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  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  2. This forum has never treated the 'canal' in the forum name as a limitation on what can be discussed. All of us (or at least almost all of us) have boated sections of river as well as canal, and I see no problem whatsoever in this thread featuring the pictures of those boaters who spend more of their boating time on rivers and larger waterways. And if they make the occasional forays out onto coastal waters, and visit harbours, inlets and coastal rivers that most of us will never take our own boats to, that only adds to the forum in my opinion.
    8 points
  3. Your reputation of falling out with tradesmen has never been in doubt
    7 points
  4. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  5. @nigel carton also moves boats. I always find it a bit sad that someone has bought a boat, presumably to go boating on, yet they can't find the time to move the boat to their new home mooring. Especially as we are about to have a four day weekend which would be enough for most of the trip. And no reason not to leave the boat moored to the towpath for a week or two if the trip can't be completed in one go.
    7 points
  6. Well, I hope Peter don’t get put off posting. It’s also been good to have a thread where there’s usually little said, certainly no squabbling, just pictures to look at.
    7 points
  7. Seemed plain enough to me. No need to be rude. PS "cant" and "can't" are different words. Please write correctly.
    7 points
  8. Coming soon to this channel, the Hotchkiss Hydraulic Propeller and the Hunt for Torfrida....watch this space. Or more likely, a new one.
    6 points
  9. It's absolutely true. There used to be a boat moored at the top of the flight infested with these fly larvae. Each year, in the spring, the fly would exit the boat in huge numbers and descend the Hatton flight at great speed. The boat became known as the Warwickshire fly boat.
    6 points
  10. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  11. Agreed. David, your contributions to this and other threads are fascinating. Please continue to post, and just ignore the rest of us when the discussion wanders off in odd directions.
    6 points
  12. And there was me thinking I'd be able to help a fellow forum member sort of their spreadsheet problems... 😅😂
    6 points
  13. In case it is of interest I have dug out from my files two articles specifically relating to Hotchkiss Cones and canal narrowboats. These reports in the Motor Boat magazine would have been prepared by Donald Hotchkiss himself - he had been a sub editor there. The dates are 1935 and 1936, at the peak of Cone sales. There was a report in the Trade Notes section of the same magazine in 1956 which reads thus: ' Installation of two Type 30/12 W reversing units is taking place at Braunston, Rugby, in a 72 -ft by 7-ft towing barge, with two Coventry Victor 9-11 hp Diesel engines. By fitting the engines over the cone propellers, it has been possible to reduce the normal length of engine room by several feet, thus increasing the cargo capacity of the barge.' Unfortunately there is no illustration. There is a photo of a butty which appeared in the Leicester Mercury in 1955. But this does not I think refer to a Hotchkiss installation. It seems to me to be a Gill Jet system. 'Princess' was taken over by Barlows 1957, I understand.
    5 points
  14. Is that enough bickering now? The Anchor at High Offley is indisputably nice: I rather like the deep cuttings, although the current slew of fallen trees and small landslips poised over the canal is a bit worrying.
    5 points
  15. To save you searching for it here is the Tracy D'arth method that works. "How to correctly pressurise an accumulator. You need a bicycle or foot pump which will attach to the schrader valve on the end of the accumulator. Switch off the pump electric supply. Open a tap. Pump air in, water may run from the tap,, until some resistance is felt to pumping and then a little more. How much depends on the size of the accumulator but you will not damage it unless you go mad. Remove the pump. Close the tap. Switch on the pump and allow it to pump until it stops. Very slowly let air out of the accumulator by pressing the pin in the valve, stop letting air out as soon as the pump starts up again. Pump will run and then stop. Job done, the accumulator is now correctly pressurised to a tad under the pump cut in pressure whatever that may be."
    5 points
  16. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
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  19. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  20. Oh dear. I was grossly oversimplifying the Cone action. My apologies Is this better? - " If a hollow cone with closed ends, and with one side partially cut away, is held with its axis horizontal and with the cut edges below the surface of a moving fluid, the axis of the cone being at right angles to the direction of flow, an eddy forms, which causes the fluid to flow into the cone at the end nearer the apex and to be discharged at the end nearer the base. The direction of both the inlet and outlet are tangential to the direction of rotation of the fluid and in the same direction. This movement which may be termed an expanding helical flow, is capable of rotating an impeller arranged with its axis coincident with that of the cone. If the impeller is rotated mechanically the same type of flow is set up, the direction depending on the direction of rotation. A powerful reaction is then obtained, which acts on the sides of the cone so that there is a positive pressure on one side and a negative pressure on the other. A form of centrifugal pump is thereby produced , differing from the ordinary type in that it receives fluid at an initial velocity and imparts an additional velocity to a large mass of water with the minimum of frictional loss. " I hope this now makes the principle of the system entirely clear. My thanks to Engineering Aug 5 1927 and to Dorset CRO.
    4 points
  21. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  22. I do not know how much interest there is in these old systems of propulsion which blossomed from the late 1890s, although the story behind them is in itself interesting. I will try one more. This is from the Canals and Waterways Journal of 1919 and it shows the strive for innovation resulting from research carried out during WW1. This is the Kitchen Patent Reversing Rudders system. It was designed specifically with canal and river transport in mind, 'given the narrow winding courses which motor propelled craft have to negotiate'. " The principle involved is extremely simple as will be easily grasped upon reference to the perspective view in Fig 1 ( see below). The essential parts of the rudder consist of two curved deflectors formed of circular parts of a cylinder, partly enclosing the propeller. Both deflectors are pivoted at the top and bottom on common centres. One of the deflectors is operated by a solid shaft, "A", and the other by a hollow shaft, "B", concentric with the solid shaft. By suitable mechanisms the deflectors or rudders are made to turn together in the same direction or equally in opposite directions. Some of the possible positions are shown in Figs 2 to 8". There we are. Quite straight forward. The illustration shows the system installed in a 'fast Admiralty launch, 50 feet, 150 bhp, with very satisfactory results'. You can see the wheel mechanism for control of the system just to the right of the vessel's wheel. I hope that that is all quite clear. If not I have another three pages of explanation...
    4 points
  23. App, a thing that runs on a mobile phone or pad, I thought you had one of each DM, direct message as not enough posts to send one, I thought you were once a mod, sorry Forum moderator, so I thought you may have needed to know that. Info, Information software dev develops computer software BTW, By the Way.
    4 points
  24. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  25. It ain’t broke as far as I can see, so it doesn’t need fixing. Incidentally almost all of the first page of the thread revolved around a picture of a catamaran in Croatia taken a few years before the thread started and the OP replied to this positively . It was started a few days before lockdown so it’s no surprise it ended up with past years canal pictures and has carried on. Theres one thing for sure, BoatinglifeupNorth isn’t supplying much of a tonic on this thread.
    4 points
  26. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  27. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  28. I find it interesting to see how canal locations have changed over the years and Peters photos often show this. I take my hat off to him for taking the time and trouble to post. As has been said before you don't have to look at the topic as it obviously upsets you, going by how often you have said much the same thing. Interesting that there hasn't been much support for your view. 🙂
    4 points
  29. Here am I sitting in a tin can Far above the pound All the signs are blue, and there's Nothing I can do...
    3 points
  30. Trouble, trouble and toil, trouble, toil and tears. An ongoing saga of a boat person. Serialised on a forum near you.
    3 points
  31. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  32. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  33. As the OP, I very much still enjoy all the contributions. The time stamping of photos over the years has added the dimension of how things change, and has increased the value and enjoyment to me, of this thread. So thanks especially to Peter Scott, but also to Naughty Cal, I enjoy your photos of UK coastal escapades. So hopefully this thread remains as a valuable record of the ongoing recent history of Britain's inland, and coastal waterways. 14k replies and 640k views obviously means that I am not alone in pursuing this branch of voyeurism.
    3 points
  34. This ^^^^ And easy enough to do in error even if you know what you're talking about - a colleague of several years ago based his bid for consultancy work in Dublin on a similar bid he'd done in Stockholm - after many checks to make sure there were no references to Swedish places and policies he sent the bid out, with the price in Króna....
    3 points
  35. Thank you David, you have been there many years ago, possibly before this side was built. Well done to Francis - it’s Sharpness Docks. You can watch much of the action from a car. This image below was taken from our car before I realised you can get out 😂 The ship then sailed straight into the lock next to us. There are websites advising when ships are expected and match these up with anticipated high tides and you will see them. Like West Stockwith lock on a huge scale in reverse these ships come up with the tide swing and turn round just upstream of the lock and then edge against the tide and swing in. Ships exiting the lock set off at a significant speed and watching them swept sideways as they turn is an incredible sight. The pilots are picked up at Barry apparently. It must be exhilarating doing this in such large vessels. It’s not beyond getting it wrong. Two weeks ago one ship ended up beached on a sandbank until the next tide of height came in a few days later. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-68479684.amp The lock isn’t long enough for many ships (many around 100metres long) as the whole of the outer lock needs draining which must waste a moderate amount of water pumped in with mud at Gloucester. I suspect there’s reasons for this apart from financial but I don’t know. and shortly after the first photo I’m not sure what the lever Francis has pictured is for. The old paddles on the original dock are strange ones and I can’t see they are related to the lever but that’s all I can think of. It looks more to do with the dock or locomotive related though
    3 points
  36. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  37. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  38. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  39. Try this https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/188966/ Until I looked in detail at the drawings and watched this clip, I found it difficult to envisage the passage of water coming in at the narrow end of the cone and then being accelerated and ejected via the wider end of the cone.
    3 points
  40. At the risk of becoming entirely boring on this subject I would just like to try to give some idea of the extent of Cone use. It gives one food for thought, doesn't it, that in the 1930s one man of very uncertain temperament and entirely on his own, managed in one single year to sell his product for installation in the following, some designed entirely by him: - 110 dwt cargo vessel - motor canoes on Thames and Wye - salvage launch for Sudan Government Railways -weed cutting boat for Egyptian Government - stream clearance vessel for Somerset Catchment Board -inspection launch for Athy Drainage Board -inspection launch for Sudan Government -towing launch for Saigon Port Authority -houseboat for South Africa -canal barges for Italy -river barges for River Ebro, Spain. - alligator pursuit vessel, Guayayquil, Ecuador -oyster fishing boat, Florida -missionary launch, Madagascar -foreign power gunboat - cabin cruiser for River Amazon. - and others besides... He went on to produce a number of vehicle ferries for use in Africa and India. All sorts of different designs for various purposes. Here for example is a launch which I hope you will agree would make a very pleasant motor yacht to grace any river or broad waterway. It was in fact a Calcutta built launch for the Lighthouse Department , Indian Ministry of Transport. A 36/1 W Cone system was specified in view of the shallowness of some of the waters in which it would have to operate. I quite fancy it, especially the officer's quarters at the front end. Just one of many and diverse designs incorporating the system. But perhaps enough for now.
    3 points
  41. Ive just finished moving a narrowboat- the new owners run their own business and have a young daughter at school so time is somewhat short and they need their new home quickly. Monday I collect a widebeam for the newish owner that has had heart problems and is unable to do anything strenuos. After that Im over to Wigan to move a boat down the Flight for a single and relatively inexperienced single lady boater. Could give you several more quite understandable reasons why people do although I do still chuckle at the widebeam I once had to move off the mooring , turn it round and put it back on the opposite way. I dont find it sad at all- I really appreciate it 😀
    3 points
  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. Thanks for the mentions @matty40s and @MtB. I’m currently recovering from eye surgery so may not be able to help in the timescales but I have PMed @Liz E with a few pointers of what she should be looking for in terms of price and insurance. A couple of my customers at the back end of last year told me they’d had quotes from elsewhere that were broadly double what I charged them. And my rates are comparable with a couple of other boat movers I know.
    3 points
  45. I've got to sort the camera mount out as it's a bit wobbly. Most of you won't have been on this canal but it's the second closest to my home, nearest one is closed for dredging but will follow later All are raw video as recorded, haven't learnt to edit yet 🤔
    3 points
  46. Although probably supplied by Kuranda, the stove in question is likely a Wallas 87D stove. I had one in a previous boat and I loved it. Very economical and clean as it uses a sealed flame with it's own flue. The oven is much better than a gas oven as it's fan assisted and works just like an electric oven in a house. The hob also works just like an electric ceramic cooker. I used to run the oven as a heater as it was so economical on diesel! I never had any trouble with it although I was not living aboard. The down sides are the hob isn't as quick to heat up as a gas hob, and it does require 12v to operate. IIRC it draws about 8 amps when starting but once it's running it draws only 1 amp or so. They cost an absolute fortune so if your friend decided to sell it and go to gas they'd probably get a couple of grand for it! In summary, definitely not a no no.
    3 points
  47. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  48. Perhaps you could post some pictures of your boating today?
    3 points
  49. Let's see if this helps. Engine oil specifications are graded by two main systems, ACEA which is a European standard and API which is the USA standard. Just to confuse matters, the engine manufacturers often refuse to use one of these standards and insist on their own. I find that the API ones are easier to understand, more later. The oil is also specified by its viscosity or runniness. This is the SAE rating. The bigger the number, the less runny it is. The number relates to a specific temperature, because oil gets more runny as it heats up. So an SAE 30 grade oil thins significantly as it heats up and in might be too thick to work properly for a given engine when cold and be too thin when hot. This caused the introduction of multi-grade oils that have two viscosity numbers separated by a W, hence 20W50, 15W40, or even 0W15. These still thin but by nowhere near as much as a straight single number oil. The second number is tested at a higher temperature than the first. To put it simply, multi-grade oils did away with the need for thinner winter oils and thicker summer ones. Back to the API specification. This covers such things as its anti-oxidation abilities, resistance to oil film sheer, ability to suspend carbon or dirt, so the filter can remove it, anti-corrosion ability, and so on. As engines develop and require the oil to "work harder" a new specification is issued, and the oil tested to ensure it complies. As diesel engines tend to produce more carbon in the oil, put higher loads on the bearings, but tend to run slower than petrol engines, there are two standards. Compression ignition (diesel) engine standards start their rating with a C while spark ignition (petrol) engines start with an S. You just ignore the S rating if you have a diesel. back in the mists of time the first specs were CA or SA but as engines were developed the spec needed upgrading so we got CB/SB and so on. The further up the alphabet the second letter in general terms the higher the specification of the oil, which is why man think the higher specs are the better for their engine but:- At least one study has shown that the amount of additives in an oil affects its propensity for bore glazing, especially in lighter loaded engines with cooler cylinder walls. To give an oil better performance, more and possibly different additives are added to the base oil, so a higher API specification is likely to have a higher additive content, making it more likely to cause bore glazing. It may also do too good a lubrication job and prevent proper running in. So because canal boat engines very rarely, or if ever, run at full power and at high speed it is probably safer to stick with the engine manufacturer's or marinises spec where possible, but once the engine is run in well there is less danger from using a slightly higher spec oil, but too much depends on the modes of use and engine design features to be definitive on this. As far as I am concerned, the "high zinc" is nothing more than marketing bullshine, the API specification defines what the link has to do so it is already covered by the spec. Sorry for the length of this post. I would say that this is not the best way. To help prevent bore glazing you meet higher cylinder wall temperatures so any residual oil the rings have not scraped off get burned to ash rather than cooked to varnish so ideally you will maximise the load on the engine at all times, but in the interest of fuel economy not run at higher revs than necessary. When charging while tied up, the only significant load on the engine is the alternator(s) so you want it/them at maximum output, but with lead acid batteries the output will gradually drop over time. So use the ammeter to adjust the revs to those that give maximum output at that time, this will cause you to gradually reduce the revs until ideally the current is between 1 and 2% of the batteries nominal capacity, which indicates they are more or less fully charged. When starting, some engines may need full throttle to force the governor to maximum or excess fuel, but pull it back to idle as soon as the engine fires, and before it revs up too fast. At least use half throttle before starting. If you shut the engine down straight from high revs are power (unlikely on a canal boat) the internal hot spots in the engine could boil as the coolant flow stops, but the parts are still very hot. Over time this could fur up the hot spots leading to the metal cracking. So I would suggest that the engine be allowed to idle for a minute or two before shutting down, but as good boatmanship would have you not stopping the engine until the boat is properly tied up, this would happen automatically. When battery charging, the engine would have been running at idle or close to idle for some time.
    3 points
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