dor

I understood from somewhere that the benefit of an isolator was to stop YOUR anodes protecting other peoples hulls, resulting in much faster consumption of the anode. The currents involved ARE very small, but they are real and will lead to corrosion, i.e. the loss of metal. The effects of different stel compositions in contact in damp enviroments are well reported, and this is the reult of galvanic effects. Put any two dissimilar metals into an electrolyte and you will create a current flow. If you have a current flow you have corrosion. I can see John's point about two hulls being in water must be at the same (earth) potential, but this is the same as saying a bit of zinc and a bit of copper in a tub of sulphuric acid is at the same potential (similarly, a mag anode and a steel hull). However add an external link and you will get a current flow. It is breaking this external link that is the purpose of the isolator. Now how big that current is, and therefore how much corrosion would be caused, well that is a differnet story.

For bulbs see bltdirect.co.uk also. Incidently I have a wall-mounted spot light which I assumed would be quite high wattage. On closer inspection it is actually a fairly standard looking SES silvered spot bulb but with a halogen capsule inside, rated at only 10 watts. It produces a lot of light! However I've not come across these bulbs anywhere else. It's been in the boat at least 4 years, since before I bought it.

although I drain my calorifier along with the pipes, it is the freezing of the latter that concerns me more. I agree that the larger volume of water in a calorifier will be slower to freeze, but the pipes are vulnerable. And if they go, they may well dump the contents of your calorifier into the boat. In my experience, it is elbows under sinks and that type of thing that are most likely to split. Just out of interest, we went out overnight on staurday, just down to the other side of Nantwich. This hour of running is normally enough to give us sufficient hot water for washing up and a couple of quick showers. On Sunday morning, the water was barely lukewarm. I put this down to the water in the calorifier being near freezing before we started, as is had been more or less freezing for a couple of days. Therefore it had that much more to heat up.

I would be very wary about trying to fix the Torgem. If smoke and flames are leaking, then so is carbon monoxide. You may think you have stopped the smoke, but could you be sure about the CO? I think that stoves are a much more potential danger with respect to CO poisoning than the often quoted gas fridges. (And I have good reason to think so - in view of the previous history of my boat). I think the Squirrel is excellent: efficient, easy to control, and easy to operate. It should be quite capable of heating a 45 ft boat, I used to use a 62 foot which only had a squirrel. biggest problem is getting the heat distributed down the boat, and stove top fans certainly help.

There is a common misconception that insulation will prevent freezing, whilst all it will do is delay it. If the temperature is below freezing, even by only a degree or two, the water in your tank and pipes will freeze eventually. It is not uncommon to be below freezing for several days - that could be enough.

B&Q et al?

There are battery chargers or "conditioners" that are designed to be left on all the time. One is called "Optimate". You would need to install a fused socket somewhere and then plug the charger into that to maintain charge. I have a similar problem as I have a relatively low output alternator, so in winter if we go out overnight, the short running time and greater usage means that we struggle to keep the batteries topped up - and that is with an alternator controller. The answer is to force yourself to do a bit more crusing!

Couldn't you write out invoices to yourself for the labour costs, perhaps once a week or month, then include these in your breakdown of costs. After all, if someone else you knew was doing it, they would expect to be paid. Shouldn't cause a tax issue as it would net off - you may even make a gain by deducting expenses from your labour income. Another thought: if planning to do a self-build, is it worth buying an off-the-shelf limited company (they used to be about £60), then the company does the work on the boat, and you then buy the boat from the company. I'm sure I read once about somebody doing this for a classic car they were restoring. (classic cars often face the sme insurance problem - you can spend thousands restoring a car which the insurance company then write off for £50 as an "old banger"). Might be a bit trickier taxwise but I'm sure there are ways round that.

The science is quite simple, you are effectively putting a convex lens in the roof. If the sun is relatively high in the sky it can be focussed onto something underneath and start a fire. Even if the sun is lower, it can still cause charring if there is a wooden surround ot the bulls-eye. There was a theory that if you put flat side up it was less likely to cause a fire than if it was convex side up (or was it the other way round?) but whichever way up it is, it is still a convex lens and will concentrate the suns's rays at a particular angle onto a particular spot. The only safe way round it is to have a roughened surface to disperse the rays.

This reminds me of a boat tat used t obe moored at Barbridge, called "AAMUCH" (which needs to be said in a broad lancashire accent).

I have had a plastic fitting split in the frost, and that was after I thought I had drained all the system. I now get the water tank down to about one third full or less, turn off the stop cock, then use an old pump to suck the water out of the rest of the system, or reverse the fittings on the water pump. This empties the calorifier and seems to be effective at getting the pipes empty. As others have indicated, after about a week , no amount of insulation will protect you from a persistent frost.

I imagine they are applying the same costing formula that chandleries use: It's for a boat, so think how much is at the top end of reasonable then double it. (or in this case - it looks more like quadruple it).

Quote: "If you look at these pictures on this narrowboat for sale, what sort of finish/wood is this?" OTT ply to my eye!

Can I put in a vote for danish oil? I have used it quite a bit. As I understand it, it is a mixture of oil and a sort of resin. It does dry completely if not put on too thickly, is well absorbed by the wood, gives a nice colour and finish, and can be very quickly spruced up with a oil-soaked rag wiped over now and again (by which I mean about once a year). Just personal experience, but I like it. Maybe I am one of those people that are "completely devoid of any skill". One point though: in my experience there are danish oils and Danish Oils. I have bought some in a plastic bottle from B&Q and it was darker and less inclined to dry; Some that was twice the price, in a metal can was much better. you getwhat you pay for.......

The article is at home, but I will try and remember to pick it up for tomorrow. It was quite an extensive article, with schematic diagrams etc. Clearly quite a lot of thought went into it, with a fairly sophisticalted control system.

I was just about to say much the same as rustyduck. To get the "instinct" to work, think of which way you want the stern to go, after all, that is where you are. On a bike or car, you are more or less at the front, and you steer in the direction you want the front to go. On a boat you are at the stern, so push the tiller in the direction you want the stern to go. I have found that explaining it this way to young children having their first go at steering helps them to work their "instinct" the right way.

Have you read the article in (I think) the september WW? It was about an all-electric boat and the various options. They did however incorporate a Whispregen in the scheme which I have my doubts about. Basically they are very expensive diesel heaters that produce a bit of electricity rather than being generators proper. But their system combined various types of equipment to run a lot of electrical stuff (inc fridge-freezer). Looked VERY expensive though!

I've noticed at Grindley Brook that after the top lock has started emptying into the middle chamber, the lock keeper raises the top paddle for a bit to let some more water through before the top chamber has fully emptied. This is because one of the cills has little clearance and the normal procedure leaves a deep boat dragging on the cill.

Holiday swap, wife swap, house swap etc. etc........ Geeez how does anyone watch these programs? Read an interesting thread on a biker forum about someone that was approached to do wife swap. It was clear to them that they were approached for their dysfunctional family and unconventional views of society. They sensibly turned it down. A week of filming edited down to half an hour or so. So really it is just down to what the director wants to put across - (the same goes for many so-called science shows). They sensibly turned it down.

I had a Honda genny coverted to Propane a few years ago. It appeared to just have a rubber tube connected to the carburettor, with a special regulator (although I don't know what was special about it, i.e. pressure). It still worked fine on petrol, or you turned the petrol tap off and gas on and it worked on that. didn't really notice any difference, though in theory the power will be lower on propane.

My toothbrush charger was cooked by my Sterling alternator. My DVD player works fine though!

Every year I have to go through the same old rigmarole: My 12 months is up and they offer me a much poorer continuation to the contract. I say that is not good enough, they say it is the best they can offer. I then have to ring again and say I want to cancel. Then they make me a new offer which is much better, including a new phone. But I already have a perfectly good phone, all I really want is a new battery. So why can't they just say - OK, pay £5 a month instead of £15 and we will send you a new battery. And they are the ones who try to tell you "Well of course the real cost of the phone is £400 but it is subsidised by the rental". Why do these people treat me like an idiot (probably because I have to finish up with a new phone each year).

Re the Ecofan: Having had reports of hoew incredible these were at sending heat all the way down the boat I bought one to put on my Squirrel at the front of the boat. I am not yet convinced: the draft it produces is quite gentle and can't be felt by hand a couple of feet away. So the Jury is still out on that. Parrots are probably far more efficient.