cobaltcodd

many thanks for the advice - I'll contact them, but if they have gone bust then Epifanes it is.

The woodwork on parts of my boat is starting to look a bit tatty. The paperwork from when it was built says that the varnish used was "Bromel 2-pack satin" so I though I'd try and buy the same. However I can't seem to find it - Bromel just seems to sell fire-resistant paints now. Should I use any other satin varnish or does anyone know where I can get the Bromel stuff from? many thanks

Many thanks for the replies

With all the water shortages and problems around the system at the moment, could someone advise on the state of the Chesterfield canal please? It has a reputation for being quite weedy, and this hot weather probably hasn't helped. We're thinking of going there in about 8-10 days time. If it's no good then we can head off to Lincoln and Boston etc. many thanks.

I'm the owner of the other Cockney Rose, boat registration # 515094, and I'm safely moored at Woodlesford on the A&C navigation. This is nothing to do with me.

You can cover a lot of distance going quickly on the Trent and Ouse, but could easily be stopped in Newark or Cromwell waiting for safer conditions, likewise you could be waiting a long time at Selby for the Ouse, or stuck at Naburn trying to get a safe run through York and onwards. Yes, Ripon is the closest to Newcastle, but as mentioned earlier it can be problematic getting public transport away from there. Mooring at somewhere like Woodlesford (about 3 miles from Leeds) would make transport a lot easier (there is a small train station there, and about 8 mins to Leeds central station).

Is it one of those engines where the thermostat can be installed upside down (following the rebuild? That way there is no easy way for the coolant to expand so it forces itself through a gap that isn't a gap under normal operating temperatures and pressures.

maybe weld a mounting plate at the back that can take a small second hand outboard motor. Use this to push you around the marina or wherever at low speed. When you want to do your proper fit, sell the motor and cut off the plate.

Has Knostrop lock been closed yet? I'd like to get through early tomorrow from Woodlesford into Leeds and I'm hearing contrasting stories about the closure. Many thanks

The damage has been done though - Having read through the thread a couple of times and actually seeing the email exchange (much more of a 2-sided story than we ever get) I doubt I would ever approach that company to buy a prop.

Bite the bullet and drive for another 1-1/2 hours and you'll have a much, much larger choice with lots of marinas and boats for sale.

This boat was on the Coventry a couple of years ago - they had their own floating chicken coop - the owner had a small roll of chicken wire that he put on the grass verge to create a small run, and the chickens had a little ramp to walk down to get to it.

Obviously there is a lot of litigation and legal wrangling going on at the moment between boaters and C&RT. There have been Waterways Acts in '71, '75, '83 and '95 (and probably others). Whats to stop a new Waterways Act coming into place in the next year or two? Obviously the Govt. is busy, and the concerns of boaters is a very long way down the list, but could C&RT get a sympathetic MP to push this sort of thing? I'm a bit worried that if it happens we will be so stitched up with exactly what we can or can't do that we'll really wish for the good old days before C&RT got so pissed off with this endless expensive battle of definitions of "channels", "bone fide", "places" etc.

Do they have to be grub screws, wouldn't normal bolts do?

Take some time now and try to insulate your boat somehow with stick-on insulation, maybe some temporary double glazing, plug and fill any holes, make doors fit better etc etc