Alastair

As far as I can tell, the sellers paid something like 250k for that boat.

We seriously contemplated buying one as a liveaboard. Contacted peter nichols asking for basic info such as 'how do you lower and raise the mast?' Got a complete brush-off, they were not interested. Two on the market that I know of. Selling for tuppence, compared to the build cost. A nod from someone who has a friend who owned one said that they sailed like a dog. Sad, because the concept is really good.

When I didn't know better, I fitted a surface 'socket' (the pin one) the wrong way up, just as pictured. The 'plug' on the cable filled up with water, just as Flyboy described.

In the grand tradition of digressing from the OP, lets continue this post. I did a bit of research to see if opinion had moved on from when I did copper work (and plumbing). My research absolutely agrees with the part of your statement in italics. Crystals form in copper as it is worked. Heating to red heat randomizes the structure, breaking down the crystals. Fast quenching 'freezes' this state, just as you've said above. Absolutely pure copper might behave differently, but the 'copper' that we have access to certainly requires annealing with a fast quench. Slow cooling after heating isn't as effective.

That contradicts everything I know about working with copper. Not a metallurgist, but i've done a bit of copper work. We would soften work-hardened copper by heating then cooling rapidly. Allowing copper to cool slowly didn't reverse the work hardening.

Yup. If it had been me I would have had multiple ropes out - to the base of the railings, a hook on the pilings, a stake driven in and anything else - trees are good. This is all a good reason to carry more rope than you normally need. Rope is relatively cheap!

Speaking from the point of view of someone who used to live on the Yorkshire Ouse, that isn't even a very strong flow. The problem is simply people who have no idea how to moor in a current. There were loading of things they could have tied off to, including the bankside pilings.

I found that these fittings are far from rainproof and over time can fill with water. If I used them again, i'd go over every seam in the plug and socket with silicone.

What Alan said, pretty much. Most BSS examiners are quite aware that there is a subset of boaters who have poor appliances; they just take them out of the boat for the duration of the certificate. Presumably to avoid this, the examiner is wanting to make that dodgy practice a bit more difficult. I think that fitting a end stop to each end of the gas pipework -something like this: compression stop end Will be ok and satisfy the requirements. Also remove empty bottle (ask neighboring boat to store it if you can't just shove it in your car boot). Be aware that these fittings should be made with copper olives (you have to buy those separately). Fitting just requires two spanners.

I'd suggest lighting a burner on the cooker first. Then (leaving burner on) turn off gas valve. The gas in the line will burn off. Once the burner has gone out, disconnect the gas cylinder. NOW you can undo the connections to the cooker. If you don't do this, quite a bit of gas will leak when you disconnect the cooker. Not enough to be dangerous, but it will stink.

how about a gravity system for the stove, and a motorised valve to shut this off from the webasto? The Webasto being on a parallel circuit to the stove, with the 'out' pipe from the webasto having a valve. Open valve when webasto is called for heat.

If you take the hat off, rain will run down the chimney and into the stove. What bothers you more, some tar stains on your roof, or rusted holes in your stove?

Interesting claim! If at all true, I would expect a galvanic isolator or transformer, plus a well-fitted consumer unit. The interior is better than the exterior. Nothing wrong with overplating, if done well. Boats are welded together, so why should more welding be a problem?

Oh, OK, I can imagine that happening if done at speed or with high revs. Sounds like operator error though; you can capsize a perfectly sound powerboat by turning it too tight through its own wake. Not design problem, operator error.

If you think you are getting plenty of opinions, just start a thread asking for advice about toilets . . . Other people have covered most of the suggestions I'd give about looking for damage. Waterline is a place prone to corrosion if the boat hasn't been looked after. Corrosion pits are usually rough and can be quite deep - if the hull sides were, say, 7mm thick originally, then pits of up to 2mm are absolutely fine. Deeper than that, not so good. Also look at any 'through hulls'. Drain holes for sink, shower, engine cooling. All of these are places where corrosion can cause a lot of damage.

Oh, that makes sense. What a shame that it is built like that, loses key advantage of a paddle steamer!

I suspect that the fancy compressed air toilet is broken (note; the more complex a system, the more likely it is to break). The porta-potti is a giveaway. Replacing or fixing that could work out to be expensive. Check waterline for pitting and rust. Check engine bay for rust, particularly around stern tube. If that is ok, go for a survey.

I installed a godin in a house, about 20 years ago. Wonderful stove, particularly good when burning wood. Top-loading and tall meant that longish logs could be fed, rather than the stupid small chunks that fit in most stoves. Mica is also terrific. Far more damage resistant than glass (since it will flex a bit). An impact that will shatter glass just damages one layer of mica. When burning properly and with decent draw, no smoke should come out of the top when you load it. Ensure that the bottom vent is closed (replace the rope to ensure a seal. that way, when you open the top, the fire draws air in via the top instead of emitting smoke.

In my experience, yes they do.

I would go for rigid - much easier to fit to some sort of frame so you can move them to point directly at the sun.

I had a 50ft dutch boat with ship's windows. Bloody heavy things (I bought two more to fit to another boat). Lovely bronze frames, glass about 30mm thick. Secure as you like, plus they opened to let the breeze through (or to let you lean out and feed the ducks/swans). Loved that boat.

What Tracy said. If the accumulator was working you would get this pattern: Open tap - water flows. After a delay, pump runs. If tap is only opened slightly, pump will cut out after a short run and water continues to flow. If you open the tap fully, water flows, pump comes on after shorter delay and continues briefly after you turn tap off.

I won't comment on price. However, you say you want to make it more 'open plan, removing cupboards...'. Before you do that, I suggest that you pack up everything you need for a few weeks aboard (I'm guess you aren't intending to live aboard). Clothes, food, tools, bedding, towels, toilet paper, cleaning stuff; everything you would want. Everything. Now put it all away in the boat. If there is spare storage, then think about removing it.

the bit below the compression fittings; is that a sort of filter? If so, I'm very concerned about how close this is to the surface. When moving, there will be a lot of turbulence around this area. You only need a little bit of air sucked into that pipe and the pump can fail to draw. There will then be a cascade of problems; water not being sucked up, impeller running dry, then engine overheating. I agree with the people who say that your through-hull hole needs a proper fitting. For now, I'd suggest filling around the hose with silicone.