nebulae

Hardware stores used to use a book,only available to the trade.My memory is a bit rusty,I think it was called The Grey Book.I remember seeing cast iron pipe listed about 6 years ago.It was intended for specialised restoration such as in conservation areas.It was not just expensive.A new gutter for a large house ran into thousands.There are several flue manufacturers in this country.Stainless single and double flue, vitreous in black and brown in 4/5/6/7inch.Various angles (30,45,90).At least one manufacturer will make specials.

No such thing as an uncomplicated new car,petrol or diesel.Emission regs have seen to that.The rot set in around 1990 in my opinion.Anything recent will have a number of sensors feeding an ecu ,fuel injection,probably air con,etc.To all intents and purposes latest models have no owner servicable parts under the bonnet. Recomend a tidy Morris Minor.

My experience is that fitting a boat yourself always costs more and takes MUCH longer than you think it will.Plus you cant use it while you fit it out,but will still have to pay boatyard/mooring/licence. What they said. Buy secondhand.(But get a survey)

I always think that a nice bit of rust on the rubbing strakes shows that a boat is used.Even better if the rust has been polished off by wear on the lockside.I dont recall ever seeing a working boat with side fenders. A boat got well and truly stuck in York Street Lock at Stourport a week ago.We were waiting to go up so tried to help the owners.I dont think York Street is a particularly tight lock.To compound the problem,the boat had brass eyelets let into the hull below the gunnel,to which the fenders were tied.Impossible to get the fenders up and rest on the side deck.Problem eventualy solved with a lot of reving and pushing and a sharp knife.Side fenders are for mooring up to stop the boat banging aboat,not to stop the paint being scratched.(obviously a different matter if the boat is fibreglass)

I always uderstood that a flat bottom boat is inherently less tender than a v bottom boat.This is why Newfoundland dories,used many miles out to see for hauling nets,are flat bottom.Probably explained technicaly my Ian Mac.Its why Springers tend to be a bit more tippy than other narrow boats.

Very difficult to judge the best revs for different canals.I check my revs against on board G.P.S.Its been said many times that running the engine hard gives a greater impresion of speed,without the boat actualy going any faster.In the O.P.the vendor stated max revs.Perhaps this was his way of hinting that thrashing the engine was pointless on canals.

I use a product called FUEL SET.I think it is an emulsifier.When I pumped the bottom of the tank(boat is over 20 years old) no water was present.Have used it for two years and no problem so far.

To Great Hayward and nothern part of Staffs and Worcester is very pleasant.Stoppage at Parkgate lock.Run up to Stone also very pleasant.Main thing is to check for stoppages,sometimes at short notice.Enrol for emails and check for planned stoppages.

What happens to old narrow boats.Steel boats built for leisure use have been around for at least 40 years.Nothing lasts for ever.The only boats I know of that have been scrapped have been in accidents.Scrap is worth about £100 tonne at the moment,if you get it to a scrap yard.Transport and handling would probably cost the value of the scrap.A seagoing vessel is generaly past it by the time it is 25 years old.Even allowing for the less corrosive effect of fresh water,what is the likely life span?Granted,there are a number of ex working boats surviving,but most will have been well looked after.Will there be large number of steel boats comming to the end of their lives in the next few years?

How do I know.Thats a very good question.In my case it was a case of seeking out the best advice I could find and going with it .I think the advice was about right,as it happens.I have to admit that I had a firm starting point.I have three very helpfull charts.One is a chart prepared by the Manchester Ship Canal Mech & Eng.Dept.entitled "Approx.length/speed/power curves for displacement pleasure craft on the Bridgewater Canal". Another is a very usefull"Computor Guide" published by Practical Boat Owner magazine.Another is Lancing Marines"Paper Propeller Computer.All three sources give optimum power/speed/prop. figures.All three guides give the same results within a small margin of error.I have no idea if there is a copyright on these charts,before anybody asks.

The engine appears to be governed to 2,000rpm.It will not exeed this even if not under load.I assume all these engines may be fitted to light plant other than marine engines.The same engine(which is not related to automobile units)might be in a generator,in which case it might be set to run at 3,000rpm.I suspect if it could be recalibrated to run at 3,000rpm in a boat the noise and vibration would be unacceptable.My point is,how reiable are published figures for horsepower in modern japanese engines.All these engines can be used in a variety of plant.Is the quoted power the optimum irespective of end use.Do any manufacturers subject the MARINISED UNIT to dynamometer testing.I assume that the optimum point on the torque curve of my engine may well be at 2,000rpm.In this case,manufacturers are being obtuse in quoting max horsepower.The origional question asked for guidance in choosing a suitable engine.Taking asside traditional engines,most prospective customers will be like me limmited to a modern jap(or Korean)engine.My point is,how much power is needed to drive the boat and auxilaries in the most taxing situation and which is the engine which genuinely gives the correct power(and torque)for my requirements AT THE DRIVE COUPLING.At the moment,my advice would be go for a few more horsepower than you need,failing more acurate infomation.

To clarify my previous post.The Lister SR2 was fine in my 50ft boat when river flows were low.On a more tricky situation like turning into Selby or Keedby,the Lister had nothing in reserve.I have checked the origional literature for my new Isuzu 4L.42.It states,4 cylinder 1732cc,42hp @ 3000rpm.This leaflet was issued by H.M.I. Isuzu Marine.As I understand it,H.M.I. was a division of H.M.Plant,the U.K.importer of Izuzu engines.H.M.I.marinised the bare engines in this country using U.K.sourced components such as P.R.M.gearboxes.Taking the points made in previous posts and alowing for max available revs of 2,000(prop @ 1,000 with 2.1 red)power generation and frictonal losses I have about 20hp available.In other words,I have not got the reserve of power I thought.This should be a matter for careful thought for anyone planning to use a N.B. on a river.n.b.over 2,000 hours I have got about 1hour from 1 1/2 litres of fuel.

My 50ft nb had a Lister SR2.It was underpowered (dangerous)on rivers with any sort of flow.From memory it was about 18hp.I fitted a 42hp Isuzu on recomendation from other people.It is quite capable of pushing the boat at its max speed(6 knots on GPS).When I checked the spec from H.M.I.the suppliers,I see the engine is rated at 42hp at 3,000rpm.As it is governed to 2,000rpm it is not capable of producing its rated hp.Is this common with other modern jap engines.Its very difficult to estimate the necessary power if quoted power is not actualy available.

You might need to check the gearbox as well as the engine.If it has a Lister gearbox,probably hydraulic change,they are a good strong box.Plenty of canal engineers are familiar with it.Spare parts could be a problem and could be expensive,if available.Cant help you with that engine.

From memory,when the 2.2 was discontinued(FX3/4 and some Austin Gypsy,Most Gypsys were petrol)Thorneycroft then used a Landrover unit.This could be a 21/4 litre as fitted to a series L.R.or a 21/5 litre fitted to an early 90.Parts for all L.R.engines are easily available.Dont know if marinisation parts are interchangeable between L.R.and B.M.C.base units.There are a number of specialist taxi breakers.One of them may still have some FX3 engine parts.I changed my engine for an Isuzu unit 4 years ago.I chose Isuzu as it is the engine fitted to a lot of hire boats.Hopefuly spares and mechanical expertise should be widely available.Also it was slightly cheaper than the Beta.The only spanner in the works is that the engine builder H.M.I.has gone out of business.I beieve that their succesors Engines Plus give spares support,although I have not needed anything other than filters so far.Agree with other posts.Dont underestimate the amount of work if you change engine type.

I light mine with a tiny bit of firelighter inserted with a pair of barbeque tongs.Saves the hair on the back of your hands.Fire used to work much better than it does now.This is because the chimney is in the bottom of the canal at the end of the Leek branch.Spent hours fishing but never found it.The Lockgate valve looks like the valve on my Kabola,but without the personalised top.

If you feel deeply stressed by full moorings,inconsiderate boaters,over enthusiastic volunteers,other people,other boats,Cart,life,the price of beer,rules and regulations etc,then you probably need to move to the sunny north.

I have a Kabola which origionaly ran from the main diesel tank.It was a pain.Not a good idea to use the engine feed,as you can be cold and out of propulsion fuel at the same time.Easy to run out as the Kabola uses more diesel than the engine.Also,as my fire is at the front of the boat and the tank at the back and the boat trims bow up,when the tank runs low the heater wont work anyway.Made a separate tank,mounted high up-problem solved.

My Diy heater is higher than my engine(Isuzu) and I have never had to bleed it.Maybe I was just lucky.

When we removed the Lister from our trad stern boat,the one downside was the loss of warmth for the steerer.At the time we were breaking an old Escort van.I removed the heater compleat.The heater matrix is a nice removable module.I hacked the plastic case down to the minimum to hold the matrix and the fan.Mounted on the side of the engine box at the steerers feet.Conect into the calorifier circuit and hi presto warm steerer, warm engine room and takes the chill off the cabin.On a wet day we leave the engine running for half an hour after we have moored,to dry off wet clothes.The escort fan has three speeds.We dont bother to turn the heater off in the summer,just open the doors.Its worked well for five years and is a cheap dodge.Also loses a bit of engine heat when running hard on the river.

I have been using a product called Fuel Set Concentrated Fuel Conditioner for the last 2 years.Boat is 25 years old.Pumped a litre out of the bottom of my tank.No sign of any contaminants.No idea how it works,might be magic for all I know.Bought on line from Pacer Marine.

I seem to remember a Turner diesel being fitted to a series 1 Landrover,before Landrover produced their own diesel.It might have been an official Landrover/Turner enterprise as a prototype.I have the vaguest memory of it being a v twin.Does anybody remember this?

I think it was Hugh Mcknighs boat Parry 11 that was allowed to disintegrate at the Boat Museum. The last Calder and Hebble keel (called Ethel?)went the same way.Bits of it next to the lock last time I was at Ellesmere Port.I hope the archives are not treated in the same way.I remember talking to Peter Froud at the time the museum was proposed(one of the founders of the museum)I dont think he would have been very impressed by the way things have turned out.

Surely,no string is needed.In the old days,they used to let them sink.Anybody remember the workflat on the end of Norbury moorings.String costs money you know.

I am with Saga,Cant comment on claims experience as we have not claimed against them.Our boat is 25years old,no request for a survey(yet)