Tonyl

Hello Everyone, Got another question for you experienced boaters. As I am soon to be new to Narrow-Boating (new build well under way), one thing that I noticed when looking at second hand boats was that most of the engine bays seem to have water in them. Is this normal and to be expected ? . Is the water ingress via the prop shaft or is it via the engine hatch on say a cruiser style boat ? What do you do about it ? Regards Tony

Thanks for the input folks. Further to this subject, anyone know anything about the "Stoves 600DIS T2" cooker ? Anything would be gratefully received. Tony

Thanks Julynian, It looks great, we are looking at chrome/stainless throughout so this wouls suite. Question, is the unit a complete single unit ,or two seperate item (hob & oven) ?. Regards Tony

Hiya folks, more newbie questions, boat shell is nearly ready and getting close to make your mind up time for inside fit out. Based on lots of your feedback, I have chosen the stove etc and decided against double glasing ( not live aboard). I am now looking at gas powered cookers/ovens. I want a one with 4 rings and a decent sized oven. Is their any to avoid and any particular ones to look for. I am sure you will all have a tale to tell so look forward to your comments. Thanks in advance Tony

Hi all, hope you are all well and enjoying the weather out there. Another question , how does one go about cutting a hole in the roof or the cabin side of a narrowboat for say a vent or the like (say 75 - 150 mm diameter) ?. I base the question on being a DIY person and not having access to fancy Oxy Acet cutting geargear. Is it best left alone ? Thanks Tony

Thanks for the interesting replies. I am intrigued by the double seam welding mentioned. I suppose it makes sense, but does this double seam welding apply to the baseplate ?. Is the boat flipped over at a certain point in construction ,or is this back to Cowboys and Indians again ?, as in, better builders do, less caring builders dont ? Thanks again Tony

It may be a silly question, but I have always wondered how new narrowboats are put into the water with such confidence. How can it be certain they wont leak ?, or do they sometimes leak ?. Are The welds and seams X-rayed or non destructive tested ?, or are the hulls filled with water ? Please, put me out of my worry, as forthcoming boat owner. Regards Tony

Thanks everyone for the great info. I think I understand now, although I too have some issues in trying to understand how it is going work in practice. I foresee a lot of heads shaking in disbeliefe ,when filling up at marina's etc. Mind you, I suppose this just goes hand in hand with all the other ridiculus rules and regs thrust upon hardworking soles by this desperate lot running the country. Oops, sorry, I know I should not talk politics .( a whole new can of worms ) Regards Tony

Thanks for the info, Just to get it into prospective (bearing in mind I am yet to get afloat till July). You are suggesting RED diesel for propulsion, and white diesel for heating ?. Forgive my ignorance, but is this white diesel ,as in what I put in my car, or white kerosine that I use in my oil boiler at home ? I need to get this right as my boat build is at the planning stage, and I do not want to be blinded or fobbed off by my builder ,for the sake of insisting on a seperate tank. Would this mean me having to bring white fuel to my boat by hand carry ? I am very worried about the other threads on this site, on the reliability of the Webasto heating units which will be integral to our build. We will not be live-aboard. Thanks again Tony

Hi everyone, Hope I do not get blasted for raising what is probably been done too death on this great forum. At the risk of being lazy, could someone tell me what is actually happening to diesel fuel charges for NBs and NB heating etc. I do not know what anybody pays for a Ltr of diesel for a NB at the moment or what in fact one will pay in the future. My mother in law was trying to explain something she had hear in the news recently, but could not remember the facts ! If anyone can inform me of prices etc, I would be gratefull. How does one express MPG for NBs, and what is typical say for a Beta 43 HP engine ? Sorry to be a pain ! Regards Tony

Thanks everyone for the info. Spot on as usual. Regards Tony

Has anyone got information to offer. Assuming I have a newly built boat in July this year, and it has onboard 4 domestic batteries and a starter battery and shoreline power etc, what is the best way to go about caring for the batteries, bearing in mind I will not be living on board and only visiting when possible. Would I leave the shoreline permanantly connected, or will constant charging eventually destroy the batteries. Any advice welcome based on your personal experience's etc. Regards Tony

Thanks everyone for the info, apart from the tech info, which I found ineresting and almost knew it would be more involved than first thought of, in as much as you dont get anything for nothing !. Would have to agree, do you realy need one if you have just forked out for a gas cooker ,hob and fancy cooking pans etc. Regards Tony

Sorry, I guess I did not include all the facts. I was thinking primarily from the point of view of being hooked up to a shoreline supply, which I assumed would not be a problem, but was concerned about maybe surge currents etc. However ,it was when using the boats own supply when underway or moored up being self sufficient that I was more concerned about, so I guess Chris has supplied all the technical data for the battery/inverter situation. From the point of view of the timer etc, I think the simpler the better. We have an all singing all dancing microwave at home and what do we do with it ? , baked potatoes and warm up stuff like beans and soup (good boat food I suppose) on 650 watt for 3 mins at a time. Never use the grill, never use the convection, never use the heat probe etc etc. Regards Tony

Can anyone tell me if there is anything to watch for when fitting a microwave oven to a narrowboat galley, or is it just a case of "plug it in and cook", as you would in a domestic kitchen ? Thanks in anticipation. Tony

Thanks for the explanation. I wish you well .Take care. Tony

Carlt, You could be right and I apologise for the loss of your home etc. I have not ,and hopefully will never have to go through that . I sincerely hope you have or do eventually get over it if it is possble to do so. We have been burgled a couple of times and it leeves a terrible taste in your mouth ,for ever. Sorry if I upset you or brought back painfull memories. But I am afraid I still have to rest my case regarding Finch and his sort making decent peoples lives a misery, and the sooner we get back to a justice system where punishment fits the crime and we get rid of those silly do gooder attitudes of people (some of who come on this forum and talk rubbish),the better society will be. This is the last word on the subject as far as I am concerned Tony

Dream on my friend. It will not happen your way. You know it wont deep down. I did not say everyone deserves killing, but if these characters meat people like minded folk, then bring it on. What better justice can you have. Dont tell me you suffered all that anguish and did not want to do something about it.

Sounds like we have a few too many do gooders on here. Have you ever been violated, had your houses or boats broken into. ? So, you do a bit of washing up on the way out, and that makes it OK then ?

Or should that read, "more justified". What happens if Mr Finch is confronted by a law abiding regular citizen toting a shotgun whilst guarding his hard earned property (as in Tony Martin in his family farmhouse some years ago). No doubt, the innocent would then become the victim. I accept their are some serious issues here with ex servicemen, but are we saying they are not fit to rejoin regular society and conform like the rest of us. Maybe there training should incorporate such rehabilitation before they are allowed to leave service. Would it help, I dont think so in all cases. This man gives a lot of good people a bad name. What excuse does your regular criminal have.Some of them do not need to be members of the forces to fight and kill. Surely HMS regulars are taught right from wrong like the rest of us at an early age, and if not ,should they be in the armed forces anyway. Get him off the streets, and let decent folks get on with their already difficult lives. Regards

Pav, So sorry to hear about your seriously bad news !. As you may recall, we are are having a boat built too, this just frightens the S**T out of me . Cant offer advise, only sympathy mate. I know it does not mean a lot or even help, but keep the faith. Talk to you soon. Regards Tony

Wow !, So I could be forking out 80 grand on a boat , 2 to 3 grand a year for mooring fee's for this happen. Speechless ! Tony

All, Further to this topic I recently raised, I see many of you seem to be lovers of burning wood !. How is that most of the marina's I am looking at seem to have wood burning outlawed ? Regards Tony.

Big thanks to everyone on this subject. I visited Harworth Heating showroom and factory after someone kindly sent me the web site address for the Bubble. They were sitting on my doorstep virtually, (about half a mile away). The guy there is of the opinion that if we are not Live-aboard and purely liesure boaters, why bother with dieseletc if we would only be using the stove occasionally. He also said that some folks never get the hang of lighting the diesel version ! Is that true ? Anyway, based on his advice and all of your great input, I am leaning toward the Bubble corner multifuel stove. Apparently it is available with all the brass bits now in chrome/stainless etc. I should be handy for spares being so close, although they tell me I should not need any. Thanks again everyone Tony

Thanks Chubby Chaser, I think I get your drift. I have tons of questions, dont want to burden you down, but you obviously have the benefit of having been at both. VFM has changed hands a week or two ago and the price went up immediatly. (Castle Marina'sare new owners). I am assuming GH is cheaper than VFM from what you imply ? .Ventnor is now £38-53 + VAT per foot. I take it that GH is recently built or refurbished ? Anyway ,wont keep you, thanks for the info. Might give GH a ring this afternoon Regards Tony.