kevinm

Thanks for that Tony, I am a complete noobie to Narrow boat design terminology, I think I wrote semi-Trad when I meant Trad

Guys, Thanks for pointing that semi-trad mix up out Guess what I mean is a Trad tug conversion then with about 10 foot of tug deck at the fwd end the rest being converted to accommodation to incl an engine room and a boat-mans cabin. Still getting to grips with the terminology.

Not sure if it is written anywhere, perhaps in corrosion related papers, but 15 years of experience surveying and inspecting floating installations in the Oil and Gas Industry for Classification Societies such as Lloyds, DNV & ABS has led me to this conclusion. Yes, I stand by it... 1-6 Yes you can place sacrificial anodes in your bilge but they will only work when they are part or covered with water (electrolyte) and since its best to keep the bilge dry, there probably wouldnt be much point. The only place on the outer hull of sea going ships where anodes are sited is usually around the stern where the propeller causes vast amount of turbulence and therefore increases the likelihood of "cavitation corrosion." Modern hull coatings usually dictate that the primer coat in direct contact with the steel acts as the anode.

Hiya Guys, I am new to the forum and the Narrow boating scene. I have owned Fishing boats and a Yacht before but am looking fwd to getting my first NB. I really like Semi Trand Tugs with Lister or Gardner engines and traditional boat-mans cabin, Hopefully I can find something that suits my taste and pocket before 2019. I like reading through the all the threads for info on narrow boats, they are a great source of information and knowledge. Thanks to each and every member for their contribution to help us noobies out Kevin.

Just check the bottom plate condition of your bilge regularly, if there are pools of water sloshing around, mop it out and dry it. There are different types of corrosion, if you spot any patches of aggressive pitting you might want to consider a complete blast and repaint of the compartment. Generally speaking, scale rust is not much of a problem. 6mm thickness of scale is generally representative of 1mm of actual steel loss. Localized Pitting corrosion however is a different animal and given the correct environment, has been known to eat through 10mm of steel in 12 months.

looks like zero hours.... :)

If it is only surface, brown powdery rust and the bilge is usually dry, it is nothing to worry about. If you want to repair it, get a solid hand scraper and scrape the bottom plate to confirm it is only powder and not thin scale, then you could get a STIFF wire brush attachment for a power drill and clean it all back to bright metal, hoover the space out, fit a very abrasive disk to your hand grinder and rough the steel surface, then hoover out again and apply a couple of coats of Aluminium based primer, then an couple of coats of epoxy. Work the paint well into corners and weld contours but dont over apply any of the coats. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next... Job done... You will feel great and deserve a few pints after that...

Thanks guys, much appreciate all the feedback Midships SFB and gravity feed to calorifermejig and rads it is then. I also read somewhere that, although cleaner, the diesel heating systems are heavy on house electricity (guess thats the pump). I see most boats that I have seen on the internet have SFB at fwd end, 3 or 4 radiators along the length then the calorifer somewhere near the rear. It seems that everytime I figure something out and decide on a specific feature, that kinda narrows my field of choice down, but I guess thats natural and you guys have all been through this with many a story to tell ? Kev

Hi Guys, I am new to the forum and looking for my first live aboard Narrow-boat. I would like to hear any feedback from anyone who has a back-boiler fitted in their solid fuel stove. Do you run your radiators off it or does it heat the water in your calorifer tank or both? how does it perform? What are the pros and cons of such a system? Much thanks, Kev.