David Schweizer
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Posts posted by David Schweizer
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'And Gary, it is nothing to do with snobbery to apprecaite a thing of beauty, but if that is being a Luddite then I am quite happy to be called a Luddite.'
Nothing to do with appreciating a goood quailty product more to do with peole who look down there nose at those who cannot afford or choose not to buy one of the 'top' names. And no I am not saying you do this but I have met those who do. There are lots of quality shells to be had out there, it could be to some people that what is on the inside is of more importance.
Gary
Not quite sure what your point is here Gary, surely the most important thing about a boat is that it functions well as a boat, and much of that has to do with hull design. Some of the cheaper boats pay very little attention to this and as a consequence do not swim well. This is fine if you plan to remain static most of the time but if, like me, you spend much of the time cruising then the shape of the hull is as imoprtant if not more important than an elegant interior.
By the way I do not aprove of people turning their noses up,at cheaper boats because they do not carry one of the "top names" Many people have limited resources and will buy a boat that they can afford without breaking the bank. I personally could not afford a new boat by even the cheapest shell builder, so I have a 23 year old boat built by one of the better builders of the day, and I have no plans to replace it.
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Forgot to add this to my last posting. As far as the shower is concerned why not fit a standard Thermostastic mixing valve shower fed by both hot and cold water. I have an elderly Miora in my shower and we have no problem with temperature even when the water in the calorifier is at 80 degrees celcius.
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I have just re-read all your postings Beck. If all that is wrong with your boiler is that the thing you call a heat sensor (presumably the Thermocoupling) is bioken then the boiler can be brought back into full operation for a couple of quid and 15 minutes work. One thing I can guarantee is that a new Alde will not last anywhere near as long as an Ellis Heatmater. The one in my boat is 23 years old and still going strong.
From the description of your heating system, it would appear that you may have a similar system to the one fitted on my boat. It has a single coil calorifier with the raditors being fed by the engine coolant, the feed and return pipes are teed into the boiler which can be used to heat the water and radiators when the engine is not running. If this is the same as your boat can I ask is it a Braunston Canal Services boat? This type of system was fitted to many of their boats, but there can be problems with heat feedback from the calorifier into the boiler overnight leaving you with a cold tank in the morning. I have modified mine with an elaborate system of valves to prevent ths happening and can send you some drawings if you are interested.
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Unfortunately our old Ellis boiler has just decided it's had enough and we are presented with the task of getting a new one.
Think before you dispose of your old Ellis Heatmaster, they are good boilers. Unless the boiler casting has failed it can probobly be repaired, parts can be obtaind from:- Ellis Restorations, Unit 17 Ross Road, Business Centre, Weedon Road, Northampton, NN5 5AX Tel: 01604 755413
Depending on where iou are, I would be happy to take the Ellis Boiler off your hands for spares, if you do decide to dump it.
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David.
A bit selective, the full quote is;
"It is a relatively simple matter, and beneficial to have a heavier thickness of base plate though wear at the edges is a greater potential problem than corrosion. A 12mm untreated base will probably out-live your grandchildren".
Non the less a hire boat plying a particular length of canal is surely a special case, the average hire boat will do 30 or so 'hard cruising' weeks in a year, the private boat would probably go perhaps 5 much more gentle weeks. That type of wear has always been a problem with ex hire craft and is something potential buyers should look out for, according to my simple arithmetic, a 7 year old hire boat may well have done the equivalent work of 50 years as private boat.
Point taken, but what I was trying to indicate was that there are some conditions under which the bottom plate will apprently wear quite quickly. As a matter of interest my boat is an ex-hire boat and had done 19,000 hours in fifteen years when I bought it. The chines near the swims were getting a bit close to the welds which one would expect after that level of use, but there was no wear in the thickness of the plate, which is what has happened to the boat that I described in my earlier posting.
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Agreed - Michael Stimpson, not the cheapest but probobly the best. As an ex liveaboard himself he actually understands the special requirements of liveaboard boaters.
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There is a lot of talk here about value for money, and a bit about quality of build etc., but precious little about quality of design both above and below the waterline. Most of the "budget" boats that I have seen would best be described as a brick with a pointed end. There has been little attention paid to how well it will swim in the water and even less on how attractive it looks. These are both practical and asthetic considerations, which occupy more of the builder's time, and consequently cost more. And Gary, it is nothing to do with snobbery to apprecaite a thing of beauty, but if that is being a Luddite then I am quite happy to be called a Luddite.
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There are several reasons why the bottom plate is not usually paint protected.
A 12mm untreated base will probably out-live your grandchildren.
I would have agreed with you John, until I had a discussion at the local Marina a few days a go. An utrasound survey on an ex-hire boat which is for sale has revealed that the bottom plate has reduced from 10mm to 4.5 mm in some places. particulaly on the outer edges adjacent to the rear swims. This would appear to have nothing to do with corrosion but with a deep hulled boat being constantly scraped along the concete chined sides and bottom of the K&A Canal between Trowbridge and Bath over the last seven years. When I worked a trip Boat in that same area we had the same problem and had to have new sacrificial chine plates welded on every two to three years.
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Mr Dhutch mentioned something about taxing dodging sailaways. Can someone explain a little more please
Cheers
As far as I understand it there has been a recent definitive ruling on VAT for liveaboard boats. in brief the only boats that are excempt from VAT are Houseboats which have no engine and no practial means of being moved. That seems to rule out almost every boat.
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I would suggest that you take a detailed look at precisely what the surveyor said in his report about the hull, I have seen some survey reports that were so woolly with so many get out clauses that they are worthless as legal documents. If a surveyor has undertaken ultrasound measurements, they should be taken at regular intervals along the hull (including the bottom plate) and the positions and readings identified in the report, together with a judgement of whether the readings are satisfactory. It is my view that only one reading of any hull is totaly inadequate and, unless you agreed to only one reading being taken, negligent. If negligence can be demonstrated, I would seriously consider legal action to recover your costs of both the survey and the repairs.
Over the years I have used three surveyors and as a consequence have formed a view which I believe is worth putting forward. Always use a surveyor who is a properly Qualified Marine Engineer, and has substantial experience on a wide range of craft. Ask around before appointing a surveyor, you will soon find out who is reliable and who is a cowboy. Remember you don't want someone who will overlook serious faults just to let you or the seller off the hook. In the long run it is better to get someone who is thorough and concientious, they may not produce the report you want to read but it is less likely to lead to problems later on.
The three surveyors I have used have all been suprerceeded for good reasons, the first was an ex Merchant Navy Cheif Engineer and moved to another area, The second was a former Royal Navy Commander (Engineer), and retired from the BSS scheme, The current surveyor holds a Doctorate in Marine Engineering and amongst other things, is a consultant Marine Engineer to a number of overseas Governments.
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It really depends on what you mean by a mass produced shell. Some such as Colecraft or Reeves are well built and maintain a high re-sale value, whilst some others do not. Think of it as if it was a house, would you turn down a really well built house in a good neighbourhood that could do with a new kitchen, in favour of a mediocre house in a poor area on the basis that the second house had a newly fitted kitchen? I suspect not.
Personally I would always go for the higher quality shell and fit the extra equipment when it can be afforded. I admit bow thrusters are not an easy retro fit, but think seriously whether you really need one before making a decision on the basis of whether one is fitted - most of us have managed quite well without one for years. All other on board equipment can be aquired second hand if neccessary.
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Messed that one up. What I was going to suggest was that if you started the thread, I am sure you will get some responses. Or perhaps you don't feel like impersonating Daniel
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John
My comment about the debate related to the pros and cons of Waterscape providing *free* inforrmation for boaters. Noting that your comment was about a much wider subject, I invited you to establish a separate thread rather than have an important debate buried at the bottom of an existing thread. The invitation remains.
Eugene
Customer Relations Manager, BW.
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I would be interested to know to what degree a marina contributes to local congestion, I moor on a canal that is very popular. Being a short trip off the Cheshire Ring we have large numbers of passing boats but on an average day very few of the moorers in the marina take their boats out, and those that do take off for other areas and do not contribute to local congestion at all.
I used to moor almost opposite Braunston Marina, and I am not aware of it making any significant contribution to the number of boats passing. What does appear to contribute to congestion is too many Hire boats located in one small area, especially when it is on a canal with only one access point. For a while I was moored on the K&A between Bradford on Avon and Bath near my home. I calculated that there were approaching 80 hire boats located within a days cruising from Bradford on Avon, and all of them seemed to want to moor there on every Sunday during the Summer. On top of that we were trying to operate three scheduled afternoon journeys on a trip boat at the same time, sometimes it took us half an hour to get off our mooring and into the lock, a distance of 30 metres!
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I am with John on side fenders in locks. My boat being a rather elderly affair is 7ft wide, and after a difficult experience some years ago, I will no longer share a double lock with another boat which has side fenders dropped down. We were locking down Caen Hill on the K&A and the accompanying boat had side fenders fitted on both sides. One of the locks is a bit narrower than the rest and we become completely jammed between the walls, it took over an hour of paddle flushing, engine revving, rope cutting and liberal quantities of washing up liquid to free us. Never Again.
Side fenders are a complete waste of time in a lock anyway, the boat's rubbing strakes will prevent any damage occuring to the hull and it's blacking after all they are there to protect the hull. Sso keep them for when they are useful, protecting the boat against sharp or rough edges, and stopping the thumping in the night when moored against a hard edge.
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An Alternativwe suggestion - You do not say how long or what diameter the pipe coming out of the calorifier is, but if it is a standard 22mm, or 15mm pipe and is at leas 2.5mm long, why not try using a Hep20 fitting and connect this to the rubber pipe. Better still replace the rubber pipe with Hep20 or copper pipe.
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Yeah, well last time we failed our test on our gas hoses (the ones from the manufold to the cycliders and the one to the cooker)
- We'd had them replaced less than a year ago, but when the examiner looked at them they where about 2 years out of date, ie they where a year out before we bought then "new" !! - just goes to show, look carefully at the number before you buy!
daniel
The BSS does not specify a maximum age for flexible gas pipes, however they must conform to type 2 of BS 3212 and be in sound condition, the only age specification is gas installation is for the regulator which the BSS recomends should not me more than ten years old. If you are being failed for sound gas pipes solely on the basis of the date printed on tem I woulod ask the examiner to demonstrate where this requirement is in the BSS handbook.
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Who was James Gordon Bennett?
James Gordon Bennett (1841-1918) was born in the U.S.A. The son of an Irish-American mother and a Scottish-American father who owned the famous New York Herald Newspaper. It was the leading newspaper of the day. He spent a number of years in Paris managing the European edition of the paper. He was a flamboyant character who possessed a social charm and quickly saw the advantage of being involved in a number of stunts for publicity purposes. While in Paris, where the motor car was being developed at a greater pace than anywhere else, he had the idea to sponsor a trophy. He decided to mount a series of spectacular international sporting events. The most celebrated of these was an annual competition for automobile drivers which became known as the 'Gordon Bennett Cup Race'. The race ran for six years and was the forerunner of the present day Formula 1 Grand Prix series.
Where was the Gordon Bennett race held?
The year 1900 was the first year of the Gordon Bennett Cup Race and was held in France and won by a Frenchman, Charron, driving a Panhard car. The 1901 race was won by Frenchman, Girardot, driving a Panhard. The 1902 race was held again in France but this time it was won by an Englishman, Selwyn Francis Edge, driving a Napier. The 1903 race was due to be held in England however this presented a problem as English leglislation at that time prevented the closing of public roads for automobile racing. Ireland was chosen to hold the fourth of the six Gordon Bennett Cup Races. A course was selected over the three counties Carlow, Kildare and Laois (Queen's County). Four teams from England, Germany, France and the United States waged battle for Bennett's magnificent silver trophy over a challenging circuit over counties Carlow, Kildare and Laois. Over the years many stories have been written about the drivers and their escapades. The most notable among these was Englishman Charles Jarrott who was driving a Napier car that crashed as he was going down the hill at the Rock of Dunamaise heading for Stradbally in County Laois. The car hit a bank, somersaulted, throwing Jarrott out by trapping his mechanic, Bianchi, who was eventually freed. Both were brought into Fingleton's farm and covered with sheets, presumed dead, which was untrue and both made a good recovery. A spoke from Jarrott's Napier is still in existence and at the 2003 Centenary celebratations at Treacy's pub, the Heath, Laois ,it was measured up to the original Napier which was taking part in the Time Trials event on the Heath. The car is now owned by Lord Montague of Beaulieu. The winner of the 1903 Irish Gordon Bennett Cup Race was Camille Jenatzy, a Belgian who was a member of the German team, driving a Mercedes at an average speed of 49.2mph in a time of 6hrs 39 mins. Jenatzy was known as the 'Red Devil' and had already become famous in automobile circles as he had become the first man to exceed 100 kilometres per hour.
Here ends another history lesson
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If you must disable the heater, all you need to do is disconnect the two wires bolted onto the ends of the element, and insulate them to stop them shorting out. These are usually located near the bottom of the drum, the most difficult bit will be removing the back of the washing machine, not only do manufacturers use star nuts these days, some also use a pair of plastic locking plates which have to be removed by brute force. Alternatively you could disable the heater by removing the appropriate contact on the timer control unit but you would need the wiring diagram to do this.
The washing machine will work without the heater elements operating but the water will cool during the longer wash cycles and may not produce a very good wash. Another drawback is that you would not be able to run a maximum heat cycle to clear limescale build ups.
On balance running a washing machine without the element working is a pretty bad idea.
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Your blanket must have been pretty old to not comply with BS 6575 which I believe was introduced in 1985. Either that or someone sold a blanket with a BS number that was out of date at the time.
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No
but I think he had a circus or something similar a bit like this forum sometimes
I thought he was Racing Driver in the 1930's - Brooklands and all that.
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When I was on the K&A there was a narrowboat next to me which was powered entirely by electricity, generated by a set of Solar Panels mounted along the top plank. It did actually work, but the drawbacks were lack of speed and lack of power on dull days. It was a bit creepy watching it go past without making any noise
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Chris , I have to agree with DH: normal plumbing in houses is to havie a rising main with downstairs CW off, especially kitchen tap. Mains feeds CW header tank which feeds HW tank and CW taps upstairs. This is necessary as otherwise there would be a big pressure difference which would make showers impossible to balance. The exception is electric showers which need mains feed. Power showers on the other hand MUST be fed H & C from the same source.
Really? In my house all the cold water supplies come directly from the mains. To equalize the pressure for the gravity fed shower the cold feed is taken from the same tank that supplies the hot water cylinder, but the taps are still mains fed.
By the way whether your house has direct mains fed cold water or is supplied from a tank will depend on when the house was built, Building Regulations have changed a couple of times on this one.
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Color / Colour?
Who is right with this spelling, us, or our cousins across the pond?
When the Founding Fathers sailed for America COLOUR was then spelt color along with many other words that we complain that they spell wrong. If we took the language and the spelling of the language to them and they have retained that original spelling and we have since changed, who is at fault?
You can find plenty of old English words and their spellings in Shakespeare's works. Language evolves you say, so does that mean that it will evolve into todays form that is used for texting, a mix of numbers and letters, is this type of evolution for better or worse?
I doubt very much if there was one definitive spelling of the word colour in the early 17th century. I do quite a lot of historical research and the variations of spelling are manifest, there are even different words used to describe the same things in different parts of the country. In reality Standard English as we know it only started when there was a need for consistency in documentation between different parts of the country, which followed some years after the establishment of a "democraticaly elected" Parliament, and became even more important during the Industrial Revolution, when technical instructiion written in one part of the country had to be read and understood in another part.
As far as America is concerned I rather suspect that the spelling of many words was based upon the phonetic pronounciation at the time rather than any level of literacy. You have to remember that, apart from a few groups such as the Quakers, by far the majority of emigrees to the Americas were not well educated literate people but working people who were looking for a better way of life The 1813 Registration of Aliens followed by the 1820 National Census required a vast army of clerks and many were appointed on the basis that they had a fairly basic level of literacy. I have read a number 19th century official documents from the US and the spellings of some words within them is quite amusing, and quite well below the standard in common practice in the UK by tht time.
Here ends the History Lesson.
Boat Stretching
in General Boating
Posted
I have considered having my boat stretched by ten feet and approached the original builder who gave me a good quote for the steelwork. Given that I would do the re-fitting myself, the cost was certainly less than it would have cost me to buy a longer boat of the same quality and age, assuming that I could find one that I liked. The biggest deterrent has not been the initial cost, but the additional annual costs for insurance, licence and mooring.