nb Innisfree

We fitted a battery powered one, uses a single AAA.

FWIW we run a 2kw Bosch domestic w/m from a Victron 24-70-3000 and a 24v 100A alternator (twin belts) when w/m heater is on alt only just keeps pace, Victron supplies 2.5 kva continuously and 3 kva for 30mins, personally I wouldn't care to run w/m on a smaller inverter. Inverters usually quote max output which isn't a continuous rating, for instance Victron 12-120-2500 is 2kva continuous, not 2.5. Also be wary of large alternators pulleyed up for max output at tickover, 200 amp (@12v) takes about 8 or 9 bhp to run, add to this cruising of a similar load and engine may struggle at tickover, better to have max alt output at higher revs.

I designed and fitted mechanical wheel steering on our 60' NB and finished up with just under 2.5 turns lock to lock. This seems to give the right feedback and is nice and responsive without the need for a helm position indicator. I get the feeling that the gearing on most wheel steered boats is too low and made worse by trying to handle the wheel like a car and getting fingers, hands and elbows caught up. At first I fitted a steering knob to the wheel and found it best to use that exclusively, so much so that I replaced the wheel with a crank handle - perfect. If the rudder is too large for 2.5 turns then some power assistance might be better, alternatively more leading edge on rudder.

Just to add, the horizontal side bars are wooden dowelling (broom handles) These hinge down at the front to enable access and egress without being garrotted, when in the up position and bolted they support the cratch material better and gives a nice sharp angle. Gas lockers are under the seats as it happens and the usual gas locker is the bow water tank which does make filling easy, but yes if it was a gas locker it would help a great deal.

I once set up a system to lift fenders from steerers position, worked a treat until I tried to lower them and they more often than not settled uselessly on the side deck

This is our setup, I did the frame myself and got someone to cover it, all my own design. Don't know if the guy who covered it is still around (used to work from his boat in the Brewood area) but the pics might give you an idea, I can PM his mobile no. if you want. Central black spar is a length of plastic downpipe!

But as we all know calculating batt capacity in the first place is impractical. I've tried all this percentage stuff but as I can't rely on shunt based monitor or smartgauge (batts have less than 50% capacity left) it's all a big stab in the dark. So before we were forced to give up ccing and batts were new we did a daily bulk charge to acceptance (one hour) and a weekly absorption via Victron until half a tank of genny petrol had expired (approx 8 hrs) and that I think was the best and most practical we could reasonably achieve. What percentage of capacity that final charge rate represented I have no idea, a bit pointless really as batts are now a bit old so I did a daily increasingly longer bulk charge to acceptance and extended into absorption until 2 hrs were up (waste of fuel after that) Anyway it's all a bit academic as we can't boat anymore due to family commitments so I don't worry about charging probs anymore, though one advantage of being on a landline and not having to do partial state of charging is an extended battery life.

When grit blasting failed to remove all our millscale I was told that only shot blasting is effective in removing it.

How long exactly?

You know I think you are probably right, I will butt out and let everyone decide for themselves after all who am I to advise, I have no qualifications and retired from the fire service over ten years ago. Nowt worse than a 'has been' I have had my fill and will follow Gibbo who I think seems to have made the decision to leave the forum, if I have read it correctly and that does turn out to be the case then it has to be a big loss as I consider him to have been the outstanding contributor to the subject of electrics and one of the main reason for me staying so long.

BSS attempts to protect people from the foolish and the neglectful with little imagination, doesn't always work but I would guess that it does work most of the time. Take smoke alarms, for years I have argued with people about their effectiveness in saving lives but kept coming up against such things as; "I don't smoke in bed" "I have had my wiring checked" "It keeps going off so I disconnected it" "Battery ran out and I haven't got around to replacing it" Every one relying on the odds that it won't happen to them, but I keep saying it because occasionally it makes someone sit up with the realisation that it could happen to them and decide to fit one (or several) Fortunately I seem to see less resistance now to domestic smoke alarms than thirty years ago when they were in their infancy in the UK, I fitted one then and it was considered a bit over the top even by many fire service colleagues and when I later increased them to one in each room (kids had a TV each in their bedrooms) I was ridiculed by some, seems silly now but that is only because SAs have become so common we seem to have become familiar with the idea of them, once considered a bit geeky maybe? I've experienced first hand the tragic and sordid results of not fitting smoke alarms and it really is stupidity for it's own sake.

Correct.

Can I ask how how you know your batteries are full? It takes at least several hours to fully charge a battery, there's no other way alternator controllers or not, if you stay in bulk charge then power used can be replaced quickly but once acceptance voltage is reached then progressively more power has to be used to replace power used. Also the 50% rule is a level of discharge that generally gives the most economical balance between cost of fuel used and replacement of batteries, it doesn't mean that no damage is done if go to 52% SoC but does damage to go to 48% SoC, it's damaging at any level of discharge just more damaging the deeper you go.

People look in, that's the way it is, it's made easier by the fact that boat windows and interiors are below eye level, it can't be helped the world is like it is, if anyone has a problem with that then they have to deal with it in a constructive way, either accept it or do something that prevents anyone looking in. Our solution is to fit venetian blinds on the ports but we accept it will happen at the front doors unless we fit blinds there or covers over the cratch windows. Either way it's problem solved.

We have un-pessurised engine coolant which reduces chance of contamination but in any case coolant pressure is usually less than that in DHW provided domestic pump is left on while engine is running. Safest is to only use cold tap for cooking and drinking.