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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/09/18 in all areas

  1. When will the people of this country realise that they are totally responsible for their own safety? Getting blathered on alcohol and/or drugs is not a responsible way to behave and if their demise by falling into a canal that has been there over 200 years is the end result it is their own fault and nobody else's. Sam.
    7 points
  2. It doesn't matter how well CRT maintain a waterway, it will never be good enough for some. Each time they improve things, it sucks in more demandy middle class boaters who expect the moon on stick with a switch to turn it on and off, and the grass to be combed all the same way.
    6 points
  3. Aren't there some instructions somewhere about operating lift bridges safely, single handed. Where is Phyllis when you need her?
    4 points
  4. Casper Blackburn didn't die because of a lack of CCTV and railings. He died because he failed to take responsibility for his own safety. We can't keep on making the world ever safer just so that people can abdicate personal responsibility.
    3 points
  5. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  6. I thought lifejackets should be a different topic. I do think they should be worn by skipper and all crew actively involved with boat handling and lock operation.
    2 points
  7. Years ago in the 1950', 60's and 70's vertually everyone with diesel vehicles used easystart on cold winters mornings, the air reeked of it especially Barkingside Ilford where most of the Black cabs lived with the 2.2 engines which thrived on it. It was easier than lighting bonfires under the engine and wafting lighted newspaper torches over the air intake. In my 50 years in the motor trade I honestly can't remember an engine being damaged by it, although their life may have been shortened a bit. I remember a truck with a Perkins P6 in it that started up backwards on easystart, quite frightening as the governor didn't work in that direction, Engine screaming. Exhaust poured out of the air intake and air sucked in through the exhaust pipe. Forward gears became reverse and reverse became forward. The driver managed to stall it up against a wall which burnt the clutch out, but the engine was still a goodun.
    2 points
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  9. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  10. And / or the dreaded "ignorant of the subject" proof reader.
    2 points
  11. Only my own opinion, the canal has been there how long? At a guesstimate more than 100 years. Is there really a need for fences,cctv and other measures. Sad that it is, that someone has suffered by falling into the canal, but I live on the canals and have fallen in once, due to my own incompetence. And I was sober!!
    2 points
  12. Well, after a few years of leisure boating in a little 24-footer, a bit of a break, a brain haemorrhage and subsequent insurance windfall, and all the business of buying a boat and selling a house... we moved aboard our 55-foot narrowboat on Friday. Being on the L&L, I thought we were going to start this new chapter of our lives stuck ten minutes from our old house with nowhere to empty the loo or fill up the water tank; but no, enough of the locks have re-opened to get us as far as Apperley Bridge. Just waiting for the locks into Leeds to re-open now and we'll be properly on our way CCIng around Yorkshire and beyond. We're pretty seriously stretching a point financially speaking, but after my near-death experience and with my wife's career increasingly taking its toll on her well-being, we've decided to just go for it and see if we can't live on a student-level income generated by the proceeds of our house sale - with a decent savings buffer against unexpected maintenance costs and suchlike. Our youngest child is off to uni in three weeks' time so we're as close to having no ties as we've been since we were eighteen. Wish us luck!
    1 point
  13. Agree. And how long until there is a full closure due to the leak in the Twyford pound? Spoke with a permanent moorer in passing today. He stated the problem has been on going for eight weeks. This morning, before water was drawn down, the pound was unnavigable. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul without locating the issue re water loss.
    1 point
  14. We used to brew our own fuel for our control line model aircraft which used diesel engines. Although firms like Keil-Kraft brewed fuel, ether could be bought over the counter at chemists in those days, as could Dr Collis Browns chlorodine for tummy ache. We mixed it in dads shed with caster oil. I can't remember the ratio but we always overdid the ether for more power. Once we were nearly put to sleep with the fumes, and staggered out of the shed like zombies as high as a kite, trying to avoid mum who was outside wringing the washing through the mangle in the garden. We flew persuit flying with two planes flying the circle with crepe paper streamers streaming behind them. The idea was to chop off your oponants streamers with your propeller as close as possible to the aircraft. My engine was an ED Racer of 2cc, although the Oliver engines were better but more expensive. Sirweste could shove a couple of gallons in his fuel tank to mix with the diesel, but the ratio is pretty crucial.
    1 point
  15. Owls eat beetles but they ain't trees.
    1 point
  16. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  17. Hi, I wanted to find out the condition of the hull on my 17 year old, 48ft boat and Tony Tucker did a HULL survey for me - cost - £400. I coupled it with having the boat blacked and this made good any scraping/hammering of the blacking and hull a Surveyor has to do in conjunction with ultrasonic testing/steel condition inspection. He produced a helpful report which focused on the boat having too many anodes fitted. Find out exactly what sort of inspection/survey the insurers want and instruct the Surveyor accordingly. Hope this helps. L.
    1 point
  18. I agree with this yep, wondered when it would be brought up. I'm not really sure how I feel about this to be honest. If you're not capable of assessing a risk such as helmet wearing on a 70mph motorbike then I kinda don't see the point in forcing the person to wear one... As I said previously, I compete at a reasonable level in downhill and gravity enduro mtb races. I choose full face / open face helmets depending on the event / terrain. Helmet use here is mandated, which I agree with as someone who cannot see the risks involved shouldn't be part of racing in the sport. What's not mandated is body armour, as the risk here is less clear. There's a lot of variation in what people use. I would not agree with dictating the amour choice, grown adults should be able to choose for themselves what protection based on risks. Educate, don't dictate.
    1 point
  19. Really? Most people are really bad at risk assessments. Some mandatory aids and laws do help.
    1 point
  20. Crash helmets on motorbike riders and seat belts worn in vehicles had to be made legal requirements because people wrongly assessed the risks.
    1 point
  21. No it is not the same. You are jeopardising the 3rd party if you produce CO, by having your own alarm it tells you to stop / switch off the offending appliance. By your logic you shouldn't need to have fire extinguishers - if you set light to another boat you'd rely on them to have their own extinguishers. What a selfish attitude and not one I would have expected from a member of this forum.
    1 point
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  23. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  24. Well, there you go, easy fart is OK 'cos he's not bothered with that either. I'll tell that to the next boat owner who needs a new engine, they may think differently. Being the occasional horrible bugger does not inhibit you from graciously accepting good advice freely given.
    1 point
  25. A whole lot heavier too.
    1 point
  26. Thank you doctor. As is always the case, if you don't mind, I'll await a second, or more, opinions before accepting and deciding on a diagnosis.
    1 point
  27. 4 engines! No wonder you use so much fuel.?
    1 point
  28. That is probably because whoever installed it or repaired it know putting them (and heater plug cables) is asking for problems.
    1 point
  29. Hi everyone, thanks for all your suggestions and advice turns out it was an empty gas bottle! it's quite small 3.9kg so maybe the surveyor doing the gas test emptied it because the hobs were running for a while. the other bottle was actually full so no need to suspect foul play
    1 point
  30. It depends on what you are after by networking them together I suppose? Victron have a open source following so if you like playing (and quite technical) you may be interested (As you know I'm looking for central control/monitoring using a Pi). https://www.victronenergy.com/live/open_source:start The GX screen that Victron do is actually open source and you can implement on a Pi -https://github.com/victronenergy/venus/wiki and some blogs regarding https://www.chronicle.me.uk/victronPi/, https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2018/04/11/homemade-pi-open-source-raspberry-flavour/,
    1 point
  31. Sounds like someone has swapped out the full bottles for a couple of empty ones just before completion of the sale. Presumably the survey was done ahead of completion and therefore before the OP took ownership. I suspect you would get a really big smell of gas if it was emitting and not lighting. That can happen if the top piece of the job isn’t seated correctly but it doesn’t sound like that is the case. JP
    1 point
  32. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  33. Must be something wrong with ours then as the 170hp diesel in there doesn't shake it at all! As the chap at Burton Waters found out last year when his petrol boat exploded when refuelling taking out the fuel berth and another boat!
    1 point
  34. I think he may of had to turn the gas off at the bottle, removed his manometer and then searched his pocket for the test nipple plug, screwed it in and turned the bottle back on, during which time gas will leave the pipework to be replaced with air, His subsequent test that the nipple is gas tight will be fine with air in the pipes. Yes? It was only a suggestion not a declaration of war.
    1 point
  35. When I first started working a pair some of the older boaters on occasions when they had sufficient money to blow on booze to get them P***ed had this thing of walking /or trying to walk along the top planks usually bow to cabin to prove they could do it even when drunk several fell in the cut & where fished out but a couple fell between the boats & one died & "tother 's pelvis & legs were so smashed up that his boating days ended there & then quite a few fell in the lock crossing the gate/s but the lock was usually left full when folk had tied for the night & top gate/s used as crossing point so it wasn't far to the water .T&M was good for the #of accom bridges by locks
    1 point
  36. Coincidences have to happen sometime! Check that the pillar valve is open on top of the gas bottle. Follow the pipe in to the cabin and check there are no valves on it that may be shut. When you do change the gas cylinder, you need the correct size spanner. The nut needs to be turned the opposite way to disconnect the bottle. Clockwise to undo, anticlockwise to do up. On my boat, the gas usually runs out in the middle of cooking tea. Outside it will be dark and either raining, or sideways sleet! Jen
    1 point
  37. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  38. Sounds perfect to me! Run it for an hour (or even a bit less), get a tank of hot water and a toasty boat, by which time the stove is back up to running temperature and the Webasto can go back to sleep. That's exactly how I run my Eberspacher - theres a 1 hour button on the programmer by the bed to make it really easy too.
    1 point
  39. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  40. Its a caulker of a skool bouy howler innit!
    1 point
  41. But are the public allowed a bit later?
    1 point
  42. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  43. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  44. As an example of compliance with the BSS statement......... If a CO alarm prevents a death it also prevents potential harm to the rescue and emergency services and to surviving relatives dealing with the deceased and who will be exposed to potential harm in the form of stress related issues . This could include members of the waterways workforce . There have been deaths in recent years due to CO on petrol engined boats . I recall one was when an engine was left running and the exhaust fumes were blown int the boat. Another where a faulty exhaust from a fitted generator caused CO inside the boat killing a woman an a child. These deaths could potentially have been prevented by a CO alarm alerting the victims. Bear in mind a petrol engined boat or generator could be run near your diesel engined boat and cause a CO build up. Also a faulty gas appliance or blocked ventilation plus use of a gas appliance or use of any fuel burning appliance could cause a CO build up. I think a smoke alarm and a CO alarm should be mandatory as being functional at the time of the BSS test and maintained at all times as with all other BSS requirements . The appropriate standard for the alarm should be indicated in the BSS requirement. These alarms are not particularly expensive items costing about £20 for a CO alarm and lasting 7 years and smoke alarms costing less than £10 . The alarm in each case may be tested by pressing a test button and also often by observing for an occasional blinking green diode. This takes a minute to do and should not be a reason to add a charge to the BSS examination fee. It is easy to test the alarms yourself once in a while. Among other boating costs I suggest the expense should not be considered a barrier. Fitting a CO alarm takes no work at all - it may sit on a shelf. Smoke alarms come with self adhesive pads to stick them to the ceiling. I do feel the British Standard for CO alarms lacks clarity as some alarms suitable on motorhomes and caravans may not be certified as suitable on boats despite all falling under the same standard. The boat certified alarms do not seem to be any more costly - more a matter that the maker has not sought boat certification. I have a smoke alarm and a CO alarm in my house too. I am guessing the objectors to such alarms do not? As for life jackets ................................ let's leave that for some other time .
    1 point
  45. Unlike some other makes that don't flash at all. (after the Hudson thred I am not going to suggest a make)
    1 point
  46. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  47. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  48. I find that difficult to accept. I can think of many instances where the siting of an alarm might be considered an eyesore by the owners, but not that they can not be fitted. (Still think it shouldn't be added to the BSS though.)
    1 point
  49. Checking if an alarm is fitted is hardly a taxing process. It doesn't really generate much if any extra work so not sure how it is going to keep anyone in a job.
    1 point
  50. What they could do is to maintain the locks such that so much water isn’t wasted. You’ll notice they talk about ashing up the gates, which would be necessary if they didn’t leak so much. They could also dredge the reservoirs so they hold more water. Ultimately you are right in that they cannot control the weather, but what they can do is to make the most of whatever water they do have by not allowing it to go to waste. It is too easy for CRT to just use the weather to absolve themselves of any responsibility. Even in normal years, the L&L can be short of water due to all the wastage. It doesn’t have to be like that.
    1 point
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