Mac49

After asking some question on here a couple of months ago I got a Horstman DRT2. It's really easy to set (I change the times often depending on when i'm in work), as others have said above, I set the temperature really high or low so it basically works as a timer and was pretty cheap at £23. Glad I got one after messing about with the webasto one in the past which I never really figured out.

I've got a Roberts DAB, again not a car stereo but works off 12v/mains adapter or it's own batteries which charge up when it's plugged in. Gets better reception in my boat than any other radio i've got ,I plug it into the 'aux in' socket on my CD/radio plus being portable it can leave the boat too. Not exactly what you were looking for but I find it works pretty well. I agree 6 music's great, Marc Riley has pretty much stopped me watching tv of an evening which people at work find weird!(What do you mean you didn't watch TV last night?!?!)

I was looking at this (http://www.screwfix.com/prods/17585/Plumbing/Central-Heating-Controls/Horstmann-DRT2-Room-Thermostat) from screwfix, it looks like it does a similar job to the TP5 and is maybe a more basic version of the one Paul's got and look a reasonable price. I'm going to have a look at the setup on my parent's boat tomorrow to see if I can work out the wiring. Cheers Rick

Just checked on toolstation's website, the stuff I used was called "Plumbers Gold" and according to them "contains Microban anti-bacterial solution, preventing black mould and discolouration for 10 years" can't see any sealant lasting 10 years to prove their claim but hopefully should stay mould free for a while anyway! The stuff I used on my van was very similar stuff without the microban and not specifically marketed for bathroom use (looked similar to sikaflex type stuff holding the glass in originally when set).

That seems to do what I want but it's a bit dear. A household timer can be had for about £20-30. This unit sounds like it's a direct replacement and uses a the third wire to power itself like the standard webasto one rather than an battery like this one at toolstation which admittedly only has 3 on/offs a day, the one on the boat I was looking at was called a Danfoss TP5 but I think it's long been discontinued. The one at Kings Lock certainly looks to be the easiest way (if there is such a thing as an easy way when working on a boat! ) Cheers Rick

After a leak from the silicon in the corner of my shower (probably from movement)I used a hybrid polymer sealant that your supposed to be able to apply to wet surfaces and use underwater etc. It seems pretty strong stuff and is lasting well, a black version has been holding a panel in the back door of my van for a year where the window was broken and the door was damaged.

I have a webasto heating on my boat and can't seem to get on with the standard controller. I'd like to swap it for a more conventional household controller. The standard unit uses 3 wires (red, brown, black) and a household one uses two. I been told this is fine and only two of the wires are needed, just not which two! I've had a look on someone else's boat with a similar but older setup which differs a bit from mine which appears to use brown and black but can't be 100% sure without dismantling their boat! I seem to remember this being covered on this forum in the past but can't seem to find it now (seem to remember topic included info as to why a thermostatic controller wasn't a good idea too). Any info on fitting a non standard timer/controller to a webasto would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rick.

I probably would just use more Hammerite as it's lasted pretty well but it was the first part of the boat to be painted and I changed my mind about the colour scheme after doing it so it does match anything. The only colour in the range that goes now is black, which i'm not keen on, they seem to have cut back on the colour range quite a bit (including the particular blue it is now!). Might try a small area of primer and see what happens before buying deck paint. Cheers Rick.

My decks are ready for repainting and were previously painted with smooth hammerite and seem to remember there could be some problems with overpainting with another type of paint due to it possibly containing silicon. I'm not sure if this applied just to the hammer finish or if it i'm just imagining it all together. Has anyone got experience of this? It would be normal red oxide and deck paint i'd be using, not xylene based. Thanks Rick.

When I fitted mine the flue went through the collar and the space around the flue was packed with 1" glass rope and then a thick layer of heat resistant silicone. The collar sounds a different setup to yours though as the diameter of the collar was probably over 5 inches which allowed for my flue to go in at an angle, parallel to the cabin, but as yours sounds like it's been working OK until now there's obviously more than one way to go about it. Part of the reason I've got the flue going spare is because of the angle I needed, I would have had to either needed a couple of angles welded into the flue or swap it for a 4 inch flue and I was offered a stainless 4" flue so I went with that option. I thought I'd got some photos, but I mustn't have taken any of the last stage unfortunately. I remember seeing some moulded high temp silicone(?) fittings for a flue, probably on this forum somewhere, could the black adaptor be something similar as you say it's got a rubbery texture? Rick

Sorry, don't know about the rubber joint but I do have a brand new 4.5" flue surplus to requirements if it's any use to you if you're planning on redoing it, I could do with the space to be honest. I listed it in the for sale section a while ago but didn't get any responce so i'd swap it for something for my boat or failing that just some beer! Send me a PM if you're interested. Rick

You can download the instruction manual off the Vetus website, http://www.vetusweb.com/manuals_55.php I had to because Liverpool boats didn't give me one and were no longer around by the time I needed one. The one i've got states: Lubrication The shaft and if applicable, the rubber outer bearing, gets cooled and lubricated by external water. It is therefore necessary that sufficient external water is supplied whenever the shaft is in operation. The minimum amount of water required is: - Propeller shaft diameter 25 mm: 20 litres/hour - Propeller shaft diameter 30 mm: 30 litres/hour - Propeller shaft diameter 35 mm: 35 litres/hour - Propeller shaft diameter 40 mm: 45 litres/hour - Propeller shaft diameter 45 mm: 60 litres/hour - Propeller shaft diameter 50 mm: 70 litres/hour You've got me thinking now, I turn the valves on every time I got out but I never thought to actually check the pipe was connected to anything, think i'll go and have a look! Also it might be worth putting some silicon grease in as I got a few drips from mine until I put some in, it didn't appear to have much in (if any) from new. Rick edit: I get the feeling from reading the instructions that they're designed for faster moving boats than narrow boats so the figures above probably aren't so critical.

When my parents' boat was blacked, the boatyard did gritblast before applying the epoxy (sprayed I think). It lasted very well, infact i'm in a similar position to you, having a Liverpool boat with the original blacking (international) which is looking a bit scruffy now after less than a year in the water so I think i'll go down the same route in the spring. The long life of the epoxy probably had a lot to do with the fact it was applyed to the well prepared grit blasted surface, certainly all traces of the bitumen had to be removed. Rick

My boat was blacked in intertuf (16 I think, it's definately not the 2 pack primer). It was a glossy black colour when delivered and had faded to grey at it's launch in January with having been sat out of the water for a couple of years whilst being fitted out. It's now only black where fenders etc have rubbed at the surface. Rick

I use Preston Plywood who have a good range of stuff and didn't bother when I wanted to pick out the sheets with the best matching veneers. They have a place closer to you in Manchester called Manchester Panel Products but i've never used that branch. They also sell Indonesian WBP ply which is much better quality than the Chinese stuff available at a lot of places, it's a couple of quid more a sheet but the cheap stuff tends to have voids in it, can have a bumpy surface and can delaminate. My floor was done by the boat-builder with the cheaper stuff and isn't the best, I probably should have replaced it to start with... Rick