LEO

These are good small stoves, as said you need a new thermo couple, it sounds as though the end which projects in the burner pot is damaged, this occurs when cleaning the interior of the burner pot is carried out in a clumsy manner. Fuel Supply - the small copper pipe between the carb and burner pot becomes blocked. Removal and cleaning is needed. Adjusting the fuel supply screws is a 'no no' unless you know what your are doing, as is over riding the fuel shut off valve. I find the best way to overhaul mine is to remove it from the boat and take it to my workshop.

Hi, I was faced with the same problem on my boat, I have tried my hand at most things and took pleasure at trying scumbling, First read up about it, get a sheet of ply, decide upon colours, base coat it, and the paint the scumble, use the combs. use the flogging brushes leave it to dry, results poor, keep on trying, pleased with it apply some varnish. Happy try it on the boat. Takes time......but the results bring pleasure. I re worked the slide and surrounds.......

Hi, I find the Gardner very reliable, and very easy to start, on the button. Both 2 and 3LW's equally so, 2LW's are happy on a narrowboat up to 70ft, 3 LW's the same. They are easy to maintain and spares not too bad. The 2L2's are good, but spares and be a problem, Not sure about 4 cylinder models in narrowboats, they are too big and never really work hard enough. Most of the 2LW's have been recovered from South Africa, brought back as wrecks and rebuilt. Some people set the tick over speed too low, which can cause problems for the engine and gearbox. Overall lovely engines. There is only one way to sort out condensation and that's ventilation..... Mike

Correct, apologies for the error..............

Hi, Thanks for your reply, I have a 48ft tug style and the boat you viwed at looks excellent and a Doug Moore decorated back cabin!. Check the damp problems, Fixable?. The 'throne' looks as though it has a swivel seat. I have had some damp problems with mine, they are minor though - one was caused by a porthole leaking - it just needed the bolts tightening (carefully. Brass/ steel) and the roof light to the back cabin was tricky to bond onto a bowed roof, also the brass bolts needs a sealing as these leaked, Had the boat 16 years now and this and the 2LW have been virtually faultless. Boat prices at the moment are very full. Hope this helps. Mike

Hi, This is fair comment, it's tricky buying boats at the best of times and the present time is crazy with many changing hands without even a survey. You are trying hard to do the right thing, and I do wish you luck, The sub floor void is the area under the floor, down to the top of the base plate. I think all boats have problems, even new ones but they do take time to show themselves. I've bought a couple of boats no survey, and have found faults, but have found it part of the 'pleasures of ownership' to cure these. The boats themselves have brought great pleasure in ownership........I remember one resulted in a a lot of water on top of the base plate, it took me weeks to find the ingress of water - a paint drip on a fridge vent, diverting rainwater into the boat. Being practical helps if you are a boat owner and saves you money, relying on a damp meter does not help.........I know from experience in looking at houses and boats - I have never used a meter on a boat.....condensation levels do not help. Not sure how many boats you have owned but the advice is to buy a cheap boat and learn about problems, or if you have the cash, buy a more expensive boat and learn about the problems.....but bear in mind there is no such thing as a problem free boat when you get it, it only becomes problem free when you have owned it for some years and know it's workings, that takes ages, (I nearly said they are a bit like a woman, but 'woke' brickbats might start flying about). Have fun, the only other piece of advice- make sure you have a reasonable 'stash of cash' to pay for unexpected problems if and I am sure when, they crop up. Hope this helps ----Mike.

Hi, I suspect a lot of those damp signs are condensation and poor ventilation, 'Orrible things those resistance meters, you call Damp meters, you are only taking a surface reading. I would have preferred the water pump to be mounted in a tray to catch leaks and it does help if cold water pipes are insulated. The damp in the bulkhead will always show, I assume the sub-floor area has been checked and is dry. I'm a retired Surveyor and hated those dammed meters, to use them properly you need a decent one which has been calibrated.

I had a circular glass replacement cut at Amersham glass in Chesham - they have now re-located to Amersham, I had the edges ground as well. Hope that helps. M

Interesting, I fitted one, it failed within a few years.Check the instructions, the manufacturers indicate they have a very short service life. A post on here produced answers confirming similar similar experiences.

The idea of a vendor survey is a good one, at least you know what you are selling, the purchaser should also have a survey prior to purchase, keeps every one happy. The requirements for a hull survey are increasing with insurance companies attitudes to older boats. I recently had a hull survey on my boat, combining it with a blacking, £400, not bad when one considers the cost of a BSC inspection, really you have to weigh up peace of mind and how deep are your pockets if problems crop up. Experience sometimes helps, when you make make an informal judgement taking into account the age of the boat, builder. useage and maintenance, but for most people, caution should be your watchword. Hope this helps.

I have done that with my 2LW, no problem.

Yes, I wondered about that, looks like one, and the building (left) looks as though it is constructed using stone.