nebulae

Had two cruiser stern boats .At the time,budget restraints meant it was all I could aford. Hated them both. Now got a" trad"style and love it. Cant afford an ex working boat with a separate engine room,but that would be my ideal.

I am a member of the Rover P5 club.The club has recon kits for mechanical lift pumps fitted to Rover V8s.Dont know if this helps.Most people seem to replace mechanical lift pumps with electric,ie Facet pumps.Less trouble than mech pumps and self priming.

Until recently,I have been buying standard A,B, and C section belts at 70% discount on list.These are all premium makes.Dont be conned into paying over the odds.(My Isuzu uses standard A section).Standard engineering belts are marked in inches or metric.Engine and vehicle manufacturers belts are usualy marked with a part number.If you can find the pulley section and measure the length,you may be able to get replacement belts from an engineering supplier like Haleys.

As has been said,definately use an antifreeze in the cooling system.Blue anti freeze lasts for 2 years,green for 3 and red for 5 years.It is the inhibitor that degrades rather than the antifreeze.

Is it not part of CaRT terms and conditions to have an efective means of reverse.Obviously,this does not apply in a short term emergency situation,where other methods apply. I bought my Isuzu from Bob Knowles and found him O.K. to deal with .Plenty of experienced marine engineers who can repair an Enfield outdrive. I understood that Bob Knowles is the main supplier of spares for this unit.

I use two of the old mini 10inch tyres(wide rather than standard width) as side fenders.I have bored two holes in the tread with a hole cutter at the top for the rope to go through and one at the bottom to allow water to drain out.They are always stowed when cruising. I have tried every other type of fender without success. If you moor to the large section sheet piling,such as at Tewkesbury,you will have an uncomfortable stay without very substantial fenders.(If you just tie the rope around the tyre,eventualy the rope will wear through)

Got rammed head on by a large narrow boat on the Bridgewater.It had just started to rain and he was concentrating on putting up his brolly,not looking where he was going.Hey ho ,these things happen.(He did not even slow down to apologise )No point in worrying about it.

The money seems about right for a boat of that age,if the owner is prepared to cover the problems identified by the surveyor. Presumeably,he has given the engine and other major bits of eqipment a clean bill of health .A full 4 years B.S.C.would be reassuring as well.

If you dont understand electrics,do not mess with 240volt circuits. Get a qualified sparks to do any work.240volt in a boat is potentialy lethal. Although legal to work on your own property,you are supposed to be what the law calls a "competent person" Simple 12 volt circuits should be O.K.so long as everthing is properly fused.

I seem to remember contractors clearing a length of reeds in 2011,Quite a short section,probably to make a passing place .I can think of more urgent work needed than clearing reedbeds. However, .once the offside vegetation prevents boat traffic,it soon silts up under the vegetation. In my opinion,CaRT should be a navigation authority.Trying to be a nature conservation trust at the same time introduces conflict of interest.(ie Montgomery Canal).

Had a problem on this mooring(The council one). a couple of years back .Large group of kids up to no good. Cast a boat adrift,which we managed to retreive.

Had a rain of railway ballast hit us aproaching main line railway bridge in Wolverton(Grand Union).Lept off boat making angry noises.(one smashed window). This is the main line 4 track railway. Three small juveniles ran across tracks and diapeared. Phoned police who said <what do you expect us to do about it>Next to encouraging children to play in the fast lane of the M1,I cant think of a more dangerous place for them to be.

I think your comments about Winsford were generous. A great shame that boats are discouraged from entering Winsford Flash.I gather that if you get stuck Cart will not help as they have no jurisdiction past the bridge. One mooring at the end of the river is a bit sad.Apparently,Eddy Stobart is developing Weston Point Docks as a nodal centre,whatever that means.Very sad that the church in Weston Point Docks is boarded up.I hope it survives to find a use in the future.(built by the Weaver Trustees for boatmen)

I use a standard cartridge gun for each type of grease .I still have my Wanner gun after 50 years,but as we buy grease in boxes of 12 catridges ,it does not get used much. BEWARE flexible pipes. My son had one burst last year. Pulling it off the nipple(it was a new pipe) when it burst. Three weeks in hospital and very close to losing his hand. Moral,If it sticks on the nipple,remove it with pliers,not by holding the end of the flexible pipe.

Most narrow boat horns make a gentle bleating noise. I fitted an air horn which is marginaly better. Would a Salters steamer skipper hear it above the background noise of a trip boat,or even a narrow boat skipper standing on top of a Lister? I have my doubts. I have a horn operated by my personal air supply,which is quite loud,but dont always remember to have it to hand.Does anybody know of a realy loud horn suitable for a narrow boat.

Fuel filter .Your fuel filter looks like a standard Isuzu .Black Prince among others stock these, also Anglo Welsh, Also Norbury Junction etc.As has been said,you need a primary filter in line before the Isuzu unit.The filter fitted to series Landrover among others is easy and cheap to abtain replacements for.Filter number Crossland 522 or use crossover tables to find other makes. You have a dry exhaust .O.K.,the engine should not stall if the exhaust goes under water when the engine is running.HOWEVER,if the exhaust can go underwater when the engine is stopped,water can run into the engine and destroy it.Either raise the outlet or fit a gooseneck. At the very least you could end up with stuck valves,At worst a bent con rod.Hope these comments are usefull.

Depends how water tight the engine room is. A cruiser stern or a leaking stern gland can soon alow a bit of water in the bilge.Only needs a tiny bit of oil mixed in to make a mess. If my Land Rover does not leave a patch of oil where it has been parked,I panic .It must be empty.

Skin tank cooling system shoul have antifreeze/inhibitor at all times.(Some antifreeze solution such as John Deere should NOT be diluted with water.It has a higher boiling point than water)Raw water cooling systems must be carefully drained down,including the water trap .Gas heaters such as Paloma and Morco,wich are fitted high inside the cabin,may be particularly prone to freezing in an unheated boat.Radiator systems should have an antifreeze/inhibitor. Hot and cold systems,take precautions as other people have said.

Relating to the origional post:Some old Springers had Ducati or Lombardini engines.Best avoided unless VERY cheap.SR and ST aircooled Listers.Very noisy but usualy reliable.Check it has good oil pressure.Lister gearboxes very strong but most getting old. B.M.C.engines gained popularity because there were loads of old 2.2 and 1.5 engines available secondhand and good availability of marinisation parts.They can be the very devil to start.Old Listers with a proper marine overhead starting handle can be started if the battery is flat.SAAB engineering good but spare pars expensive.Volvo Penta good,but MD! and MD2 engines a bit long in the tooth. Japanese attention to detail and 50 years development mean that Isuzu,Yanmar and Kubota engines will give 10,000 hours service if properly maintained.Find out about the gearbox if you can.Some are better than others ie PRM 150 better bet than PRM 120 for canal use .Kelvin, Gardner, Russel Newbury, National, Kromhout, Armstrong Siddley.etc all fine engines ,but not likely to be found at the budget end of the market.Hope these coments are helpfull.

Might be O.K. at south end of Harecastle,or has been said,carry on to Westlake Park.Dont under any circumstances stop at the northern end of Harecastle.If your timing is off and you miss passage you will be safer go up the Maclesfield for a short distance.

,This is an E.P.Barrus product.They are national importers of Yanmar engines,which have a good name as Shire marine engines.As well as being a budget range,I believe that there are some gaps in the horsepower range which is filled with Shanks.

Depends how old the outboard is..Unleaded petrol has bio ethanol in it which eats brass, copper and rubber.Best to run it out of fuel before storage..I have just stripped a carb on a marine petrol engine,which has been out of use for 18 months.It was full of a white cotton wool like growth..I have read that two stroke goes off quicker than straight petrol.My experience is that two stroke mixed with synthetic two stroke oil will last better than straight petrol?Dont know of any storage additive that will work..

Bring back the old Elsan Bristol I say.I remember using these when toilet fluid was some kind of black stuff.If you got splash back you were in big trouble.

Its very easy to buy a boat,not so easy to sell it.Proof of ownership is paramount(lots of reciepts for work done etc)Dont part with a penny unless you are confident of ownership.

Unfortunately,wooden boats do not last very well in freshwater.Salt water seems to preserve them better.I have had a wooden boat that leaked so bad I had to ballast a list to keep the holes above water.Dont think I would get a B S C now.I would not,under any cicumstances,attempt a coastal journey unless you are experienced,have a well found and properly equiped craft.Old Morris marine engines are O.K.If it starts and runs and sounds alright.Make sure the gearbox works if it is ancient,as spares may be a problem.Chrysler.outboards did not have a good reputation and have not been made for many years.A Honda would be a safer bet.