Peter R

Whilst my first choice for mooring (assuming there are no rings handy) is generally piling hooks, I have a set of these that I use in preference to mooring pins. If the ground is very stony (or set solid due to no rain for weeks) they can be difficult to get in, but once in I have never yet had one pull out. I moored on them at crick for the show a couple of years back (one of the wet years!) and they never moved an inch all weekend despite the trip boats going back and forwards. They're not difficult to come by - from memory a couple of mine came from a chandlers and the other from B&Q. Peter

To answer the queries raised so far The stove is burning normally the flue pipe and chimney aren't restricted (i've run the cleaning brush through recently) I believe the ventilation is OK (two vents in front doors plus roof vents, plus I rarely have all the windows shut with the stove lit) I have a working CO alarm The rope seal has also been replaced recently. The Heron's door hinges from the bottom and in simple terms the seal meets the front of the stove at top and bottom, but not in the middle. I've not measured the gap as yet, but it is visible to the eye. It has probably been like it for quite a while, as I only noticed it as a result of lying on the floor next to the stove whilst painting the inside of the storage locker that's next to it! Peter

it's not exactly scientific reasoning, but when I was looking at boats I automatically excluded anything with a GRP top, as mixing the materials just seemed to me to be introducing potential problems that didn't have to be there. The obvious issue is different rates of expansion between the steel and grp potentially causing leaks in future, plus if you happen to run the front end of the cabin roof into a bridge or suchlike, I know which will suffer more damage! It's personal preference really, i'm not aware of any major issues as such, but probably less desireable than all steel so may be harder to sell later, but if they like it and the price is right....... Peter

Last time I was on the boat I noticed that in one place there is a gap between the rope seal on the door and the stove faceplate on my villager heron. I think this has been caused by the faceplate of the stove 'wasting' over time (i think it is probably the original stove from when the boat was originally fitted circa 1992) I've been considering changing the stove anyway due to a couple of other minor issues, so this is probably the 'last straw' that will prompt replacement. However, the question of immediate concern is whether an imperfect door seal means that the stove shouldn't be used? My immediate feeling is that once the fire's going the poor seal is more likely to let in additional combustion air than to let out fumes, but i'd be interested in what other's think. Peter

Yes you could have an intermittent switch problem. My water pump occasionally has a phase where it runs just for a second or two and then cuts out again. The only thing I can think of that would cause this is a dodgy switch - something else to add to the 'to do' list. So it's perfectly possible that the switch could have stopped working, but have 'fixed' itself by the time it had been removed and put on the bench. Peter

My filter cartridge looked very similar to that last time I changed it - guess what job is rapidly heading towards the top of the 'to do' list!

In my opinion there is no problem with diesel central heating. The small forced draft units were never designed to run all day for months on end powering central heating systems. They will do the job, but they're likely to need a lot of maintenance. I have one of this type of unit and so far (touch wood) it's never ailed a thing, but I only use the boat for holidays and weekend trips and also have a stove, so it doesn't get a lot of use. If you want to run a diesel boiler all day every day, get one of the natural drafted units (such as lockgate, kabola etc) that basically work on the same principle as domestic oil fired boilers and ARE designed to do that. As with most things it's just a matter of using things for what they were designed to do.

I hired twice from Viking Afloat at Whitchurch some years back and was very happy with them - of course that was before they came under the Alvechurch banner, so can't vouch for sure now. Peter

Seconded! My stove is also right at the front, and even with an eco fan I find the heat does not get to the back of boat well. I reckon I get something like a 15-20F drop front to back and it's only a 45' boat. On the basis that heat rises, and most boats sit slightly 'nose up' i've always reckoned that if the stove is going to be at one end then it would be best at the back, so that natural convection would help to distribute it. Downside of back of course is that the chimney is right in front of you when driving! Peter

Not at all. you should've come to Suffolk, hardly a drop of rain for close on two months - and as soon as i get on the boat it chucks it down, typical!

You don't say where you are, but in case it is of use I think that 'saisons' at whilton will sometimes do long-term hire You don't say where you are, but in case it is of use I think that 'saisons' at whilton will sometimes do long-term hire

Personally i quite like the design. My first boat was a 30' with a solid, raised foredeck and that never caused me any problems. I also had no problem selling it when I moved on to a bigger boat. If it suits you then the only real issue is ensuring there is sufficient provision made for emergency escape in the event that you can't get to the back. My first boat had a pair of small doors that opened out onto the foredeck, which I think is a better solution than the side escape hatch - in a narrow lock for instance it could be a tight squeeze to get out the side. An earlier post suggested that all boats of this design are ex-hire. I believe that to not be the case, as when I was boat-hunting several years ago I saw a couple of that design for sale that were brand new. It is also worth casting the net further afield. I live in suffolk, but my first boat came from nottingham and the present one from macclesfield. If you're not entirely sure about the design, why not arrange to hire one of the canaltime boats for a few days and see how you get on. If you're not absolutely 'sold' on this one, keep looking and see what you can find. If you don't find anything that appeals to you more and it is still available, make them a silly offer - the worst they can do is say no! Peter

Not used 'noise killer' but I have lined the underside of my stern deck with a similar product (sourced from aquafax as a friend had a trade account with them at the time). It hasn't silenced the noise completely (sound waves have a habit of finding their way out!), but it reduced it noticeably. peter

Yes. That is exactly what MP was saying - by leaving the charger on you have created a complete loop. The charger is taking power from the batteries (via the inverter) to feed back into the batteries. Both the charger and the inverter have electrical losses, so you are just losing power in the form of heat. turn it off. Peter

You would still have to pull up to the bridge and get off on the off-side to open it, but at least you could then get back on the boat and let the person following close it. I'm often single-handed and my experience is just to talk to them. If you 'hitched a ride' through locks or bridges without saying anything, leaving them to do all the work they might get uppity. If you ask if you can join them and explain your limitations, most people will be happy to help.

seconded! I have one that was left by the previous owner, and it is my 'normal' one. Michele, if you're just looking for one to carry on canal walks in case you want to help someone, i'd suggest a 'standard' aluminium one. The long throw's can be cumbersome to carry. if you're helping someone and find a paddle you can't open with the standard, you can always ask if they've got a 'long' one Peter

Mandy It's clutching at straws again really, but if your radiators are getting hot, then the fluid must be circulating OK, so I can only think that there must be some oddity about the configuration of the system that means not much of it is going through the calorifier, but it's difficult to make any constructive suggestions without being able to see the configuration. Peter

I expect the experts will be along in due course, but for what it's worth I bought a new charger at Crick, and the advice I got was fairly consistent in that you should be looking to charge at something like 10% of the bank capacity. Therefore for 3 x 110Ah you want at least a 33A charger. If you're serious about going up to 5 batteries you probably need to be thinking more like 50A. The charger in your link appears to be max 16A - that will take forever, even with your current bank! I got a decent deal (about 20% below list) on a Victron 40A unit, but it still wasn't cheap. The only makes I have seen at this sort of rating is Victron, Sterling and Mastervolt, but there may be others available Peter

Thanks Bones - that was the best laugh i've had for quite a while, but I don't know what Moley's going to say about all these experiments

Reminds me of a classic quote I came across a while back. I can't remember the full spiel but the gist was that there are four types of knowledge 1. the known known's (i.e. what you know that you know) 2. the known unknown's (what you know you don't know) 3. the unknown known's (what you don't know that you know) 4. the unknown unknown's (the things that you don't know that you know) Generally it's category 4 that causes the problems But in any event, how much does the 'average' buyer need to know? why should they be any more interested in the hydrodynamic design of their boat hull than they are in the details of the aerodynamic design of their car. Most people who buy houses aren't building experts, most people who buy cars are car experts, most computer purchasers aren't computer experts - why should boat buyers need to be boat experts? Peter

Back home again, and all in all another good show. I didn't get round many of the show boats, so can't really comment on 'best', although there seemed to be quite a variety. Some good deals to be had on equipment, and a few suppliers I hadn't seen before showing some interesting stuff. It will be interesting to see what the attendance was like, but there seemed to be a good crowd all three days, and the few traders I got talking to all seemed to have had a good weekend sales-wise, which I guess is good going at the moment. Only disappointment was that I seemed to manage to miss most of the forum members who apparently were there - maybe we need some 'canalworld' badges to make the 'spotting' easier! Peter