Kieron G

Thanks Keith, that is spot on. Maybe problem solved. Thanks for the link.

Hi Pete, If i were you i would pop a few boats up and ask Malcolm. He'll have a good idea.

Ok, thanks. I haven't seen an inline one way valve. Would it just be a case of cutting the out let pipe and joining it in there ? also do they come in differnt sizes for pipe diameters.

Hi, When refitting the boat a neighbour gave me still in the packet a 'Bilge master' which i fitted following the enclosed instructions for the correct height compared to the pump. I don't if forum members are familiar with this system but instead of a float switch it is a sealed unit with two probes and when the water gets up to that level it swiches the pump on until the level drops. The bilge area in the stern of the boat is quite small, because it's open i can't avoid water getting in when it rains. If a lot of water comes in ( when testing it with a hose pipe ) the system works fine and the pumps out a load of water in one go. when the water gradually gets up to level though it is so sensitive that it switches the pump on for a second or two and then switches off before the water has made it's way to the top of the pipe and overboard. Because the level of the bilge water is still the same with in two minutes it does the same thing in an endless cycle if i am not there to manually over ride the system and lower the level. Any suggestions Welcome. Thanks in advance, Kieron.

No, i wasn't refering to "Grim" in that context. I've worked in Grimsby and like it there.

This is of interest to me being not far from my mooring and that i am contemplating a trip to Beverley at some point. Just goes to emphasize that i need to enroll on a course or two. Any posts about this area which aren't preceeded by the word "Grim" and don't treat it like it's a fantastical world where your boat will be hyjacked and children sold into slavery make interesting reading.

Hi Gareth, I kept my boat in a yard with a slip, bought a strong trailer and run an old 90 landrover. Saved money with trailer storage which includes use of the slip rather than a mooring and an explorer license where you only pay for the days when the boat is in the water. The boat was out the water unless being used. This works for me. ( can be a chore slipping the boat every time ). On an EA controlled river mooring for the summer this year so can still run on an explorer for when i venture onto other rivers / canals. will go back to trailer storage in the winter. Cycle a lot now to save money on diesel though (landrover 25mpg). Boat is 3mm steel, vee hull. Kieron

Hi John, Glad you enjoyed your trip. I know exactly who you mean at Selby basin when you describe a man shouting and gesticulating. I've been reported by him for not having a licence number displayed on the boat ( explorer licence ) and been accused of ' bridge hopping ' on the Selby canal when i was in fact moored in Leeds on the 72hr moorings outside the crt offices. Not a bad man, just slightly unhinged. Anyway on the Derwent now.

Hi, Not in west Yorks but Selby boat yard periodically get a crane in to lift large boats in and out. Not based there at the moment myself but it might be worth giving them a call and finding out.

From talking to the lock keepers on the Ouse when passing through, the amount of fresh water seems to be a big consideration for when in the tide they let boats through the gates. A few of us got held at Barmby for an extra day last week because there was too much fresh water on the Ouse.

Sorry Paul, Missed your post. She does quite well for speed i think but does get a bit white smokey when pushed hard for prolonged periods like going against the flow of the derwent for an hour when the flood gates were open a few weeks ago. Short sprints into Selby and Barmby locks no problem ( with the boat ).

Thanks for that guys. I am looking to book myself on a vhf course asap, and i do need a greater understanding of the state of tide i would need to set off on. Have been relying on the knowledge of lock keepers at Naburn, Selby and Barmby for my trips on the Ouse. Maybe if anyone on this forum is making the trip at some point i could follow them. Obviously i can't keep up with a fibreglass cruiser. Would be great to get up to Beverly for the folk festival at the end of June and drink lots of beer.

Hi, moving the boat to the Yorks river Derwent from Selby canal for summer moorings on Sunday and have been looking on the maps for interesting places to visit from there that i haven't already been. I realise that i am relatively inexperienced, would need VHF operators license and a greater understanding of charts and the tides. But in theory would it realistic for me contemplate taking my 23ft steel boat onto the Humber to access the River Hull and Driffield canal or would this passage be strictly for boats with coastal capability ? The 25hp engine is proving to be reliable so far and i have a small outboard as a back up. If the people in the know think that it would be foolish that's fine. I just want to set a realistic goal. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi, when i brought my hurth gearbox second hand some of the dipstick was missing from the filler plug. The way i got around it was to do a search on google for a workshop manual found out the capacity, filled it to that level then tacked a short length of welding rod to the plug and marked it off at that level. ( also checked inside box for missing part of the stick ) If you drain out the oil and refill to the capacity stated in the manual you can be sure it's correct.

Hi Jaap, If you check out a search on Ebay UK for 'coventry victor' there is an Engine listed with a box that looks similar to yours. ( would do a direct link but i don't know how )

Hi, no unfortunately the parts i've got are from a different more primative gearbox. the gears are all straight cut and it had a conventional dry clutch like a car.

I've moved up and lived in the Goole / selby area for around twenty years now. This area is kind of the engine room of the UK with three large power stations close together. If you have a good look around Goole at the old shipping offices, market and other victorian buildings there is a lot to see. If you want ' pretty ' on the canal system in this area then maybe head through York and up to the Ripon canal.

If you're geared up for a short stretch on the Ouse then a trip up the Derwent to 'The Ferry' at Thorganby would make a very worthy destination.

Hi, We run a coventry victor HDW in our small boat. I had a similar problem and could not find a gearbox. In the end i had to have a coupling machined and made an adaptor plate to fit a second hand hurth gearbox. Since then two gearboxes for the HDW have come up on ebay. I kind of keep an eye on any CV marine parts which come up on ebay ( looking for a workshop manual ) and i'm pretty sure that i have seen one or two like the one pictured over the last few years. I'm not sure how many different marine gearboxes CV have made but I purchased a gearbox hoping to adapt it for our engine from a stationary engine man who didn't need it. It was from a single cylinder cv engine ( not sure which type ). It wasn't strong enough for the HDW and was quite badly corroded on the casing, with a damaged friction plate and a complicated linkage for the clutch and gear selection which was shot. I offered it free on this site. Any way to save space in the end i scrapped the casing but the gears and bushes and a duplex drive chain looked unworn so have kept them.

Hi, a good place to get a cheap 24v circulation pump could be from a commercial vehicle breakers that deals with busses. On double deckers they use ( or used to ) a 24v pump to get the water up to the top deck for heating.

Hi, I fitted a delphi water seperator / filter / primer in the fuel line to our coventry engine when refitting the boat and then after fuel starvation problems and thinking the lift pump was at fault found that it just could not draw fuel through the new filter. I had to fit an electric pump at the tank outlet to push the fuel through (as advised by forum member). This may be worth considering if you have a mechanical lift pump attached to the engine. The original filter is on the pressure side of the pump.

When I have wanted to get an alternator checked I have removed it and taken to a local auto electric workshop where for a small amount they can set it up on a rig and run it under load. I guess there will be some where similar near you.

Hi, i'm not an electrician but I think I would check the main return and earth straps / wire connections are all good maybe because of a poor connection the alternator wire is the only return.

Just to conclude this thread nebulae was on the right track. Expecting the lift pump on the engine to draw diesel from the tank, through the Delphi water separator / primer which I have fitted and then push it through the engine fuel filter was too much to expect. A small 12v lift pump fitted at the tank outlet and wired into the ignition has solved the problem. Thanks for help with this.