manxmike
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Posts posted by manxmike
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The bolts holding my Lister to the mounting blocks vibrated loose (vibration - from a Lister - never!) Thankfully I noticed it before more than two of them had dropped out. I replaced all of them with brand new stainless steel bolts with nylock nuts. The mounting brackets were on great big lumps of wood, so I needed 6 inch bolts. When I had the engine looked over by someone who used to work on "proper" engines he approved saying that the engine had been fitted by someone who knew what they were doing. I found out that the wood was actually pitch pine which is one of the most remarkable types of timber - used for stage floors in older theatres and for rubbing strakes in harbours, it "heals" and can last for over a century under water.
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We had walkie talkies, I thought it might be handy to ask for a cup of coffee, sadly the steel hull blocked the signals so I had to resort to bellowing through the doorway.
Regarding dropping mobile phones into the cut, I make sure I have a PAYG sim in a really old mobile phone - the phone costs next to nothing, the sim might have £5 or £10 on it, but that can be transferred.
When I was looking to buy my boat I travelled up and down the country looking at a wide variety of boats in an interesting variety of places. I usually travelled by motorbike, which could be problematic in the winter, but which was always fun. Sometimes, when I found something I quite liked the look of I would bring my other half, she had a better eye than me for niggles and potential problems and would veto my daydream style hopes.
Eventually we did find the boat we both loved and bought it. Always bear in mind, however, that work on a narrow boat is never completed, the next job will need to be done, but maybe not until tomorrow.
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My boat had been wired by someone who had a very vague idea of 12 volt wiring. I rather think he/she had acquired a lot of brown wire and had knitted it into the strangest loom I have ever seen.
I can't help wondering if some of your problem might be caused by the wiring on your boat creating oddities for the batteries. I am no expert, just years of playing with the wiring harnesses on older british motorbikes and discovering the problems that can be caused by using the wrong thickness wire, incorrect connections and strange fuses.
I was going to re-wire, but I sold the boat before I got round to it.
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I binned my Facebook account a couple of years ago because I was getting some really nasty messages. Every time I posted something I was getting "trolled". After about a year I restarted a facebook account, adopted a thicker skin and started laughing at some of the more repulsive responses I received to my innocent (?) posts. It may not have stopped the idiots, but I took a different viewpoint of them, often responding in a somewhat sarcastic manner.
Hopefully I haven't carried that over to this forum, and sometimes I manage to offer useful comments. I am by no means an "expert", but I do have many years of canal experience, often in older (not classic) boats with older (again, not classic) engines. I respond from my own experiences, which I believe, is what most of the "older" members on here do.
Maybe a section titled "Newbies Questions" might help?
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On 13/08/2022 at 17:26, system 4-50 said:
A query directed to the technical nerds on this forum: What would be required to provide advisory traffic lights for the narrows? Obviously a power supply but what else and what would be the logic of the system? As a former single-hander I was always put off by the advice to send out a forward party.
Could always be done by the system used for some tunnels - 9 to 10 one way, 10.30 to 11.30 t'other and so on.
As far as locks on the Llangollen are concerned, don't worry, there are plenty of lift bridges which are almost as much fun(?) and can be even more awkward.
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I have been looking into this possibility for myself, searching on line and speaking to people already holding shares, the prices I quoted are fairly similar to what I have found. OK, if I were to go for a new build with a butler, kitchen staff, hot and cold running chambermaids (I wish) then I would expect to pay a lot more.
There seem to be quite a number of shares available in quite a few boats at the moment, maybe the "boom" is coming to an end and prices are becoming more realistic?
However, I would be happy with a slightly older boat and the costs are pretty much as I said. Given that the OP rather likes the look of an older boat these charges are what he might find.
Horses for courses - you get what you pay for!
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To go back a few steps - are you looking for a narrow boat you can use that would hopefully pay for itself (unlikely), or are you looking for some sort of investment that would return a decent amount each year (equally unlikely)?
The suggestion made earlier in this thread about a share boat might be the sensible way to go, total cost £2,500 initial outlay (or thereabouts) for the share, then £50 (approx) per month giving you four weeks per annum holiday on a maintained boat.
Invest the balance - interest rates are starting to rise and £60,000 at 2% would give you £1,200 per annum. OK, that's not a lot, but then £70K isn't a large investment amount anyway and £1,200 is twice the annual monthly charge giving you £600 in your pocket, a boat for four weeks a year - fully maintained and serviced, insured and licenced, just fuel required.
Certainly that's something worth looking into in my opinion.
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I have often single handed in the past and yes, I am often quicker than a full crew. Having said which if I was in a tearing hurry I doubt I would be doing anything even remotely near a canal.
The volunteer Lockies I have met have all been attentive and have always taken their lead from me. I am happy to accept assistance when offered, my wife has MS and is now unable to help with locks, so any help is welcomed with a smile.
I am always happy to help others, unless and until they start snapping "Yes, I know" whilst getting everything so wrong it could cause a drained pound or flooded field, then I tend to note the phone number of the hire base and give them a ring with the name of the offending boat, location and damage caused. Usually there are sufficient people present to gently suggest they get back on board and we'll help them through as "this lock can be problematic".
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Sadly it's not just narrow boats, here on the Isle of Man (no canals!) we seem to be plagued with cyclists with LED lights aimed at oncoming cars. I simply go back to main beam and watch them wobble into the hedge. When they complain I ask them to aim their lights a bit better, their response is usually "at least you can see me", when I respond, "yes, it makes you a better target for me", they usually shut up.
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I came across a hire boat from Anglo Welsh on the Llangollen a couple of weeks ago who decided it was a grand idea to open every paddle they could find - all at the same time. I suggested they might just want to open the bottom paddles as they were hoping to descend, an idea echoed by an employee of a different marina who was returning a boat.
The "crew" of the offending boat got quite annoyed, saying "I know" repeatedly - a bit odd since they evidently didn't know. Thankfully I was going in the opposite direction so they didn't cause me any further problems.
They had been instructed on the use of locks by Anglo Welsh, but that had been the previous day and they had obviously got short term memory problems, or simply didn't bother listening.
A few years previously I came across a stag party, 10am and two blokes were starting to open all paddles. It transpired they were the two most sober of the party, they were not the ones who had been instructed in lock operation, and I spent half an hour running them through the procedure. Again they were going in the opposite direction to me!
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To be fair I wasn't complaining (much) I was commenting on the fact that hire boats seem to be listening when advised by the hire base.
Slight change of direction but I am delighted that everyone is still so friendly and helpful.
I have a theory that all high powered business men and women should be forced to spend at least a week on the canals to calm them down.
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Given that I haven't been on the canals for over five years I think "constantly" is a bit ott.
If you have never experienced boats going past at speed, causing your boat to rock then I can only wonder how you moor up. Boats travelling too fast, causing breaking wakes have been a fact of life since the canals were created. There were boats towed by galloping horses in the 18th century - they were known as packet boats and were equipped with cutters to sever the tow lines of slower boats that got in the way. I wonder if they caused other boats to rock and roll.
Long may you continue to live in a world of peace and tranquility.
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45 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:
I've just spent three weeks on the Llangollen, got bumped by one panicking hire boat (not speeding, just confused, no harm done though he was too frazzled to apologise!). No speeding boats, no problems, everyone very pleasant apart from a minor fracas at Grindley where there were no lockies on.
It may well be that the OP's interpretation of events is simply wrong. Engines go faster upstream while boats go slower, and boats go faster downstream with slower revs. Perhaps he should just moor better, use a spring and not, like the vast majority of boats I saw, the centre line.
Gosh, I would never have known that going with or against the flow of water would alter the speed!
My problem is the wake a speeding boat creates, that's what is causing the boats to bounce.
For some reason, after 60 odd years using the canal system I do have a vague idea how to moor securely.
So far I have towed one boat off a mudbank, helped a young couple get themselves unstuck, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and had a wonderful time. There will always be thoughtless people - comes with the territory, but I generally just think "prat" and go back to my beer.
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Currently I'm moored on the Llangollen and the only boats actually slowing down past a series of moored boats are hire boats. The privately owned boats seem to be determined to go water skiing and I have watched some of them actually open the throttle more as they pass at what seems too high a speed anyway.
When I owned my own boat I used to slow down, now hiring I still slow down, obviously I am making a big mistake.
When I see any of the boats that have hurtled past I will try to pass them at 6 mph at about two inches distance, bet I get shouted at !
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9 hours ago, PD1964 said:
Seams to be a lot of crap on there.
Not just crap, but heavily overpriced crap. Sellers market?
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31 minutes ago, David Mack said:
Would it help to explain to her that the engine, propeller and rudder are at the back of the boat, and so is she when steering, so she should push the tiller the way she wants the back of the boat to go.
Been there, done that. I even tried telling her that she was steering in a circle and she had to point at the edge of the circumference - that met with blank looks and some interesting words. Much safer to keep her away from the steering.
Interestingly in the supermarket today I came across a surprisingly large number of women suffering from the same syndrome - total inability to control their trollies and a total inability to observe other shoppers. Why would you suddenly swerve sideways across the aisle, leave your trolly blocking the entire passage and walk away?
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We're taking a hire boat on the Llangollen Canal in late April to mid May (2022) and I wondered if anyone had an idea just how busy that canal is at the moment. We deliberately chose that time as hopefully there will be less holiday traffic (schools still in session) and we can take our time at locks and lift bridges.
I will almost certainly be single handing as my wife's disability means she will no longer be able to assist with most locks etc, and her dyslexia means she has great difficulty steering with a tiller, if she wants to go right, she pushes the tiller to the right - whoops!
I have no qualms about single handing, having done it for years when we owned our own boat, however advancing years mean I am no longer as sprightly as once I was, hence the comment about taking time.
I am so looking forward to getting back on the canals after a five year gap.
As a small extra I have a folding tiller arm which I had on my boat. I came across it in my garage when looking for something else. I am looking for about £40 for it and would be happy to bring it across from the Isle of Man when we come to Chirk to be collected from the Black Prince Marina there, on Saturday 30th April. Let me know if interested - 07624 414747
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As an addendum to my original post in 2015 -
I eventually had the rudder straightened I had to lift the boat out of the water - bolts were still tight and it looked very much like the couple who borrowed it had reversed into a stone embankment at some speed. It cost £500 to get the job done.
Moral of the story is never loan your boat to "friends". After much toing and froing they admitted they "might" have hit something when reversing but were not prepared to pay anything towards the repair. Strangely I don't see them any more.
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I rather think my experiences with pitting and hull thickness are very similar to those of @KeepingUp. I put mine down to a combination of an ill advised trip through Chester to Ellesmere Port, a section of the canal redolent with MIC and mooring between two live-aboards permanently plugged into the mains which created an electrical induction field.
I'm sure the experts will be along to disagree, but the end result was over a period of about two years the hull went from (mostly) 8mm to under 3mm in places with significant pitting elsewhere.
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To be fair, all the boats I have looked at over the years very few (in fact I can't remember any) had all the paperwork and in some cases, any paperwork at all. I have never been chased down the towpath by HMRC waving bits of paper at me shouting, "come back and pay this VAT at once you naughty person". As long as the seller can show they actually own the boat they are selling, or are acting as agents for the owner, I sincerely doubt there would be any come-back.
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Anyone any idea if the OP has managed to get back to the boat yet? TBH it sounds remarkably like the guy (or gal) who serviced the engine failed to start the thing after the service was done, let alone suggest fuel be added or talk the OP through starting procedures and the use of the various pull / push things Lister engines seem to have in abundance.
My personal preference would be to contact the service person, after paying x amount I would think the OP deserves some sort of advice and guidance from someone who has charged them for a job that doesn't seem to have been finished (or possibly even done at all).
The advice offered has been excellent, but given that he is a newbie with no knowledge of engines is a bit over-detailed in places. Fingers crossed he gets it sorted.
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Some excellent replies, thanks to all.
As I thought, it's basically a no go, having said which I am surprised that Mr Dyson hasn't invented a hair dryer that needs no electricity, works off the movement of the planets and can also be used to clean your teeth, trim your toenails and dispose of members of extinction rebellion when they chain themselves to lock gates or glue themselves to slip roads on the M25.
Nanu nanu schazbot!
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Does anyone know if there is such a device as a 12 volt hairdryer that actually works?
The ones we have had in the past have been absolute rubbish, no heat and no blow.
I've even looked at rechargeable ones, but they only blow cold air when on battery, for heat they have to be plugged into the mains.
Help!
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Mainly because your Government has an interest in promoting Electric, had they decided to go the Hydrogen route there would have been multiple fuelling stations instead. I presume it's all down to brown envelopes
Paint colour
in General Boating
Posted
Looks pretty much like the colours made by Tractoil (used to be Tekaloid) John Deere Green and Massey Ferguson red. The advantage of these are they can be applied by brush or roller, dry quickly and without brush marks.