LEO

Geoff, You might find that renewing it does not stop the dripping as the water heats up and expands. I have plumbed the PRV so it discharges via the side of the boat, to avoid spillage into the bilge. Somewhere on the system there should be an expansion vessel to cope with increases/decreases in pressure as the water expands/contracts, or else the pump cuts in at night, when the engine is switched off and the water cools and contracts. Hope that helps. Albi.

Hi, It's easy to change a PRV, take time and make a good joint, but why does it need to be changed? - is it leaking or weeping as the pressure in the tank increases due to water expansion? do you have an expansion tank?, also try turning the knob on the PRV to make sure it seats well, as sometimes they get some scale on the seat preventing a good seal. Best of luck, does the water leaking past the PRV leak into the bilge?. Albi.

Hi, Have you checked there's nothing fouling the prop?. Albi

Hi, I think you only need VHF radio if over 45ft. on the section lower than Limehouse Basin or between Limehouse and Brentford, Brentford to Teddington no radio needed. hope that helps Albi.

Hi, There's one with a hydraulic rudder conversion on the mooring near you, goes well, it was the subject of an article in WWorld about 10 years ago, easy to see if you have a clogged prop. Out boards - I remember were expensive to run, had a tendency to 'walk away' quickly unless treble chained down and the water cooling system kept blocking, resulting in overheating and problems with petrol usage and storage. Listers - great, but noisy if air-cooled and problems with the oil level in the sump rising inconveniently at times and smokey. BMC 1.5 - great small engines, easy to work on, spares reasonable, quiet and a source of hot water, 1.8 probably the same. Inboard every time for me, depends if you want to wear ear-plugs when you are cruising which one you chose. Albi. Lister D's do make good engines for cement mixers though.

There speaks a wise man, that's why I fitted one. I moor against metal piling and it's interesting to connect the boat with the piling via a multi meter and see the milli-amps recorded. Pleased to read of your result against the Surveyor who caused you problems. Albi

Hi Alan, I know of a boat which suffered a serious fire about 20 years ago, probably caused by a gas fridge, the boat, now re-fitted is on a mooring not 50 yards from your mooring. Albi.

Hi, I looked at a couple of boats with Gardner 1L2's (14HP) and was advised that they were too small for river use and one guy had one in a 60ft Nb and found that the 4mph speed limit was a target which was never achieved. The single cylinder engines do blow nice smoke rings though. Albi.

Hi, Enjoyed your blog, it could be that the dry dock in the fens has a monopoly... Albi

Hi, I bought the engine and it came with a 'tug style' boat. You do lose some space with the tug deck and engine room, but there are increases in security with the porthole windows and easier access from the front deck. As has been said the storage vault under the front deck is very useful, They are good looking boats, generally built by experienced builders who put all the right curves in the right places and they have the boatman's cabin. But they are not really family boats, so if you want something different with all the 'goodies' go for one, Ive not regretted buying the engine or the 'metal surrounds' that came with it. ALBI

Hi, This is an interesting one, especially if one considers the stop lock on the Wendover Arm, built as a double lock. Perhaps the locks on the Aylesbury arm were built to allow for future conversion to double locks. The original plan was for the canal to go on from Aylesbury and join the Thames near Dorchester and thus enlargement of the existing locks could have been more easily carried out with one set of balance beams on the non towpath side. I found details of your cruise interesting, in 1964/5 I used to spend lunch breaks from school by the basin, when it had a crane, covered store and most importantly, Mick Riley's second motor cycle store, much better than the IR offices!. Shame it never made it to the River Thames and even more of a shame that the current re-development will ruin the basin in Aylesbury, but then Aylesbury turned it's back on the preservation of old parts of the Town in 1966 with the redevelopment of the town center, (sorry, I digress). Albi

Hi, £20K for a 1975 30ft boat in today's market and economic situation is a 'lorra, lorra boodle'. There are loads of boats for sale, hunt round and remember at the moment 'Cash is King' and only a fool would not carefully consider a very realistic offer on a boat they were selling, assuming the purchser could complete quickly. Perhaps vendors minds would be sharpened if brokers charged mooring fees whilst boats are up 'for sale'. Albi

RLWP I'm an MG man got a '71 B Roadster, had it from new 32500 on the clock. Albih

I used a fairly cheap impeller pump, which was flat bottomed and had an upright outlet, the Rule one worked well, but one of the retaining lugs snapped off and a replacement cover was difficult to get hold of. They have to be easy to seperate to overcome blochages with hair etc. Also get one which fits the non-kink hose you will be using. I found that non-return valves were a waste of time. Hope that helps Albi.

RLWP - a very interesting reply, how old is Tawny Owl?, it would also seem that all your repairs were hull related suggesting that a hull survey is the best course of action - I would also go so far as to say that you had a very good surveyor. ATB Albi.

Hi, The food dye tip is excellent - I have used this method (but using coloured ink) as a means of proving that leaking waste water from a Chinese restaurant was causing damage to the premises below. It was more difficult to prove they had a cockroach infestation as well. Albi

Hi, I agree about using any Surveyor's report to use a lever in price negotiations, but if one is reasonably practial it is possible to check the fittings on a boat to see if they work. Checking the water pump for leaks and importantly that the hot water/ heating system works properly and generally open cupboards etc to look for leaks. All to often Surveyors generalise and comment that the service was covered and so could not be checked. Surveyors and engines - can they really comment upon it's condition other than saying it's there and starts, if it is a vintage engine it might be worth commissioning an engine survey (probably the best thing to do), gearboxes the same. Really the best thing is to rely on good documentation something which a prudent owner will have and be pleased to hand over, this should contain a comprehensive schedule of repairs servicing and expenditure. If the Surveyors report is limited to those things you want inspecting you will save money and the best lever on price at the moment is ----- Cash!. Carlt - I agree about the use of a screwdriver, when I used to do residential surveys I found a jemmy was also a useful tool for lifting floor boards, but few surveyors do this now with fitted carpets- just commenting that the area was carpetted and could not be inspected - an unsatisfactory comment if problems are found, as they must 'follow the thread' to avoid liability. Albi.

Hi, The arrangement I had used an impeller type pump, with the strainer/base fixed to the floor and using a flxible drain pipe. It worked well and was easy to clear if the impeller became blocked. There was slight problem with water draining back from the pipe when the pump was switched off, I tried various ways of overcoming this but after 19years of ownership resolved to live with it (the water was only a very small amount). The strainer was screwed to the tiled floor, but with plastic or GRP this could be glued. Hope that helps. Albi.

Hi, Interesting post, I would just ask for a hull ultra sound scan to check the metal thickness and pay accordingly. Have some spare cash to cover the problems which come to light when you use the boat though as these are points that most Surveyors fail to cover. Why pay for a 'heavily padded report' when all you want really is a schedule of defects affecting the hull and the metal thickness. Albi.

Hi, Sorry to hear of your problems. there is lots of information about unhappy experiences with Marine Surveyors on the site. Sounds as if some external welding will cure your leak. Where are you on the system?. I would be interested to hear more about the Surveyor (you may care to send me a PM). I am sure lots of members will offer assistance and advice, but bad experiences with Surveyors are becoming all to common and perhaps some representation should be made to their governing body to try to overcome these problems and improve standards. Your not the guy who had problems with a leak on a new purchase on the Southern GU about 6weeks ago are you?. Albi

Hi, The other problem with having a shower tray for dual use is the wear it will get with shoes etc. when one is using the WC. The wet room principle with a tiled floor overcomes the problem of having a 'jimmy' with your outdoor shoes on, which would cause damage to a Plastic or GRP tray. Hope that helps. Albi.

Hi, Sorry, should have pointed out it was a 30ft Nb. and space was at a premium, thus the shared arrangement. ALBI

Hi, Instead of a shower tray, why not turn it into a 'wet room' style floor with concrete, (laid in a thick layer of bitumen) with a tiled floor and one row of tiles for the upstand then normal walling and tiling above that. Shower pump can be surface mounted in a small recess in the floor. WC can be free standing above. I had this arrangement in a boat with a small shower room and it was excellent. Albi

Hi, OK so the pic may be wrong, but it is costing BW a lot of money to clear the site and they are having to pull in staff from as far away as Cowroast to move the BW flats about. NBW does provide some news and it looks as though you will be starved of spotting the mistakes until mid October 2009 (some may wish it were longer). There's room for everyone in this life - that's what makes it such fun. ATB Albi.

Hi, Go to the latest home page, good picture of the newly overpainted boat. Albi