horizon and Texas City! Chris G

My solution on the latter stages of Daedalus and on Batavia was to fit a brass 1 1/4" elbow on the end of the metal waste fitting (avoid plastic at all costs) and then fit a brass hose barb into the end of the elbow using a reducer, then hose to the skin fitting. the whole assembly is very robust and no bodging is required. Although there is a "step" in the flow path, in practice this didn't seem to be a major problem with a 3/4" hose - depending obviously on what you put down the waste (and 1" would be even less problematic). On the odd occasion it did partially block, a swift poke with a length of wire up through the skin fitting cleared the blockage. Chris G

The main Henry's Radio was in Edgware Road, but they had a smaller branch somewhere else (may have been TCR).. For those interested in a electronics/radio nostalgia, this web site has scans of most issues of Wireless World, Practical Wireless and Practical Electronics, plus a huge range of similar publications. The advertisments make fascination reading - plus the realisation that nearly all of the companies which did advertise have long-since gone! Warning - you can waste hours on this site... http://www.americanradiohistory.com/index.htm Chris G

Yet another vote for Trevor Whitling. He did a hull survey of Daedalus for us and when we sold the boat, he also did a survey for the purchaser (which, bizarrely, I was left to superintend when the purchaser decided that he didn't need to be present after the first 10 minutes). Trevor is an excellent combination of thorough and pragmatic. Chris G

5.5 mm is the standard size of an M3 nut. I think that when you get down to small metric sizes, steps of 1 mm for nut sizes are proportionally too large. Chris G

Another point to note is that a 2 pole 100 Amp MCB would almost certainly be 3 modules wide, rather than 2 - I am not aware of any major supplier who makes a 2 pole, 2 module wide MCB rated at more than 63 Amps. Chris G