Tigerr

Thanks Paul. I think you are directing me to the touch-screen options. Are the Alpine ones better?

So, the new to us boat has an old school Pioneer radio. Its wired into a nice set of speakers but it is one of those pioneer models with a completely incomprehensible control system, much like the one I installed in our old boat in 2012. Old school single line type interaction, with abbreviations that probably made sense in Korea or Japan but could be enigma code to us old folks. I suspect plenty on here will recognise this little hell. We cant even find the off switch. we have to turn the damn thing off via the control panel at the back of the boat. I dont think it has bluetooth capability, but even if it does it is so far down a button pressing menu selection menu that we've never gone there. We rejoice if we can get anything other than the default of 1980's pop, which we both loathe. What I want it for is to play my audiobooks and music. I am capable of installing and wiring a new system, did so on the motorhome a few years ago. Got the crimping tools. I can also manage drilling in and mounting a local on/off, but I'd rather it was easily found on the radio itself. I mounted a Sony system in the van, it's not bad, but I suspect there are better choices. What I'd like, is a nice intuitive touch screen based system, with bluetooth, that I could replace the old model, but use the same slot in the wood bulkhead. I am sure someone here knows what I want.

Your subfloor appears to be sound. Like you, I'd always go for a wood floor. It's impossible not to track mud and wet into the boat, and our first boat had carpet tiles, with a big stack of replacement tiles. Never liked them, and we replaced with karndean planking over a ply base - looked like a boat, and could be mopped. Once down, you'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't a lovely oak planked floor. It was faultless for 10 years, could be mopped, very hardwearing, and looked lovely. Yes, it was cold. We wore thick socks, and in the summer the dog loved cooling off on it. I'd have liked proper wood, engineered or other, but you do have to be confident of dry conditions. Wet or damp will destroy that lovely wood flooring, staining it in an instant, and then warping etc. You must be completely confident of having a dry, reliably dry, subfloor. We did have a problem in the bathroom, and all that was needed was chopping out some subfloor, and replacing the karndean - easy job. I suspect not so with a solid glued wood floor. It only takes a couple of hours of an open hatch dripping to ruin an engineered floor. An ongoing damp bilge might take longer, but in the end it's going to grow mushrooms. You do have an obvious issue of wet related rot by the door. That is a huge warning indicator. I am not connected to Karndean - just think it's an ideal boat flooring solution.

You can use 'Canalplan' to manage your route, it is very good. Mind you, you can't guarantee to get moorings where you want, in the busy season, after about 1500. It can make sense to start and finish early.

That is an extraordinarily generous offer. I am going to see if the swager tool works first, for the sake of pride and sunk costs, and then I may call on you. I know exactly what the adaptor I would need looks like, in my mind, and the specs are straightforward from the micrometer. I can see how a lathe is a game changer. I am baffled that such a thing doesn't seem to exist in the world of camping/awning but so far I've found nothing. Learned about swaging though.

Your peg idea is a good one. I should be able to get a very stiff push-fit and epoxy mount that way. Might be the way I go in the end. I have found a 25mm swaging tool though and I am hoping this will answer. Re loads, it's a pole ariel. Light. I've made a polymorph top mount with a handy chromed steel plate on the top, onto which the ariel snaps if I want to use the pole for height. Although the pole could theoretically extent to 3m, I have in fact already cut off the bottom metre as the tube was too wide by far. It's a strong pole, has held up our washing line loaded with wet duvets etc for years. The over-width tube is however ideal as a reinforcing sleeve for the stud. Plus, I don't boat in storms anyway, wouldn't use the ariel mount in that sort of weather, and it is not going to get more than occasional use - if there is signal at roof level that's where the ariel will go, which is much more convenient. It's not a permanent installation, the ariel lives inside when not actually being used. However it just so happens that in my marina right now, you can get a good signal standing on the boat roof, and almost no signal at roof level! The most stress it will get will be when I board and rock the boat. Please accept my apologies for my reactions last night, I was rather heaviliy medicated!

In our own way, we are all like those astronauts aren't we. Voyaging out into unknown territory, reliant on technology that we might not fully understand, thrown into situations of unexpected nature. That is of course the charm and delight of boating isn't it. Without the constant element of risk, however small, boating would be truly dull. For me, Canalworld has operated for the many years as a sort of 'operation control'. You can always call back in and get vital advice. I have found it a source of reassurance and useful advice over a long time. But it's always important to know that while many may be offering advice, there are just as many for whom the sweet satisfaction of advice is diluted in the heady mix of 'putting them right'. For the astronaut though, being told they've got the wrong kit, so hey they are screwed, is only going to make one of the participants in that conversation feel better. How much more appreciated, the guys who worked out how to get a fix sorted! I hope that explains, in some way, my earlier reactions, and also gives a useful perspective for the offering of advice. Oh god, I have posted like a total twat haven't I. Look, I am recovering from a GA operation, stuffed full of opiates you'd pay a lot for on the street, so best ignore. Regardless i am still trying to sort out my ariel mount. It's just that the brakes appear to have been removed. Thanks for advice, apologies for any offence, best I don't post for a bit.