Mark Tunnicliffe

Told by more than one informed source (including stove maker) it would cost more than £200 to get the Bubble qualified engineer to drive out and visit me in the wilds of Suffolk. This is not canal boat country! Then would cme the cost of inspecting / testing and any repairs (including potential need to replace unity entirely, according to Bubble. Don't fancy sitting on a potential timebomb stove)... Ohter makes of retro engineered eberspacher type heaters are a small fraction of cost of actual eberspacher. I know a fitter. Recommendations for these are easy to come by, so if they're happy, I;m happy! But aprreciate everyone's adice - it's been helpful ...

Great contribution! Appreciate it. Almost certainly going for a Eberspacher-type deisel unit, I know someone qualified to fit it to. And you're right, the convenience of sitting on a huge tank of deisel can't be ignored!

Cheers for this - v useful More useful stuff - thank you.

Thanks Brian. Hope I'm getting this right: electric is efficient as heating gets? But that even 2 X 2500W elec heaters won't hack it? (you don't need to convince me). So get more electric heaters or a c8KW eberspacher?! The table is v interesting, but uncosted (which realise fluctuates) ..... Are we basically going to settle on fact that a KW fo heat probably costs the same whatever the fuel? ... the makers talked about possible cracks in the unit from overheating (due to running disconnected from the backboiler and radiators .... I should talk to them again ....

Thought that might be the case! Might talk to Bubble again, get some idea of ££s to test / fix ... And look at Chinese 'eberspachers'!

I see a plan shaping up

Looked into getting it serviced after I bought boat last year- called manufacturer as finding it impossible to get a Bubble savvy engineer in my area to come out (Suffolk). Told Manufacturer it had been run for years disconnected from its backboiler and they had a fit! ("could be dangerous to run"). So gave up on it for now thinking would cost several hundreds to service and check (importing an engineer too), with no guarantee of a clean bill of health at end of it. So haven't dealt with it yet (with the idea electric would be better for the envirnonment too? But reading these replies see it may just not be viable on a full time ocuppied 45' boat!

Naughty Cal - would you be able to do me a massive favour? and find out exactly what they're using some time? Could you ask if they find them noisy? / smelly? How they tend to use them? Thanks Alan. Sound advice.

Ok I'm listening! Re Eberspacher - know anything about the smaller models? Good to know - thank you

I have a deisel fired Bubble (Trademark) stove, in need of complete overhaul possibly. Currently no budget for this, even if wanted this route?

Hi, yes I am - I have a 16 amp hookup socket on my boat though - not sure how this affects things (elecs really arent my thing). I ran 2 x 2500W oil radiators last winter (at lowest setting, so 2x1000W, and the bills nearly killed me!

I live aboard on a 45' widebeam and have chosen not to resurrect the old deisel Bubble stove my boat came with? (would need an overhaul - and not keen on the atmospheric emissions either!). Can anyone advise on efficient, portable (preferably) and inexpensive cabin heaters? (Stressing efficient!) Be grateful for some pointers. Many thanks

Now, this looks solid!

Thanks to everyone - I think, in my mind, I began to answer my own question as I wrote it! The boat is in UK, by the way. I would always have had my own full survey done, just didnt; want to waste time and money on one if it was likely to be a horror show. I'm skipping this barge - lovely as it is, as many thousands of pounds cropping the hull and replating seems imminent, especially after reading the wise counsel here. And I should stop telling people I'm new to boating. I've lived on a steel boat for 3 years now but count myself as a newbie compared with many of my salty neighbours. A Dutch barge has begun to appeal for a few reasons (though extreme agedness worries me) - a wheel house for vantage point and light, and I guess shear character. While a widebeam canal boat has been top of the list, I can't help feeling they're a bit featureless, inseide and out (Cue outraged feedback!) Anyway, eyes open for the next 'dreamboat' ....

Hmmm. Indeed!

PPS - I do apologise - I need to amend above. Re-reading survey, I should quote directly: " Bottom and Bilge plating - overplating from turn of bilge to below waterline, minot pitting all in good condition. New overplating from amidships to stern, with existing plating in good condition. side shell plating all in good condition with overplating to turn of bilge to jyust below waterline. When built, wearstrips were rivetted to the sideshell to just below waterline generally with a depth of around 300mm. When worn it is not possibe to remove and replate, hence the doubling gives triple platig to these areas. With the vessel being used on Cat D waters only this is not a problem. Also wear plates port and starboard to the bow in 3mm." - I'm not sure what the last couple of points mean? Thanks for anyone's informed feedback! Absolutely!

I'm interested in buying a 63ft x 11ish 1930 Dutch barge advertised on Apolloduck, surveyed in 2013, the hull found to be in 'Good Condition' (Seller has supplied me with survey). However the hull bottom (built with 5mm plate), registered thicknesses of 4.2 mm in places, towards bow. She has been overplated in these areas (slight pitting, but good conditon). The surveyor had very restricted internal access to hull though, so could not comment on condition of the inside of hull, bilge etc. He recommended no work necessary anywhere, as despite thinning (where noted) the plating was sound. Lovely boat generally, beautifully maintained, but is it a timebomb? I'm new to boating, and need a good live aboard (I won't be cruising). And I'm tempted by this boat, but will it soon need new overplating, or worse, cropping and replacing? I've been told insurers may not touch a boat with less 4mm or less ..... PS to my original post - the areas of 4.2mm are original plating, not overplating.