aristorias

Maybe it is needed, even though any narrowboat could push another out. However in the photo I noticed in small print on the side it says 'fire rescue boat' so although it is not red and does not have blue lights, it may contain specialist equipment for dealing with (god forbid) a fire in the tunnel. Let us hope it never is needed.

Thanks to all who replied. I think I will go along with the boarding ladder sugestion if I can find one...

I am not knew to boating but certain aspects get more challenging as you age. One of which is climbing out of the engine bay with dodgy knees. Getting into it is relatively simple but getting out is another matter. I wondered if any members have over come this problem and knew perhaps of where I could obtain a short ladder say just two rungs with hooks to hold it firmly in place? You will have the eternal gratitude of my knees if you can.

Many thanks to all of you who replied especially Ian D.

A few years ago we moved from hiring to boat ownership. Many happy times and pounds later we do not regret the decision. We do miss one thing though from the hire days which is the framed canal maps seen in many hire boats. These were useful and sometimes prompted 'lets go there' discussions. Despite searching high and low though I can not find anywhere online to buy them. Can any members point me in the right direction please?

Thanks for all the advice and information to all who replied.

My boat currently has a broken thetford c200 cassette loo which is too old to consider fixing. I have been looking for a replacement but they all seem intended for use in caravans and motor homes where the flush water is filled by opening a door outside the vehicle. There is a large pipe on the back of the loo to take the flush water. I want to fill the new loo from the boats water tank instead can I just insert the hose from my water system into the aforementioned large pipe? At the moment the broken loo is still screwed to the bathroom floor so I have not yet seen how it is connected inside. Any help appreciated.

Thank you all. I am now on my way to a boatyard with a humungous electric saw, so suspect my loo will be no more in the near future leaving me free to choose another. To answer some questions... The flush unit in my loo does not lift up so all internal screws floor and under basin must have been used. The handle for the wheels is under the cassette and so unreachable. The old cassetes were of the non wheel variety. I have so far, been unable to reach Thetford. Thank you all for your interest.

I have a thetford C200 and recently replaced the cassette with a c200 'freshen up' kit. The cassette seems to be slightly larger and has jammed inside. I have tried others tips to get it out but to no avail... it is staying in there! The blade is not turning and the lever has somehow got detached. Some have suggested manually turning the yellow blade knob but there is no room inside to do this. The problem is that with the cassette inside I can not get at the screws that hold the toilet in place on the bathroom floor and so can not remove the toilet. I dont mind cutting into it and would replace with a new replacement but do not know the best way of going about it. Has anybody a solution?

Thanks to everyone who replied. I have found some clear film intended for car taillights repair in red and amber and intend to try that. The logos are actually printed underneath the coloured bit so should show through after I insert the film. Might not work but worth a try!

Here is one like it.....

I have a 2009 Isuzu control panel, the one with the red plastic circles over the warning lights. Someone said that you can obtain the red plastic inserts to replace the existing ones which are worn or broken. The lights work and it is only the tops which are damaged. Does anybody know where I can find the inserts? This would be a much better option than replacing the light's themselves as they are about £28 quid each! Thanks for your help Ian

Thanks very much. I will give them a try. Ian

I saw a post made ages ago saying that Isuzu instrument panels for the starting of the engine and warning lights were still available. It is a long shot but does anyone know who to contact for these? Many thanks Ian

Sounding good Mike The broker has already confirmed they are acting for the owner who is a private individual, not a business.

The replies keep coming in.. The broker has not raised VAT as a specific issue it just that it appears appears in the boat's brochure. The company Eastern Caravans has nothing to do with China and the boat was built in England and will stay in the UK. I have no plans to cross the channel in it! I believe Pat Buckle and another firm was at one time involved in building the hulls which were then fitted out by Eastern Caravans as some of their skills were transferable to boats. Thanks again for the comments.

Thank you all for your replies. I feel more confident than before but there is still a small grey area in that if it is not important then why does the broker draw attention to it?

I am thinking about buying a narrowboat. She is 15 years old, and is reported to have had two owners. She was built and fitted out by Eastern Caravans and I have viewed her. The fit out seems to have been done well and the boat is in fair condition. My concern is that the broker advises that there is no original documentation to show that VAT was paid when she was first built. On looking this up it appears that using HMRCs formula that she would have attracted Vat at purchase, and if this was not paid the liabiliy would pass on to me as last purchaser. I obviously have no wish to pay one fifth of the vessels value extra if the taxman knocks on my door. My question is, is this a likely scenario and could it be used to negotiate a lower price? Also is there any way of checking to see if the VAT was paid in the first place? Should I be worried or not? Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Thanks for your post. You pays your money and takes your chance ...

Hi The reason I raised the topic was that the seller has revealed in the advert there are no anodes so no need to take out of water to find this out! However Ditchcrawlers post that they only protect 6 foot of hull is interesting as I have seen many boats with only 4 fitted , which probably explains the extensive pitting I have also seen!

I have seen some boats usually ex hire for sale without anodes. I am looking at the older end of the market.Would members consider such a vessl worth the cost of a survey or would they generally look elsewhere? Thanks any advice appreciated.

Is a Barrus Shire 1200 actually a Barrus Shire 20? I think it dates from 2002. Unfortunately I can not find this model on the Barrus site. Thank you

Thanks to all who replied. I feel happier about checking out the boat now.

I am looking at a possible boat to buy with engine listed as Barrus Shire 2000. The boat was built in the year 2000, but according to the web, Barrus had an engine model called Barrus Shire 2000 then. The web was not helpful with any further information about this model so I do not know if I would have problems later with manuals and parts. I have seen on another post for the Shire 2002 that it may be a model 45 engine? I would be grateful if anyone out there who has a Shire 2000 could tell me a little more about it. Thank you