Pot Noodle Adventurer

Hi Our narrowboat windows have some of the common internal corner trims fitted. They seem to be made out of routered oak veneered MDF. They are in need of replacement in places. Does anyone know where I can obtain these or similar please? Thanks

Only use a proper water tank paint even if it costs more because oil based products are hazardous to human health and if they leach into the water they can do you no good over the longer term. Perhaps you should get an in line filter fitted? Any bitumen just isn't safe. It is a filthy job but very satisfying once successful. Good Luck

Thanks for your reply. I have an excellent "brolly mate" fitting for the tiller bar and it is ace. I got it from an ad in The Towpath Magazine. This is aimed at holding a brolly or rotating washing line fitted to the tiller bar as opposed to the upright of the tiller where I wish to fly the flag but the idea was a good one. Cheers Thanks for your reply. Yes a Red Ensign was intended. Why does RLWP think that boaters who fly flags are "Pillocks" ? What do other boaters think about such a comment?

Hi Thank you for reply. We have no problems with the pump when all taps closed. The problem is that it was fitted under a cupboard and is like a machine gun when it activates. Just wondered if there was a quiet pump on the market ? Cheers

Hi Which is the quietest water pump for a narrowboat please ? I posted earlier but in the wrong area so hope this one is well read. Thanks

Hi Robbo Many thanks and a good link that has given me some ideas. The pump was mounted on a chipboad floor and I had put a sponge mat underneath the pump thinking that would make a big difference but reading the link it requires several layers of solid base sandwiched with noise insulation material. I will do some more DIY. Cheers

Hi, thanks for feedback. Yes I posted in the wrong place.

Hi I have a Shurflow Water Pump fitted on my narrowboat. It seems pretty noisy to me and I was told by the Chandlers that it is an economy pump and whilst all pumps create noise I could perhaps reduce the noise by investing in a dearer version by an other manufacturer! What do you think? Do you have a quiet water pump and is there such a thing as a silent pump? I do understand that the siting of the pump can be a factor too. Thanks for your opinions on this one.

Hi I wish to fly a flag from the tiller on my narrowboat but have been unable to find a bracket that would hold the flag pole in place. Of course I could fix it in place with cable ties but is there a neater more permanent solution? If all else fails I can have a tube welded on to take the flagpole. Thanks for any suggestions.

Hello I am in the final stages of buying a narrowboat. It has an inverter next to the battery back in the engine compartment. TI want to relocate the inverter inside the accommodation and will therefore need a few metres of good quality cabling. Can anyone give me the spec for the most appropriate cable for the job from the batteries to the input on the inverter. I get the impression that it needs to be quite thick to avoid too much voltage drop? Where is the best place to get the rounded spade connections? Cheers in anticipation

Thanks for the feedback. Assuming the boat had never been in the water between shell build and fit out then it seems that this should not be a reason for negotiating a price reduction ? I have not had an out of water survey but know blacking is now needed as nearly three years since put in water. The Declaration of Conformity issued by original builder does show the latter date. Cheers

Hello Mary Very view places black the bottom plate ! There are different opinions on this. Some say it isn't necessary as it never gets the light and so there is limited corrosion. Others, including some surveyors I have spoken to say that in an ideal world we would all have blacked bottoms because steel and water means rust and corrosion. Re the price this should include removal to drydock/cradle, pressure washing or sand blasting, two to four coats of blacking eg bitumen, time needed for drying between coats. For 50 foot it costs approximately £400 - £600 depending on the boatyard. Reblacking every two years ideally. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Many narrowboat shells are manufactured months, if not years, before they are fitted out and put in the water. I am currently purchasing a boat and it now looks as if the shell was built four years earlier than the owner thought it was, although it was fitted and commissioned several years later. The broker says this makes no difference to the price asked and says they acted in good faith. What do you think should the price be reduced? Would it make any difference to you if you were a prospective buyer of such a boat in a few years time when I was trying to sell it? Maybe any brokers out there(Dominic are you there?)would like to pass comment> Thank you

£4.95 Dongle arrived today. Loaded onto my laptop OK, Registered it and almost ready to go. It said a mandatory update was required but this failed twice with errors, I don't know why? I just need to get the PAYG set up, does the credit/debit card method work well or am I best to just buy the top up vouchers ? I will be using the £10 month service which will give me up to 650 emails and 30 hours surfing on the net I believe. Thanks for your help.

I haven't done it on a boat for many years. Never mind, at least you won't get all hot and bothered!

Have you had a word with Graham Ford of Cherilton Boats at Shardlow. He is a very able cabinetmaker and fits boats out from scratch to full fit to high standard. Hope this helps

Great Stuff, I will give it a try at £4.95 Many thanks again.

Many thanks for that, the £4.95 seems very good, was that for PAYG?

Hello Firstly, I am not very computer savvy. I have a laptop that is 6 years old with a Windows XP Operating System. At home I use a Netgear Router with a Netgear PC Card inserted. I want to connect to the internet whilst away cruising the canals,mainly Leeds Liverpool. Can I just buy a PAYG Dongle and be up and running or will I need a different laptop/notebook for example like the one my son has which is wireless enabled one? Also which is a good PAYG Dongle provider? Many thanks for any help with this.

Your boat is pre RCD red tape so thats not going to be a problem. On a 20 year old boat hope she has a goos service history etc. All the best.

Hi, Had my boat up for sale for a few weeks now but have had no interest whatsoever. Only got her on Apollo duck atm as funds are incredibly tight. Any suggestions? Is she just too expensive? Should i just splash out on ebay? Or is there anything better out there i don't know about? Thanks Bon I agree with the points already made. As many photos and detail as you can muster will help. If your boat is as well presented externally as it looks internally then you have a good chance. If you get enough photos you will not necessarily need a layout of the boat as buyers will be able to sus out the layout from the photos. The price seems something like but could always try a private ad in one of the narrowboat magazines rather than the broker route. I would be careful with ebay. I have done over 100 transactions on ebay to date but are currently in dispute due to dealings with a "rogue" Paypal are supporting my dispute fortunately. Also, I think I spotted a cat pole or something like it in the photo. If so that would immediately rule out some prospective buyers just as it does with houses.

How old is the boat that you are buying? The reason I ask is that there can be problems with inadequate/dodgy paperwork and this can come back to haunt you when you come to sell on/trade up etc in the future? Even some brokers/surveyors find it hard to keep up with RCD Legislation etc ! Tread carefully.

Yes welcome to the forum. Do drop in on Smelly. You will then be two Smellies together!!

I can see where you are coming from and I would surely have bought one if they had one.