BD3Bill

Hi All Our 45' Trad with portholes has a rear engine room housing the mighty BD3. Currently it is lined out in cheap T&G painted a dark green ceiling & down to gunnel level. Bit dark and chilly... and drippy... So the plan is to rip out the T&G, insulate with Cellotex/Kingspan 25mm, vapour barrier, 25mm air gap, oh and 50mm tanalised battens. (What ?!) Thinking 3mm ply of some sort, I'm going to paint it light grey. Lots of curves every where needs to be flexible and knot free ideally Am I on the right track? Cheers Bill

I think you will regret it and surely it's worth a punt replacing the battery first? (MacMini Desktop with Yosemite OSX fan)

It is good news. Forgive my ignorance, but surely the passage of boats will even up the channel as a result of having full width returned? (I realise this is impractical for deep draughted boats which don't want to get stemmed -up) Or will the whole channel end up generally shallower over time? I have got very proficient at getting unstuck on the Oxford summit level now

Maybe something like a parking sensor / electronic eye, fixed to the stern, giving you warning of how close you are to the top gates? ( i know some cill's project up to a yard out from the gates). Agree with those that say all round awareness is better though.

I had noticed thanks, hence my comments. Cheers. Bill

I bet CRT could get Central & Local grants for Hedgelaying & or Coppice along the towpath. Even the Stewardship Scheme that Farmers & Country Landowners get? In the future, when CRT's guaranteed income ends they ARE going to have to look for other sources of funding/income surely? Just a thought, IMHO etc...

Nice one, fairplay chap. Not a Climber myself, Country Estate. Boss uses Sthil's and I buy Husky for myself, so I use both ( and wanted to say McCulloch just to make you laugh, I swore by them when I was a youngster working Hazel Coppice ! Grin). As long as it's sharp! The Sthil Kombi with the saw & extension is a good bit of kit eh? The Estate hires in a Harvestor & we thin about 400 tonnes a year, mainly Oak. I only personally process about 40t of that though. Dodgy old Japa Processor. We even have an old Ford County 4X4 with a straight six with a forwarding crane trailer, merciless bit of old kit that is. The bosses Dad is into woodchip for Biofuel, the plantations for that are pretty small scale but all mechanised/contracted of course. Sorry everybody, gawn right orf topic... :0) Cheers Bill

I use a chainsaw professionally and have done since I was trained at college. So am of the same mind as you chap, just provoking debate here. Cheers Bill

Would the panel agree then, that there is a wide gulf between the hardcore WRG volunteers, (and the brilliant feats they achieve) & the local Canal Societies, that do such great work tidying up the environs of their stretch of canal ??? Something like the TCV ( formerly BTCV, one presumes they dropped the British so as not to alienate ethnic minorities) perhaps ? The real problem is that even wielding bowsaws and slashers is a H&S risk asessment blah, liability insurance blah ...

Doh! My mistake Sorry

" Please be aware that the stoppage dates have been amended to commence from 19th January to 13th March 2015" If one reads it more carefully? So 4 weeks? Confused

I do it all the time. Agree. Sound advice!

Personally, & it is only IMHO, Torque figures are what matters both in narrowboat engines & Harleys. e.g. My Narrowboat engine ( a marinised tractor lump) has a hp rating of only 35, but produces 150 ft/lbs of torque. My Harley makes only 77 bwbhp but produces 88 ft/lbs. Waits for comments about Harleys being tractor based too ... :0)

It's sounds rather like CRT have realised the potential for earning another few grand ( or more?) per year from the moorings if they make them residential ? I was thinking that but didn't like to say so...

I have spent literally hours & hours researching paints and specifications. I have come to the conclusion that Interzone 954 is the paint I will do my hull with when the boat comes out of the water in 3 years time. It's compatability with other substrates is one of it's most useful features, along with high build & curing underwater. Plus it's low VOC, v suitable in confined docks. We had our boat blasted & 2packed two years ago. I plan to steam clean & repaint rather than re-blast. I aim to do the baseplate too. This will be a real test for the 954 as it will go on bare (cleaned obv.) steel. FWIW WHY? hasn't the OP given us a price for all this work ? Etch primer? Really ???

I have heard (no pun intended) this as well, there was a thread about it linked to the DIS markers a while ago. I have taken to sounding my Klaxon at DIS markers since... if I can't see the lock condition ahead. Sad innit? :0) Cracking photo, thanks. I rather like the vent style. The boat name appears to be carved in. And we worry about smoky exhaust stacks on our BD3's LoL !

Yeah, and make sure you don't get high pressure diesel going in through your skin either... that'll mess ya up !

Oh they are a little quirky alright....

Inspirational post thanks. Nut splitter I can modify myself, excellent idea. I have to make the cables to length. I like to do stuff myself. If I am going to pay someone to do something I'd rather lash out the money on a tool for my collection instead. I have been know to buy service tools from the US for our Harleys that cost hundreds... to save more hundreds in Labour charges... and if it's not right I have only myself to blame, but stuff like fitting new layshafts in gearboxes really costs ££££'s & it sooo satisfying. Cheers, & Thanks Bill

It's best to fit full bore valves either side of any pump so you won't need to drain the system if you need to replace the pump, having a bypass too is only a little extra work/money. I use the Solarproject pump, cheap, low consumption, doubt it flows enough for you very big boiler though. I'm guessing you have 22mm pipes ? Hopefully smileypete will look in, he knows you know....

Ha ha ! Haven't we all ! But surely that would make locking even MORE unpleasant ?

I also worry that my silencer is too restrictive. the exit pipe through the roof is only 1 ½" ! I rather fancy a 2 ¾ " pipe into a plain expansion chamber (have an old helium gas bottle handy) to 2 ¾ exit might aid breathing/sootyness? It is a big engine after all. Ford 3000 tractors DON'T have tiny exhausts.

Fairplay, just a thought. I do wonder have you tried running without the air filter? Just to see if there is a difference? We're good too thanks pal. We are talking Sussex PFS ere mate! Can't believe we never bumped into you over the summer. Take care CHEERS!

6/5/3 steelwork from 1987 ? It may not be rusty, then again... Agree it may be overpriced.

Petrol Filling Station mate. How are ya? :0)