Jen-in-Wellies

Yes, that sounds like classic fatigue cracking around a through hole pin. Heat cycling fatigue in solder is definitely a thing and ten years or so is around the right time. The different expansion rates of the circuit board and components put cyclic stresses on the solder as it heats and cools. The solder creeps to remove the stress and over time cracks in the solder develop. Resoldering them makes them good for another ten years! Jen

There is the answer to this and many other problems! Of course, it brings problems of its own, liver sclerosis, having to go to the shops for more beer etc.

There shouldn't be worms in a composting toilet. ? I had one in my boat. It now has a cassette bog. For a house I'd consider one, but not a canal boat. Just not enough space to store the carp for long enough to properly compost. Do's. Do reject the idea out of hand. Don't's. Don't get one! Jen

A lot of my job for a number of years was to do with fatigue life of soldered joints in electronics. I can still bore for England on the subject if required! I am therefore a bit paranoid about solder in low cycle fatigue situations, like boats. The requirement for gas joints to not be soldered on boats will be based on this. Jen

CNC? A bit old fashioned. A modern floating windlass would be 3D printed out of laser sintered titanium, with cavities built in to ensure it floats. Of course it would cost so much you could drop a regular steel windlass in the cut at every lock and still save money.

How does Dudley compare with other low tunnels? Froghall, Standedge? Lower, similar? Would lime to do it one day as it is one of the longer bits of BCN I've not been, but doubt my boat will fit.

The system is going to need a corrosion inhibitor in it to slow corrosion down. You can get inhibitors with antifreeze in too, so a copper piped heating loop with compression fittings will be fine and not have the sagging problem that plastic gets. You will want antifreeze to protect the heater anyway to save having to drain it if leaving the boat in cold weather. To add to the comment made about avoiding soldering copper pipe joints. There is a lot of vibration from the boat engine that can fatigue the solder, leading to leaks. Compression joints are much more reliable. Not a problem in houses 'cause they don't often have engines! https://www.screwfix.com/p/flomasta-0623-concentrated-central-heating-inhibited-antifreeze-5ltr/4409r?_requestid=19249 Jen

I've lost the contents of a 13kg propane bottle through not doing the connection up tight enough. The most likely explanation. The gas locker did its job. Diverted the leaking gas overboard, not in to the boat.

If only there were large animals with four legs that could be tamed to tow boats along. Density of Lead 11.34g/cm3, density of depleted Uranium 19.1g/cm3.

They're just big boned.

You missed out a "from the toilet" option for all those folk with dog avatar pictures.

I used a Trangia meths stove for the six day trip back to my mooring when my boat was first launched in sailaway state. Let me have a brew first thing in the morning and cook a meal in the evening. I have wondered if alcohol stoves could be more widely used in boats if the ban on gas stoves in new homes in a few years time has a knock on effect on the availability of LPG stoves. Jen

Will new bill save red diesel? I don't know about CWDF topic titles, but when a newspaper headline ends with a question mark the answer is almost always no!

A sailing canal boat. Humber Keel, Spider T at Keadby on the left of the picture in 2011.

The picture must have been taken outside the breeding season. They return to the canals to spawn. A majestic sight seeing them jump over the lock gates heading to the summit pound.

And typical depth of water!

Where in the UK are you? Where would you want to boat? Will you' be powering it with an engine of some sort as well as sail. Bridges are a problem for masts. Have you considered the Norfolk Broads? Sail is used there, but folks get very slick about getting the mast down passing under bridges, or the bridge does it for them! Removing the keel is going to make it impossible to sail. The Yorkshire waterways have long stretches of suitable depth. Jen

All right, I'll go first. What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Easiest way round this is not to watch BBC stuff, or broadcast TV. Non Beeb catch up and other stuff only. No huge loss. No license, no problem! My current mooring is residential and has a proper postal address. When this was first set up I had two letters in my post box the next day. One was from Royal Mail saying "Welcome to your new postal address." The second was from the telly license people saying "We know where you live. Pay up."! Jen

Welcome James. If you aren't on a shore line, then keeping the batteries charged is everything. Read this: Solar is great in summer, useless in winter. You need to get the batteries charged properly every couple of days at the outside to give them a long life. Otherwise you'll wreck them very quickly. Everyone new to boating seems to do this. Me included. Read up first and maybe you'll be one of the few who don't ! Everyone is surprised at just how long the engine has to be run to get Lead acid batteries fully charged. Everything else is secondary. Jen

That we can get a 3/4G signal at all inside a metal box amazes me. Putting an antenna outside and higher up is always going to have a better chance than relying on what can find its way through the windows/portholes. Jen

Which will take a very long time as the world is rather wet. Also, it will keep filling up the water trap and where are you going to empty it?

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The foil tray is an excellent idea. Very cheap, keeps the floor and bilge dry and lets you spot leaks quickly from a pump that is on its way out. Seen recommendations to use a tray before, but a foil one is an excellent size and shape, provided you eat the lasagna first! (Yes I know you can buy just the trays) Jen