Jen-in-Wellies

A moral victory. The boat may have gone to the bottom, but you'll know it sank with all its light bulbs intact. Perhaps a siren could play "Abide with me" as it goes down.

Have it fail safe obviously. Ideally you need a loud siren as well as the flashing red warning lamp as you may not notice a warning light, but sound does grab you attention. If the tunnel lamp is off, or if it is working normally, then the siren and bright flashing red light are all on. The system checks the bulb resistance with a low voltage pulse at all times. Only when the filament in the tunnel light bulb breaks do they stop. Can't be too careful. Running the risk of entering a tunnel without a working tunnel light needs every effort to avoid. I'm surprised that such a system isn't mandatory on the boat safety scheme. It could be extended to all the boat systems. A different siren sound and colour of warning light for each to aid easy fault finding. Walking towards your boat after an evening at the pub, you'll be able to instantly diagnose that the reading lamp above the bed has a blown bulb as the cuckoo clock siren and puce warning light has stopped, or that the cuckoo clock and puce warning light have both failed at the same time, but that is much less likely. Those boaters moored near you will be glad to know they have picked such a safe boat to share mooring space with. If all the warning sirens and lights have stopped, then a possible explanation is either the batteries are flat, or someone has reconfigured the system hardware with an axe. Jen?

Assuming there are negative wires there that can be used. Using the hull as the return path is a no-no. BSS fail and all round bad idea. The boat may have a conduit for wiring down the cabin. If so, then the easiest, if a horn is wanted at the front of the boat, is just to run another pair of wires down to the bow. Jen

They also won't accept a horn you have to blow, in case exhaust fumes in the tunnel mean you can't get enough puff together. They have in the past lent out a gas powered horn for the passage. Jen

If the fire is lit, then I doubt any rain gets that far down anyway. When not lit, just put a cap over the collar.

Or have a remote controlled door bell as the horn. Ding Dong! Did that include the shouting very loudly one?!

Bits of stainless strip, pop riveted each end. This is the bit I'm least happy with. The previous hat was made from a neighbours old stainless frying pan she was throwing out. I did remove the handle, though it was still very obviously a frying pan. That had three threaded stainless rods, fitted with stainless nuts through the bottom of the pan. The rods were around a foot long and bent so they were a spring fit in to the chimebely. It worked very well. The hat stayed in position nicely. The dog food smells terrible when it falls down the flue in to the stove. Jen

Some sort of solution like this is your best bet. If you can't prevent it dripping tar, then catch the drips with a suitable bit of metal bashing. A drain isn't necessary, of it is emptied and cleaned. Incidentally, I've found oven cleaners are very good at cleaning shiny stainless steel chimneys and coolie hats. A similar problem, how to clean burnt on tarry deposits, or is that just my cooking? Jen My latest coolie hat is made from a stainless steel dog bowl. Only a couple of quid, compared with the very expensive ones from Chandlers. The dog was upset though. Jen

Shouldn't you be in hiding till the 26th? The most dangerous time of year for a Haggis. Jen ?

What if the only solution that actually works is one you're NOT interested in?

Or one of these. Lots of solutions, with a bit of lateral thinking. Or shout very loudly! Jen

The horn could be at the stern end of the boat. Nothing to say that it must be at the bow, so no need to run extra wires down the length. Jen

Radioisotope thermoelectric generator. The ideal boating solution. Provides all the electrical power your boat could need year round, with no engine running, or having to cover the roof with solar panels. The waste heat keeps the cabin toasty in winter. If the containment breaks, you'll find you've got a warm healthy glow. Jen

The temperature gauge jumping about could well be a dodgy electrical connection. Either at the engine sensor, an intermediate wiring loom plug and socket, or at the gauge. Tapping the glass having an effect suggests at the gauge. Any, or all of the 12V switched power, ground, or signal wires. The not charging alarm could be related to the fan belt. If the belt is slipping, either from not being tight enough, or a V belt being worn out and running in the bottoms of the pulley will give this. The alternator pulley is slipping on the belt. If this belt is also turning the engine water pump, then again, the pump pulley may be slipping and could lead to the temperature spikes, but doesn't fit in with glass tapping apparently correcting it. Coolant lasts between three and five years, depending on type. Not changing it leads to internal engine corrosion as the corrosion inhibitors in the coolant are used up. Changing it is a messy job as @blackrose says, but important. When you say inner and outer fan belt, I'm assuming inner is the one that drives the engine alternator and water pump and outer drives the house battery alternator. Fan belt is a left over from the days when car engines had a fan on the water pump pulley to draw air through the radiator. Boats don't have fans and modern cars have separate electric fans, <pedant>I know that alternators also have a fan on them</pedant>, so fan belt isn't really a good name for them any more. Jen

I've also contemplated having a hammock on the boat. Had them in houses and in gardens before now. My worry has been the risk of pulling the lining away from the cabin sides. For strength you'd want to attach direct to the steel work, then you either need to weld a mounting point, or have a hole to bolt through. There is then a cold bit of steel projecting in to the cabin to collect and drip condensation. Not something I've gone any further with due to all this. A suspended sofa would run in to similar problems I reckon. Only practical if suspended from the steel roof. Edited to add. Just Googled Le Beanock. Very nice and comfy looking, but need some structural mods to the boat, so not for me. Can't your dancing be on the sofa too? ? Jen

By definition, half the population have below average intelligence ?. As for survival sense!

More questions for the OP. Is this going to be the only alternator on the engine, or a second alternator to charge the leisure batteries? Some of what you say implies this, but it would be good to know for sure. If it is a new second alternator, has there ever been a second alternator on this boat before? If it is a second alternator, then the W terminal will be unconnected as the existing alternator should be providing the signal to the tacho. It will need a 12V supply, via a small warning light bulb, or a resistor, to the small blade terminal in the Lucas three blade socket. The Battery + connection goes to the B+ stud as @Tony Brooks says. If this is a replacement for a second alternator fitted in the past, then there should be a second ignition warning light and wire already there. If this is the first time a second alternator has been fitted, then there won't be and something will need to be installed. The alternator will not charge the batteries without this connection. Jen

A way to test this. With ignition on, there should be 12V measured between the connector wire and ground ( with the connector disconnected from the alternator). If so, carefully touch it to a grounded bit of bare metal, like a bolt head. The alternator warning light should come on. If this happens, it is the ignition warning light. If not, you may pop a fuse!

What is the alternator from? Is it a part supplied by Izuzu for that model engine, or one from elsewhere? Are there any part numbers? Either in the paperwork, or on the alternator. Generally alternators are not good things to connect up by guesswork. It is possible to damage them in expensive ways when doing it wrong. Not saying that's happened, but it might. Some possibilities. The three blade connectors between 9 and 10 o'clock look like a standard Lucas connector. You can get the plug for these. The two big blade connectors go to Battery +. The small blade go to the ignition warning light. The W stud at 4 o'clock goes to the tachometer for revs. I am not prepared to say this is right without more info on the alternator. I don't know where the Aux connector at 6 o'clock, or the + stud at 7 o'clock goes, or why there appear to be three + outputs, two on the Lucas socket and one stud. Jen

You don't see many Ferrari's, top end Range Rovers, or other very expensive cars in the staff parking spots at hire bases. Suggests that the hire prices aren't that excessive, given the business costs.

Depends how you define "not allowed". Against building regulations, but these don't apply on a boat, otherwise boaters would need to be, or engage a proper accredited sparky for most mains wiring. Not accepted best practice. As in, this is a really dumb idea. Not allowed in the standards that make up the RCD. As @Alan de Enfield quotes above, which seems to suggest that a waterproof socket is OK, without mentioning bathrooms explicitly. Applies to boats built to the RCD. Not allowed in the BSS. The BSS has hardly anything on AC electrics. Different versions of "not allowed" can have different consequences if you are caught, or something goes wrong, from slap on the wrist, through disallowed insurance, to jail time, depending.

I almost added in my original post "except @blackrose, who seems to be able to make one last forever!" Had a look on the Whale web site and there doesn't appear to be any information on how much outlet pressure a gulper can build, so it would either be a matter of @rusty69 trying it and seeing what happens, or asking Whale and hearing them say "You want to do what!!??". Jen

This is probably a really dumb question and I think I know what the answer is going to be, but I'll ask it anyway. Fresh water pumps usually don't last very long. I seem to go through one every four years on average. Whale Gulper shower pumps by contrast last for decades, pumping all sorts overboard and are very hard to kill. Why can't a Gulper, with an external pressure switch shut off be used as a fresh water pump? I am guessing that something in the design prevents it producing a high pressure on the outlet side. Back leaks could be prevented by a non return valve, but an inability to bring the outlet pressure up to 2 bar or so would preclude their use. Is this the case? Is it something else, like non-potable compatible materials in the pump body? Jen

The only place I've phoned CaRT after running aground on a low pound was at the start of the HNC in Huddersfield. One of the locks you'd need to run water down from you can't get to as a boater unless by boat. Two of the boys in blue turned up and sorted it out for me, but a couple of hours to be on the move again.