Up-Side-Down

My calculations for my engine - with a similar set up as yours - came to about 56 pints so, at a 3% mixing rate, bunging the whole litre in seemed to be about right!

This thread seems to have 'got stuck' on page 2 .............. so bump!

In deciding whether or not it's expensive it's worth a) taking account of the time and faff of replacing the coolant in a skin tank boat cooling system and considering the dilution rate of Ankorsol which is 2% (49:1) for a new system and 3% for a dirty old one (I'm reading off the instructions on the back of the container!) In old money: mixing at a 2% solution would mean that 1 litre doses just about 11 gallons of coolant.

Antifreeze - whether blue or pink - has two components: a corrosion inhibitor and a chemical to prevent the water from freezing. It is the first component that degrades over time, loosing its ability to prevent the metal of the engine from breaking down. Morris's Oils, amongst their many products, sell Ankorsol - which is effectively the corrosion inhibitor component - and can simply be added to the coolant to ensure that corrosion is held at bay. Its quick and easy to do and avoids the difficulties associated with draining, flushing and refilling the system - something that is not always straightforward with a boat's skin tank type system. And yes, it's compatible with all types of antifreeze. Check out their website for details www.morrislubricants.co.uk. It's Part No is ANK 001 and I speak from experience.

The Severn Estuary station at Portishead has now been taken over by the RNLI

Amongst its many applications Owatrol oil can be used a metal 'paint' on its own so all you need to do now is a apply a second coat – job done. It can be applied using an old garden sprayer which might avoid further contortions! For confirmation of what I'm stating you could contact Promain (one Owatrol's main suppliers) for Sales or Technical advice 01462 413545. Within the classic tractor movement there is growing feeling that old tractors should not be stripped back to bare metal and given upteen coats of glossy paint. Rather that the patina of age should be preserved – so its a few coats of Owatrol oil over the prepared metal surface that is now becoming the popular approach.

One of the criticisms of these guides was just how out of date they were. A glance at the one covering the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, for instance, shows no sign of the Liverpool Link which was opened in March 2009. There are many criticisms surrounding the interactive guides – my biggest grouse would be regarding services/boater facilities which, although marked, rarely go into any detail as to what is actually available. It is possible that there could be water, elsan disposal, rubbish disposal, toilets, showers, pump out, and maybe a laundry but rarely is that detail provided. So you could turn up wanting water, or somewhere to empty a cassette, only to find that this key facility is not on site. This perception surrounding the trusty Nicholson Guides is intriguing to say the least! If true then I for one am delighted not to be a part of the 'modern world!!'

As in 'light the blue touchpaper and stand back?'

So did this incident result in a happy outcome???

Copy and paste into a word document and it becomes eminently readable - thanks Pluto, very interesting.

My source was Allied London related - in fact the trip boat operator who is going to be running the free water bus service from the station to the dock. Apparently this is Allied London's (the developers of the dock) latest way of trying to increase the footfall amongst the retail outlets there. It's never been a great success as too far from the city centre. So look out for bright yellow boats (originating from Holland) zipping backwards and forwards along the Aire. At least it's a free boat trip for those that would otherwise pay for same. Maybe AL are onto a winner here ................ ?

I'm told by a reliable source that it has just been re-named Leeds Dock. Can anyone confirm?

Thank you very much Tim

I recently had an email exchange with CRT Customer Service on this very subject. The lass concerned denied any knowledge of the term "Watermate Key" but stated that she had only been with CRT for seven years. She later asked a colleague (who had two more years service) and apparently she had never heard the term either. It is, however, used in various material on the CRT website and if you Google Watermate Key the first item listed leads you to a CRT publication on the CRT website! As is so often the case with CRT it appear that it's a case of the left hand not having a clue what the right is doing ................... !! IIRC the label "Watermate Key" came about as the result of a competition that the then BW held to find a universal name for the thing, with the winner receiving some suitable prize and a term that we could all share and recognise becoming enshrined in the boater's lexicon. Does anyone else have the same recollection?

Semington Dry Dock (01380 870654; www.semingtondock.co.uk). 2 covered dry docks and a helpful owner to boot!

Not the same stuff at all – older hulls were iron built and have quite different corrosion characteristics.

Read this as "BW Sucks"

A quick look at all those You Tube videos headed "How to Bump a Lock" or similar would provide an/the answer to your predicament. I'd never realised just how easy it is to open a lock before ............ scary!

Have used a Candy 10T with a 2 Kw Heart Interface invertor for 15 years with no problems (just bearings on the Candy!). The heater element uses 1500 W so there's a margin there. We only do a wash when cruising so that what's coming out of the batteries is roughly balanced by what's going in - the engine note certainly changes when the machine's heating!

You'll need something in the region of £95,000 to buy her!

Stowe Hill (now sadly defunct) The love/hate reaction they provoke

............. looks like they've also been marked along the Fossdyke & Witham too! The Trent Charts are certainly a valuable addition and cover tidal waterways further north as well.

On a point of detail: the Beta device under discussion in this thread is a Travel Power (with the odd reference to their Propgen). However, the Whispagen was an external combustion - or Stirling - engine sold by Kurunda 10 or more years ago. Notable for its high price (£7500 in those days IIRC) its purpose was to generate about 5kW of heat (for space heating the boat) in conjunction with 750W of electricity for battery charging. Similar units have been trialed in houses (there was an initiative in Leicestershire a while back I recall) with the electricity produced being fed back into the grid when not consumed on the spot. Does anyone have one of these devices still in operation on their boat as I'd be very interested to hear about their experience?

The new Nicholson - published February 2014 - marks all the Kilometer posts along the tidal Trent which is an accurate way of knowing exactly where you are if you're unfamiliar with the river.

That's correct Tim. Ford's first diesel tractor engine appeared in the Fordson New Major E1A in November 1951. It was a four cylinder, direct injection unit.