frahkn

That looks like a fair stroll - in my years at Alvecote I never even walked to the Pretty Pigs, made do with the Barlow.

Didn't you just post that he did tell you to F off, so what do you mean by "nobody" etc? It certainly is rude, I probably wouldn't say it to a stranger, but it's silly to claim that nobody does when someone just has.

We only have 6 side hatches but 3 are the type with a combined roof opening. With the pigeon boxes it's bright enough even though the portholes are not the biggest.

I intend to speak personally to the fitter (perhaps buy him a pint) but not until I'm back on the boat. It's incredibly frustrating not to see all this first-hand. How would this happen? Had not thought of this as a possibility.

This turned out a little strangely and I don't really have an explanation so thought I would mention it. I should start by saying that I have not been to the boat and cannot go for another week, so this is all second hand information. If you look back to post 61, the sender had been ruled out and a new thermostat was to be fitted. This was done and all was reported to be well. However when my daughter visited the boat, the overheating problem was still present and she reported this to RCR. The boat was then again empty but on her return, this morning, the problem was fixed and it was obvious that the calorifier had been looked at (it is under the bed). She phoned the engineer who told her that a colleague had been to the boat and fixed an "airlock in the calorifier", but that he did not have the details. I phoned RCR who had the fitter's report to hand, they told me that the problem had been air in the skin tank and that this had been bled and 3 litres of coolant replaced. Which, on the face of it, is great (I don't mind paying for an unnecessary thermostat). But a the skin tank is inaccessible, b has not had an airlock in 7 years, and c what has the calorifier got to do with it? Anyway, there it is.

I absolutely agree with you, I've retired now but when I had a holiday job in my teens (in a filling station) lowlives were asking for "a few blank receipts" to cheat on their tax. Nothing has changed during the intervening 50 years.

Make sure you update this if you recover the bike - otherwise you may be the subject of a robbery in addition to the theft.

Those to whom "it would not" are the people with "a distressingly petty outlook on life", as I understood the post. Sorry, I type slowly.

It was the thermostat, all well now. Thanks.

I too am fussy about sound quality. That is why I never use MP3 as a source and stick to a radio (and its own speaker) on the boat. I can't even approach hi-fi quality in a 7' steel tube.

RCR were out to the boat this afternoon (we could not be there but the marina gave the fitter the keys). He phoned me to say that (after 10 mins running) the alarm was on and the temperature gauge read 105 but the engine did not feel too hot so the sender was probably at fault. Before I had a chance to celebrate, he phoned back to say that, on waiting a bit longer, it was the thermostat, not the sender. As it was getting late and the parts were not on the van he is coming back tomorrow. I will get back to you all i.d.c. (hope it's not the water pump, followed by an airlock, tomorrow).

An interesting hypothesis but not one that I would be prepared to test experimentally, I may be getting on but I hope for a few years yet!!

Worth a try but I'm not quite sure how to phrase the request, perhaps you would ask on my behalf next time we see you!

Thanks Tony, When putting the current boatman's stove in (I had to change the original) I spotted a large-bore metal pipe just disappearing into the floor. I have always assumed that this is going to (or coming from) the skin tank. There is definitely nothing under the engine as I had this moved (into the centre of the floor) two years ago. Despite not being numpties, Orion had originally put the engine in the bathroom, at the foot of the bath, hard against the port side. There was no access to the starter motor etc. Anyway it's good to know that there are skin tanks which do not need to be bled. Crossed fingers mine is one of them.

Tony, If I had been present I would have run the engine for a little longer to see if it got hotter or started to smell but understandably, my wife was reluctant to do this. It will be several weeks before I can get to the boat. Orions are noted for eccentricities in their build, so I am told. My boat is a 70' trad with the engine room 12 to 15 feet from the back. The skin tank appears to be (I have never actually seen it) at the rear on the port side. So it is hidden by the boatman's stove and by the full height cupboards in the back cabin. There may be some access below the floor but not without removing a lot of woodwork. To be honest it probably has not been bled since it was made, 17 years ago. Certainly I have not touched it in my 7 years of ownership. I don't winterise for this reason, I pay for heaters instead.

As you can imagine, I am eager to believe it is not an airlock in the skin tank. I have had the boat 7 years and have never seen the skin tank. Can anyone suggest how such an airlock could develop in three weeks without any noticeable drop in the level in the header tank?

Thanks for all the advice, I’ll try to deal with each of the points:- The coolant level was checked and is ok. The belt driving the water pump is good. There is no shut off valve to the skin tank but access is poor to the pipes and hopeless to the tank. I plan to replace the thermostat as soon as I can get one and a gasket. Could run without but I’m worried about not replacing the gasket. Our infra-red thermometer showed about 75 degrees at the integral header tank but 85 ate the pipe leading away from the thermostat. I was not there and my wife was reluctant to continue running the engine while the alarm was on. It could indeed be the sensor. I have owned the boat for nearly seven years, it has never run hot even on rivers. It uses no oil (or water) between 250 hour services. It was last out for 3 weeks in January but the engine was run for an hour or so last month. There is no separate header tank. The bilge is dry and clean - the engine is in an engine room with good access. It is an Orion and access to the skin tank (12 feet from the engine) is bad. I really hope it is not an airlock.

My wife went back to the boat yesterday and changed the oil. She ran the engine for 15 mins first and thought the oil was hotter than usual but made nothing of it. Then she switched the engine on again, planning to run it for an hour or so. After about 10 mins the overheating alarm (sound and light) went on and the temp gauge showed 100+. The boat has not been used since January but the engine was run for an hour in June with no overheating. I (remotely) thought air lock, thermostat or water pump. Anything else? What would you do in these circumstances given that I cannot got to the boat at the moment? Thanks.

Ah, so some previous point got you?

Well, not if it jabbed him in both eyes anyway!

Surely our head of state is meant to be apolitical? If so, any associated comment can be sycophantic/rude/treasonous etc but not political.

Whereas I can only accept that idiots have the right to hold their various nonsensical beliefs, I just can't respect an idiot or his rights. Shows what a miserable git I am but there it goes.

If you look-up a you tube blog called "minimal list" you will get lots of recent info about the Chesterfield.

Anyone leaving the HI seriously drunk would have trouble finding the canal! Don't ask me how I know this.

The "compost" is fairly dry but quite powdery and would not make very firm bricks. I may try to burn a little as an experiment, if I do I'll report back.