Batavia

The Bosch BNG starter motor which was fitted to my Bolinder 1052 was rated (from what I can remember) at 2.2kW when running and the locked rotor (starting ) current was given as 600-700 Amps with a terminal voltage of 7 Volts. When I did some test using a large battery bank and very thick cables, my ammeter went of the end of the 1,000 Amp scale on starting! Chris G

Foam board, which is available in a range of thicknesses (mine was about 5 mm), doesn't rot and can be wiped clean. Chris G

P&S Marine in Watford.

I have found that a Brushmate works brilliantly. However, the saving in white spirit is more than offset by the need to buy a large number of Purdy brushes to make the best use of it! When I was fitting out our boats, I probably 5 or 6 types/colours of paint on the go at any one time, then factor in a couple of different size brushes for each paint and the number of brushes you need is rather horrifying. Basically, I only cleaned them very occasionally, or when I ran out. My record for storage in a Brushmate is about 5 years, when I forgot that I had left some brushes inside it. They bristles were still soft and they cleaned up perfectly.

Having lived in Berkhamsted for a long time, it is fascinating to see how much has changed; the year by year incremental changes aren't that apparent as time goes by. Also, it was interesting to see the final stages of the West Coast Mainline electrification in progress - the overhead gantries have been erected, but steam and Diesel locomotives are still running.

Belzona 111 would probably work well.

There wasn't much available space on either of our last two boats, so I used 2.5mm brass strips on one side and 1mm PTFE strip on the other, secured with industrial double-sided adhesive tape.

Try Nick at TW Marine - very knowledgeable and helpful.

Heisenberg and Schrodinger were driving to work one day, when they were stopped by a traffic policeman. Policeman: "Do you now what speed you were doing?" Heisenberg: " No, but I knew exactly where I was." Policeman: "Well, you were doing exactly 81 mph." Heisenberg: "Thanks for that, but now I have no idea where I am." The policeman is now annoyed by the scientists' attitude, so he examines their car carefully, hoping to find a fault. Finally he opens the boot... Policeman: "Hey, did you know you've got a dead cat in here?" Schrodinger: " No, I wasn't certain, but I am now." Unfortunately there are many, many more of these!

Thanks Graham. PM sent. Chris

If anyone is is contact with the current owner of my former boat Batavia (a grey tug with many rivets), which I sold 18 months ago via Braunston Marina, please could you ask him to contact either me or the company which is storing some boat stuff for him? The boat stayed in Braunston for a while but I heard a while ago that it was now somewhere "further North". Please PM me if any further information or clarification is required. Many thanks Chris G

Or even "under water"?

The problem seems to be that what was a small crack in the offside abutment of the Lower Kings Road bridge has become a large crack. The road and canal are both closed. Chris G

Needless Alley in Birmingham. Chris G

Possibly because the Gulper NRV is of the type known as a duckbill valve. As these are basically full-bore valves, they are very difficult to block. However, most people probably wouldn't think of fitting one in a boat, as they would be more familiar with a swing check or spring check type valve. Despite being excellent for certain applications (typically in drainage systems) duckbill valves do have a couple of disadvantages, though. First, they don't completely prevent reverse flow and second, they normally have to be fitted (somehow) between flanges if they are to be installed in a pipe (as opposed to the end of an outlet). Chris G

Having read the print article, I think that you are being very polite! Chris G

There are many companies who can produce Traffolyte front panels and one which specialises in industrial, rather than marine, panels will probably be cheaper. However, be warned - one off panels of the kind you want won't be very cheap! Chris G

Our old Sibir fridge (a different model from yours) had an incredibly fine filter just before the burner jet, which looked like a dented washer whose centre was covered in a mesh you could barely see.. If your fridge has one of these, check that this is not blocked. It was necessary to dismantle the burner assembly (easily done). When we finally got rid of the Sibir, due to increasing problems with lighting it, I dismantled it for spares - only to find that the pipework in the fridge was filled with rusty sludge. This was probably the underlying cause of the problem. Worth checking. Chris G