NeilB

I have always fancied staying here and hiring their dayboat - http://www.heron-cottage.com/

I would be very carefull with using Easy Start as believe it or not an engine can become addicted to it!! - seriously. If the glow plug / burner is working properly you should be able to see a cloud of smoke coming from under the domed cover after a few seconds, as John says you should be able to hear something happening as well. The other thing to check is whether there is any voltage drop on the power supply to the plug, if you do not have a relay in the circuit this could be a problem. Some boats took the supply straight from the ignition switch which is not a good idea. If this is working and even after 30 seconds on pre-heat it will not start then it may well be worth looking at the fuel filters to check they are ok. Neil

Did'nt Topcraft have some Alpha 32 hulls modified so you could put a caravan onto them? They used to have a wheelhouse and then a big flat space behind, I think they were converted back to the Topliner spec as it was not a success. Neil

Kris Cruisers have had some of these for hire for a while now, the first one was delivered in 2001 just before I left. http://www.kriscruisers.co.uk/holiday-c ... talia.html http://www.kriscruisers.co.uk/holiday-c ... alise.html http://www.kriscruisers.co.uk/holiday-c ... abeth.html The Thames is not so restrictive on bridge height as the Broads though, until you get to Oxford the lowest bridge is over 12ft. Neil

From what I can remember Bountys, Wilds and Alphacraft used to fit weed hatches to most of their models, I have never seen one on an Aquafibre. I have seen ropes, towels, steel cable from a bouy, plastic bags and a car tyre wrapped around props on the Thames. Never saw a body - that happened on my day off Neil

Looking at those badges reminds me that I have got a metal badge of the George Smith & Sons flag somewhere. It was given to my sister before I was born and I "borowed" it a long time ago I will have to see if I can find it and take a photo. Neil

I just sneaked a read of my mums brochure when I saw her at lunchtime, I was shocked to see only 5 boatyards on the Broads. I also noticed that a lot of the canal based boatyards and also Kris Cruisers where I used to work have taken part in the BMF Hire Boat Handover Audit Programme. However, none of the Broads based yard on Blakes have taken part although I'm not sure about Hoseasons yards. Anyone know why they have not signed up? According to BMF some insurance companies are offering discounts. The details of the scheme are here http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/ You need to click on Training services and Courses and then on Hire Boat Handover Programme. There is also a downloadable guide but as it's 34 pages I have not had time to read it yet. Neil

Hi Simon You could try posting the problem on the forum here http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/index.htm Lots of knowledgable people on this site. Senator - Did your wing mirrors fold inwards once you hit about 120mph? All strictly off the public road of course Neil

Interesting info on tree roots here that was discovered by Kew Gardens after the 1987 storm. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7033148.stm Neil

Prisma used to belong to Nick Allen of TW Allen and Sons on Thames. He used her for corporate entertaining for several years until he bought a larger boat. Prisma is actually the original name. Neil

We have not got a boat booked as my wife will not sleep on anything smaller than about 80,000 tons Instead I have booked one of Summercrafts lodges (Morlands) in June with a dayboat as the next best thing!! There will be my wife, 2 kids, my mum plus myself. My dads ashes were scattered at Coltishall earlier this year so it will be nice to go and have a drink with him in the Rising Sun which was one of his favourites. Neil

Will do Brian. Last time I was there was back in April after scattering my dads ashes at Coltishall so I did not have my camera!! Neil

The Death or Glory was moored up at the old Belaugh Boats yard back in April this year. Not sure if it's still there as the water was too high to get under Wroxham bridge last week. Hopefully be up in a few weeks so may try again as we will be in a G Smith boat so should fit under!! Neil

If the inverter can handle a microwave then it should handle a PSP charger without even thinking. Neil

Someone did tell me they were D6-350's in the Sealine, the only other option for that age of boat are D6-310's. These engines are fully electronic and the only way to govern the top speed is to put some kind of mechanical block on or in the throttle levers. As the throttles are also fully electronic I expect they have put some kind of block to prevent them being pushed forward too far. Neil

I'm off on holiday tomorrow so I'm at home without a pricelist in sight!! As far as I can remember the D3-160 retails at around £13500 give or take a little. As I work for the head office and we sell engines through our dealer network I have to be a little careful about what i say here in case they are watching!! We can only quote retail, our dealers get a discount off that price some of which is passed onto the customer but legaly we cannot dictate what they sell at. You will not go far wrong with either Chris French at French Marine or Bob Brammer at Volspec who are your nearest dealers. There is also Peter Saunders at Northgate Marine, he has just moved from Beccles to Lowestoft, all of them very experienced Volvo dealers. Please don't quote me but the discount can range from 15 up to 30%. Plus if your existing engines/drives/props are servicable there is the outside chance to part ex them to the dealer or sell them on yourself. As you know there are also costs involved with installation, electrics as the D3 puts out 140 amps, the transom shield may need adapters at aprox £300 each plus you would need new props and possibly new throttle controls as well. I'm afraid it all gets very expensive!! Still if your 32's are behaving themselves then you should be ok for a while yet. The only major problem that I'm aware of is the cylinder heads can warp if they are overheated and are very, very difficult to source. Right I'm off to jump on a suitcase to close it after my wife has packed it Neil

Fully rebuilt 280A drives should be fine up to 150hp on a diesel but no more. Petrols did go a bit higher as they have less torque. What you really need is a pair of D3-160's on DP-S legs and your Fairline should go quite well. If you ever want more info on a Volvo then please let me know. If I do not know the answer (very likely!) I can always find out. Neil

Hi Simon If you do ever decide to re-engine then it's best to buy a complete package. It can work bolting new engines onto old drives but I have heard lots of stories of boats not performing very well. Not just performance as your old engines may not be producing the same power and torque as they were 20 years ago. If you fit a modern diesel onto 20 year old drives you may hear an expensive bang!! With a complete package you are assured that the engine, drive ratios and prop sizes are correctly matched. There is a Volvo Penta users group here for older engines but it seems a little quite!! http://www.volpen.org.uk/ Neil