magnetman

They would be the Industry Narrowboats Opduwers. Nice These ones. Crikey on a bikey I would have one in a heartbeat if I was living ashore ! These were the little side pushers used when Dutch barges were transitioning between sail and installed Diesel engines. One would put the opduwer bows beside the rudder, strap it on and have motive power while not losing space on the sailing barge. Then they all went to built-in Diesels. Opduwers are lovely !

Its a terrible idea and directly contravenes byelaws. I had a box of 49 red 12 bore cartridges out near KIngs Langley about 20 years ago. all live can't remember what I did with them probably gave them way ! Also had 11 hand grenades and 7 handguns out but they all went back in. (not all at Kings Langley!!) Oh yes and various parts of a chopped up 12 bore side by side.

Yes. The old maps don't show it as a railway bridge just a swingbridge. No sign of any rails. The film credits include the Port of London Authority.

Yes my initial thought was royal docks but there don't seem to be any small cuts. Maybe a better look on old maps will find one. If you look though the scene with the ships which you show, which seem to be in one of the royals, may be a different non connected film sequence to the part with the child. Also the police mention 'derelict boats' in the film so perhaps the draw footbridge was replaced with a fixed deck bridge at some stage. I think what may have happened is the poplar and blackwall docks became derelict while the main royal docks were still operating and the short sequence with the ships was for context and a different location to where the Plaudit was moored. Different ships and not as many traveling cranes. Looks like timber sheds associated with the smaller docks. I think the bit with the ships, the long dock (Royal Albert dock I think) and the wharf cranes was for visual impact rather than where the scene was filmed.

Nice map. The little cut between Blackwall basin and poplar dock does look narrower on that map.

So in my estimation the PLA tug Plaudit was moored here It looks narrower in the film but when the Canary Wharf development was put in there were huge changes to the layout of the docks and adjoining waterways so no reason to think it was not widened and bridges removed as part of landscaping.

They were up the path past Captain Cargo's place from the canal then turn left on the road if I recall whereas the butcher and general store were to the right.

I was talking about the Jesus Army who had a base in Braunston and a brightly coloured transit van. Yes they were a bit hippy like but reeked of bad vibes to me. I am not remotely surprised to read the preceding comments but yes it is off topic. The Salvation Army is a respected organisation.

Or maybe it is here https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=19.6&lat=51.50468&lon=-0.00903&layers=260&right=osm Yes I think its here. Poplar dock with the lighters and Blackwall with the ships. In fact I am pretty sure there are still remains of the swinging bridge. More detail: The cut between Blackwall and Poplar docks had a swingbridge and a draw footbridge. and the film shows what looks like the draw footbridge with the child on it. So I think ships would have been brought into the main docks at Blackwall and West india then Lighters and launch tugs used to transfer goods to Poplar dock which was a railway transhipment dock.

Junction dock? was off Blackwall Basin with timber sheds. Now filled in Or one of the small cuts between Blackwall basin and West India docks. In fact I think the footbridge might still be there. PLA launch tug Plaudit is still extant.

I don't know but could one just take the pulley wheel off alone rather than the whole assembly? Is it spring loaded tensioner or just an idler in a fixed position.

There is an idler on the timing belt for removal. As has now been pointed out the water pump is driven by the vee belt but in order to remove the pump body the timing belt must come off. Not because it is running the pump but because the way the unit is packaged means the timing belt is in the way.

I think the top pulley is an idler. This is what someone on a ybw thread said about it and it seems accurate: "The pump is not in a very awkward position. Locking the engine up with timing pins takes about 10 mins. Taking the timing belt off another couple of minutes and thenthe pump is staring you in the face. A couple of hoses off and some bolts around the flange of the pump and its off. Half an hour tops. Then clean the face of the block up, there are no gaskets, and fit the new one. A job that should take about an hour and a half. I would be interested to see how much they charged you to do it."

Ernie Kendall was moored by the marina in the 90s on nb Poacher. Colecraft 70 footer with a ST3. He was the original magnetman always had windlasses for sale and was brilliant for nattering with endlessly. I spent my first winter living aboard 1994/95 around there. Ivor Batchelor was also good for nattering and 'barge nuts' coal . Good memories also there was a lovely lady a Mrs Ward? in the shop by the bottom lock where one could buy milk and gifts. She was brilliant.

2 hours max but it depends where the standard stock item called a collar strap is kept and if anyone is aware of it. Thats if the 'lock gate collar' actuallymeans the strap itself or might the anchor be broken. If it is the anchor its more serious. Hopefully just the strap and its on a shelf in a BW (oops CRT) shed somewhere nearby.

When I was there in the 90s the Jesus Army were a few doors down from the butcher. The had a transit van with all their god bothering bits signwritten. I don't know what they did I suppose it was something to do with religion. I wondered at the time if they wanted to start a war.

Yes I know. Its called Sutton's. No need for the 'stop'. Its a bit like calling the canal 'the cut' when it is actually 'the canal'. I meant there is no stop in the name. Its obviously a physical stop when on the Boat but the discussion was about the name.

There is no stop. Its just Sutton's or Suttons'. Also the Pink Floyd bridge. I am not a fan of the band at all as I think they were too generic but there was quite a good bit of work on a derelict railway bridge near Wolfhampcote. Also the A45 is to die for ! Brilliant bit of road engineering. I don't do driving any more but I do recall the approach to Braun St On via the A45 or is it the A43? and it was a proper nice bit of road. I could have got the nomenclature and numbering wrong.

The Horseley iron bridges and its where the wide beans stop not ! Puddle banks are a good bit of work and old railway engineering.

You missed out 'punk' at the end !

All this talk of fasteners reminded me of the news story where a man escaped from a psychiatric hospital, assaulted two women in a launderette then disappeared. The headline was "Nut screws washers and bolts"

It may have been mentioned above but one way of helping to prove ownership is if the seller has photos of the Boat clearly with his things or relatives on or in it. I know this could just mean he is borrowing it from someone but it helps build a picture up. Most photos taken with equipment in the last few years will be date stamped. I suppose it would be a bit bad to cast doubt and ask for family snaps though !

WW2 HSL (High Speed Launch) very similar shape Thornycroft did HSLs and they also did large superyachts so its seems plausible they made yacht tenders which were in fact scaled down HSLs.

Yes. Thats what I was concentrating on as well. It looks like a small HSL with a shed on top. Produced by a yard making military vessels I think. It is entirely plausible this was a project vessel built by apprentices or just to keep the workers active during a time of few orders. That could explain the reduced size.

John Polley (I think he also had an initial in the middle) had a box advert in waterways world thats how I found him.