Onewheeler

Machete, especially if you are on the Thames and adventurous.

Wire, 2 mm^2 in red and black, a comprehensive set of crimp connectors and a proper crimp tool.

When we pulled around 100 T of convoy through Ricqueval (first in a line of nine) our boat bumped the side lightly once in the entrance portal and then carried on in a straight line. Didn't touch the wheel at all. It took VNF five months to invoice us for the trip though and they made it hard to pay.

Our standard method for getting out of the marina. 200 m in reverse down a narrow channel with plastic boats on both sides. About 3 m of fairly heavy duty chain on a 5 m line.

She was Spanish.

We have a stainless one of those. We had a galvanised steel one which rotted in a year.

No idea, but they're helpful, cheap and the paint is top quality. In comparison, Toplac is like a gold-plated pot of pi**.

I've just done our roof with Black Country Paints paint. Much cheaper than Toplac, much more pigment and available in all RAL colours matt, semi gloss and gloss. They're also nice people to deal with.

There aren't many places that you can't turn a 18 m boat, and even fewer where you can't turn within five minutes of cruising. You can tie up pretty much anywhere on the towpath side other than near bridges and where the bank makes it difficult. There may be some local restrictions due to water voles. It is a lovely and unique waterway. Hope you get to Sharpness, a walk around the old dock and around the riverbank is always interesting.

No one seems to have asked yet if the front deck drains into the bilge. Not unknown and it might explain the presence of a bilge pump. It might be regarded as slightly unusual to have one in the main cabin bilge.

If (and only if) the hull and engine are not too bad it looks good value. The seller quotes three different BSS dates, all soon, could be worth an offer subject to survey and new BSS. The cosmetics can be done as and when you please. The external paint job looks passable. I'd get rid of the toilet and keep the porta-potti. OVMD!

Stern gland? Is it water cooled?

Looks an easy job as it's all accessible. Wouldn't like to suggest a price as it depends on the scope, eg. install pump, wiring etc.

Ulverston canal

The tank that I took out last year on our shared boat was corroded in patches all over. One edge had gone from top to bottom.

It does look as if it's integral to the hull. It should be easy to hack out the parts inside the boat with a reciprocating saw and/or jigsaw if the access is adequate, but there'll be some rough edges left which it might be possible to bend out of the way with a lump hammer. It looks as if the tank was made of thin steel so one hopes that the hull won't be too corroded.

It might well be less than generally thought. The battery on the wife's car is so knackered that the central locking won't unlock if it's been standing for a few days, yet it starts with only a little wheezing from the motor.

Some new lumières to replace the ancient twin tube fluorescents.

Bristol is difficult. Saul Junction marina was welcoming when I moored there, a few people spending a lot of time on their boats and not too expensive as marinas go. ~6 km from two main line stations (on different lines) and rural.

I've had two marina moorings. Both say in the small print "no residential use" but in practice don't care if people spend "a long time" on their boats. Indeed, many like to have a few people spending most of their time there as it increases the security. The only issue is that they do usually say not to use the marina office as an address for post (although neither have issues in accepting parts for a boat if you ask nicely first). Tell us roughly where you might be interested and I'm sure that someone will have suggestions. (But don't mention that London!)

My last set of cheap leisure batteries (Numax) lasted 10 years with minimal care so give it a try.

Naked except for knee pads and the second-smallest pair of shorts. I paint the boat like that too.

It took me 20 years to discover, and has never been noticed by an examiner, that the low level ventilation louvres on the front bulkhead are screwed straight onto solid steel.

I've got a 12V- Adverc in the garage that was taken off my BMC1.8 when I replaced it a few years ago. Open to offers!