Boatman Al

Needless to say the swan was incredible. I might break down here more often.

Well yesterday some progress was made. Thanks to Richard. He found the following. The stop spindle wasn't fitted correctly and was loose. At one point we couldn't stop the engine. Then at one point it wouldn't start again. This could apparently explain it wandering about rev wise. Possibly even the starve and cut out. We also found a nasty clattering was taking place down towards gear box. This was probably being caused by the fact that one of my front engine mountings wasn't even fastened to the engine at all. So we found a bolt and improvise a fastening. Combined with the fact that the gear box has virtually no oil in at all. The engine itself was very very low on oil. But i had topped it up recently before I set off for crick so it must of burnt up a lot in the week and half cruise. We had it running under load and it seemed ok. All four injectors were working and working evenly. This evening I've added about 3 litres of oil. So the plan now is just to I've it a go and make a move. I'm hoping I don't get a fuel starve underway again because then I'm really dumbfounded. Many thanks to Richard for his work today. He was a lovely chap who taught me a lot and corrected several key things.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've got someone coming to give it a look see tomorrow afternoon. Also popped to a non marine diesel specialist who knows bmcs from old buses and such. Said they'd be able to recon the pump. Seemed very confident. But still I need to get back to my home mooring! And still don't know exactly what's going on. Bengo. Come to think of it when I bled injector pips one was not spitting quite as much but id need to redo to be sure. Not confident enough to tackle removing injectors themselves. Is it easy? also not check my prop. Should I bother? It's been cruising fine when not starving out. Tony did u see me early doors??? I was with another bloke with boards up about 730 ish. Cheers for that offer rob. I may take you up on that. Really can't do another week on towpath. have to abandon ship. Just too much work and too far away to keep things ship shape.

Hi all I'm writing this from fradley junction where my boat has broke down after two weeks of problem free cruising. I'm a liveaboard so it's a disaster now for work and child etc. I'm in real need of help and advice on my problem. Here's the story It's a bmc 1.5. After two weeks cruising I got up one morning and it wouldn't start. Clearly sounded like it had no fuel. I had just under half a tank. So I went straight for the filters. Found a bit of crap in my water trap. Some black gunk in my lift pump gauze and could not see inside my spin filter but replaced it anyway. Filled the tank. Needless to say the bleeding process was a total pig. I got it going again. But during my bleeding the governor screw on my fuel pump came away with pieces of the housing thread in the screw. I couldn't get it back in the same distance and had to go a bit further in to get it to bite. This was fiddly and was causing low revs and cut outs till I got it balanced. Anyway. Someone suggested diesel bug and sold me a biocide killer which I put in. I got going. A little wobbly especially on engaging gears. More smoke than before two. Barely had any previous to this incident. Defiantly less power overall with slower climb on revs. I cruised another day and half until it started starving in the middle of canal and subsequently overheating and cut out totally leaving me beached. Got towed to fradley. Suspected diesel bug or clogged fuel pipes. Called a local boat yard who arrived this morning to fuel polish with all the gear. Dipped the tank and pulled out several samples of perfectly clear and clean red diesel. So they said it's not diesel bug. And said no point paying to have tank cleaned when my fuel looks clear. So here I am. Stuck. The engine will start. But it's wobbly and doesn't sound great. Smokey. All suspicions are now looking at fuel pump but I'm generally a novice in engine repairs and wondered if anyone could speculate what could be going on here? Any tips or advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

Hi I've ran into a problem with my bmc 1.5. Since I got the boat back in December I've had what I believe to be a sticky solenoid. Few loud clicks before it turns over. Would take me 2 or 3 tries to beat the click. Just recently it's being taking a few more tries. Until yesterday. Now all I'm getting is loud clicks. I tried tapping the solenoid and motor with hammer and got a slightly louder click for a moment. But now it just won't turn over. Just clicking. I'm pretty novice when it comes to engines bar basic service stuff. Does this sound like a dead starter or solenoid? If so is it repairable by a novice like me or should I just replace it? I found this on eBay, is this going to fit my engine? Looks like it's the one. http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/bmc-starter-motor

Thanks for all the informative responses. Sounds like it could just be symptomatic of the design and build. I'm only second owner of the boat and I've been told that it was designed and built and spent all of its life to date on the Thames. So would the design be a river design? When I had it out the water the prop was huge. Much bigger than needed for the boat size on the cut. It's been one hell of a project. The inside was very badly fit out with MDF floor throughout. Which I replaced as had turned to mush. That may of also affected it I guess. The toilet was a flush which drew raw water in from beneath the boat and was decrepit and out of use. The engine was raw water cooled and under water. Safe to say it's now keel cooled and all tip top. Toilet removed too which took 4 blokes to lift out the tank. It had been on an end of garden mooring on the river and pretty much not maintained since 1997. Shame cause it's a lovely craft. Bring it back to glory tho. I feel a little better about the rolling now

Yh it's a narrowboat flat bottomed. Not the Hancock and lane I used to have. That handled like a solid tank. This is a one off build as far as I know. Someone has speculated to me that 18mm marine ply would weigh more than 4mm steel over the space of the roof. When I was re flooring I noticed there wasnt loads of ballast in there. I added about 26 slabs when I removed waste tank. The boat is 45 ft. 1997 build. Here a pic - https://www.dropbox.com/s/kwittm254uiwz61/Photo%2002-03-2014%2015%2015%2030.jpg

Hi everyone. This is my first post in a while as I have been off the water for a year. Found myself back on a boat again at present. I have been refitting and refurbishing the interior over winter. One thing that is bothering me daily is the amount the boat rocks and leans when weight moves around. A few factors that are worth noting. The build is a curious bespoke design. The bow is built in an inspection launch style. Very straight pointed bow. Almost like a ships front. The hull and cabin sides are steel. 6/6/4 with section on baseplate at front being 10. However the most curious part of its build is the roof (not including cabin sides) is made of 18mm marine ply with solid hardwood beams running through the cabin inside. This apparently is how the original owners requested it to be built. It also has a very high cabin. Well over 6ft standing room. A final factor as part of my refurb I removed a standing pump out tank which initially almost cause a capsize when re floated. A lot of slabs were used under subfloor to correct it. Now my only thought is it needs more ballast but my front deck drains are about 2 inches at most from the water line. So I'm concerned about bringing it lower into water. The draft is about 18 inches upfront and 20 inches at back. It's like a pendulum when I step off the boat. Rocks so much. And it leans when turning. I guess my question is how much of worry is this? How normal is it? And how much would additional ballast help the problem baring in mind I can't go much deeper into the water? Any input might help me rest east at night! Thanks in advance.

all of the above is exactly what i was experiencing. Phew. was dreading some serious issue may be afoot. Yes, blasts of reverse relieved issue, as did floating along in neutral, was worse in shallower stretches and bridge holes. And yes lots of leaves on the water. Can they get clogged in there? Should i go down the hatch and clear it? thanks for quick responses.

Out on a cruise this weekend i was plagued by the following symptoms. Regular drop in propulsion speed, but no apparent drop in engine rev but wash from prop coming high up the back under fender and appearing askew. Disengaging gearbox into neutral and slowly re-engaging and building speed would return the wash to the subtle bubbling beneath water and full speed, as would going into reverse for a blast. But eventually returning to the slow messy wash. Going into gear is clunking and there is some drive plate chatter. not sure if this is or could be related? Not being down the weedhatch yet, could it be a prop foul? or does this sound familiar to anyone? many thanks alex

Hi all I live aboard in a marina, with my partner and 5 month old son. On still nights or when the wind is aiming at it, were getting wafts of smoke through the mushroom vent in the bedroom, coming from neighbouring boats chimneys. Its not very nice especially with a little one. There are about 5 vents all the way down our boats roof, would it be a problem to stuff this one with newspaper or something to stop this problem. the vent is right above the bed.

someone said to me that it always sound alot worse than it is and could be fine for a while yet, but ive got to take it down the trent and soar and am worried about it failing, which would be disastrous, are BMC drive plates a standard or do i need to check out my gear box manufacturer?

Ill have no car and will be commuting via busses from the town centre, so the basin really is ideal, but having spoke to Union Wharf who were a very straight "no we cant help you" then it got to be a towpath mooring. which is fine with me, just wondered if anyone moored around there often or knew the towpath?

hi all I have a BMC 1.5, when i first got the boat 6 months ago, i noted a clattering sound when i put her into gear, the sound would vanish once i pushed the throttle into forward. Same with reverse. Its recently gotten louder, not lasting any longer, but definitely louder. Someone has told me its the drive plate. Problem is i have a river cruise planned for end of the month, does the clattering signify a drive plate thats at the end of its life and ready to fail at any point? What kind of price is a drive plate replacement?

So i called the basin and they inform me that are a hire boat company and do not allow visitors to moor in the basin. So it looks like ill have to live on the towpath for a couple of weeks. Whats the towpath like down there? Is security an issue? Would my dog be ok during the day left onboard?

Ive located a definite leak on the back boiler. Not an obvious crack but an area of moisture that when dried returns within minutes. This is probably where the hissing is coming from and whats letting air in? Problem is my original plan was to take the back boiler out for inspection before i recommisioned it, but it was welded to the stove, i couldnt undo the fastenings with hammers, wrenches, penetrating oil, 3 men, nothing. So i took the chance and replumbed it. Alternative was a new stove and boiler, which i couldnt afford. So what are the risks of having this leak? Is there any way i could patch it over with fire proof sealant? Next summer if cash is available id probably replace it all, but for this winter is it safe to tolerate this seepage?

ive wondered if its air trapped in rad. the return pipe gets warm from first rad back to boiler, but just after the first rad its cold coming from 2nd rad. but hot all the way along top pipe, so it seems like its not going round. header tank isnt empty though. whats best way to shift this? drain system a bit? refill a bit? its a village puffin stove btw

Baffle plate? Is this the plate thats just below my stove pipe inside the stove? Not sure how to use that....

Hi all Got a couple issues with my stove system. Firstly, im getting alot of smoke entering the cabin everytime i open the door to add wood or more fuel. I do have the damper down to burn it slow, but if i open it to throw on some additional fuel its puffing a great cloud into the cabin. Is that normal? Chimney is clear. Is the draft not working right? Why would smoke not be leaving the stove sharpish? Also the glass is getting densely blacked up with everyfire. I pretty much always have a totally blacked out glass. Finally, the stove has 2 rads, first one in series runs nice, the last one only gets hot towards the top and its cold on bottom half. It hasnt always ran like this and 3 weeks ago both were fully hot. Could it be air? Its a gravity fed system. Im hearing a sort of hissing/boiling sound from stove when its roaring, which i assumed was normal as the water is boiling and starting to move. Any input would be great. thanks

Hi all Ive just had a job come up in market harborough region, which would mean me commuting by car for about 4 hours a day for near on 3 weeks. Im considering taking my boat down from shardlow and staying in the town for the duration. I was wondering what its like to moor there? Obviously i would need an elsan point and water and space to turn, probably once a week until i leave. Ive read some threads on here that suggest the hire company are dominating the basin in what would seem an underhanded way. Its going to be massively convenient for me to be based there for a couple of weeks so any advice or tips about the basin, where to moor, services, security would be great. Id love to take my dog with me but want to be sure the boat is safe for her during the day to be alone. Thanks in advance Alex

I recently bought a brand new double skin chimney for my new boat. My last boat didnt have double skin and the tar like stains down the cabin sides were horrible. On this boat, the paint work is nice so i got the double skin chimney but after a handful of fires so far this month, the dreaded dribble down my cabin side is driving me mad, and its proving very difficult to clean off with soap and water. I really dont want a nasty stain down the side of my boat. Does anyone have any tips for firstly removing the stains and secondly preventing it? I wondered about a a bead of black heat proof silicon round the join with the cast on the roof, only prob is when i need to clean my chimney ill need to peel off and replace. Any tips or input would be great. thanks

Hi I was browsing the wide lock thread reading about how to tackle a wide lock with a single boat. Ive always thought that in general you open the ground paddle same side as the boat, and when the bow has risen past the gate paddles, open the rest. However on the thread someone mentioned that the wide locks on the southern T&M are an exception to this and you should open the the ground paddle opposite the bow? Im passing through these locks coming uphill on sunday. Can any seasoned vets of this stretch give me some advice on how to instruct an inexperienced crew to work the lock? Ill be on the tiller. thanks

Im looking for a canal artist to design a small design for a tattoo using the roses and castles style. Is there anyone on the site or does anyone know anyone who might be good enough to do this? Thanks

Hi, Im currently living aboard with 3 month old son. The nights are getting a little chilly, dropping inside the boat to about 15 degrees. Tried a panel heater mains rad and its not really doing much. Over summer ive fitted a back boiler system to our stove but its been a little too hot when lit recently, and also its been dying out and leaving unburnt coal in by morning. With winter approaching, are their any tips or advice to building a good steady fire that will last the night and not be a roaring blazing inferno? thanks

cheers tony. your right about the turret. today we scrapped back the crap used to patch the leak and it revealed that the bleed screw and fixing bolt were not standard so had been sealed up with magic metal gunk. So it looks like its not a major issue and we can hopefully either find the right part to replace it with or get some washers in there and get it sealed nicely. the place i rang initially said 375 for a refurbed pump, but that price included my current pump in exchange. Which seemed alot to me. didnt ask them about just a refurb mind...didnt try calcut boats but they were on my list, sound more reasonable than who i spoke to.