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Everything posted by David Schweizer
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Yes 🤣. Original post deleted because of missing information, post now re-instated and repeated below:- I always tended to use individual people to do work on Helvetia rather than boatyards, with most of them being based in Braunston, and I always got excellent work at a fair price. Yes I will name them:- Roger Farrington for Steelwork, Jonathan Hewitt for engine work, AJ Canopies for canopies, Tim Hewitt for blacking, John Sanderson for complete boat re-paint, and Ron Hough, and later Dave Moore for decorating and signwork. Apart from Ron Hough, who is no longer with us, I would recommend any one of them.
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I always tended to use individual people to do work on Helvetia rather than boatyards, with most of them being based in Braunston, and I always got excellent work at a modest cost. Yes I will name them:- Roger Farrington for Steelwork, Jonathan Hewitt for engine work, AJ Canopies for canories, Tim Hewitt for blacking, John Sanderson for complete boat re-paint, and Ron Hough, and later Dave Moore for decorating and signwork. Apart from Ron Hough, who is no longer with us, I would recommend any one of them.
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There certainy was a boat called Aster moored on the K&A something like twenty years ago, painted a pinkish red from memory. I always understood it was ex Salvation Army, but whether it is the same boat, I am not sure.
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I am not sure why you expressed surprise about my posting the "First Attempt" They do look a bit shabby and the Roses and Castles were at least 20 years old if not older. The scumbling had started to flake off, which is why I refurbished it. Perhaps I should aso make it clear, I only did the scumbling. The Roses and Castles on both pairs of doors were done by "the Late Master", Ron Hough.
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I scumbled the back cabin doors on Helvetia. However, my attempts were quite simple without medullery rays. Ron Hough told me how to do it, and after a couple of practice runs on some old hardboard using Canary Yellow base and light Oak Scumble I actually found it quite easy. My first attempts fell foul of the "too many knots" problem, but my second lot on new doors a few years later were an improvement. First Attempt Second Effort
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It's a long shot, but you could try the Armstrong Siddeley Owners Club, who have their spare parts warehouse less than a mile from my home. AFAIK they are predominantly a car owners club, but they may know whether any spares are still available for the diesel Engines. Their phone number is 01225 723809. .
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Not Cookes, they always had a pipeclay impression, and often G H COOKE stamped on them. My research notes indictate that Lawrence Hogg identified Bronze windlasses with an arrow impressiom as having been made by Selwyn Jordan of Keays Dock, and that they are quite rare.
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I am desperate to get a marine engineer to service my engine
David Schweizer replied to Garethh's topic in New to Boating?
I wonder whether the OP might consider engaging a qualified marine surveyor to examine the boat and advise on any items that require attention. Of course it will cost quite a bit, but he should get a better informed assessment rather than rely upon advice from individuals on a forum, who have not actually viewed the boat. -
I remember both Ken and Ted Ward when they worked for Willow Wren, and they both had two very pretty little girls, who all looked like sisters, which is hardly surprising as their mothers were also sisters. Photos of them are well published and from memory, Ken's daughters were called Delma and Daphne, but until this thread I never knew the names of Ted's two. I also seem to remember that one of the Ward brothers often wore a cowboy hat, but which one escapes me.
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In the twenty years that we owned Helvetia, I dont remember ever contacting a boat engineer or Gas installer etc. by email or even phone call. Most or these people are single person outfits, and if they are any good, will be busy doing a job. I found the best solution was always to ask around and visit them, remembering that you may have to wait a while until there is a convenient pause in the job they are doing. I may have been lucky, but I never asked for a quote, maybe just a rough estimate. I found that I was always charged a reaonable amount for the job and always payed up quickly. These people have good memories and those that are any good, always have plenty of work. Poor payers can find that they are "too busy" when you call again for another job to be done,
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Very true, but having seen Mr Finch on several occasions, he was as thin as a stick, and could probably get through a standard sized porthole. We did nearly catch him once skulking around the boats at at Bottom Lock when we moored there, but he manged to disappear. He broke into our boat in October 2000 when it was over-winter moored at Thrupp. He stole two tins of soup from us, and a stove and pan from another boat moored near us.
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We also had very substantial bolts locking the back cabin doors and slide, with access via the substantial hardwood single front door which had a 5 lever mortice lock bolting into a steel frame. Didn't stop Mr Finch from gaining acess via a window smashed with a mooring pin!!
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We can all Google "Adverse Possession" and then make a pompous statement. Several of the posters on this subject have demonstrated that they have more than a superficial understanding of the legslation. So far you have failed to demonstrate that you are amongst them.
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It is my recollection that you always needed to occupy or use the land continiously and unchallenged to claim adverse possession. What I believe may have changed is the lenth of time, which I seem to recall used to be 21 years.
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There are many Romany families who live in a house, there are also many who live permanently in a van on dedicated sites. There was permanent site less than a mile from our house back in the 1950's /60's, and I knew some of the residents who bred and trained horses. More recently I remember a site in Banbury next to the canal towpath, opposite the foundry. When we last passed through it was less than tidy, and the noise (Language) did the residents no credit.
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From recollection you have to have used land which you do not own for a period of 12 years unchallenged by the rightful owner under the adverse possssion rules. Where I used to live on the outskirts of London there were quite a few unoccupied building plots which had been purchased before WW11, but were never claimed after the war ended. There were three plots almost opposite our house and one of the neighbours kept chickens on two of them, after about twenty years he registered it as his own land and sold it for development. I think you actually mean "New Age Traveller". The term "Traveller" is a generic one used by the Gypsy Community to describe Travelling People of Romany descent, and they disaprove of their historic description being used by by people who they would describe as Gorgers, or Gorgos.
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On Friday Heartland posted that there was a video made ten years ago interviewing Bradford on Avon Boaters, and that Mr Ward stated that he had previously been a traveller, who had bought a boat. So hardly in the catagory you suggest, of having initially being a compliant boater.
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It isn't as simple as that. Whether C&RT charge or not is irrelevant, they cannot permit anyone to moor residentially on the section between Bradford Wharf and Avoncliffe because previous applications for residential moorings on that stretch of Canal have been refused by the Planning Authority, it is a somewhat contentious issue amongst local residents.
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As someone who has lived in the area for more than forty years, with some legal knowledge of the K&A Canal, I can assure you that the land currently occupied by George Ward at "Smelly Bridge" between the towpath and the boundary fence of Barton Farm Country Park is owned by C&RT. It is not private property, so please stop deliberately referring to "Private Property" in an attempt to throw doubt on the land's legal status.
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Timber prices - a pleasant surprise.
David Schweizer replied to David Mack's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
Deleted : Repeated the information given by GUMPY -
Timber prices - a pleasant surprise.
David Schweizer replied to David Mack's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
All the Travis Perkins yards around here store their timber in single random lengths in open racks in a well aired indoor store. and have done so for years. Wickes timber was a reasonable quality twenty years age, but these days, since Travis Perkins sold them off, it is poor quality with numerous knots and shakes all tied in bundles which spring all over the place when unwrapped. The stuff that B&Q sell these is very similar to Wickes, and is always undersized. Personally.I prefer to select my timer myself rather than rely on the store, which depends heavily on the competence of the picker. -
Timber prices - a pleasant surprise.
David Schweizer replied to David Mack's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
I would never purchase tongue and groove timber for boat fitting from Wickes or B&Q, the quality is poor and the moisture content is often so high that it warps and twists once properly dry. I used a lot of 6" x1" matchboard (T&G with chamfered edges) for the bulkheads and fitted furniture on Helvetia, and always got it from Travis Perkins. I had an arrangement with them that if any board warped or split after three months in dry storage before fitting, they would replace it free of charge. I only ever needed to take one board back. -
Something like twenty years ago BW had a stated policy to reduce on line moorings in favour of marina moorings, and started to reduce their own on line moorings. Our on line mooring was one of the victims of this policy, but fortunately we were able to find a better private land off side mooring. Our original BW mooring reverted to standard default 14 day towpath mooring, and rapidly became full of moored boats which were not paying a mooring fee. I think BW soon realised that they had shot themselves in the foot, not reducing on line moorings in a popular location, and no longer raising any revenue from mooring fees. The policy seemed to die a quiet death.
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More than fifty years ago, when I worked in the furniture industry, we used electrostatic paint to enamel metal chair frames. Basicly the frames were suspended on an overhead gantry, and a current run through them, the paint, which is in powder form was then sprayed onto the frames. They were then carried on the gantry into a heated booth, "melting" the powder into paint which adhered to the frames. Any paint powder which fell to the floor of the spraying booth was collected and re-cycled back into the powder tank.