frahkn

I would describe myself as a very 'private' person, happily content with my own company; nonetheless it's difficult to spend time in a pub (as opposed to a restaurant) without getting into a chat with someone. Whether this is a "good thing" is another matter.

If you are going to be viewing a lot of boats you will need a better sense of humour.

Mercia is "pricey" and is a very 'marmite' type of place.

It is possible to overestimate the amount of heating needed. There are no radiators in my 70' boat, the cabin (about 35' long) is heated by a Refleks diesel stove while there is a traditional solid fuel stove in the (more or less traditional) back cabin, which I rarely light at all. The engine room is next to the bathroom and as I need to run the engine to heat the water, the bathroom is always warm when needed.

Why, what is the point?

I'm not certain if you mean Alvecote but if you do, I can't agree. I moored my 70' boat there for three years and had no problem getting in or out. Yes there are several boats per pontoon but there is more than 3 boats' width between pontoons.

Thank you all very much. I'll have a go when next it fails to start.

Tony, Just to be sure, am I to short the "main battery pos. terminal" to the "energise terminal" in your diagram? The engine is about 12 feet from the ignition switch, do I need to have that switch in the 'ignition' position while shorting or just in the 'on' position? The starter is directly below the gearbox oil cooler, so from a standing position I cannot see any of the above. I may be able to get down and see it but it will take some time, will this be a problem (ignition switch wise)? Thanks.

Very grateful for the above but I don't fully understand it. Can you explain (in words suited to an idiot) what should be shorted to what. Thanks.

Thanks for all the info, particularly as it is quite focused. It is an 18 year old engine with 11k hours under its belt. I don't know if it was a genuine Beta spare, at my age I can't get down to see it and as RCR did not charge me for it, they did not provide any paperwork. One thing I would say is that sometimes you only need to move the engine by a few degrees and it will start but sometimes 5 different moves are required before it will work. Thanks again.

Hi Tracy, Beta 43. That is my problem - the click suggests solenoid but why should turning the crankshaft (sometimes only an inch or so) fix the problem?

Last year we had a starter motor problem - turning the key we heard just a click but the engine didn't turn over. The RCR engineer got it started but said it needed a new starter motor, he would bring it next day but as we were close to our home marina, would prefer to fit it there. He showed us a "workaround" in case it wouldn't start in the morning; we should turn the crankshaft pulley a bit and try the starter again. This worked and we returned to base, had the new starter fitted and all was solved. Having returned to the boat after 6 months, we now have the same but intermittent problem with starting. The pulley solution still works but I am confused - what starter motor problem does this suggest?

The 90 day provision is imposed by the mooring contract. The contract exists only for 12 months so all of its provisions cease when it ends on the 365th day. If the marina thinks otherwise, let them try to enforce the provision. 'Course all this is assuming you will not need to go back there in the future.