Scholar Gypsy
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Posts posted by Scholar Gypsy
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10 minutes ago, MtB said:
Oh I see. Those fittings are not noted for coming loose. Just do them up good and tight in the first place.
Oh and yes, maybe the problem is those neoprene seals. Take them off and wind on some PTFE, I suggest.
Thanks, that is interesting. The tapered seals are different to the original design which had a flat washer. It's a mission critical bit of plumbing (part of main cooling system) which is why I obsess about it. But I think need a washer of some sort to compress and make a watertight seal between the end of the pipe and the plastic part of the fitting.
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13 hours ago, MtB said:
What fitting?
Photo?
Sorry, the one in the photo above. A 1/2" BSP fitting on a calorifier, which can shake loose.
I am thinking about a couple of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-map-Flange-Locknut-Plumbing/dp/B09N3D51J7/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?adgrpid=1184174922457787&hvadid=74011150424783&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=132547&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-74011072442785%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=29387_2328104&keywords=1%2F2+bsp+nut&qid=1693917717&sr=8-12-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1 -
I may be overthinking this, but I am wondering if there is a way to tighten this fitting to make sure it doesn't come loose again. Ideas so far:
1) Tighten it some more using my pipe wrench2) Use some PTFE tape (I know it's to make it watertight, which is not the issue)
3) Apply some loctite (there do seem to be rather a lot of products, maybe this one: https://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/products/loctite-243-threadlocker-blue-medium-strength?variant=40172618940479
4) Find a nut to go on the thread, and then lock it to the fitting (in a similar way to my stern gland)
Many thanks! -
Reopened on Tuesday, I gather.
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37 minutes ago, IanD said:
If you mean the Dog and Doublet, not according to the band playing there next weekend...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/309241185897342/permalink/2549594751861963/
I was referring to the Dog in a Doublet near Peterborough where the Nene goes tidal.
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On 23/08/2023 at 16:20, Goliath said:
Dog and Doublet springs to mind, possible there on a quiet day,
Is it the Navigation at top of Walsall?
Had a few there while still in lock. Beers lined up on the balance beam.
There’s a few more boozers when either myself or me mate’s gone to fetch the beer.
oh, the Star Inn at Star lock’s another.
You’d think there would be some sort of challenge set,An equivalent to the silver propellor,
The pub at Wolverley would work,
Sadly the pub at Dog-in-a-Doublet has shut recently.
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On 05/08/2023 at 14:29, Tonka said:
To become chairman don't you have to be voted in at an AGM
I believe that FBW is in organisational/legal terms a coalition of other organisations, ie it does not have a legal personality, bank accounts, etc etc. So (for example) it is not a registered charity, though some/many of the coalition will be (eg IWA), and they will provide the infrastructure (eg IWA are providing the website). So to be chair of FBW you are just chosen by the first meeting of the constituent organisations. Very different to the process for being elected chair of one of the consitutent organisations - all of whom will have their own process for that.
Apologies for going down a bit of a rabbit hole.-
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We have these, not sure what to call them, probably similar to the gutters in an earlier comment.
I wouldn't want anything that sticks out any more , as that would impede walking along the side deck and also get tangled with trees etc.
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20 minutes ago, blackrose said:
You've got to be going faster than the tide that's pushing you otherwise you'll have no water going over your rudder and lose steering - unless you're in slack water or punching the tide - in which case you'll already be going slow enough on any underpowered displacement hull canal boat.
Most of the day (according to my GPS gadget, referred to in video 2!) we were doing between 4.5 and 5.5 knots, although we did get as slow as 3.5 above Hammersmith as I had to waste a bit of time before getting to Richmond. The estimates for the time of lifting the weir (HW-2) are often out by 30 mins either way.
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6 hours ago, howardang said:
I hear what you say but if it is necessary for the lead boats to maintain a constant speed maybe a modest reduction in that set speed might be worth considering?
Howard
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We were already going quite slow, in order not to arrive at Richmond before the gates lift.
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2 hours ago, howardang said:
The best way to ease the effects of pitching is to SLOW DOWN. I am sometimes perplexed to watch narrowboats plough through choppy water and then complain about the rough conditions.
Wind against tide conditions also cause the river to be much choppier than expected and more care should be taken in these conditions.Howard
In general I would agree, but I think it's more complex in a convoy, where boats handle differently and each skipper has a different view of how fast they need to go to maintain control. The lead boat in each group does try (and I think this is unavoidable) to maintain constant speed/ RPM, otherwise things can get rather messy. -
3 hours ago, Tonka said:
Can not believe he missed the Grand Union at Brentford. Was appalled at the vegetation in Teddington Lock and noticed it was not the whole lock
On Brentford I can offer you two reasons:
1) David had (as he mentioned in the commentary) covered this section before in an earlier video. See below:
2) He was having a little snooze between Hammersmith and Richmond (see second photo, taken just by the piece of modern art).
On Teddington, the outer gates of the barge lock have been out of action for about 4 years, so we can only use the inner half. A pity, as I reckoned the 590 metres of boat would just about fit in the lock, three abreast.
1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:I'd almost persuaded J it was something we could do at some point, until the shot of the boat bucking like a bronco on the waves possibly put her off for life
My apologies! Personally I reckon pitching is good for safety - though it may cause some mild nausea and breakage of crockery. MOBIUS is short and light - longer and heavier boats pitch much less which means that on occasion you can get a bit of water running along the sidedecks and in the side doors if you have not taped them up. It's fair to say that the centre of London is usually quieter than this, and if pick a tide so you can depart Limehouse at 0700 then it's usually much quieter....-
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On 01/08/2023 at 23:10, Captain Pegg said:
I appreciate the OP’s intentions are good but as per my post in the thread on navigating weeds I don’t think there’s any exceptional problem on the Northampton arm at all based on my passage this afternoon.
From my observations on my last trip down and back in September 2021 it was pretty much as I’d have expected to find it.
Agreed. I did it in May this year. Slow but doable.
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I am very grateful to David Johns, who has made these three videos of the recent St Pancras Cruising Club trip on the tideway.
* St Pancras to Limehouse
* Limehouse to Margaretness
* Margaretness to Teddington.-
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On 31/07/2023 at 17:58, nicknorman said:
Yes, crossing to Salter’s Lode tomorrow morning. Peterborough on Wednesday just in time for lots of rain and strong stream on the Nene!
Yes there was quite an outflow. We stood above as the flood came in (well, not much of a flood really as we are midway between Neap and Spring), fascinating to watch the “one way doors” on the sluices slowly close as the level reversed. It hadn’t occurred to me that they were there, I had presumed that they raised and lowered the sluices according to the tide but that would be daft!
The whole thing is basically a massive one way valve. There is a similar arrangement at the other end of the relief channel near Kings Lynn; and at Boston Grand Sluice; and on a much smaller scale where Soham and Bottisham Lodes join the main channel.
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Before and after photos from Facebook. Looks like a new collar? Some reports said the gate had lifted out of the cup, but that looks unlikely from this photo.
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In case anyone is interested. The earlier EA notice said there would be a further stoppage in September for a couple of weeks to reinstall the repaired gate. I understand from the EA that this is now not needed, the gate was repaired in situ in the original stoppage.
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5 minutes ago, nicknorman said:
I did ask why they did the crossing on a falling tide, the answer was to do with air draft but if it were up to me I’d do it on a rising tide for obvious reasons. They are probably more worried about a nasty steel boat damaging their structure and never mind being held sucked down on the mud as the incoming tide floods into the boat!
My understanding is that there is (or has been in the past) a concern about the impact if the guillotine at Salters doesn't lower when they press the button. On a spring tide that would cause flooding at Salters as the water level would be above the top of the inner gates. On a neap tide the water would be below the top of the inner gates. Hence on a spring tide they operate only on a falling tide which would give them 8 hours or so to fix the gate if there is a problem. As you say there is an issue about going under any structure with reducing headroom...
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23 minutes ago, nicknorman said:
Looks like we will be crossing around 1st or 2nd August so that is the start of a run of spring tides.
The dates in black here are tides above 6m or so, so as you say you should be fine. I suppose a backup plan is to come down the New Bedford River, as I think Salters Lode is not affected by silting at the moment.-
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13 minutes ago, nicknorman said:
Just looking at our schedule we may be rather tight on time for the return journey. I had planned to “do” all the tributaries but we might have to miss one or two.
So please rank in the order of desirability, the Lark, the Wissey and the Little Ouse.
My personal view:
1. Wicken Lode
2. Wissey
3. Little Ouse (you could choose to stop at the siphon at Lakenheath)
4. Lark, though the top half is more interesting. Also the museum at Prickwillow is well worth a visit (check opening hours)
5. Relief channel
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1 hour ago, PaulJ said:
You can get right up to and on the mooring immediately before Kempston Mill Bridge. It is a bit shoally though and you have to pick your way through.
I wouldnt attempt to wind there with any fresh coming down, you could get well wedged and become a temporary dam - far better to reverse with the flow and wind where there is some depth and room.
That is further than I managed. When I last did this I got stuck at the island a bit further downstream. One side was blocked by trees but looked as though it had a decent depth. The other side had no trees, but lots of shoaling. Looks like someone has got the saw out.-
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5 minutes ago, David Mack said:
Well that was the point of my question really - where is the end of navigation?
If you can get under the railway bridges in Bedford Town centre you can get quite a long way further upstream. In 2001 we got Fulbourne (71ft 6in long and 3ft draft) up to a couple of hundred yards short of the footbridge at Kempston Mill (which is where the Bedford-MK waterway is supposed to connect) before going aground on a shoal. We then had to reverse back a short way to somewhere where we could wind. When we tried again in 2018 we could only get about half way from the railway bridges to Kempston Mill. Not sure whether that was just a difference in the amount of water in the river or whether some more permanent change in conditions. So I would be interested in how far you can get.
The trip boat (ca 60 x 10) goes up there and may be able to advise. I've been as far as here
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38 minutes ago, nicknorman said:
End of navigation I suppose. The Waterways Routes maps we are using shows 60’ winding at the end, we are 59’. But it also shows several “low bridges” without saying how low.
Oh and we’ll need diesel in the next few days, any recommendations?
Convenient pump at Buckland, on the main channel just below Offord lock. And the marina in Bedford also has a convenient pump.
The Bedford bridges will be fine, as you got under the low bridges on the ML. It's worth going up to Kempston which is a mile or two above the EA's formal head of navigation.
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It's worth walking to Aldreth, along the causeway used by Hereward the Wake until he was defeated by William the Conqueror in 1074. My favourite mooring is on the backwater 1/2 mile above Great Barford
Calorifier leak
in Boat Building & Maintenance
Posted
Thanks, I think I've got it now. Not even necessary to snip the black seal, it just flips off to reveal a nice flat surface to take the sort of washer you suggest....