Mad Harold

Suggest you buy a diesel compression tester (not a petrol one,they won't register high enough) Pour some oil in the cylinder through the heater plug hole or bleed it in through the air intake and spin the engine over and check the compression yourself. If the compression is greater with the oil in than without,then it indicates bore/piston ring wear. If the compression is the same then that would point to leaking valves. There is a BMC manual online,which would be a good idea to access. From what you have said about the people who have worked on your engine and the stupid comment about Easystart,I wouldn't trust them to fit a chain on a pushbike. As you are not allowed by your mooring agreement to bring in Your choice of mechanic,they have you by the short and curlys.If you take your boat elswhere to have it fixed,you might be told to moor elsewhere.Sounds as though they wear a three cornered hat and sport a brace of pistols! Hope it is something you can fix yourself.

A very interesting reply. It seems there are other boaters looking at electric propulsion.It bodes well for the future. Heating and cooking seem to be one of the problems to be overcome as well of course of battery charging. It may not be possible just yet to be completely reliant on solar and charging,but a solid fuel heater/cooker burning wood may be a stop gap.

I have installed one of those on my little Norman.The one hole model.They are cheaper than having an Eber or Webasto overhauled. A couple of points regarding boat installations.They are designed for trucks and motorhomes so on a boat need to have the exaust and combustion air inlet outside the boat.A proper insulated hull fitting for the exhaust. The plastic fuel pipe needs to be replaced with metal brake pipe to comply with BSS. Even on the lowest heat setting,my little cabin is toasty. If it hands it's dinner pail in,they are cheap enough to not bother having them overhauled,but to simply bin it and buy another.

How much space (in sq mtrs or feet) does 10kw of solar cover (approx) Thanks.

Doing some reading up on using an electric outboard on my Norman 20. Powered presently by a 8hp outboard and leaving aside the charging and solar requirements for electric power,I am a bit puzzled by the quoted power output of electric outboards. Some are quoted in pounds of thrust,and others in watts. My present engine is 8hp,but without tying a spring balance to the mooring,I don't know what it's thrust is. For example,one manufacturer quotes 100lb of thrust,and another quotes 5hp. As 1kw =1.341 hp,the manufacturer of the 5hp outboard says the motor is 1200W.I can't understand how a 1200W motor can produce 5hp. Is the manufacturer telling porkies,or am I misunderstanding something?

Hello,welcome to the home of copious canal boat knowledge. How big is your sailing boat?Most I have seen have cabins so tiny,they even have hunchback mice! When you get a decent sized narrowboat you will feel that you could host "Strictly Come Dancing." Ask on here about a prospective purchase and you will get tons of advice.(most of it conflicting) There will however be a common thread running through the replies,mix that with your own knowledge and Bobs your Firkin.

Surely a car only needs washing when you are about to trade it in or sell it!

Ah that's different.Compared to some of the battleships you see on the canals,a Broom Skipper is quite a lightweight.One horse used to tow a loaded barge. A more economical alternative might be to consider converting to an outboard.

I know you feel like chucking the sponge in and selling up (been there!) but I would have thought that close to our nations capital there would be plenty of competant boat engineers. Suggest you ask around,and also on here for a recommendation of a competant engineer and get your engine looked at and fixed by someone who really knows what they are doing. Best of luck. Giving your engine problems some more thought;if your engine is really bad,then you may be chucking good money after bad. If you think your boat is worth it,then consider a new engine and gearbox. By the time it is fitted,new engine mounts,a skin tank welded in,you are looking at £10K+! Or sell with a knackered engine for whatever you can get,and look for another boat.

One cylinder can run faster if one big end journal has been reground in isolation,giving a slightly different throw and therefore a different piston speed. As for the selective rectangular monoblade cavitation corrosion,that will only occur if you have a goniometer fitted to your solar panel. By the way,what brand of beer do you drink?

I would love a boat like that.The sound of a big lazy engine is wonderful.I heard the sound of Capn' Birdseye's engine on the Peak Forest once and loved it.(He lent me a pair of pliers) However,a couple of points about the advertised boat I would be concerned about. It is old,a hull survey as you point out is essential.With a overplated base and a steel top,it may be rather deep in the water.70ft is rather long,and may limit the canals you can cruise. It is rather expensive,certainly beyond my pocket,but love is blind. Best of luck.

Fitted a tv to my little cruiser.Took a little time to decide where to put it,and fit a retractable mount,fit the ariel,wire everything up,fit an isolation switch. Feeling quite pleased with myself,opened a tin of beer and packet of nuts,and settled down to watch. Tried 24hr news,Covid,Covid,and Covid.Couldn't find anything interesting so watched a bit of Transformers and found it childish.The film about the skater Tonia Harding was mildly interesting,but there was hardly any dialogue without f-ing in it.I can f- and blind with the best of them,especially when hitting my thumb with a hammer,but this film was way over the top. Switched off and read a Clive Cussler novel. Should have saved my money and a load of work!

Experience is certainly the best teacher,but the tuition fees can be rather high sometimes.

Enjoyed watching that more than Tim and Pru.