Grebe

What make of stove?

I agree with all the above. Especially isolator valves and Bizzard's little filters. When we had a flow problem on the cold side, it turned out to be a blockage in the 'flexible' pipe between the fixed pipework and the tap. The inner plastic/poly lining of the flexible pipe was degrading and forming a plug. New flexible sorted it out. I changed to hot side as well whilst at it.

Doing it now. I lived on Wharf Lane in Staveley for vitually all of the 1970s. At that time the basin was still reached along Wharf Lane which had a bridge over the railway. Always an interesting area to walk around. It is thought that the railway was built over an early canal arm to Ireland Colliery.

Norfolk Broads based. E-mail address below dan@burrillmarine.co.uk

SWMBO was a great friend of Roma Eastwood, the wife of Arthur Eastwood the boat builder in Owston Ferry. When Arthur built a boat (Seth Ellis Stevenson) for his own use in 1992 we did the paint job and a bit of the inerior fit out for them. Our reward was the loan of the very new boat for a week, so we took her from West Stockwith to Boston and the navigable drains and back. On arrival back into Stockwith Basin we put the boat to bed and went home. Soon the phone rang, it was Arthur... 'You're back then..I had a phone call from an old chap at Stockwith who saw you...he said 'your boat's just come back in off t'Trent...and there were a WOMAN steering!'. He must have thought it was 'mens' work. In fact she's always loved steering whereas I like to potter about and do things, so perfect for us.

Before retirement I worked in the ralway vehicle spares industry. We used to get the gear-case covers from the bogies for overhaul/repair. Although most of the thick, grease-like 'Motac' lubricant had been removed these were still covered in a film of the stuff. Spillages did occur despite all the care taken. We found that a citrus (orange) based degreaser worked best to get it off loors, shoes and clothing.

I'm not aware of any adjustment. Our 'useful stuff to take on a hire-boat' box used to contain a webbing strap with a three-pronged buckle on it. We used to use this to lock-down push-button taps. (I think it was originally a Midland Bank mailbag strap) I reckon a small nylon webbing strap from an outdoor/caravaning/camping shop could be used to hold a palm-push down.

It probably started from wet garments being put in there. Throwing away is probably the best thing for the garments. I'm unable to offer much advice on the 'soft' furnishings. Ventilation into the wardrobe should help with a long-lasting fix. You may have to make some holes and fit some grilles. Can you get a dehumidifier into the wardrobe?

Thanks WotEver. Yes coarse it is. I've only been using it since 2002 and never noticed.

In my working days I used this 'aid memoir' when dealing with metal cleaning and surface finish matters. It is important that they paint/coat the bare metal as soon as possible after blasting. Certainly well within 4 hours. If they do not, make them do it again before they coat it. SURFACE FINISH INFORMATION.doc

Fo'c'sle companion (way)

As W+T says. More comfort which will be better for your muscles. Do the simple things, hot drinks and food inside you, hot water bottles in the bed. Flasks are good to bring hot water to the boat if you have no method to heat it.

There are details of grain carriage, usually ex Hull onto the SSYN and Chesterfield canal in a couple of books. Upgate Downgate, by Ernest Clark, ISBN 1 874718 54 7. Out of print but ou may find it. Humber Keels and Keelmen, by Fred Schofield, ISBN 086138 059 2 Both are early 20th century accounts of boat life

Heading North from Littleport on the Great Ouse always seems to be uphill.

The C45 will make a quieter cruising boat with the engine at the back corner (port side?). The AF 38 has the engine under the raised helm position in the centre cockpit. I think the C45 had the winding handle and chains under the side deck, system to move the canopy. Make sure they have been kept in good adjustment or the chains can slip on the drive-sprocket and lead to repairs.

I cannot recommend anybody to do the work but having had to replace deck-boards in the past I have observrd that the weak points are holes cut for handles, budget lock access, fixing screws etc. My advice is to ensure that all cut edges are fully sealed by epoxy resin or a paint system to resist attack 'from the inside'

You'll be fine David. We thought we would have mixed feelings when we sold Grebe last month. But she went to a new owner who will really love her as much as we did for 17 years. In the end it was a sense of relief that we felt. We have friends who have decided that at mid 70s and 80s boating is too much for them and they have decided to sell. On return from delivering the boat to the brokers as their last voyage, all they reported was a sense of relief. In reality if it was going to cause heartache you would never have reached the decision to sell in the first place.

I'm well out of lock-wheeling practice but spent last Friday (19th) helping John and Fiona Slee on Epiphany down the Rufford Branch in the rain. Those locks were really hard work even for wide locks. Heavy leaky.... From Parbold to Rufford we only saw one other boat moving and that was on the main line.

From our early days on the canals we always had a fenders up policy except when moored. When we had sailing lessons in a grp keel yacht, one of the first instructions we received was "get the fenders up, we don't want to look like a hire boat!" On Grebe all fenders had to be inboard within 30 seconds of departure.

We've had a water lubricated stern tube with a Packless Sealing System (PSS) on Grebe for 17 years from new build. I reckon it is a Vetus stern tube set. I've only ever had one leak from it, and that was operator error. The set-up is no stuffing box. A bellows containing a graphite flange is fixed to the stern tube and the drive shaft passes through the graphite ring. A stainless steel rotor clamped to the drive shaft sits against the graphine ring. The bellows containing the ring is compessed by about 1inch when the seal system is fitted, creating the seal. The stainless steel rotor has two O-rings as a seal to the shaft. To bleed the system the bellows is pressed back wards and a drip of water comes through. It is vital that the bellows is returned to the normal position. The only time I did not do this we did get water through the stern tube. Fault Finding as stated by PSS Spray or mist during operation - Add an extra eitgth of an inch to the compression and try again. Repeat as required. Dripping while not Operational - Foreign material such as grease or oil may be prohibiting the two faces from seating. Insert a clean cloth between the the graphite flange and the stainless steel rotor and rotate it around the shaft vigourously. As you do this water will flush both faces. Remove the cloth. PSS are against the use of oils and greases when assembling the rotor onto the shaft and recommend soap.

On 9th June 2016 a couple and their dog were found dead aboard thier boat moored on the River Bure next to Wroxham Broad in Norfolk. Pending their full report MAIB have published a Safety Bulletin It makes stark reading - THREE MINUTES for a fatal CO level to develop. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a872eeed915d096e000000/MAIBSafetyBulletin2-2016.pdf

Did you turn the battery isolators off when you did the battery change and not turn them on again?

Ours had a drip/defrost tray uner the frozen food compartment. We used to switch the fridge off some time before going home, empty the fridge, empty the drip tray, leave fridge with frozen food compartment door and main door wedged open. Always worked for us for 17 years.

We had a boat hang on a metal slide-bracket in one of the middle cambers of Bingley 5 Rise about 20 years ago. Two boats in the lock. The locky was working the far side and I was working the towpath side. It was on my side, spoted quickly, big shout went up, all stopped and quickly sorted. It was the rubbing strake that caught. I thought it was because it was not fully rounded at the bottom, so it did not slide over the bracket edge.