Awayonmyboat

The biggest point to remember is water only drains downhill. So make sure you are draining the lowest points of all circulating loops. On my boat that means draining the radiators (which are on one side of the boat) the bathroom towel rail (which is on a long loop on the other side) and the Webasto itself. Whilst it is fair to say all boats are different, as a point of reference mine which is a 58' fairly standard reverse layout with radiators along the length of the boat took 27 litres when I filled it after installation. It is plumbed with the recommended 22mm pipe for the main runs, obviously if your system uses 15 mm throughout that would use quite a bit less.

I had the same problem and found on eBay a fitting described as "Waste adaptor 11/4 inch to 3/4 inch RV, Boat, Caravan". It simply screwed on the base of the waste and provided a 3/4" tail at 90 degrees.

My old Webasto Thermotop C averaged about 0.7 litres an hour over a winter. So at current diesel pricing is say around £1 is a reasonable figure.

A bit of late feedback. A series of Italian tune ups on the river Severn over the last year, seem to have done the trick. Smoke levels now much reduced. My wallet thanks you all.

As a local to Droitwich I can assure you there are plenty of boats that don't fit. I suggest you do not plan and go through if you have any substantial (eg tv antenna, roof boxes) items fixed on your roof. My boat with standard triangular solar panel brackets will just go through most times - but on occasion I have had to send someone forward to the next lock to drop the pound slightly. One also needs to know the culvert roof dips a few centimetres towards the middle so make sure you have a little clearance as you enter. I'll also add the height restriction boards there are reasonably accurate. If they say you don't fit then you probably don't!

I think Tracy had summed up the situation very well (the only point I would quibble with is current valuation - I think £30k is a bit on the low side especially if you are anywhere from Birmingham southwards). The survey reads like the previous owner has stayed on top of any problems. As long as you are true to your words on maintenance, which every two to three years having the boat out of the water and blacked the hull is unlikely to cause you any sudden dramatic problems. A haul out and blacking (and other minor work you get done at the same time like anodes and welding any pits etc) will cost you near £1000 each time - so budget for that and you will probably be fine for many years. As you intend to stay in a marina make sure (double and triple check) the boat has a functioning galvanic isolator fitted, this is critical to minimising the risk of sudden fast corrosion issues. (If it doesn't it is not a deal breaker but is a negotiating point- it will cost a couple of hundred pounds to have one fitted) Given its an older boat in reality all the electrical and mechanical systems on the boat will probably give you more day to day problems than the hull and cost you more in maintenance and upgrades over time. Good luck with your future

The Autoterm silencer supplied with my unit last week is stainless steel, has no condensate drain hole and is fully welded around the edge. I would have no qualms using it even though I didn't as it was easier to connect to the existing silencer used by the Webasto. The Autoterm silencer however does look very similar to the cheap and problematical units MtB refers Regarding the loose fit of the pipes I would agree with this comment. However Autoterm do address this in their instructions and tell you how to resolve it.

Thanks for the feedback. It's good for the positive comments since I took the plunge earlier in the week and bought one. Fitted it yesterday and first impressions are positive. It fitted in easily in place of the failed Webasto (uses exactly the same mounting bolt holes and was relatively easy to adapt all the connections) and appears to work well. The only problem in having at the moment is with the controller in that I can't access the thermostat function. It could be my lack of familiarity but if I don't succeed over the weekend I'll contact Autoterm and see what they say.

Restarting an old thread. Anyone got long-term feedback / user experience with these Planar 5kW units? My 15 year old Webasto Thermotop C needs replacing and I'm looking at this as an option (it is roughly half the cost of the equivalent Webasto unit). I'm particularly interested in reliability in use, noise levels and unexpected issues. Thanks in advance.

I live in a marina which has an "intensive user" category. Around the Midlands many marinas seem to have this category. As others have said the biggest practical restriction is that whilst you can stay on the boat as long as you want you cannot use the marina as an address. This is for around normally by using a friend/ relatives address for those things that require it. Assuming you are happy to pay for a marina / CRT mooring my criteria for choosing would be: - does it have electrical hook-up ( makes life easier, especially in winter) - closeness to a town you like. - good public transport links if you don't own a car.

Thankyou for a honest, useful and informative post. Please keep writing despite any naysayers.

With an older boat you can use it in between the progressive updates of individual rooms or systems. With an empty shell you are really committing yourself to a year or two of solid work until it is cruise capable - unless you are willing to simply camp inside it. Also be aware most marinas are not keen / will not allow you to do major work on the boat whilst on your mooring. You will most likely either have to move it to a dedicated work area on dry land or some where it on the cut (without power). People have successfully done both options. I know I have chosen the rebuild/refit route and been glad I have

I'll try and be a bit more positive! Many people do successfully restore / renovate narrow boats but it is also true many (more) never complete the journey having not realised the amount of work and cost involved. You are doing the right thing, asking now for info before you have a project or even solid ideas. If you follow this through and remain questioning you raise your chances of success. I suggest the following You tube channels: - The Nomadic Crobot, - The boat that James built. Both channels will give you a reasonably unvarnished view of how much work and cost is actually involved in restoring a "project" boat. This site. Just continuously browse it for a few months. You will begin to pick up good info and more importantly start to recognise bad info. There are also some wonderfully experienced people on this site but they are often somewhat understandably frustrated at having the same questions asked - so learn to use the search function. Tony Brookes training notes on plumbing, electrical and the like. Search here on this site for links. Hope this is good for a starter.

I believe the Balmar SG200 is the combination of the Smartgauge and shunt you are referring to. I think I recall reading Balmar obtained the Smartgauge rights from Merlin and from there developed their own product. I have one and over the last two years have found it pretty good at tracking battery State of Charge (using the inbuilt voltmeter and ammeter as a cross check) without any periodic testing required. Note this function users the Smartgauge type algorithm and does not rely on amp hour counting. It also tracks battery State of Health (ie what percentage of original capacity remains) but I cannot comment on this as my batteries are only two years old and still show 100% and behave as though they have not lost any capacity. It also has a voltmeter ( for both domestic and starter battery) and ammeter function. Overall I would recommend the unit, but it is (or at least was) pricey - but batteries are more so. Having said that, now after a couple of years experience managing the batteries I would also be happy with a simple voltmeter and ammeter.