Smoggy

A portable fuel tank doesn't come in to the bss as I recall, only fixed tanks.

I'm with you MM as I use it in my chainsaw, but I wouldn't use it the rate a 25hp 2t outboard can use it at that price. Just pointing out that outboard 2t oil is a different spec. (I've used all sorts of cheap old 2t oil in outboards myself)

Best on a downhill stretch of water though.

Open boat with no gas and only the outboard wiring surely is exempt from BSS.

But a tape measure does, you can moor up and walk under that bridge on both sides, been there and done that one then promptly got under 6" over what the gauge said, just remember to duck......

If old fuel some of the petroleum element would have evaporated and the oil element left behind giving a way too high percentage of oil, modern petrol is crap for it, as Paul says try fresh fuel and make sure the mix is spot on. Some manufacturers reduced the oil quantity on their engines despite being exactly the same engine, my old yam had gone from 50:1 to 100:1 so I went somewhere in between.

2 stroke for outboards is better for cooler running engines as it is a different spec, land based 2 strokes tend to run quite a bit hotter, all about burning the oil off I believe.

I guess if the fridge has restarted it's not an engine battery.

We'll tell her you said that.....

Aspen is good for the last carb full of the season as it doesn't go gummy like regular unleaded but it's going to be very expensive to run on it full time, you would be better investing in a decent 4 stroke outboard. What size and shaft length is the old one?

Every waterway has it's appeal, I started with a weeks hire on the broads and bought a small boat a week later on my local river (gt.ouse), parts of the broads are very pretty and parts are flat with reeds which can wear thin fairly quickly, the Ely enf of gt.ouse is pretty devoid of charm as it's largely straight cuts through desolate fenland (just my opinion) but the tributaries from that section can be lovely. Gt.ouse has some very pretty parts and none of the hassle of tides but plenty of locks, some love the locks as they can be very sociable but they can make getting anywhere very slow at busy times, after 12 years of them I don't miss the locks at all. Nene is a very nice river but due to hillier ground than gt.ouse goes into flood much quicker so can be a pain. Deben has fantastic scenery but limited places to stop as only shoreside option is at woodbridge with a short tidal window, all others are swinging buoy moorings so you need a tender, not a hire river. Trent is pretty with manned locks, lower tidal reaches need care and planning, same with the yorkshire ouse. I keep my boat on the southern broads and a good year for me is when I've not been near the northern rivers as I like to head out to sea and get to other places, all of which hold a different appeal. There's no point being loyal till you've tried a few others as you could be missing out on some great things. (Don't take that as marriage guidance advice)

Time to uncomplicate things then, in hindsight if you have 3x starter batteries and one is getting hot then just take it out of the system and insulate the terminals and see what happens, I assume all 12v systems and not 24v?

If you have 5x batteries I would change the wiring to 1 engine battery and 4x domestic. I got given a load of "failed" BMW batteries and tried a 2014 one on my starter circuit, both engines at the same time after 30 seconds of preheat on a cold day after a 3 week gap, both started fine, there's no point having multiple start batteries for an inland boat, not even for a coast hopper, you can always jump from the domestic bank if needed.

Loose connection wouldn't give the gas smell, ditch the hot battery as it probably has a shorted cell, overcharging batteries can be a big bang.

Sometime you need to do several startup cycles to get fuel up through the system but nothing like a diesel engine, it will push the air through and out.

Good luck with the drying and job hunting, make sure you use the right skin fitting for the exhaust on the heater as they get very hot, the boat ones are double skinned to protect the hull, and if it's Chinese get some enerspacher or website exhaust ducting as the Chinese stuff isn't renowned for being gas tight, co kills on boats.

Don't use regular antifreeze, there is a non toxic version (I use freezeban) and it's cheaper. Big freezes are rare these days so I pump a couple of litres through each engine, I don't even look at the exhaust to see it come out (I doubt I'd notice), survived the beast from the east so it does me, my volvos take a fair drop too.

As long as it has torpedoes it will get through....

Freezeban is a non toxic one, if you are not too far away watch the forecasts to see if you need it at all. Winter can be good cruising.

I'm in full agreement with you there MM.

Run a line of chalk around any fittings and any leaks will be obvious even after the event.

Is it not a grp hull? There were 2 "dawncrafts" and I thought we were talking about the grp narrowbeam things, it's the talk of the hull taking up that's thrown me.

And spot on that reaction was Tim, even if you are about to hit another boat you don't reverse with someone in the water behind you.

As a newbie that is asking questions ahead, no you are not part of the problem and keep on asking, if indeed there is that much of a problem.

Do you keep a net on board with small enough holes to catch most of the casualty after kicking the prop with someone underneath? Not only is this getting to serious trolling level it's also downright dangerous, it's good to know novices are getting advice like this from the forum, keeps the numbers down.....