bizzard

If it slid through easily less chance of the stock getting bent. When a rudder blade gets cilled it;s often caught on the trailing end of it, which gives more leverage to bend the stock. Those stupid cill markers in my my opinion are mainly to blame for cilled rudders and the number of boats sunk in locks since they were introduced. Without the markers folk kept their boats well up forwards when decending in a lock, just in case if they didn't know the extent of the cill, instead of now many folk judge too close to it and a little backwards movement and Bingo, caught on it.

Beg your pardon, Mrs Balloon..

;Looking at the first photo it looks like it might have had another tube fitted. Looks like a weld all around the outside of the bearing where a new tube might be welded to that adapter plate, one as wide as a drainpipe.

Anyway Mr Balloon, oil around at the top of the bearing and stock to make it easier to lift when attempting to relocate it in the cup, do so even if it happens to have bent the stock. If bent too much it probably won't locate but e binding inside the tube.

Could well be bent if you can see more of the rudders outward end, especially if the stock did rise up in the top bearing and has now dropped down which would actually lower the rudder a little lower than it normally was. There has been a modification to that top bearing for some reason, the big plate. Probably just to accomodate a different type of bearing.

Well it must have risen up to come out of the cup on the skeg, and has probably fallen back down.

If you are near a quiet over bridge or railing above the boat, attache a rope loop between it and the to where the swan neck joins the stock. Use tiller bar or mooring stake in the loopas a Spanish windlass and wind to raise the stock and lower is into the cup. Quite powerfull are Spanish windlasses. Or if you have a large flat tyre lever or better still a stout Jemmy with a little block to raise it a bit for leveridge to lever up the stock far enough to enter.

I'd be inc;ined to try and correct it as if that stock is left flogging about in the tube could damage the tube especially the tubes bottom weld of which you wouldn't know the condition of, it might be iffy, rusty, give way and either sink the boat or let water into the fuel tank or visa versa. Those tubes are always the Achilles heel, anothe water line, often forgotten.

Peerhaps he's retired, the Reverend Counter that is.

Although it might look cold and safe, underneath the surface of the ash in a bucket can be red hot ash still hot afer hours often a day or so giving off fumes before it all goes cold.

Bunging wet or damp smokeless coal on caused the solid cement like build up in the fluepipe. The moisture mixes with the binder that causes it. If it's bone dry it won't happen.

A main engine wouldn't be called a Donkey, just the aux.,

Auxiliary engines in smallish sailing cruisers often used to be refered to as Donkey engines by their owners years ago, some still do. Read Arther Ransome's ''We didn't mean to go to sea, or Secret Water''.

The reason why racing cars F1 and bikes continue for a lap or so after the finish, graduall slowing down to disperse and equalize engine heat.

Well I think I've given my all on this one. I could suggest a few more solutions but all seems to be sorted now. Good luck Lady G and your helpers next weekend.