bizzard
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Posts posted by bizzard
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Yes i'd say better off with Kubota,very good engines.
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I had the boat on the tidal grid at Chiswick a few days ago. There was indeed a bit of wood fouling the prop, which I removed, but this problem goes back months.
And the BT is working now.
I will have a look at the connections.
Cheers
PS: By all means send Trixie round.
As Mrs Blenkinsop has taken Trixie under her wing,she'd insist on coming too,also her father.
She adopts the best electrical wire continuity test i know of, no ohm meter needed,known as the heavy load test.She just rips out the wires,stretches em between two points,in your case across the river to the south bank or Chiswick bridge. Dispatches Trixie to tightrope walk across and then MrsB. Abseils across.If the wire stands all this without snapping,she
will declare ''Its orite'. bizzard'
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Sorry Bizzard, but that's really bad advice. We've been here before, but why do you suppose that all military, aviation and space programmes specifically insist on crimped connections only? Put a soldered connection beside a correctly crimped connection on the same vibration rig and the soldered connection will fail first. Every time.
Tony
Didn't know they did.Maybe all the faulty ones i've come across have been crimped badly then.And never ever have i had trouble with any i've soldered. Its a nice satisfying thing to do too.
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Are you sure the B/t's props not fouled up,or motor seizing up?.
Also if the small gauge cabling's terminals from the switch and soforth are of the crimped type, you know Yellow,blue red ect. As i find these time and again have faulty or lose connection between wire and crimp,they don't like vibration.I hate em.i always solder all mine,and if i do any wiring work for anyone always solder,no come backs. bizzard.
Go about jiggling all the wires in their crimps checking for loseness.
With your Victron unit ect you've probably got hundreds of the little horrors.
If so an antidote for your ''getting bored quick''thing could be solved.Why not during the winter,replace em all with solder terminals,(one by one though).
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The batteries are charging. And the BT is working (for a second or two).
The Smartguage reports a voltage of around 13.1V from the BT batteries now, so whatever the state of the batteries, the problem is not that they are dud.
Are you sure the B/t's props not fouled up,or motor seizing up?.
Also if the small gauge cabling's terminals from the switch and soforth are of the crimped type, you know Yellow,blue red ect. As i find these time and again have faulty or lose connection between wire and crimp,they don't like vibration.I hate em.i always solder all mine,and if i do any wiring work for anyone always solder,no come backs. bizzard.
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Make sure there's a B/W sanitary station KEY on board before taking off,You''ll need to empty the Bog,also used for everything B/W. bizzard.
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Or do away with the electric thing,and weld in a transverse Phutt-Phutt tube.the extra warmth from a stove up front now winters approaching must be beneficial.
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You could incorporate one of your "rear end steering cups" into the design, making it even more versatile.
Good idea,it could easily be attached where the pipe support bracket is.
Raindrops are falling on my head,de-de-dededede-de------.
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Pulling in at a lock landing, turn to bemused passer by walking the family dog,"Get three coffins ready."
Leaving the lock, "My mistake make that four."
Yes i remember that one now. '
''For a fistful of dollars''.Brilliant films.
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Digging worms for fishermen
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At narrowboat prices, £25 is only about an hours labour, so thats a cheap fix if they cure it for you.
Steady old chap steady.
I'd say stick the batteries up the front too,no doubt at all,after the test.
For £20 Trix,ll fix it.
Ps Sorry Willawaw,this was meant to be for post 34.
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Would a black cowboy hat, a poncho and a cheroot be an acceptable alternative? "My narrowboat's gots the funny idea you're laughing at it." Might be a good tactic for dealing with bored spotty yoofs at locks.
Some folk have guns and some folks just dig.
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Totally bonkers dangerous lunatic, In 23 years as an engineer, I have never resorted to anything as foolhardy as this.
Firesprite
In the wilds of the Fens
You couldn't have been a motor engineer then. There are hundreds of different types of engineer. The Americans name for a train driver too.
Help! other motor mechanics,come clean and admit you've done it in an emergency cos i know you have,or at least heard of it.
Come on be brave! and help me out.
In the hydrogen fumes of the Stort.
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If stuck for a battery tester, a very simple but potentially dangerous method can be substituted.
Now before i begin,all the electrical experts lay off from coming back at me with remarks about dangerous lunatic ect ect.
as i have a sneaking suspicion that you have resorted to this harsh method at times when hard pressed and lost,forgotten or simply don't own correct test gear.
Here we go.
Take battery to the middle of a field,far from any surrounding signs of habitation dump it down and build a little wall of mud around it,remove cell stoppers or strips. Don a fire proof suit like F1 driver wear,crash helmet and goggles.
Nip back to your vessel an fetch a hefty bar,a mooring stake will do. Approach offending accumulator side on, eye it up, take a deep breath and holding the bar by a hand at each end,lunge forward and boldly whack it on both terminals,don't diddle about in a timid manner,or it will arc and flash big time,whack it on fast,if a faulty cell or cells are present they will boil immediately,all this takes about 4 seconds,yank bar off crisply. This is an extra heavy resistance drop test. But be careful.
Now have a nice large brandy before testing the rest of em.
Don't do it if battery has just come off charge, Too much hydrogen about.
This little trade trick should also fix your boredom.
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Sound idea, added to the "really usefull things to do" list.
In dry weather, would it be OK to tie the Sombrero to a length of rope & chuck it off the bow, to help with reversing?
Why, yes yes yes, brilliant idea, a ''Sea anchor''or a drogue. show orf with one of those alright.
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AT LAST! Well done Starcoaster,and now you can start Googling for fenders of your choice also. bizzard.
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Mrs Blenkinsop triumphs again.
She lay in wait behind one of those old spiky sea mines on the quayside, leaped out and captured all of our drunken crew returning from the Brewers Elbow,and has pitched them all into the Phutt-Phutt boat,where everyone is at action stations and ready to depart ''AT LAST''..
The stove has been lit again,Trixie the gymnast is dressed in a new outfit and poised at the stern end of the tube,awaiting further instructions from Mrs B.as indeed we all are.
We receive the all clear to proceed from old Jellymould-Billow,the harbour master thankfully casts us off from the busted lamppost.
Trixie minces forward a touch,Capt Blenkinsop ollers GO!. nothing happens. The propulsion tube is blocked up with rubbish,so Mrs B.calls for more sticks on the fire and for a big effort under full power.
Trixie and the heavy weights all stumble forward and then. Wow! The biggest ''PHUTT' ever is heard,the crew all fall down,higgle depigglede.like a heap of dominoes,however this has done the trick,blown the obstruction clean out of the tube and hits the Harbour master in the mush.
WE'RE OFF,WE'RE OFF,i can't believe it. As we move off behind HMS Timid down Southampton water,Trixie tip toeing delicately up and down the tube keeping a nice steady rhythmic PHUTT going,we then have to turn left and head in much choppier waters for the start gun at the Royal Yacht Squadron. ''what a name''club. PHUTT-PHUTT-PHUTT-PHUTT--Phutt---Phutt-Phutt-phutt-phutt-phutt-phutt---phutt------phutt-phuttatuphutt--utt----utt--ut---ut----t---t-------------------.To be continued bizzard.
P--S For obvious reasons we've had to tow Trixie's father along on a very long rope sitting on his Elsan.
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Basically I'm always working my ass off but I don't usually get paid for it. I get filthy too. Degreasing engines, blacking, fibreglassing, painting you name it. I used to have a lot of academic skills but one day decided I needed to learn more hands-on skills. So, I studied electrics, some mechanics, fibreglassing. I also began to slowly learn a lot more about boats and can drive bigger boats quite well.
I was doing a bit of driving for someone so it was a start. Just need to get more alternatives going.
I hated being on the dole. Just got me down and in a rut so to speak.
To be self employed you need to be firm but reasonable with your pricing. Draw up a price list for the services you offer.
Keep to quick more menial things unless confident of your other skills. There are lots of elderly folk on boats out there that perhaps would jump at the chance of having their windows cleaned,chimney's swept,and many many other quite simple jobs done.
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Loads of thing you can do to earn a bob or two,even just boat related. Spread yourself around a bit.
Window cleaning of boats, Emptying Portta Potties £2 a go,which i once did, collecting old batteries,they're fetching good money at scrap yards at the mo.ect ect.
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A couple of weeks ago the problem of keeping dry at the tiller of a trad type boat whilst chuggin about in the rain was mentioned.
Well here's a solution.
Buy the largest Mexican style Sombrero hat that you can find with a nice big rim.
Cut a hole in the back of the rim and glue in a length of plastic drainpipe firmly,hanging down at the back.
Put it on,adjust pipe behind you and fix to bracket at waist height.
Now the size of this hat should completely cover you,your hatchway everything and keep you nice and dry.
A bucket can be placed at pipe outlet to catch rain water,for topping up engine,heating systems,topping up batteries and for your cat to drink. If windy just tie a brick on top to hold it down.
And if waterproofed properly with the stuff you can get from a tent camping shop,will make a superb lifeboat or Coracle for fishing or something. bizzard.
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ok, I'll come clean. I've bought a second toilet as a temporary measure while I replace my pump out tank (rusting and in the way for putting in kids bunks). I'm pretty excited about having two toilets. I'm also looking forward to experiencing the trials and tribulations of using a porta potti. Will it be as bad as they say it is?
Dave
You'll love it,just pop a peg on your bugle when emptying it.
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My Plimsoll line is marked in increments of thousands of an inch.
A good comical read about sailing on the Norfolk Broads is ''The art of course sailing''by Michael Green,although out of print now B
I
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A
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Repeat!!?........
After me please.
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wats the height of pain, teeth marks in lav door.
And Diarrhea and a bent penny. bizzard.
ANNOUNCEMENT! I seem to have a boat!
in New to Boating?
Posted
I don't always bother with my shower.
I sometimes put a bit of polythene down on the floor and have a stand up wash in the galley. Always carry a tablet of soap with you too,ready for when you fall in. bizzard