Nestor Espinoza

I'll take my motorbike there one of these days and explore the marinas, I have a couple phone numbers to call. If a mooring came with some land to put up a shedor two, I might think about it. Commuting is not a big issue, any excuse to ride is good!

The boat was made by Fred Boddy in 1974, probably meant as a weekend cruiser and not a liveaboard. It had dual controls where it made sense then, there was a driving seat inside the cabin towards the bow. Originally it was a convertible, or whatever the nautical term is , and the front half of the roof could slide over the other half. In that configuration the driving seat would have been brilliant. At some point someone sealed the sliding roof and installed a solid fuel stove (the chimney prevents the roof from moving). That kinda killed the appeal of the inside helm, and it also took too much space, so I moved it outside. I don't know, it just fitted my idea of a boat, the tiller feels odd, but a rudder wheel is more like what you see in the movies, you know, stormy seas, holding onto the wheel as wave after wave sweep the deck.. I still haven't experienced a storm like that, but I Iooooove driving standing on the deck holding that wheel. At some point I thought about moving to King's Lynn's area on the boat, but with a couple of hundred pounds more per month over the cost of a mooring you can get a flat, or even a house, with much more space. If I had a 45' maybe, but while this boat has been a lot of fun, it requires compromises I can afford to avoid now. Still very tempted to keep her and move her slowly to the north, as a base for hiking trips perhaps. I still haven't done the Llangollen Canal, and it just has to be done.

And thanks for the ebay idea, Apolloduck doesn't work very well as I can't list my boat under the most popular categories, i.e. boxy narrowboats. ebay is free, so why not!

This is the boat: http://apolloduck.net/375982/contact Whilton are willing to sell for a £1,500 fee, so if I only get the 30% (ish), 3k, it would be equivalent to the marina selling her for £4,500, which may end up being the price after a few months. Not going for the installments, the whole point of selling the boat is to avoid worries and complications after moving to Norfolk, and as a few people have mentioned, surely something will go wrong and he will argue about the payments every month. It's a 40 year old boat after all, I am pretty handy and can fix almost everything, but someone inexperienced in boats will struggle. Or call me every day to ask how to this or that.

I think there is a divide, just like Telegraph v Guardian readers, there are Tillergraph v Towpath readers. I won't tell you which one I read though... I went through all the ads, called or emailed everyone, but because my boat is a steel river cruiser and not technically a narrow boat, albeit with the same beam, no one would buy it. Whilton Marina said they would not buy for cash, but would broker for £1500. Braunston Marina, just a few miles north from them, said there is no market for boats like mine. Though not desperate to sell it, as I'll soon be land based the boat will become an expensive toy for very occasional use, plus the constant worry of the continuous cruising rule, which could become a problem when not permanently on board. And I am definitely not paying for a marina just to store he boat. Oh well, maybe this guy will show up with more money today, or I'll give him more time. Or maybe he changed his mind. About the cheques, if you have a bounced one on your record in Chile you can't get any credit or even open a bank account, and you can easily be taken to court (without a lawyer, I believe it is like small claims courts here) and the court may order the confiscation of whatever they find in your house to pay for the cheque.

Thanks a lot for the comments. Thing is, this is not a big boat, I am not risking my life savings or my pension, and for many reasons it would be extremely convenient to sell the boat tomorrow. I haven't has much interest so far, which is why I am considering this offer. My alternative is to drive for a week to leave the boat at Whilton on brokerage. Here is an idea, what if I ask for the down payment in cash and six post-dated cheques? I figure it would be easier to claim payment on a cheque than on a contract, Also, that way I would get full payment when handing over the boat, essentially with a gentleman's agreement not to cash all the cheques at once, which would not be in my interest anyway. It used to be a common way to buy and sell back home in Chile some years ago, when penalties for bounced cheques were high.

Hello, Someone is interested in buying my boat, but can only do a 30% down payment and six monthly installments. The guy seems alright and I don't think he'll run away (at 4mph!) without paying. However, better safe than sorry, does anyone have a sample contract I could use? Do I just add a paragraph to the bill of sale? Funny thing is that in over 10 years in the UK I've never bought anything in installments. I guess hire-purchase agreements don't work as my boat is not insured or licenced for hire, I am looking for the best way to protect myself. So I'll make a copy of his passport, verify where he works, get a witness, anything else I should do? Thanks in advance, Nes

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll do a scout trip on my motorbike to have a look at the marinas first and see how commuting from them would work out. And for the record, I thought it was clear that I wasn't intending to go into the tidal Ouse, I did say that I would commute from Downham Market or Wisbech. Now looking at the satellite photos River Wissey seems like a good option.

Hello, I recently got a job offer in King's Lynn and my first thought was to ask for some time to drive my boat there from London. Looking at the maps, there are canals that go all the way to Wisbech and Downham Market, both just some 16m from King's Lynn, an easy commute. However, I looked at the satellite images of the area on Google Maps and I could not see a single boat in tens of miles, so I am guessing that it would not be a good idea to try and live there on my boat. It may be possible to get there, but probably the facilities are not like they are in the Great Union Canal, and surely there isn't a boat selling diesel, coal and gas. Does anyone know if it is possible/practical to live in that area? What is the closest to King's Lynn I could moor? Thanks, Nestor

Tony, You are correct, it needs 240V supply, the Morco F-11. Let's say I had something to do in choosing the heater, the rationale was to find the most powerful instant water heater available, and since non-room sealed appliances are limited to 11.6kW, then this one was the only option. After speaking with the marina the main issue is not the heater itself, they say it is no different from other heaters, room sealed or not, in that the end of the flue must be 500mm from surface edges and openings, and above head height. The original plan was to install it with the horizontal flue towards the stern deck, but that apparently is not possible. The only option seems to be a vertical flue, which is not removable, but could sort of be made removable. Nes

OK, compression tester has been ordered, I'll continue working on this when I come back from South Africa in Jan, I'll keep you posted. With all the tools I have had to buy so far it would have been cheaper to take it to a shop, but not nearly as fun! It's the first diesel I play around with. Thanks again for all your help, merry Christmas!

I was thinking injectors, but yes, lack of compression makes sense, after all it is not that hard to crank it by hand, compared with the petrol engines I have worked on before. I guess I'll remove the injectors anyway and take them somewhere to be tested and cleaned, it won't hurt, and use a compression gauge. Thanks again, we'll get it to start!

I agree, the freewheeling still puzzles me. You know when you crank an engine and it doesn't start, it always goes back a little, because of compression of course. Now when this engine failed I could see that the main pulley kept turning after cranking and then stopped slowly, without reversing at all, which is why I thought the engine had become the new anchor. I agree with the comments/questions, there should always be at least one cylinder with the valves closed, so the freewheeling was most confusing, unless there is a point when at least one valve in each cylinder is open? I checked the pushrods by rolling them on a flat surface, I didn't notice anything wrong.

Yep, the mystery little piston is part of the tensioner. I first put it together with just the spring and thought that it was the spring that pushed it against the chain. The little piston compresses the spring and you can use an allen key to adjust it and select a notch. There is no hole on the block, you can't do anything after the tensioner goes into it, so I reckon the piston is to adjust the force the slipper exerts against the chain by adjusting the oil flow. With the slotted piston all the way in the oil will push the tensioner against the chain with maximum force, with the slipper all the way out the oil would easily flow throw it and then through the hole in the rubber. Pretty clever device, higher rpm, higher force against the chain. I left it in the almost closed position for maximum force, given that the parts are old and clearances are surely larger than they should. Now summarising, -timing chain broke at idling speed and went through the cover. The chain did not seem to have any play, the surviving bits could not be flexed sideways and there wasn't noticeable play lengthwise. It cut in two parts. -After the chain broke the engine cranked and freewheeled, no compression at all, so I expected the worst. Then I took it apart: -the head seemed fine, all the valves were seated perfectly. I filled the ports with water and they held the water for an hour, no leaks whatsoever. -The pistons went all the way up, flush with the surface of the block, so I guess no bent conrods. Putting it back together: -New chain went in, dots and centres aligned, i don't think you can get it wrong here, even one tooth off and it is clearly misaligned, so I am sure I got that one right. -Put the rockers back in. Before I removed them I noticed some clearances were way off, so I suspected some valves were bent and stuck open, but nope, they were fine, just the clearances needed adjusting. Most were almost there, two were almost 1mm instead of the 0.38mm. Now there are all at 0.38, all the valves go up and down, and there is compression when turning the engine. -Fuel system was primed just in case, even though I did not mess with it at all, other than disconnecting the injectors. I cranked the engine and got diesel squirting from all injectors. And I tried to start it, but got nothing, nothing at all. Even with easy start. And I rechecked everything. I watched a youtube video, with engine at 22 degrees btdc I removed the injection pump and the master spline was at 5 o'clock, it all seemed to be as it should. Still no joy, though I got the feeling the engine was closer to firing up, so I turned the pump a bit, as far as the slots allow, and still nothing. I am about to hand it to a professional, but it is very frustrating, it is an old and simple diesel, I should be able to get it running.

I haven't replaced the cover, so it is all still visible. The tensioner was almost completely out when I uncovered the mess, I removed it and took the long spring out as well. Something may have fallen later, maybe the piston stayed inside and slowly came out when I was doing something else. The tensioner is doing its job now though, I checked and it moves freely, pressing against the chain.

I just found this while looking for a bolt in the bilge, any idea what could it be? It looks precisely machined. http://bmcwoes.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-mystery-part.html

Hello again, Well, the engine is almost complete, all the important bits are back in and I thought I'd crank her up before installing the pulleys, but I may have made a mistake somewhere, it just didn't start. So, timing chain and gears went in as per the diagram in the manual, with the dots and shaft centres in line. I put the rockers in and adjusted the clearances, a couple of them were way off. The engine can be cranked by hand, all the valves go up and down, there is compression. I didn't mess with the injection pump at all, so the timing should still be right, or wherever it was before when the engine was running. I primed the system, there is diesel everywhere, and all four injectors get diesel, they squirt a bit when I loosen the nuts and crank the engine. The glow plugs are connected, they draw some 30A, like before. Easy Start didn't help, just got maybe a couple of explosions. The strange thing is that if I crank the engine at full throttle for about 15 seconds the engine starts and runs for maybe 3 seconds, then dies. I remember a petrol engine I overhauled some time ago with an odd system to install the timing chain and it was possible to have the camshaft 180 degrees off, I had to check that the right valves were opening at #1 TDC. Could that happen with this engine? I don't see how, but that is the only thing I can think off now. Other ideas? Thanks a lot! Nes

Of course, the ports, the other way round! Off to Halfords to get a gallon of fluid!

Well, I think it was a Christmas miracle I took the head off, and all the valves seem to be pretty good, at least nothing noticeable by the naked eye. In petrol engines you check the valves by putting the head upside down and filling the chambers with petrol, if after a few minutes the petrol goes through the valves are leaky. Does it work with diesel engines as well? I just poured diesel over the valves, not much of a combustion chamber there, but they still hold as bit of diesel. Now diesel is way thicker than petrol, maybe I should get some petrol to check the valves? Any other idea to check them? Also, could it be that the engine stopped exactly at the point when at least one valve is open in each cylinder? It was freewheeling after all, but with the rockers removed there is some compression. So I am almost there, if only I could get that pulley off, I am tempted to drill and tap two holes to pull it out and then get a new pulley!

The crankshaft is definitely not broken, flywheel turns at the same time as the pulley. Plus when turning the engine by hand I can hear some hissing, thus the pistons are going up and down. When looking at the rockers I noticed some have massive gaps with the valves, so yeah, some valves seem to be bent and stuck open. Answering a question, I have no clue whether this is the original chain, but given that it is on a boat the engine probably had a long life powering a taxi before being marinised, so most certainly not the original part. The boat owner comes back to London briefly this Wednesday, she is on an expat gig now, I guess this won't be sorted by then. Unless someone has a running BMC they would like to swap?

Thanks for all the replies. Rockers are all good, surprisingly, but is as far as I got. Currently struggling to remove the crankshaft pulley with a crappy universal puller, very unwieldy, I need three extra hands to hold it in place. Are there any tricks to remove the pulley? It doesn't have threaded bolts like I've seen in other engines. In case there are different versions, mine's got a big one groove pulley with the rubber damper and a small pulley with two grooves, maybe 3" in diameter. I am trying to clamp the puller to those pulleys as they are not used. Nes

Hello, A few days ago posted here a question about an engine with a strange behaviour, and apparently I found the cause, a tad too late. I had the engine idling and it suddenly stopped, at once. No bangs or scary noises, just a short thump and it fell silent. I looked inside the engine bay, nothing suspicious, no smoke, I thought I would crank it. At the first crank nothing happened, but at the second attempt it turned freeely, so much so that the crankshaft now keeps on turning after stopping the starter. I had a good look and found that the timing chain broke and was pushed against the bottom of the cover, that's why the engine stopped so suddenly. I am hoping that because the engine was just idling and it stopped at once there is no major damage, is that wishful thinking? Tomorrow morning I'll remove the timing cover and the rocker cover to see if I can get any valve action by turning the camshaft by hand. If the valves work I reckon the engine would be good to go after installing a new timing chain and sprocket set. Is there anything else I should check? What I find strange is that the crankshaft spins so freely, as if all the valves were open. Any pointers for the inspection would be appreciated. Thanks, Nestor

Wow, thanks a lot for all the responses, I'll try to answer all the questions. -Glow plugs seem to work, at least they draw current, some 30A. I have never inspected them, someone mentioned carbon deposits, I'll see if I can clean that. How long should I keep them on before cranking? Someone told me 30 seconds some time ago. -A mysterious air leak sounds plausible. However, I undid all the joints and checked that diesel was flowing through all of them. -I suspected the timing might have been off before, this is on a friend's boat and when comparing her engine with mine it feels sluggish. If I throttle mine in neutral it revs up right away, while hers takes its time. When that happens with petrol engines you need to advance the timing a bit, is it the same with diesels? -When the engine starts it always smokes A LOT for a few seconds, white smoke. Then it settles and emits some blueish smoke which almost disappears as the engine warms up. -After all the cranking the battery was very low. In the end I ran the engine for a couple of hours, stopped it and after a couple of hours it started fine, with full cranking power. Let's see what happens tomorrow. Now is it possible to flood a diesel? Say you crank it many times and it doesn't start, diesel does not evaporate like petrol. I read somewhere that if after the third try a diesel doesn't start you should wait at least 15 min, is there any logic in that? In my boat I made a contraption that sprays easy start into the engine and it is controlled from a button in the dashboard. I never bother with the glow plugs, I just spray a bit and the engine starts at the first crank, every time. Not very elegant, but the £4 can lasts almost one year and kinda postpones a needed overhaul. In my friend's boat I'd rather get things to work as they should. Thanks again, Nestor

Hello, I have a boat with a BMC 1.5 in decent nick that until a couple of days ago started up every time. Then I had to fix a diesel leak, got that sorted, but it didn't want to start again. The leak was the return pipe from the injection pump to the filter, i didn't mess with the high pressure side, but did a whole leak check anyway, pump check, and bled the system until I saw diesel coming out of the injector pipes. Still no luck, so I tried Easy Start, and after a lot of persuasion the engine started, belching smoke obviously, maybe I flooded it a bit, but it was soon running fine. I stopped it and tried again, and the same thing happened, it only started with a lot of easy start, then it was fine. I am thinking that maybe the timing is off? So that diesel comes in too late? If that is the case, in which direction do I turn the pump? It seems to be almost all the way counterclockwise, so I really can only move it clockwise. Any ideas? Thanks a lot, Nestor

Yeah, 8 vee belts transmit power from the gearbox to the prop. The engine is mounted facing back, with the gearbox away from the stern, so the shaft runs underneath. The bearings are absolutely shot, i can see bits of the cage coming out, I guess they did not like being under water. By looking at it I get the impression that changing the bearings might be doable without taking to boat to a yard, it would appear that if I loosen a collar in the thrust bearing I could slide the shaft a bit.which might be enough to change the bearing. The rudder is on the way though, I'll open the hatch and investigate further. And the white valve is off, a lot of water comes out of it if I open it! No suction anymore.