timboharticus

What about chlorinated rubber paint ?

The area south of Bletchley is ok. Suggest go around Willowbridge or consider Leighton Buzzard.

I had my bottom overplated and up to the waterline for about £6.5k some time ago. The main reason being to satisfy the surveyor/ insurance company. In your case I would black it regularly , say every 2-3 years including bottom and keep anodes in good nick.

My glasses. How did I get home? Did I get home?

Play some Des O'Conner to it.

The advantage of pellets is that they are relatively dense compared to woodchip or logs etc, so require less storage space. Also pellets or woodchips burn to almost nothing and the ash is not full of grit/acid like coal ash, can be used as fertiliser. I would just use the wood in a normal stove.

Isn't it bad luck to change a boat's name?

It is possible to get compact fluorescent bulbs which run on 12V. Osram do them but I assume they would be expensive compared to the 240V ones. I'm still in favour of using gas!

IMHO a Rayburn/AGA is too big for a narrowboat and takes some time to get going. There is also the question of the flue length available. I never did any cooking in mine, suggest a Squirrel stove is adequate with gas cooker.

Hi, I'm intending to renew the stern tube/bearing in the near future. Is this fairly straightforward, or is it a pig of a job ? Please share your pain with me.

Anyone for another Christmas dinner?

Surely, the point is that the alternator should be geared/belted so that it spins at tickover enough to produce a useful charge rate. The alternator control then limits the charge rate as the speed increases. Add-on charge controllers ensure that the voltage across the battery is high enough to ensure a full charge, whereas car alternators are mainly inended to power headlights etc and battery charging is a side issue, so the car battery does not get charged at the optimum rate/voltage.

I still don't see how the "Banbury Stick" is usable by a single crew. If the bridge is lifted, then it would come down before the stick could be wedged.?

I reckon it's certainly worth doing when the boat is new or re-bottomed. On a narrowboat it's not that difficult if there's a reasonable gap underneath. I use a roller and long handle. I will probably do it most times it's blacked. Probably more important to make sure there are adequate anodes in good condition.

The best way is to wait for someone to come along and do it for you. I have been up and down Oxford and most of the bridges are well used by pedestrians etc. The other way is to stop, open the bridge and try to secure it with rope, mooring pin etc. In some cases this is not feasible. I have used Daniel's method, but it's a bit hairy! Please be careful, ref. safety.

Hi, If you were to allow 15% of the system volume for expansion, that should be more than adequate. (10% would probably be ok) I don't see why you can't maintain the system under pressure using the pressure cap. This would raise the temp in the pipes and stop steam forming which would prevent heat transfer. Need to make sure there is enough air in the pressure tank to allow for expansion!

I mentioned Megaman lighting ages ago. Compact fluorescents at about £2 are still quite useable behind wall fittings or bulkhead type. I still think it's worth having a skeleton of 12V lighting as backup, although this is much less efficient.

One of the most effective ways to reduce the inside temperature would be to shade the top of the cabin, probably by putting a tarpaulin on the roof. This would prevent the direct radiation hitting the roof and could reduce the temperature of the roof by 50C. The ventilated air gap between tarp and roof would dissipate the heat and air is a good insulator. I know this from working on buildings in he Middle East, though we didn't put tarpaulins over them!

Yes,please John. If you could add me on to the busy production schedule.

thanks, yes I do mean the gunnel. Any paint experts out there?

Alex "In simple terms the 15/40 oil will be thicker when hot, thus giving you slightly higher oil pressure reading (but not necessarily better lubrication properties)." I don't think this is the right way around. The oil will be thicker when cold. The oil acts as a hydraulic cushion between surfaces. Thicker oils are more suitable when the gap between bearing surfaces is large, thinner oils are better when they are small (tighter tolerances). Thick oil causes more drag and does not circulate as easy. Modern engines require thinner oils because of the tighter tolerances to which they have been made. The correct oil to use is the grade recommended by the engine manufacturer for the engine and type of use. I use straight SAE 30 or 20/50 in my BMC 1500. I have been told that using high performance oils with lots of additives causes bores to glaze up, since they tend to idle for long periods. The API number indicates the level of additives. API CC has low additives and I use this. Can't remember other grades , but EE EF etc would have more additives,detergents etc. for use in turbo diesels, lorries etc. One other point , a straight oil ie. SAE 30 or 40 will maintain its viscosity for longer, whereas multigrades can deteriorate quickly of overheated, or get chopped up by camshafts etc.

Hi magnesium anodes will provide more protection than zinc, but will corrode faster. Personally I would stick with mag, and keep an eye on them.

I'm the non-urban spaceman. Does this book concentrate on toilets? That's seems to be a major preoccupation of this site. Surely, there is scope for a manufacturer to provide a decent cassette loo that is big and not too costly?

I have had my hull blasted and comasticed up to the chine(?) Iwould like to paint the bit above top rubbing strake a lighter colour. Do I have to strip off comastic , or can I use a suitable coating on top. all suggestions gratefully received.