Still on dry land...

We're still land-bound for the time being! For now, we've decided to have the gas boiler repaired instead of removed entirely (for now), which gives us some time to construct the surround for the stove and have it fitted, during which time we'll be able to live onboard and have some kind of heating! Always a plus, one might say...

It turns out that if we want to have the back-boiler on the stove feeding the fin radiators, we'll need another pump onboard to get the water around the system between boiler and radiators - if we want gravity fed radiators from a back boiler, we'd need to have conventional radiators fitted in place of the fins, which adds cost and significant time to our moving in date. If we have gas heating we're reliant on gas, which is something we distinctly want to avoid if possible, but that's what we've chosen for now, as a temporary measure. Once we get the stove fitted, we're hoping that it will be enough to heat the entire boat, which is what we've heard from various people, and, having thought about it, that must be the traditional way of heating a canal boat?

So the repair of the boiler is imminent! Also, due to corrosion inside the water tank we won't have running water from the tank when we move on, and we'll need some good weather to empty, then clean, then repaint the tank - before we can use it at all! AGH! We've been going over numerous ways around it, such as using a large, very strong, inflatable plastic container for water, positioned inside the tank, but obviously connecting that to the plumbing would be very difficult I imagine. There is not enough access space to fit a stainless steel tank either, which would be preferable to storing our drinking water in a tank coated with bitumin-based paint. Hmmmm. But the bitumin-painted tank looks like our only option. So initially we'll be on constant runs to the water point with our new 10 and 15 litre tanks!

Once the boiler is fitted we'll have the gas test done, which will determine whether or not the cooker works! Fingers crossed... Also, Trevor can swoop in heroically once the boiler's done and issue us with a BSC.

Also, insurance is a fun thing, generally speaking we can't seem to find insurance for a boat that doesn't have a BSC, so we can't complete the final purchase until this order of things is completed:

• Boiler repaired
• Gas test performed
• Gas work checked and BSC issued
• Insurance issued
• Final purchase

Or something like that. Apparently it's possible for an insurance company to insure a boat without a BSC under certain strict conditions, so we're investigating those conditions...

The exciting list of things we need to find for the boat / jobs we need to perform on the boat is over 30 items long now... Seems like the more we do, the more needs doing! More to follow soon!