Onewheeler

If you are in a poor signal area it would be worth buying one with an external antenna socket. These are as rare as rocking horse poo. However, it is said that some have extendable aerials that are screwed into f-sockets. Might be interesting to go into a shop and see what unscrews.

Get rid of the gyproc while it's accessible and before it self-destructs. Space the fireboard from ply backing with offcuts if you have any. Fireboard up to deckhead level near the flue (depending on spacing it can be much narrower than the bits at the bottom). As said, don't forget under the gunwhales. Insulate around the deckhead penetration. Don't worry about beneath the stove, none of mine have got hot there. Tiles on ply are fine. Make provision to bolt the stove down. OVMD!

The Thames is user-friendly when single-handing (unless it's a bank holiday weekend). Lots of lockies and volunteers (of variable competence) to help. Be prepared to do an orthicological manouevre into a tree with a rope when tying up.

My inclination would be to put a stop end on a stub on the valve and fit a dip tube for the fuel line from as near the top of the tank as feasible. Easy to do using an Essex flange type fitting (in this context there might be a different name - someone help!). I did that to install a webasto in our boat.

About 900 x 600 x 400 high. Two vent outlets, could be teed together but it's better if you can arrange a through draft by keeping them apart. I could take a photo once I've shifted stuff around in the garage. With the recycling centre closed it's become full of rubbish!

There's a 200 L HDPE Leesan tank in my garage. Clean, with fittings, only used for a couple of years. Looking for a good home. One used to be able to buy spare Thetford 365 tanks. They were about ten quid more than a complete assembly.

I have an intense dislike for that sort of drain valve. The sealing washer has a habit of gluing itself in place when they get old, which means having to pull the innards out to make it drain. My preference is a ball valve (washing machine valve) as they're less prone to sticking.

Also worth remembering that the Avon locks are generally... err... characterful. Not a great place to start for a lock virgin. Single handing in a narrowboat I found one way of doing them (there are others) was to tie the stern line to a bollard towards the tail of the lock, and take the bow line forward to the gate where you can control the boat. Let the paddles up gently and concentrate on holding the boat in place with the bow line. The lock design is such that the usual technique of opening the paddles on the side next to the boat which should hold it to the wall doesn't (usually) work. And then there is Pershore lock, the deepest one, with the single side paddle. Not forgetting Wyre lock, diamond shaped, with some interesting cross-currents by the entrance. Another recommended technique is to hang around until you can share the locks with a boat with a competent crew.

There is a difference between what is feasible and what is enjoyable. I've single handed the Avon end to end in two pleasant days. Three would be nicer. I've also done Stratford to Kingswood in a day with a crew and we were utterly knackered. Two or three days is better. Single handed, the Wilmcote flight would be hard work. Two or three days onwards to Kilworth is fine. Hatton (indeed all of that part of the GU) has been surprisingly easy whenever I've done it, the locks work like they say in the books.

No-one's mentioned cable ties or silicone sealant yet. They hold the universe together.

I've been looking at them for a while with the intention of trying one when I am allowed more time on the boat. It's a straightforward thermosyphon. The advantage is that you don't have to cut into the tank, the plumbing may be easier and the hot goes straight into the top of the calorifier so is available quickly. The main requirement is for the top (hot) end to go as close to the top of the calorifier as possible - the cold feed can come from anywhere. I've not managed to find anyone who will supply one with a 1 kW 230 V element, which is what I want (to save running the noisy Webasto when we have shore power). It's important for marine use to use a dual 'stat element. I can't see any reason why it can't be used with a 12 V element.

Our DAF575 (61 years old of which at least 35 in the boat) is raw water cooled. The path is mud box --> pump --> engine --> exhaust manifold --> (side run to calorifier) --> oil cooler --> water-cooled exhaust (or something like that, I can't remember the exact sequence). I've no idea if there are anodes or where to look.

Blimey, it ended at 17:58! I was looking a few weeks ago for something similar as a conceptual project. I think there were some other suppliers not on Ebay, possibly more kosher. Personally, I'd fit an Essex flange or, perhaps easier, move the existing 230 V heater to an external "Willis" jacket and put a 12V element into the fitted boss. Or the other way round.

Try typing "dual voltage immersion" into Ebay. Item 293567768276 immediately comes up for 230 / 12 V, others for 230 / 24 V.

It looks as if there are no (or few) supports above it. T&G moves, but it looks as if all of the movement has been between two sections. Possible that the lengths were glued and it's failed at the weakest joint? The easiest solution as others have said is to put braces underneath the T&G running from side to side and screw against the T&G. Something roughly 35 mm x 12 mm? You can get timber with a chamfer on both sides so there won't be sharp edges to bang your head on. Ideally cut to the brace to length so that that both sides are fixed securely to the sides of the cabin and bent to accomodate the curvature of the ceiling (which doesn't look very curvy).

Some of the locks on the K&A are hard work if single-handed, otherwise no problem. Some of the bridges are hard work too, but they're mainly towards the Bath end. How far along are you going?

Nope, it's nigh on 100 years old and has had a hard life. Well-dimpled.

Similar problem on our share. The front deck was bitumen coated in the eighties, and has since had umpteen coats of oil paint. It lasts a few months then peels. Hoping to get a quote for scrabbling (must look that up in the French dictionary) if we ever get her to the boatyard for her dry docking. The steel is far too uneven for scraping.

There's an exploded diagram here: https://www.harworthheating.co.uk/downloads/Parts %26 Exploded Diagrams/Morso/Wood %26 Multifuel/SQUIRREL 1400 1410 1412 1416 1430 1440 1442 1452/ which might (or not) be better than yours. (That's a good site for finding stove diagrams, they cover many makes). Martin/

16.5 x 11 is perfect on our 38, we get within spitting distance of the full 3000 RPM under load. The only time it's been to full speed has been going uphill through a bridge hole in flood, and on open water to see what happens (a huge amount of wash and not much extra speed).

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18392163.oxford-hero-rescued-man-sinking-van-river-thames/ https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18401400.van-owner-warned-remove-river-thames-asap/

We don't know if the engine speed is the same whenever starting. A slow tickover will give much less output than a fast, and indeed if very slow it might not even be kicking the alternator into operation.

No, I'm sure I can cope with that ? I might take a spare pump anyway and bring the defective one back (if indeed it is defective - hard to tell from 1000 km). I do wonder if the partner who reported the problem (and only stayed a day due to France suddenly closing) might have not run the engine, so the pump was pulling air back from the (empty) water-cooled exhaust.

Thanks Brian, that's very helpful! I shall print it to take with me whenever France permits entry. Martin/