Mowjo

I think you are right Marshman! last year when they were checking around our Marina, the ranger was making a list of those with out of date tolls, he went to his boat and came back a little while later, and only issued tickets to certain boats leaving others, plus the fact I was working on my boat and had left my plaques at home, he asked me about mine then 15 minutes later told me I was OK! so unless he phones all those boats through I'd say they already have the techno,, but as Regulo says without any form of Plaque how will they know which ones to check, perhaps they'll micro chip our boats and check on the way past,it's all bringing back my miss spent youth where I got away for years using a Guiness lable as my tax disc,, Frank,,,

At this point I think it's a good time to mention being VERY carefull with cleaners like brick acid and oxalic acid, the clue is in the name ACID! so always read and stick to the instructions, even the milder ones like Harpic or any domestic cleaners have safety warnings, I wonder how many of us have ever read them?? Mowjo tip time! did you know Oxalic Acid is the dogs for removing rust stains from your GRP, I removed a large mudweight rust stain from my deck using it, took a couple of goes but it's completely gone now, just mix a jug full a little bit stronger than usual, apply to the stain and leave for 10 minutes and thoroughly wash it off, repeat if it needs it, for vertical surfaces mix some wallpaper paste in the mix until it thickens up, that way it stays where you put it,, Frank,,,

The best cleaner I've found so far is called Elbow Grease £1.00 a bottle from the Factory shop in Stalham, I use it inside and outside, Judi loves it for cleaning Stainless Steel, and I love it because it gets rid of marks outside that other won't even touch, when I was told about Elbow Grease I thought it was a joke until I saw it in the shop, then saw it was £1.00 a botttle and thought this has to be C**p at that price, how wrong I was thinking I'd wasted £1.00 the stuff is the dogs so I now keep six bottles on board in case they stop selling it,,, Like Alan I use Aldis magic sponges and Fairy power spray on fenders and it brings them up like new, but don't be tempted to use them on your gelcoat or paintwork like I've seen some do, they are Slightly abrasive and will dull the finish as they contain Melamine,,, Frank,,,

First I agree with Robin and have done enough Varnishing in the last thirty years to know he's right, because every boat I've owned I've re-furbished and varnished miles of timber, so never use steel wool! it does leave rust spots and stay away from shop bought tack rags, some but not all do react with the varnish, some leave an oily film and when you varnish over it, it leaves pits in the finish, I make my own tack rags by just adding a bit of thinned varnish to a lint free cloth and using that, some say add a bit of linseed oil but I'm pretty sure it's the linseed that causes the problem,, Like Timbo I've found that cheaper varnish is just as good as the so called marine ones, I havn't tried Wilcos yet, I normally buy Screwfix trade Yacht varnish, or Wickes Exterior varnish, but the last couple of years I've been using Withams traditional yacht varnish it's really good and pretty cheap but only available from Withams, WITHAMS, I think Peter will vouch for this company as I'm sure he has praised them here in the past, I still stand by Le Tonk being the best out there, but as I said it's quite pricey,, Now for a Mowjo tip! forget all that sanding in between coats! rub the first coat down as normal, because staining and varnishing can raise the grain, when doing all the other coats use Scotch bright or Mirka hand finishing pads, they come in three grades but I always only use the green ones, Scotch Pads you can buy in bulk like in the link or get them from any good chandlers but they are double the price from them,,, Frank,,,,

I've used Le Tonkinois vanish for years on all my exterior woodwork and it 's outlasted every other varnish I've used, it dosn't peel, crack or fade and is UV stable, if your into green it,s organic so no nasties in it, and only needs a light rub over in between coats, it goes over stain as well but it does need five or six coats for full effect, it's not the cheapest out there but a tin goes a long way, http://www.tradboats.com/varnishletonkinois.htm Frank,,,

Iain! as I've not been on much over winter due to decorating my daughters new house, I have a lot of troublemaking and winding up to catch up on,, you should know me by now! chuck the petrol on then stand back and watch the fire burn,,, Frank,,

I'll be there at Stalham, first job clean the boat inside and out as long as the weather holds, check everything still works, gossip to catch up on then we may even get out on the water,, Frank,,,

True Strow! I put it again just in case they didn't read it the first time, they may have been using different ink in my version or it could be I didn't read it! it may be because I wanted to give the Mods something to do by having to merge it, or it could be as Judi says I'll be late for my own funeral,,,, Frank,,,

Ok Boys and Girls! I don't know if anyone is aware of this but it's off the BA broads blog, Broads boaters warned about running ink on tolls plaques Broads boaters are being advised not to fix toll plaques on their vessels while the Broads Authority urgently investigates an issue with running ink. A very small number of reports about ink running from the plaques when they get wet onto vessel hulls has come in and as soon as the Authority was aware of the issue it called an immediate meeting with its print supplier to try and find a solution. The supplier, which the Authority has used for 20 years with no previous issues, is now testing the efficacy of various solutions for the plaques already sent out by the Authority, including additional waterproofing. It is also investigating the cause, believed to be related to the waterproofing additive in the ink, to avoid the same problem in future. John Packman, Chief Executive of the Broads Authority, said: “We sincerely regret that this has been an issue for a small number of boaters and, until further notice while investigations are ongoing, are advising people not to fix their plaques to their vessels but to keep them on board ready in case they need to be produced. “We will be writing to every boater who has already been sent a plaque to ensure they are aware of this advice and we will keep boaters updated on progress through our usual channels.” Frank,,,,,

On a lighter note! Never drive faster than your Angel can fly!

Years ago the council were re-roofing the estate where I lived and as I needed a new fence I asked if I could have some pallets, they said take as many as you want, as it was the front fence and three sides of my back garden I ended up with around 100 of them, after wrecking the first few my Dad turned up and said you need this, it was a nail puller, he then told me you'll never do it with a hammer and crow bar as the nails are usualy glue coated and turned at the end, a day later using his nail puller I had striped down every pallet with very little waste and my neighbour had all the spacer blocks for his wood burner, I did some nice fancy cheveron fencing on my house and three neighbours front fences which I of got paid for, so if your going to make stuff from pallets and want the best amount of wood from them you need one of these,, Nail Puller

Firstly I agree with Poppy, Flotex in virtually indistructable, and you can get it in tile form, not the cheapest but definately the best, with tile slippage it depends on the type of backing they have, if they are the cheaper bitumen backed type they will slip and shrink and the backing will also crack, the rubber backed ones are the best option they don't tend to slip and won't crack or shrink, if your worried about slippage have a word with a carpet fitter or small carpet shop and ask if you can buy some carpet tackifier from them, you just coat the floor with it and it stops any movement, it acts a bit like the glue on post-it notes allowing you to lift of move tiles, the Pro one you can only buy in 5ltr's but you can get it in spay from Tackifier If you can go for the best ones as they last longer and don't shrink, if your on a tight budget the cheap ones will do the job, just make sure you have a few spares so you can change one or two if they get damaged, like everything you get what you pay for, Frank,,,,

Carole! the place below does it all including binding, from what I hear his prices arnt bad for fitting, My son in law does a lot of Geoffs work, if you get stuck message me and I'll pass it on to my son in law and he may do it privately for you as he's self employed,,, Frank,,,,, Forgot to mention my son in law does lots of boats including Vinyl,,, Rugz N Matz Carpet Retail Shop Address: 119 High St, Stalham, Norwich NR12 9BA Phone:01692 580896 Hours: Open today · 9:30am–4pm

Dave! I have six rashers of streaky bacon steeping in one of my bottles right now, if it works the joke will be on them,,, I can't disagree on the Tanquery, but I worked in quality control at Booths distilery on the Great West road back in the early 70's, between Ted my boss and me we often got through a bottle a day, and even to this day I tell people that when I proposed to Judi I was drunk at the time, it was actually true and now I know why they call it the deomn drink,,,

Oooooooh! I just found this! my two favorite things, if I dip my bread in it I can have a Jim Beam Bacon Sandwich,,,

My Doctor was very happy when I told him I wasdown to one glass a day,,,,,,,,

I don't mind them going up a bit, but on my 27ft Elysian it's gone up £19.00, and my moorings have jumped £60.00, so I suppose my Birchwood 25 will go up the same amount, and in case your wondering I only pay for the Birchwood as I own that one, Judi owns the Elysian but my daughter pays all the bills on that one as they use it, don't want you lot thinking I'm rolling in it owning two boats, though it is nice when someone ask and I tell them we have his and her boats,,

Know nothing about this engine but would this one be any good,,, maybe Andy or someone knows if they are compatable,, Volvo MD11C

I'm in your last position Van, had boats with loads of stuff I never used, so as I change boats I just don't bother with them, I have 6 USB sockets fitted on Kali and just plug in everything to charge while on the move, or if in the Marine I go on mains, I remember my first boat, it had nearly everything on it but I spent a couple of thousand adding bits I thought I needed only to find I rarely used them, had depth sounders, fish finders, compasses, every gauge you could think of if I could add it I did but I think that was because it was my first boat, it was a bit look at what I've got, you havn't! now with me it's what do you need that for when people say I'm fitting this or that, I'm like it with cars as well, as long as it's reliable got four wheels, an engine and gets me from A to B thats all I need,,

Van! thats what I'm trying to find out! do our needs change or do we have this stuff just because we can? I'm 65 and Judi is 68 but we are actually finding we need less on the boat now than we did thirty years ago, if anyone would want all the whizzy bits it would be Judi, we had air heating on Kali when we bought her I wanted to fit new heating but she said why we never use it, same with having hot water, I was going fit fit a calorifier, she said why whats wrong with the kettle, with the porta potta I said i'll fit a pump out one, she said if you don't mind emptying it I'm not bothered, (that one is still in my plans) I've now had seven boats some like home from home with everything on a some just basic, now we are just sort of kettle, cooker and fridge type of boaters and we are out around 150 days a year, I'm like it with my cars! air con, why just open the window,,

Baz! you know I'm tight so go for the cheap ones as long as it has good output in gallons per hour, I always get mine from E/bay and never had a problem with them, don't forget you'll also need bilge pump switch and a bilge filter system for the BSC as you can't have direct discharge now, below is what I have fitted on mine, I think mine is a bit under powered but my thinking is if i'm not on the boat and it starts sinking, if my battery dies the boat will sink anyway, mine comes into play when underway as my boat takes on a little bit of water so the pump just makes sure the bilge stays fairly dry, for a sinking boat a bit of a waste of time if your not onboard, might be Ok if you have one of those permanent whizzy chargers to keep the battery's going, but fine if you just take on a little bit of water in the bilge as it will only come on once in a blue moon, so idel for you as your never on your boat, see you soon as I'm getting cabin fever stuck here at home,, Filter system Bilge pump Bilge pump switch

I'm not saying don't fit an inverter if thats the route someone wants to go! I just can't think of any reason I'd need one, everything you need on a boat now comes in 12v versions, Judi uses gas curling tongs we even have a 12v Iron and an emergency 12v kettle, TV/DVD combo's come in 12/240v versions, I know Robins is a cheap option but it's still £500.00 for something that in reality you don't need on your average Broads boat, my son in law has one on his boat and when we are out he's always borrowing my spare battery to start his boat, and yes I've told him to split his system so he has a dedicated starter battery,

I forgot the fridge! I did have a basic fridge on Kali but Oh no! judi wanted one of those quite Isotherm ones, £500 for something I had that already did the same job, new electric porta potty, Judi couldn't use the new one that came with the boat as someone else may have used it, new cooker as in Judi's words it was minging, honestly the one that came with it looked like it had never been used apart from boiling a kettle, the TV has a built in DVD but that would go if up to me, but Judi needs her soap fixes, did all the duvets but have gone back to good old sleeping bags, have a nice radio fitted with USB but I always end up using my little iPod thing as judi dosn't listen to music unless at home, have a little fan heater for when in the marina but when we are out we don't bother and just put the kettle on, mind you I'm lucky this boat is quite warm anyway, but if it's too cold we just put on jumpers, it still amazes me when I see microwaves and stuff on boats,all the 240v stuff running off inverters, just buy 12v stuff and your battery's will last longer, I even had a little 12v iron, I charge our phones, laptops, iPads, iPod, torch and everything else off my 12v USB sockets, I do have three domestic battery's though, thinking about it now if I had a washing machine it would be like being at home,

A post from Robin about inverters got me thinking, what do you actualy want or need on a boat?? On my last boat I had heating but never used it! and can see no reason for an invertor, I've had pump out toilets on most of my boats my latest one has a porta potty type and we manage fine with it as we use marinas or public toilets where we can, we have no hot water on Kali so we put the kettle on, water to wash, warms the boat up, and a cuppa, we use marinas for showers, TV Radio and everything else is 12v but I do have 240v for charging or if we are on an electric point, I'll use it for the TV or electric kettle and toaster, there are things that I wouldn't mind on the boat but when I think about them I don't actually need them, we have someone mooring near us that takes electric blankets, and another that won't moor anywhere without electric as she can't cook and only uses a microwave, I'm a people watcher so sometimes I sit in the marina and it amazes me at some of the stuff people load onto their boats, and think if I wanted all that I'd stay at home, for me comfortably roughing it is a lot of the fun with boats, so what do you have on your boat that when you think about you don't actualy need or could do without, and what would you like on your boat,,, Frank,,,,

I'm with Jaws! I've managed over 30 years without one on boats with 1 to 4 battery's, and can't even think of anything I'd need one for, some boats like my current one dosn't even have hot water, all my stuff is 12V, but I have 240v mains if I need it, might be good for a livaboard or if you just like bling, but I honestly can't think of one reason why I'd need one, if I wanted every home comfort I'd stay at home, as Alan says half the fun in boating is roughing it,, good find though Robin,,,,