Recent content by boatsRus

Thanks Mistroma. The reason that I stripped down as far as I did was that a professional outboard engineer told me that he thought the problem was the reed valve. Needless to say, it was fine, but I changed the other bits anyway!!

I have a 16 year old Mariner 3.3hp two stroke outboard (standard shaft). Last summer, it died mid-cruise so I brought it home and thoroughly cleaned the carb, replaced the piston ring, oil seals, gasket, spark plug, fuel tap and filter, and fuel cap. It still won’t run properly (although it...

Hard to see how the Chancellor will make £2.4bn in extra revenue if he has to give most of it back to farmers and fishermen via their tax returns!

That will upset an awful lot of farmers and fishermen, as well as the boating community.

Yes, but put a bit of epoxy in the hole before you hammer the plug in.

I have just received a letter from my Marina asking for sight of my Third Party liability insurance certificate. Apparently, the same letter has gone to all Berth Holders. Can they do this, or should it be sufficient for Berth Holders to self certify that they are correctly insured (which is...

Nooks I have pm'd you as requested

That's great - many thanks. Will pm you as requested. I have Googled it - looks like just what I was after.

Yes please. Happy to collect from Lympstone - I am in north Devon

Yes, still for sale as far as I know, but nothing has happened so far. Sutton can be quite noisy, especially on a Saturday evening, but it is right at the centre of things in the Barbican with loads of pubs and restaurants within easy walking distance. Facilities are good and well maintained...

Many thanks for all the sound advice and philosophy so far - much appreciated. I don't have a dog and have no intention of getting one. I play golf very very badly, with little chance of getting any better. I don't plan to change the boat, but it will need increasing amounts of work and money...

Two weeks from tomorrow will be my last day at work. Retirement beckons and I thought it might be interesting and helpful to get some friendly yachting-related advice from those on the Forum who have already achieved this milestone. What should I do first - where to go and what to see? What...

A Victoria 16 may be a reasonable option. Not many around (a couple of dozen were built, I believe) so a good(ish) one may take some finding, but significantly lighter than a Wayfarer for a similar sized boat. If I recall, there is a small change in floor level from the crew area to the helm...

Yes - full six place setting and cutlery, all bought 10 years ago at SIBS - still going strong, no breakages. Only downside is that the inside of the mugs gets stained easily with tea. Otherwise, all good.

Officially, there are 3261 moorings on the Hamble (including marina berths). If you assume that most of these are full, then add the number of boats which seem to be almost permanently ashore in the various marinas, then add all the RIBs in dry stacks, I think you will get very close to the...