All Activity

When I saw the thread title I was expecting some combination of a children's song and this.

Trouble is that I don't know, been 60 years since I worked on them, but basic principles say that with no pressure in the system (which you won't have with the top off) the band needs to be just clear of the drum. Otherwise, the box would lock with both ahead and astern engaged. I think there should be another paragraph saying "undo the lock nut by X turns". No idea what X would be.

True, I threw it in as a devil’s argument, kind of, perhaps having to obtain some sort of helm certificate would put off plenty of fly by night boat owners, so how can one demonstrate they will use the boat bona fide?

Sorry if they are - you are the expert in this, not me, I just seem to have that PDF. If it's of any use, I've uploaded the full SR2 manuals onto my website at https://www.arthurmarshall.co.uk/lister.html and I think there's much more complete instructions in there. there's certainly a section on the gearbox. Tony, if you are sure my original PDF is wrong, I'll take it down before it causes any problems.

Rather misses the point! The ability to handle a boat is not the issue. What matters is that someone applying for a boat licence without a home mooring needs to demonstrate to CRT that they intend to use the boat bona fide for navigation, and not merely shuffle around a limited area with almost all stays being of 14 days duration.

That is why I specifically said when cold. It should not affect it going into reverse at that time. It may allow the oil to overheat and thin too much, so as the OP says it will need sorting once it seems to work. I think your instructions may be missing a paragraph, because as shown the box would be locked in astern. Yes under the bulge. if someone has lued it in place with gasket goo, but it was, I thin, a special rubberised fabric rather than paper sp if you are carefull they will usually come apart without damage. Torque - no idea, use a normal spanner and tighten it using two fingers, that will be about right. Note, I have a concern that Arthur's instructions may not be complete.

Not much from today, other than a section of chine plank and a rather nice twisty chine plank running into the stern post. That will be it for a few days, Hamilton moves from Edinburgh to Bristol this weekend so it's back to theatre for a bit!

See edit above - good suggestion!!

Ok, let’s put it another way, why shouldn't ALL boat owners have some sort of helms certificate?

The Lancaster Canal is 42 miles long from Preston to Tewitfield. In order to demonstrate to CRT that you are a genuine CCer (with a boat that is too long to go further afield) you will need to travel the full length of the canal a few times a year, and staying at a number of different places along the way. You aren't allowed to just switch between a couple of places - you probably need to visit (and have been sighted by CRT at) a couple of other places before returning to your first location. I doubt CRT will accept regular one month stays on an ongoing basis, particularly from a new licence holder. The concession which allows you to stay in one place for longer than 14 days if reasonable in the circumstances is intended to accommodate being unable to move the boat due to illness/injury, breakdown or unplanned canal closure. It would normally be expected that when the circumstance giving rise to the extended stay had ended you would revert to maximum 14 day stays. And CRT will be more willing to accommodate extended stays by an existing boater who becomes ill or injured than by one who cannot achieve the movement requirements on day one.

I didn't sink!

CRT aren't changing legislation. I am not "hiding behind rules". What do you actually mean when you say that anyway???? ETA: Its not a terrible suggestion - in fact its a rather good suggestion - just that it perhaps ought to be applied to ALL boaters, not just CCers!!?!?

ok, fair enough, it was only a suggestion, and you’ve pissed on it, and of course it’s unreasonable apologises for trying to take the same old same old conversation out of its loop, if your happy in the loop, stay in it, why are you hiding behind rules when CRT are readily changing them?

A hydraulic gearbox uses oil pressure to change the gear. the actual gears themselves are much like car gears so are reliable. A hydraulic drive is totally different, although some people get confused. A hydraulic drive, or to give it the full name hydrostatic drive, has no actual gears, just a hydraulic pump, a motor, a control valve and a pressure relief valve. The pump moves oil down pipes into the motor where it turns the motor. It is the pump and motor the MIGHT be expensive, depending upon type and quality. The more efficient ones tend to be the expensive ones. Hydraulic drives are not unknown on canal boats but they are rare. PRM Hydraulic GEARBOXES are probably the most reliable on the canals, one of those would be my first choice. Hydraulic gearboxes control the speed of gear engagement all by themselves, a mechanical box, using cables and levers, can be wrecked by a heavy-handed idiot fairly easily.

For how long and how often will the teenagers be staying? Or in other words will they be happy to camp on whatever facilities you can offer, or will they need dedicated home-from-home type accommodation? We had a tale on here a while ago of a chap who accepted significant compromises in his boat layout in order to be able to accommodate holiday stays by his children and grandchildren. But in 5+ years of boat ownership the family had only come to stay once, meanwhile he had suffered the inconvenience of the boat layout for 5 years for virtually no benefit.

Hope the above helps. I'm pretty sure I've got Lister SR2 manuals as PDFs somewhere if they are any use - pm me an email address if they are. the page above is from a PDF too. I also had an odd problem with the gear box, in that it wouldn't stay in neutral but slipped into forwards, in one case leaving a lock without me when I really wasn't expecting it. No-one ever managed to work out why, but it did turn out that the gearbox had been overfilled, and lowering the oil level solved the problem, again though the engineer couldn't understand why it might have done so.

Driving competency is an interesting idea but it misses the mark because the requirement to satisfy the board ONLY relates to CCers, not home moorers. CRT can't impose a driving test on home moorers, so why should one be imposed on CCers? I suspect such a test would be deemed unreasonable. Something more appropriate to the anticipated cruising would be more reasonable.

??

Thanks Tony, thats a good point regarding the tug front deck, and the specific gearboxes but then I seem to remember being advised against hydraulic due to fixing costs and being more specialist and problematic so I may try to go for a PRM mechanical type, it seems that it is one to go and view and then try to find the additional information and see if it is reputable and well looked after etc. I feel condition is key for my search and I don't mind the odd 'surprise' but a shocker would be so unwelcome.....of course!! Cheers agian,

2 posts ago you didn't realise the applicant needs to satisfy the board at all (on the 'cruising' required). Might be worth reviewing the actual wording of the legislation at this stage..... "the applicant for the relevant consent satisfies the Board that the vessel to which the application relates will be used bona fide for navigation throughout the period for which the consent is valid without remaining continuously in any one place for more than 14 days or such longer period as is reasonable in the circumstances."

Would it be simple enough to begin with requiring some sort of helm certificate as a starter? (something I’ve been against but times they are a changing)

No but a lot of bikers