JGL

Hehhe. I'll let you know when it spins up. Yeah in my exp most DC things fare fine for a few years, just checking. For this I'll try a 12v-12v and see how we go. Thanks for all the input peeps.

Hia, I've just got a router for the boat. The 230 power adapter supplies 12v 1a to the router. My question is, can I just cut off the end of the adapter, and rewire the cable with a 12v plug - sorry for my lack of knowledge on electrics... but would that seem to be a sensible approach? (obviously this is to avoid needing the inverter switched on) Thanks! Joe

I think there's no accumulator... Okay this is useful, I'll have a thorough investigation when I get back to the boat.. was rather clueless before, but now got plenty to go on. Updates to come...

Nope. Will try, I assume that's simple- i.e. find a valve on it and relieve any pressure (as I would a radiator?) Okay, sounds simple... I'll investigate tonight when I'm back at the boat and see if this is looks as simple as it sounds Right-o, thanks for the tips. I'm sure it's a decent pump in there now, but I'll check the brand.

Was on hard standing when it happened ? Makes sense. Thanks!

Great... I shall get to googling and figure out how that works ?

I think what's more likely is that the water in the pressure switch which is part of the pump froze and damaged it. They're made out of fairly small and delicate plastic parts and bending and distorting those parts can mess things up. Ah okay, this makes sense - thanks @MoominPapa & @Chewbacka .. I'm not sure what current pump is and not on the boat right now, but do you have any particular recommendations? (I may get a replacement in now so I've got one ready when/if it fails). Cheers again

I'm new to this.. but made the school boy error of letting the pipework freeze up with water in. No major catastrophes from what I can tell - no big pools of water, although things are a bit moister in bits of the engine room than I remember them. Once I realised I opened up the taps and warmed the boat up to thaw everything, trying the pump every so often. Took quite a while of heating/stove on for things to properly thaw. Now things have thawed out everything works... but there's a clear change - it used to take maybe 1 second from turning the tap on to the pump kicking in. Now it takes way longer, 5+ seconds. This is effecting both the hot and cold systems. I assume it means there's a slight leak somewhere, hence it takes longer for the pressure drop (when I open the tap) to register with the pump. Does that sound like a sensible hypothesis? If so, any tips on how to find the leak? Thanks!

Thanks, that's useful. I'll have try figure out how to remove the cover ?

I recently bought my first narrowboat, it's going to be moved by road this week. I'm just preparing it for the move (taking stuff off the roof, packing everything loose into boxes, etc) but wondering there's anything I might not have thought of. Do you think the rear pram cover will be okay simply folded down? (not sure how to go about removing it) Any words of wisdom appreciated! Joe

Thanks for the tip. I'll start finding somebody asap.

@cuthound Yep - I understand. I think this is a call I need to make (and hopefully will find somebody with expertise to chat to about it between now and next year). It looks as if the base layer of epoxy, which is now 15 years old, was very good... and is still largely in tact. Subsequent layers haven't gone on very well though... his take was to just accept this, give it a really good pressure wash, and go back to bitumen blacking (to avoid the cost of gritblasting again). I would prefer to stick with epoxy (but only if the layer there is still good enough). Either way I'll be waiting until next year based on what you lot have suggested, and secondly I'll be looking for some advice to choose the right way forward. Any suggestions of people on the Lancaster canal who know their way around these issues?

Glad somebody noticed the potential play on words with the title.. from Shakespear to Tupac was always the intention. You could go with this: "Don’t change on me. Don’t extort me unless you intend to do it forever." - I think he was trying to say make sure you shot blast the hull before applying a new coat of epoxy ?

@Dr Bob - thanks. I think you may have saved me from a silly mistake. I'll wait until the new year and go from there. Kind of amazes me that the yards in the business would be happy to take my cash, when presumably they know (or might at least have an inkling) that it isn't the most sensible route forward... I think the plan is put her back in the water in her new home (The Lancaster Canal), wait until warmer weather, in the mean time try and find somebody who knows their way around the issues and come up with a sensible plan (the surveyor's advice to pressure wash and then put normal blacking on is starting to make more sense now too). ?? I'll hopefully get back to the boat with a rag and some thinners later.. let's see what happens.

Thanks Bob this is really useful. So... point taken re: weather, that sounds like I should wait until next year (If I do, should I get the hull jetwashed now, or leave the 'several years' worth of green stuff on it?) Next, I don't want to grit-blast at all (if that was required then I'd probably just fall back to normal blacking - if that makes sense?) The only way I'd continue with the epoxy is if it's got a decent base for new coats (which I *think* it does). I'll aim to use your method to tell whether it's any good or not... .. this was the sort of approach I was hoping would be viable.. but even so, wait until next year?

.. I'm trying to not waste it... that's why asking questions! On the epoxy front I'd looked at Jotamastic 87 winter grade, which seems to be used in quite harsh environment. This is what their data sheet says.

Well actually the boat is out of the water at the moment, so seems to make sense to get it done. The cold/wet shouldn't matter with the right hardener.. I think. Having thought all this through I guess my questions are actually: 1) How can I tell categorically one way or the other whether there is any bitumen on the hull currently? Soak a rag in white spirit and see if it rubs off? I guess epoxy shouldn't rub off. 2) Assuming there is no bitumen currently on... what do I need to do to prep/prime the old paint for a new coat?

No, that makes sense. What I want to avoid is the shot-blasting (because, as you say, that's the most expensive bit). As far as I know it's only ever had epoxy on since the first coat, but for whatever reason subsequent coats haven't stuck well...

So I have just *TODAY* bought my first narrowboat. Super excited to get on the water! The surveyor was impressed with the steel, saying it was impeccable condition... largely because the hull was shot blasted and had a very good layer of 2-pack epoxy put on when it was only 2 years old (it's now 17). The surveyor thought that after the first epoxy layer it then then been blacked with bitumen. Meanwhile the previous owner said that this was not the case it's always been re-epoxy'd.. clearly without the shot blasting each time. I've no reason to doubt the previous owner, and a plausible explanation seems to be that the boat has never had any bitumen, but the subsequent coats of epoxy (after the first one) were not adhering very well (perhaps the old surface wasn't being prepared properly?) I'm not sure whether to just get it jet-washed and then put normal bitumen blacking on (this was the surveyors suggestion, an approach he was keen on and thought was sensible) or whether to try and get the epoxy re-done properly... thoughts?! Any input appreciated!