Jen-in-Wellies

I use a similar idea on my filler cap, but it is of a very different design. Don't want to go in to any more details on an open forum. Can I? Yes please! You'd want to replace the four screws holding the filler cap outer bit to the top of the fuel tank with button torx, or other unusual head screws as well to stop someone just unscrewing the whole thing. Also @The Dreamer's point about someone removing the vent instead. Similar to escaping from a lion. You don't need to run faster than a lion, just faster than the other person. Your boat just needs to be a bit more difficult to nick the diesel from than the one beside it. Jen

From what I can see looking at the pics. You'd need to unscrew the outer part of the fuel filler from the top of the tank. The two parts, marked A and B fit between the top of the tank and the fuel filler outer, but either A, or B needs to be 180 degrees around from how it is in the photo, so two of the fixing screws pass through the slots in the curved bit of A and the other two through the slots in B. The hasp of a padlock then locks A across the top of the filler plug so it can't be removed. Two of the four fixing screws are also covered. Jen

Had one on the boat for about seven years and it is wearing well. Took about half a day to assemble. I will second third fourth fifth what the others have said about needing gorilla arms to get the covers on. Fortunately, I'd been eating my banannas. Other than that it went together very easily. Can't comment on webbing, or storage trays as this was a sofa bed version. Jen

No one has asked what the tune is yet. Can it hum a lullaby? My Victron hums a bit under load. The isolation transformer does too. Fortunately they are at the other end of the boat from the bedroom. Jen

So a pretty much normal service then. ?

Thought about this some more. Mount the morse control unit on the swan neck. Arrange the tiller extension so it acts as a twist grip to operate the morse control. Gives you neutral, forward, reverse and throttle by twisting the handle one way, or t'other. Perhaps a cog on the tiller extension that engages with a cog on the morse control when the extension is fitted. Nice and simple. Could be geared up if desired to make the grip easier to turn. The friction in the morse control means that once the desired direction and throttle opening is set, then the tiller acts as normal until you want to change. The tiller extension rotates on the swan neck as it would if a tiller pin wasn't present. Mount a horn button in the end of the tiller extension and a plug and socket to work the horn and it is good to go! The cogs would need to be specially made, or extensively modified. Everything else is simple fabrication. I wouldn't do this on my boat as the control lever is nicely placed with respect to the tiller. Like this: Jen

5' deep pound. Boat draws 2'. Might get some complaints if I try that here!

A bluetooth set up, controlling servos on the engine and gear box would have to be custom built I suspect. Possible there is a product on the market for boats already? I'm too lazy to search ?. If not, then either home made (arduino to make the electronics and programming easy), with plenty of trial and error, or paying someone a lot of money to develop it for you. The easiest way could be to make a box for the morse lever and the headlight and horn controls to clip on to the tiller extension when cruising, placing them close to hand while steering. Morse cables are certainly flexible enough to cope with the movement of the tiller if care is taken with the routing. The box could be around 6 to 8" by 6 to 8" by 2 to 3" deep or so in size to hold the morse control mechanism, so not that big, or heavy. It could be clipped to the swan neck out the way when moored up and the tiller extension is detatched. Relatively simple to home make, not going to stop working if the batteries go flat as you approach a lock and a normal, "use a bigger hammer", boat yard mechanic can fix it if it goes wrong. Just an idea. Jen

My boat has 40 to 50mm U channel steel to duct water to the sides from the channels around the deck boards. Semi trad stern, but still exposed to the rain. The channel is welded to the hull sides at each end. The ends of the deck board channels drop water in to this, then to the sides and in to the cut. As others have said, lots of ways of doing it. Access to the hull sides is probably the thing that is going to decide the method for you. At some point too much stuff in the way makes welding too difficult. A skin fitting in the hull side might be the way to go, with the biggest diameter hose you can get away with between there and the deck board drain channels. No welding and easy to drill the hull side opening with a hole saw. A big bore hose won't block so easily from leaves and crud and is easier to rod out if it does. It also won't be overwhelmed in a cloud burst. A straight run for the hose and a slight to moderate downhill, without getting the outlet too close to water level. Jen

I've got similar eyelets on my boat. I've seriously considered grinding them off as they are a trip hazard and nearly sunk the boat once when one caught on a projection in a lock. Why not use the roof rail and longer lines to the fenders when moored up? Throw them on the roof when under way. "Problem" solved. Jen

I'd be wary of anything on the gunwale that you risk tripping over when moving down the side of the boat. Too easy to end up in the drink. What sort of roof handrail do you have? Hooks, or tied on with longer cords to the handrail mean the fenders can be put on the roof when cruising, out of the way. I only use fenders when mooring up. The rest of the time they are out of the way. Jen

Basin Wrenches. Depending on the size of the fitting and back nut could do it. Jen

No one has asked this question yet. Just how far did @blackrose move his boat? Perhaps it went off the edge of the satellite transmission and there was no signal to pick up. ? Jen

Further to this. There are lots of ways of doing hatch runners other than the expensive commercial offerings. The smaller and lighter the hatch, generally, the less sophisticated they need be. Bigger, heavier hatches need something more low friction to make opening them possible without forearms like Popeye. I've not been that impressed with the channel type fitted on my boat, as shown by the modifications I've made, detailed in my earlier post. If I was setting one up from scratch it would be a home made effort, rather than one of the ones Midland SwinChandlers sell. Jen

My boat has the channel ones. With a brass bearing surface on the side, as well as the top, you can push the hatch off axis and it will still slide happily. I suspect that the flat ones may graunch on steel if the hatch is not pushed exactly in line and on the centre. They need to be regularly lubricated, or the brass on brass bearing surfaces don't run easily. If oiled, the hatch could be opened with one finger. I found the oil washed off easily. Tried grease, didn't work. Didn't try candle wax, which might have worked better. Don't know. I suspect the flat bearings, with the wider surface might need less regular lubrication. In the end, I replaced the brass bearings with replicas made from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. A slippy plastic, almost as slippery as PTFE, but safer to machine. A friend machined them for me. These don't need any oil. Not as easy to push as freshly oiled brass on brass, but manageable and zero maintenance. I suspect for the channel ones to work effectively the runners and hatch need to be parallel to each other to within a mm or two at most over their entire length. This is something I'd check first before making a decision. The flat bearings, being wider would have more tolerance to a bit of sloppy steel fabrication. Jen

Are we talking about the difference between these and these?

Someone who will have every sympathy with the OP.

You make that sound like it's a bad thing. ?

Two ways they are generally fitted from what I've seen is either with a screw in to a threaded hole in the boat side, or with a pop rivet. Either is removable for painting. The rivet needs drilling out and the screw needs undoing, assuming it haven't corroded in and snaps. The actual studs may be chromed brass, rather than stainless steel. Not sure. The more professional approach would be a stainless screw in to a threaded hole, with a bit of copper slip to make it easier to remove. It is important that the head of the screw, or rivet sits within the pop stud, not overlapping the top, otherwise the press stud on the cover won't click on. I have ended up turning down the heads of pop rivets in an electric drill with a file so that they fit. Jen

An eye level oven will depend on how tall you are. ? As @Boater Sam said, as long as it can be jetted for LPG and has flame failure devices it should be OK. Do you have mains available to power fans, ignition, etc? Ask your chosen boat qualifed gas fitter if they are happy with the particular model before buying. Jen

Wot @WotEver said. It depends on the marina, so ask them the question. One place I moored put those fitting out in an area together, so the noise wouldn't disturb other users. The current place you need to ask permission before using power tools like sanders and angry grinders outside. All about not annoying other customers, or doing potentially dangerous, or environmentally dodgy stuff on site. Jen

You guess right for bilge pump and fridge. TV; maybe yes, maybe no. Depends. If it is one designed to run off a nominal 12V, like those made by Cello for the caravan, vehicle and boat market, then no problem. Ones that have a 12V input socket from a supplied mains power brick may not cope with the fluctuating voltage and spikes from a boats nominal 12V supply. It certainly does. Welcome to the forum by the way. Jen

This is what I did in a very similar situation so that the twin tub washer could drain in to the bath. One of these. Just one RCD on the consumer unit in the boat. Jen

Supermarket trolleys return to the canal to breed. If you take them back to the supermarket before they've found a mate then you aren't doing them any favours. It is a majestic sight watching them leap over the lock gates to reach the summit level spawning pounds. Jen

The locks in the way will stop it getting beyond Gainsborough. ABP are the navigation authority from then on and the boat must have at least 2 crew on board.