Arthur Marshall

Only one that's impossible single handed (execpt I did it once thirty years back but can't remember how) is the swing bridge at the bottom of the Caldon. It's too high above the level of the canal to get off the boat onto, if you see what I mean. And even if you did, there's no way back down the other side when you;re pulling the boat through. Solution is to hijack a friendly dogwalker and get him to push the buttons. Otherwise, it's just scrambling and the odd curse.

Last year in Lymm a woman fell of her boat - she was heavy enough that the other guy on he boat and I couldn't lift her out, so I dropped the ring in and she floated nicely to the side. She couldn't swim and I was surprised at the depth of the water. So was she.

Hmm. Suffered this at work. Why do I go white and hide behind the sofa when I hear words like "working group", "task force", "stakeholder", "ownership", "peer relationshops"? Bsically it means you're being conned into thinking someone up the ladder gives a toss what you think - or rather, the people up the ladder think you are being conned. The connee knows its basically meaningless drivel, sighs heavily at the waste of time (and often money) and gets on with their life regardless.. There again, maybe I've misunderstood and it was irony...

Sounds like the thermocouple's gone. Some of them have two sensors, one at the bottom to see if the pilot is alight and one at the top to see if it's overheating. If the top one's gone, the pilot stays on but the burner won't - I had this. Sometimes it's just dirty or slipped into the wrong place. You can fit them yourself but it's tricky...

Just to round it all off (and thanks to all, by the way) I gave up on trying to find a replacement. If you've got a 7 1/2 inch coupling, nurture it. The car link suggestion won;t work because the halfcouplingsd are also 7 1/2 inch, so they won't fit, and I can't change the halfcoupling to anything normal because the propshaft has been tapered to fit the one at that end. Ultimately (today, in fact) I found a vulcanising shop in Stoke who is going to fill the chunks we gouged out of the rubber so it's back to being its proper shape. Apparently they can be manufactured to order at £350 each as long as you want two of them. I may have said this before. Be that as it may, thanks for all your suggestions and the sense of not being alone!

I suspect it may just have bulged a bit in use (much like the rest of us). Look after it - I've just been quoted £350 for a new one and the manuyfacturer won't supply them in less than twos. Oddly, the yard said they keep getting asked for them but they wouldn't supply just one because they'd be stuck with the other one as there's no demand. Hard to argue with logic like that. The Granada propshaft doughnut is, I think, the standard Lister size of about 6 inches, so is too small for my coupling. Looks like new propshaft/coupling job... oh well, it's only money.

I'll pass thison to the engineer. He may have reasons for saying it won't work on my tub - I'm not engineer enough to have a clue. There are some oddities in the layout generally.

According to the engineer, mine is 7 1/2 inches diameter, 1 1/2 inches thick and with a hole of 2 1/2 inches. The Halltherm ones are 6 1/2 inch with a 2 inch hole - what I can't work out is if the size of the hole actually matters as the shaft doesn't appear to go into it. And now being separate from it by several mile i can't tell - anyone know? And would an inch make all that difference, assuming the holes were in the right place? And no ribald replies, please, I'm suffering serious boat withdrawal symptoms here!

That was me - a rather splendid sunset in them days. I'm over on the Macc now, with a worried blue dragon on the front. No particular reason, but the girl who paints it likes dragons.

It does - email is what it was... . Not sue what the current situationis, but everything I can pass on helps at the moment - i just want to get moving again!

I have, or rather had, a flexible coupling between the propshaft and a Lister gearbox. This comprised two flat metal discs and a serious wodge of hard rubber in the middle, plus a quantity of bolts. In order to get the gearbox off the boat, we had to demolish the rubber part of the coupling as it was impossible to undo the bolts (they spun inside the fixings) as the rubber which originally held them was no longer fit for the job - it's probably an original part, about 50 years old. We can't replace the coupling as the propshaft is tapered to fit this one, and modern ones don't need tapers. So, does anyone know where I might be able to get a new rubber bit? The engineer is having problems finding one. There's a pic at http://www.ktblarney.co.uk/coupling.htm but I can't work out how to add it to this post - sorry!

Only place in thirty years I've had my ropes cut! (Comment purely for the sake of balance...)

If you can track the number down, ring the lock keeper and tell them you're going up solo - they'll give you a hand. Even if you don;t warn them in advance, if they notice you they will probably help. I've done it single handed myself - it's not that bad, just goes on for ever! Nothing on waterscape...

LH150 I think. It came with the boat and is currently without it - I know one engineer who's a Lister expert and anoher who is less experienced with them but who is fine, but am always looking out for other ones ready for when i break down in different bits of the country!

me the same - just had my Lister SR2 re-built and then the clutch disintegrated, so still no boating for me. Just out of interest - who did you find to fettle your Lister? I have been having real difficulty finding an engineer who understands the things.

I spent twenty odd (some of them very odd) years working for the Revenue, and the next half dozen for an accountant, so I straddle the fence... obviously one or two transactions aren't trade (like selling your old LPs on Ebay), but from what OP said, this does look like an ongoing series of trades. Even if one's hobby is doing up old tubs and then selling to start again, it's still a taxable passtime. You don't get away with it just because it's a hobby - I've been a part time musician for forty years and that gets treated the same. I would suspect if it is just a hobby, she won't be making any money, so there will be no tax liability, but it still has to be declared to the IR or you're in trouble. Back to the pro advice - my old accountant reckoned if he couldn't save me his fee he wasn't doing his job. Be interesting to see her response to all this!

Ex-taxman says... if these minor changes mean that you sell at a profit, then you are definitely trading. If you're just getting your money back - well, you only get taxed on profit after expenses, but why should you do this if you aren't making money out of it? And if you are, then you should be declaring it. And do bear in mind that if you are trading, you are technically self employed, and if you don't tell the Revenue that you are self employed almost as soon as you start being it, they will hit you with a series of cosiderable fines, whether or not you make any money. Better safe than sorry - you only need one disgruntled buyer to shop you to the Revenue and you are in big trouble! Best advice has already been given - go and see an accountant. They don't charge much if you pick a small local one and their advice could save you a lot.

Of course one of the problems on the Shroppie, at Golden Nook in particular, is that there are about two miles of moored boats and almost everyone starts to speed up after the first half mile. So if you are moored by the bridge in the middle...

True. I didn't realise their was a difference. I suppose there is if you want to be pedantic about it!

Thanks - I've emailed him.

Probably! Should be straighforward to anyone who knows what they are doing, I suspect...

Guess so. The wiring is about as old as the boat and I have never really understood it enough to do it myself. The inboard electrics (lighting etc) have been done relatively recently when the boat was refitted but the battery to distribution board is probably about fifty years old. The board looks like a homemade job and is almost impossible to get behind to sort out problems as the wiring is so tight, which is why I think a new board to go with the wiring would be a good idea. Small boat, solely 12v, mostly lights, couple of power points, water, shower and bilge pumps, horn and headlight. 20 years ago I'd have done it myself. Now I'd rather have it done properly... I notice you do electricals - is this up your street/canal?

Sorry. I need someone to rewire from the batteries to a new fuse/distribution panel on the boat. Boat lives near Congleton on the Macc but is currently at Higher Poynton having its engine fettled.

Anyone recommend an electical engineer near Macclesfield? Boat's currently at poynton but will be back at Congleton soon.