David Schweizer

An interesting film. Several scenes were out of sequence, but it certainly reminded me of what the Grand Union between Leighton Buzzard and Braunston looked like in the early 1960's. Quite a few working boaters portrayed, but the only ones I recognized were Arthur Bray and Ernie Kendall on Roger and Raymond.

When I started boating in the 1960's the annual IWA "National Festival" was called a Campaign Rally. From recollection they were not commercial fund raising events, but events held in places intended to draw attention to the need for improved maintenance and more traffic. They were well attended by both boats and the public, but I do not recall any significant emphasis on traders. When did the emphasis change to "making a profit?"

Not completely, there were still quite a few BW working pairs on the southern GU in the 1960's

If you need a surveyor, may I suggest Balliol Fowden who has decades of experience surveying Dutch Barges. I believe he still lives on one somewhere in Europe, but also has a UK base near Braunston, trading under the title Anglo European Marine Ltd. My last known contact information is:- Telephone No. 01788 541020 - email address balliol[at]angloeuromarine[dot]com

I have many happy memories of spending a Saturday night in the White Lion when we moored Pisces just below the bridge. I am sad to see what it looks like now. One memory is that at 10.30pm the Landlord would call time and put towels over the pumps, when anyone who was not a regular had left, the towels came off and serving re-commencd, often with the local Bobby calling in about 11.00 pm for a free pint. It wasn't a posh pub, but it was friendly and we were always welcome and treated as "locals"

I live in a village surrounded by small farms and the only sounds I hear when I take my daily walk is from birds, cattle, and sheep. The noises you are describing tend to be created by heavy arable machinery, which is presumably what surrounds where you live. The only occasional interupting noise we get is from small private aircraft and hellicopters, which has increased since they closed RAF Lyneham.

Yes, but that is an industrial product, completely different from the water based paints designed for domestisc decoration.

Are you saying that Dulux Weathershield Gloss is now a water based paint, or am I misreading you? I have used Dulux Weathershield Gloss for as long as I can remember, and it has always performed very well. My front door is now a discontinued colour, and the last couple of tins were mixed for me by Brewers. I have not needed to buy any for a few years and will be very unhappy if it is now only available as a water based paint.

Which you would not need to do with a good quality spirit based Varnish, unless you seriously mis-treated the varnished item.

Agreed. Water based Varnishes raise the grain, swell the timber, and don't last. I always use solvent based varnishes and have a particular preference for Blackfriars, which is a bit more difficult to find, but worth the effort.

I put Ankersol in the coolant water on Helvetia after it had been in the system for quite a few years. It seemed to mix easily and AFAIK, it worked as indicated on the bottle. The whole lot was replaced when I had the engine re-buit a few years later, so I cannot vouch for how long it would have lasted.

I understand that BMW sell a special compound for cleanig dirty fabric drophead covers, which apparently restores them to visually good condition. perhaps that would work.

I'm off to find an egg to suck!! 🥱

Probably more to do with who writes their articles. The Wiltshire Times tends to rely upon freelancers, plus random members of the public and individual organizations, some of whom sometimes manage to get biased or poory researched articles printed. AFAIK, the Bath Chronicle still has in house reporters .

In the old days before silicone was readily available, on BMC engines we used to soak the gasket in water to make it pliable, and then used Vaseline to stick the cork gasket to the cover and cylinder head. I continued to use this method on Helvetia's engine, and it still prevented any oil leaks.

My surveyor must have been one of the 10%, he was very thorough and took a lot of time.

Only if Oxygen is also present, which may be a problem with modern shallow draft boats, drawing air under the boat. The bottom of Helvetia was more than 30" from the water surface underway, so less chance of oxygen getting near it. Perhaps that helps to explain why there was comparatively little pitting after 35 years. Top quality British steel may also have been a contributing factor.

I have never understood why people believe it is neccessary to black the bottom of their boat. Helvetia was 35 years old when I sold it, and the bottom had never been blacked. The survey I commissioned before selling showed that the thickness of the original 10mm base plate was between 10.1mm and 8.9mm