Regulo

The implosion/explosion of the "official" NBF is neither here nor there. As said, certain actions led to an exodus from there to here, and some erstwhile members to leave forum-land for good. If those with the largest axes to grind can find it in themselves to be the bigger person, and wish Richard a return to health, we as a forum should follow their lead. I wish Richard all the best, whatever his health problems.

Well, this can't last. MM actually achieving success on the DIY front? Next thing we'll be hearing he's going to clean the boat. Whoa!! Mind that flock of flying pigs!

I've been thinking (Oh, no, not twice this decade, I hear you say). Save money and turn your heating thermostat down by 1 degree. That's what the general consensus of the energy conscious tell you. So, how does that work? Let's say you set your 'stat at 21C. When that is reached, your boiler(or whatever) switches off. The temperature falls to 20.8 for example, and the boiler comes back on to raise the temperature back up to 21. The cycle repeats, until you turn it off. So, if you now set the 'stat to 20, the same cycle will occur, but between 19.8 and 20. The boiler runs exactly the same way, using exactly the same amount of fuel . . or does it? The only saving, as far as I can see, is that on start up it won't take as much energy to reach 20 as to reach 21. Where am I missing something? Apart from up top.

Do you have to? I am now having a serious mental wobble, due to the resurrection of my buried memories of school chemistry lessons. It's the one subject that completely scrambled my (limited) brain. Never been right since.

You're all embroidering the picture, I think.

Was there ever? The point of the legislation was to stop insurance companies from charging loyal customers more than new ones for the same cover. That's worked out well, hasn't it? Now the greedy b*****ds rook everyone to maintain their profits.

From Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue service:

I was in the garden yesterday, bit of a North wind blowing. I swear I heard a Yorkshire accent on the air crying "'OW MUCH!!!". Now I understand.

As far as I know, they don't free fall.

I fitted a kitchen type plinth fan heater on Sunbird, that blew hot air at floor level. Might be worth considering, if you have the space.

As soon as you turn a fan heater off there's no more heat to be had. An oil filled rad will gradually cool, giving up some residual heat. Depends what you need it for - fan for quick warm up, but instantly cold, or radiator for slower warm up, but slower cooling down.

Morris 1100 (died of rust), Ford Corsair V4, Ford Cortina MK3 1600XL, Ford Granada 3.0GXL run concurrently with Mini 850 (died of rust). Next, another Granada 3.0GXL. Then a Rover 3500 SDI, another Rover 3500SDI (great cars, but rustbuckets). During the life of those last four I had at various times a DAF 33, a Riley Elf auto, and another Mini. Next came a Montego 1.6 followed by a Montego 2.0GSI (Both rusted at an alarming rate of knots). Fed up with cars rusting away under me, I then had a Volvo 760 Turbo Estate, which I ran for 12 years with minimal trouble, and sold with no signs of corrosion anywhere. Then a Volvo V90 Estate, Volvo V60 Estate, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, and now a Tesla Model3 LR. Don't think I've missed any. To sum up: BMC/BL rusted from the inside out, Fords from the outside in, Volvos didn't rust at all. Later cars were the most reliable, but pretty boring, even if you were almost certain of reaching your destination, which was by no means the case in the 60's and 70's.

Just as an aside, I've always remembered this snippet of conversation, overheard of two old boys, as I passed them in the doorway of a car accessory shop. ". . . and when I finally pulled it out, it was bent, and of course I couldn't get it back in then, no matter how hard I tried. . ." I really hope it was car related.

Great recall everyone! I'd forgotten about the Smiths stick on heated rear window - one summer and it assumed the look and consistency of a rasher of bacon. Oh, how I miss those days, every weekend spent covered in oil/paint/blood (or all three) with bits of car all over the floor.

I think Goodchild's used some sort of pump aboard a barge to do this at their marina entrances? Don't know how successful or not it was.

I've been reminiscing about my early years of car ownership in the late 60's, and recalling the "extras" you had to buy and fit yourself. Here's my list: Windscreen washer electric pump. Wing mirrors (yes, drilled holes in the actual wings, kids) Radio and aerial (ditto) Reversing lamps. Fog and spot lights. Radiator blind Electric radiator fan About 10lbs David's Isopon and chicken wire to suit. Not really an "extra", more a necessity on my cars. Baked bean cans and tins of exhaust putty. There seemed to be an independent car accessory shop on every other corner in those days, sell you anything from an instrument panel bulb to a re-con engine! What are your recollections?

Obviously decided "Who's a pretty boy" would be lost on you.

I'll save you the bother, MM. One barks and s**ts, the other pecks and s**ts.

Ha! You must have had it easy. Get in turn the key. Listen to the starter churning over with no sign of life from the engine. Keep trying until there's just a click from the starter solenoid. Get out. Swear profusely. Kick the nearest dog, if available. Get the bus to the station. Return in the evening, upon which the b$%^£*d thing starts first time. Ah, the 60's - gotta love 'em!

Good job it wasn't the Nutcracker.

Think yourselves lucky you never hired a Ripplecraft boat in the 60's! If it rained, you spent half your holiday bent double. Came home like a knuckle-dragging gorilla.

Just so all can see.

That is truly appalling. I came across some pretty dire electrics in the early days of my ex-hire boat, but nothing approaching that. Who would even consider such a bodge up?

Er . . . what loyalty discounts would that be? The point of the change was to stop companies hiking loyal customers' renewal prices in the hope they'd just cough up. It hasn't worked as planned, as now we all pay the higher prices. Does any intervention by government ever work?

I had to give up my boat through circumstances in 2021. At the time, I felt quite sad to be so doing. It seems the decision that was forced on me then might have been advantageous. I'll keep my happy memories, and hope somehow the Broads can sustain both it's natural beauty and a healthy boating infrastructure. The two aren't incompatible, I'm sure, but something must change. Just reading on this forum over the last few weeks, it's clear quite a few long-term boaters have reached tipping point.