tosher

Couldn't agree more! Just spent our first summer cruising the canals, stopping at many visitor moorings along the way and it is a very rare event indeed to find one that is dog sh@t free. We have learned the hard way the golden rule when jumping ashore --- "look out for dog sh@t"

I have an Isuzu 42 and I bought my oil ( Isuzu API CC grade 15W/40) from Kings Lock chandlers in Middlewich cost £14.99 for 5 litres, also seen it at Norbury Junction chandlers at £15.99 for 5 Litres. I have got details of the oil filter but onboard my boat, I can get them on my next visit, probably Sunday. Hope that helps.

Yes indeed catweasel, that is the type I have and assumed that the water it condensed would be pure. Perhaps I should have mentioned the type of dehumidifier in my original post. Sorry.

Come on chaps, any more views on this topic, I see an unlimited supply of free distilled water of it's ok to use in my batteries ?

Slightly off topic but I have just purchased a de humidifier that produces plenty of water (distilled ?). Is this ok for topping up batteries ? tosher

Know exactly what you men, had one once and it worked a treat. Have tried to buy one at every chandlers and motorists shop that I have passed in the last 3 months - most knew of them but none sold them. Will keep looking. tosher

Incidentally I sent the above e-mail direct to customer services at Newage-PRM over 3 weeks ago and to-date have received neither acknowledgement or reply. I think this high lights the real value of this forum and the contributions from it's members. Thanks to all

Thanks for your reply RobinJ, it answers my question very well, my oil is exactly as you describe - like chip pan oil. It also leaves me slightly worried as my boat is only just over one year old and the engine has done 500 hours in total. Any suggestions to prevent this happening as it sounds like I may be in for an expensive time. tosher

I recently changed the oil in my PRM 150 gearbox after 500 hours service and was a bit surprised by the colour of the oil. It was a very dark dirty colour, is this normal or could it be an indication that something is wrong? The first 250 hr service was carried out by the builder so I don't know what the oil was like on that occassion. I have never changed the oil on a PRM hydraulic gearbox before but every other type of gearbox I've drained the oil is normally clear and almost like new. ???

We were told that on average people look at around 20 boats before they find the right one, in our case it was well over 50. We were also told that you will know when you find the right one ----YOU dont buy the boat - the boat buys YOU !! this proved to be very true.

Thanks dor for your update, really pleased it worked ok for you. I will try and do some accurate speed checks next time I go out on the boat and see how they compere with yours (and some of the other posters). Thanks again - tosher

Many thanks for your reply, the Stovax advertising blurb does say that thier stoves have both an "airwash" and a "clean burn" system but on mine they don't seem very effective. I light it using fire lighters, kindling and wood or coal on top but by the time the fire is well established it can't be seen through the dirty glass. ??????

I have a Stovax Stockton 4 stove, works ok and reasonably easy to light but it is almost impossible to keep the front door glass clean, it is blackened to obscurity with tar/creosote after several hours in service whether burning wood or coal type brickets. Does anyone know how to stop this happening. Also what is the best thing to use to clean off the tar/creosote that runs out onto the roof from the chimney. Thanks.

Thanks for all that wonderful info. I will now attack the job with a new confidence.

What is the best way to set the stern gland for tightness and how can you tell when it is done correctly. ie. what should escape inboard of the gland -- nothing at all? grease? or a few drips of water? and how hot should the gland get when the shaft is turning? As you can probably guess I'm about to adjust mine for the first time. Thanks.

Thanks for your reply, my prop is also a 17" x 12" and I have reached the same conclusion as you although my boat handles very nicely at tick over for entering locks etc. I have discussed this problem with Crowthers who were very helpfull but they say that the prop is too SMALL and they would recommend a 17 x 13 or 18 x 12 prop for a standard 57ft boat with a 42 hp engine which leaves me somewhat confused. But please keep us informed as to how your boat performs with the new prop. Thanks again - tosher

I have a Sterling 3000w 3 in 1 pure sine wave inverter/charger (11 months old) which is sold as having an "Equalisation Cycle" to prolong the life of the batteries by reducing sulphation. The manual states that this equalition cycle is supposed to happen after every 25 normal cycles and increases the charge voltage to 15.3v for 2 hours. I Have never actually seen this happen on mine so I contacted Sterling to ask them. I was very supprised to be told that this feature has been removed from these units "because charging at 15.3 v caused too much damage to the boats electrical systems and no longer happens". Is this what you are refering to Chris are is this something different, I would be interested to hear if other peoples combi units do still have this feature. tosher

Hi 5thhorseman, Iam interested to know what size prop you have on your boat ? I have an Isuzu 42 on my 57 footer and can't get more than 2300rpm under full power. thanks tosher.

I find that people seem to slow down more and sooner when they see that some one is onboard. If I am in the cockpit or stood on the bank the responce is usually better than when I am out of sight below. Perhaps this is just my imagination or could it be that me being 6ft 1" tall and weighing 17 stone helps them to remember their obligation to slow down.

This happened to me in the same place (but without any abusive language) from what looked like an employee of Alvechurch. I wouldn't have minded so much if the canal adjacent to thier base (tow path side) had not been almost blocked by thier hire boats moored three abrest causing a real obstruction. This area by the lifting bridge is a bottle kneck at the best of times and thier boats moored like that just makes things worse. IF the wider bit of water in front of thier base does indeed belong to them they should put up clear signs telling boaters not to use it for winding, but by the same token the rest of the canal belongs to us and they should not restrict our use of it by inconsiderate mooring.

I use Newton Crum, it's a good policy and a bit cheaper than most others but they do require you to fit a CO alarm, fire alarm & burglar alarm. However I have not had to make a claim yet so can't really judge their performance. tosher.

Thanks to every one for all your replies, very helpful indeed. I'll chop them up small & let them dry for a year then burn them next winter. Thanks again -- tosher

Has anyone out there used Leylandii logs on there wood burning stove? I've just chopped down several conifers in the garden which would make lovely logs for the multi fuel stove on the boat but I am a bit worried that the high resin content might cause problems. It would be a shame to dump them if they can be used for fuel. Any advice ?

I have a 57 ft semi trad (21" draft) fitted with a 42 hp Izusu engine/ PRM 150 gearbox driving through a python drive to a 17" x 12" prop. (total 400 hrs on the clock). With full throttle applied in neutral, full rated engine revs of 2800 is quickly achieved but when full throttle is applied in forward gear 2100 rpm is quickly achieved but this is the max obtainable. I also get some cavitation noise over about 1200 rpm. I suspected that the prop was oversized but speaking to people with similar sized boats 17" x 12" seems to be about right. looking at the power curve for the engine, 2100 rpm equates to about 32 hp so does this mean that I can't utilise the full 42hp of the engine ?? I would be very grateful for feed back regarding max engine revs achievable by people with similar set ups to mine to identify if I have a problem and if so suggestions on how to correct it. Many thanks

Thanks chris, will try that if no reply is forthcoming. tosher