nebulae

It was the case that a vessel which had a MORTGAGE on it(not finance) had to be registered as British Ship. In this case,the lender had the ownership of the vessel as security.(Irelevent whether the vessel is a narrow boat or an oil tanker). This gives a purchaser a secure purchase .My first purchase of a registered British Ship involved a considerable legal process. The Small Ship Register does not give the same protection,although it does give you another piece of paper. I have not come accross a narrow boat registerd as a British Ship. Perhaps surprising considering how much a new boat costs

Penine Waterways site have an excelent photo survey of the canal as it is.

The St Helens Canal was closed, I think in 1962 As there was no amenity trafic at the time,there was little opposition to the formal abandonment order. I remember walking the section between Spike Island and Fiddlers Ferry in 1973(from memory) and the canal was blocked by works connected with the power station. There was a pipe accross Fidlers Ferry lock at this time. About this time,the lock keepers house at Fiddlers Ferry was demolished by B,W.B.(How much would that bungalow be worth now) I undertook a survey for the local Sports Council to assess what potential amenity value the canal had at this time. Warrington Development Corporation developed some of the canal,for liesure use,but I dont have any details. People who know more about the canal than me will know when the last trading boat left the canal.I think Sankey Sugar were the last users. I understand that public money was used to refurb the one lock at Spike Island and build the 2 way slipway. I spoke to the Area Engineer Mr Freeman, at the time(1973?) and he could not see any reason to keep the canal open.

I think the boats were at Pomona,waiting for the gas axe. No idea how the boats were lifted out,or why one was piled on top of the other.

Used to be a couple of boats moored next to the Powysland Museum in Welshpool. They were "business"moorings,but have not had a boat on them for some time. The Heulwen boats are moored at Buttington,but I dont think private boats can use their mooring.

I remember a photo of 2 Dukers piled one on top of the other awaiting cutting up,somewhere near Hulme lock, Cant remember where I saw the photo? Is it true that a spare engine was ordered when the boats were new,but was never needed ?

Personaly,the only two things I would be concerned about are the condition of the hull and the engine/gearbox. Things like insulation,wiring you have to relate to price. If the boat is cheap enough and you have checked secondary items(which are still quite expensive)like cooker,fridge,water heater,inverter-charger then you have to make a judgement. Our last boat was bought on a whim and suited us well for 11 years .In the end ,condition of the bottom plate(6mm) pushed us to selling up.(The new purchaser was aware of the problem) In retrospect,I wish we had spent a bit more on a newer boat with a 10mm bottom plate. On length ,going down hill on a boat the max size for any given lock,you may get very wet. There are some very leaky loch gates out there.

Very early Land Rovers had the freewheel device. The Rover P4 all had drum brakes until the last 95 and 110 which had discs.

Regarding clasic car parts prices ,Many years ago,I bought a new wing for my Jaguar Mk2. . It was at the time when Jaguar was taken over by Leyland. The wing was bought from my local Jaguar agent and cost £25. I ordered a new grill for my Daimler 420,as I tweeked it. Again,ordered from the Daimler agent. I expected it to cost a serious lot.I could not believe it Brand new in its packaging,£5.00. Wish I had bought a lot more bits at the time,

Some years ago,I was told of an elderly couple who bought a boat above the first lock on the Hatherton Branch. A few days after they had taken over the boat,another boater engaged them in conversation and asked when they were going to take the boat out. They said they were waiting for the Lock Keeper to work them through. Not sure if I believe the story,but from reading this post,it sounds credible.

I have also had to pull out many early electronic ignition systems and back convert. My experience now is that currently available aftermarket electronic systems are reliable, or perhaps just lucky. The problem with the AC mechanical fuel pump on the Rover,is that if you run out of petrol or use the reserve tank you will run the battery flat before you can prime the pump. You have the option to use the hand primer,but this does not always work. We use a lot of Facet fuel pumps on tractors and off roaders and they are very reliable.

My P5b is in Birch Grey,with a Mulbery interior. Front and rear headrests with reading lights under the front headrests,which I have not seen on any other Rover. .Electronic ignition and a Facet fuel pump help reliability. We fitted a LT77 manual gearbox,which is the gearbox which would have been fitted to manual cars if it had been available. The car goes well now and is reasonbly good on fuel for an elderly V8. Nothing we have done can not be reversed and we still have the origional parts so the car could easily be taken back to origional spec. In my opinion, the auto box spoiled a good car. The coupe seems to be more desireable nowadays,because they are rarer. Very tight on rear headroom,but very stylish.

Like I say,I am not an expert. I imagine,if paint reacts to any chemical,then it will show as softening,fading or other failure. I would not want anybody to damage their paint because they followed my suggestion.

I can not think that a product designed to be sent down the foul water drain is any more harmfull to the environment than other domestic washing powder( Bio washing powder). Could be that anybody with a washing machine on their boat runs it into their grey water and thence into the canal. However,I am not an expert in these matters. As an aside, it might be a good idea to test whichever product on a small area of the boats paintwork first,to make sure it does not react with the paint.

We have a big problem with moss and green algae covering our farmyard. It is tarmacked and cost a lot of money and the moss actualy eats the tarmac. I happened to come across a You Tube video posted by an Irish lady. She sprinkled Biological washing powder across the moss. Nothing to lose,I sprinkled Lidle Bio washing powder over the affected areas. Worked a treat. Moss has not come back yet. Might work on a boat. Jumbo box cost a fiver.