JDR

Without knowing the ground next to your mooring if the council are willing to spend money on ground anchors then digging some holes and cementing in some permanent rings would be a more sensible option long term. Hole digging spade if the ground is soft enough, If the ground is too soft for pins it would suggest this is an option. http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p16835?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=googleshopping&utm_campaign=googleshopping&mkwid=nBqw4neb&pcrid=26798419223&gclid=CPPW5OCjx7wCFfLHtAodW3EAVA Mooring rings can be purchased for the same price as the ground anchor listed, Or as suggested above acrow props/scaffold pole. http://www.talamexleisure.com/partnumber.asp?pnid=406116&source=googlebase&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CNqIxpylx7wCFQPmwgodJjMA2A rough concrete mix in a wheelbarrow backfilled with stone, leave it a day to go off.

I´ve always found the EA to be a very professional body and as Government departments go a relative joy to deal with. Am I the only one that finds it strange that the Central Government is trying to apportion blame for the lack of dredging in Somerset to the Environment Agency which is as the gov.co.uk website suggests is a Government run body.

Make sue you keep to the outside of bends past St Ives, there are some very shallow shoals on the inside bends just outside town. I wouldn´,t hang about on the Nene either, as beautiful as it is the description I have heard posted on here by a member unknown rings true, it is primarily a flood relief channel occasionally navigable by boats.

If the Kennet is flowing there are a number of pinch points betweeen Reading and Kintbury. The first one is the bridge at Burghfield just before the 14 day moorings for the Cunning Man pub.The approach to Tyle Mill can be slow but the lock landing is in still water so not normally an issue. Great moorings past Tyle Mill on the meadows. Going upstram at Woolhamptom don´t aim straight at the lock, stay as far right as you can then aim straight for the incoming stream which will hopefully end up with the bows in the lock mouth. Newbury town lock has a strong flow under the bridge. Personally I would want to do a recce, on the left hand side is a concrete shelf, if that is underwater I personally wouldn´t bother trying but that is on an 18ton narrowbaot with 35hp your Sea Otter may have a better power to weight ratio. Cheap Coal and Diesel at Pinnocks if you moor at Thatcham before Monkey Marsh lock. Moorings are not an issue, apart from the approaches to Bradford and Avon, but in March you willl have no problems.As BillS says above dont expect to be able to get the front and back in at the same time but otherwise not a problem.The Eastern side IMHO is a gem, don´t be surprised not to see another boat moving, lock queues are unheard of and the scenery is beautiful. Enjoy.

It depends on what you call a standard diesel engine. Listers were used as gensets and industrial pumps, BMCs powered vans, most Kubotas in boats were originally designed for agricultural plant, Gardners and Kelvins were common in MFVs etc. There are plenty of boats around with Ford diesels from Mondeos/Transits that seem to work OK. It would be a bit overkill fitting anything much over 35hp in a boat used on canals and high revving modern diesels would seem to be pretty pointless as well but otherwise if you can find a way to attach a gearbox/drive plate, mount it in the space available and cool it why not?

I woiuld echo the sentiments of comfortably numb above that SSTC is not the same as exchange of contracts and I personally would not be looking to make any offers on boats until the sale had completed.

I have lots of friends with dogs, in every case passing walkers are told the dog is very friendly. Some of them genuinely are, some of them it's 50/50 whether they'll try to eat your leg or shag it. I think the same blindness any human parent naturally has towards what might be less than perfect personality traits in their children is shared by most dog owners.

Although certainly possible I think you'd be unlucky if there was any permanent damage. On bikes I've owned with a wet sump the result of an overfilled sump is increased crankcase pressure until it is equalised by dumping oil from the crankcase via the breather (if there is one) into the airbox or excess is burnt off. On bikes with dry sumps/seperate oil tanks there is a risk that the breather or return oil line will be submerged and let oil run back into the crankcase when the engine has stopped and the scavenge pump is no longer returning the oil from the engine to the tank. I would have said in general too little oil is more of a risk factor with a dry sump setup.

There's a pair on the Thames between around the entrance to the K&A. I have heard stories of them attacking ducklings and even cygnets but have never seen it happen, their reputation may be due to the way they defend their nests. I was told they were probably originally escapees from Child Beale wildlife park. They certainly make a lot of noise when they appear alongside looking for food. ETA: Repeat of posts above!

If you want a single colour paint job for much less than 100GBP a foot and are not confident to DIY I know someone that will do a decent job for you but probably not 'til spring.He has done about a hundred boats all told, about ten that I have seen and all have been very good solid jobs. That would not be a down to bare metal/windows out job but all paint on roof & sides sanded down and any areas of rust/pitting dealt with. Rustoleum shop primer as base and Rustoleum used as top coats, anti slip on Gunwalws/roof as requested. Pinstriping included but no signwriting. I can mail you pictures of his work but not until mid December as currently away from boat. Cheers John

My understanding is that an open grate fire will be around 20% efficient or less, in other words 80% of the heat generated is going straight up the chimney. Having an airtight seal on the doors of a multifuel stove using rope allows for the expansion of the steel/iron as the doors get hotter and in theory you should be getting something like 60-70% efficiency for the same amount of fuel burnt.

I'd second Rule pumps. A smallish pump should do the job, A pump rated at 500 Gallons per hour will probably use half the juice of a pump rated at 1000 Gph + and the smaller pump will allow smaller (3/8" v 1 1/4") diameter hose and skin fittings).

One of the best 125cc 4str engines around. Originally used in the GS/DR it's been used on loads of bikes including the Vanvan. Mine (GS) got to 40k before the big end went, rebuilt and got another 10k before it was fit for scrap and got replaced with a GSX250 that felt like the Millenium Falcon in comparison.

Plain bearings are OK where you can guarantee oil pressure and quality. Small bikes, especially learner bikes have two throttle settings, closed and wide open. It was a known issue on lots of small Jap bikes. As long as you accepted it and did regular oil changes it wasn't an issue. Larger bikes of the same period (GS/Z) were built to last and would regularly do 100k miles at a time when Triumph were still trying to flog a piss poor 1930s engine to an increasingly underwhelmed public.

If it is a 100-200cc engine based on Honda CG/XL that would be about right if you wanted the engine to last. Most of the Korean/Spanish/Chinese engines are exact copies of either 70s Hondas or Suzuki GS/DR engines.Have a look at a Derbi Cross City on google, it's an early seventies Honda engine.