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Hi Hylander this boat did not catch fire it hit rocks punctured its hull and was beached here to stop it sinking. it was sailing with out its full navigation suit working. John

Hi Fred there should be no problem with GTO fuel as its carbon based unlike the F A M E based diesel that has vegetable based products added ie Palm oil, it will not swell the rubber seals on older engines that the F A M E based diesel could. It will make starting better on cold days as it's Cetain number is higher along with reduced/no risk of diesel bug contamination and longer shelf life, the only miner concerns is it wont have the lubrication property's that the old high content sulphur diesel had, but as they have removed the sulphur from diesel for some time now with no apparent problems. John

Hi Paul you have Hep-2-O water pipes in your picture, very good for hot and cold feeds to taps/shower etc BUT should not be connected directly to the engine as they have no give and will transmit noise / vibration and will fracture over time with vibration, there should be a plastic or rubber hose that connects directly to the engine this will absorb the noise and vibration from the engine. John

Hi Paul the water flow is pumped around the engine by a impeller ie water pump the flow to the califora comes from the rear of the had through califora and back to the water pump housing if not getting hot it is because the pipes are blocked or the thermostat is in the open fail position this wont stop engine getting hot but will take longer as the water flows through the heat exchanger constantly remove cap remove hose from califora does the water pour out if yes remove return does water flow from califora .if it flows your problem is the thermostat. John

Hi Paul if you have full flow of coolant to califora is the hose cold or just warm if just warm your thermostat is the culprit it has failed in the open position, if no full flow the inside of the hose has collapsed. John

Hi Paul remove cap from header tank and fill with coolant then release clip on the flow pipe at top of cliforior from engine start engine then gently remove hose from joint holding it close when water starts to spurt out push hose back on and re tighten clip run engine at higher revs than replace cap on header tank after checking the level, if this is successful you had a air lock in hose you need to check tightness of ALL hose clips before your next trip and before you start the engine remove cap and check coolant level. John

It's amazing how their attitude changes when they are stuck in the reeds and need a tow, all smiles and sweetness as they hold up a coil of rope. John

It stays in the north sea and goes down to Dover .John

All electrical connections on a boat need ether soldiering or crimped with bare metal and bare wire ends need petroleum jelly or Vaseline(same thing) or the new silicone electrical grease. In 93 i bought a Princess which was made in 76 i had to redue every electrical connection due to corrosion before every thing worked properly. John

Thankyou for that Ian i will try it that way next time

Lovely wood work, Cant say i was very impressed with his electric cable connections no petroleum jelly or solder on bare wire ends or grease on connections even more important on sea boats. One reason sea boats catch fire from the battery's is when anchored they switch engine cooling fans off this makes engine room very hot no problem with lead acid( which every body is use to) but lithium very critical to keep them with in temperature parameters. Even the new electric buses are catching fire from the battery's, last week one caught fire near Cambridge.John

Hi Ian what is the best way to cook Pollock when i oven cook it it like i do Haddock it comes out solid and tastes very bland.Thanks. John

Back in 1993 Jones at St Ives had for sale a boat they built for a director of Handley Page it had two engines and three props two in wing housings that were hydrolic powered by a four cylinder Perkins and a six cylinder Perkins that laid on its side driving a single prop though a gear box i nearly bought it, it was incredibly quirt and well fitted out someone bought it and moored it at The Waverny River Center it was called Gelder somthing. It was built to use on the French canals where the wing props where used the large centa prop for sea use. The reason i didn't buy it was you banged your head when at the galley sink and cooker due to a curved deck. John

Hi Andrew Hot air is easier to install but can be difficult to control temperature if heating more than one airier also if left running at night can make the atmosphere dry, also it can be audible. Hot water ie radiators are easily controlled and can reach further along the boat, But radiators or scerting radiators can be more difficult to fit on a boat, but they dont dry the air if left on all night as do air blown. The most reliable heater is a Hurricane hot water heater oridgely designed for log cabins in Canada they can be cycled on and of like a house hold heater, they are much cheaper to service and repair than Webasto, Ebspacher as each item is separate and can be exchanged/removed as necessary, unlike webasto and Ebspacher the down side is they take up more space and need to be fitted on a flat surface, i have used all the heaters and The Hurricane one i have now beats all the others, but if you need a air blown one the Russian looks the best bet BUT i have no personal experience of them. Another advantage to water heating is it can be run from the engine cooling system as you sail with a cost saving. John

Hi If i had to guess what caused it i would say likely cause would be a Lithium battery over heated. John

Hi Another reason to shop at Brian Wards is you can get proper advice on the product you purchase. John

An ideal opportunity to bring it back in house to Harrisons. John

Many boats would get under the new road bridge as its flat and not curved so no width restriction. John

Hi The only real answer is to make the bridge navigable perhaps cut a slot at end of bridge then jack up road bridge by a foot along with a barrier gate. then herburt Woods price will come down along with a massive increase in trade for the shops that are there and further along to Hickling broad. John

It would be nice if they can bring her home by train so every body along the route has a chance to stand track side to pay there respects. I remember as a boy standing by the track side as this huge gleaming Black steam train decked out passed by taking her father from Sandringham back to London. This Memory has never left me. There where many pictures in the papers or every crossing along the route of people standing showing there respects for him as he went by.John

Hi Was it Surlingham broad. John

I would have thought day boats would only need a pee hardly polluting if they need to do a poo i would have thought the first stop would be a pub the fishermen that are there all night are the culprits and signs wont stop them. And how on earth a land owner can be prosecuted if someone trips while walking uninvited on there land beats me. John

Hi Maurice Pre we always avoided sailing during school holidays as they were (in our experience) busier) if weather was good we would just spend the time on our mooring, perhaps driving some where visiting . John

Hi If you go to a farm machinery outlet you can get top quality oil ATF a lot cheaper in Lt or 5Lt containers. do not use red as this is a TQF for automatic gearboxes ( Borg Warner Velvet Drive). John

Hi Kpnut The supermarkets will sell you water in big containers and deliver to your boat. luckily i have a well so that enables me to extract up too 11 cubic meters of water a day with out any restrictions. John