Peugeot 106

That’s why I’m asking. I am wondering if I’ve overtightened the belt

I may have a small water pump leak. There is sometimes a small amount of coolant under the engine and I am investigating to see if it is coming from the weep holes. The belt is a POLY-V 4 ridge and I tighten it so that I can just twist it through 90 degrees on its longest run. I am going to take it off to see if there is any roughness when I turn the pump by hand. The manual is as shown below and I just wondered if my tightening method is good enough?

Me too but glad he’s done and he’s not going to show us all the perfect kitchens he’s done. Narrow escape I say. Happy New Year Tracy!

I’d agree with all that (which is why I like being overpropped). I guess you also need a few revs to distribute the lube oil. I am just suggesting as a quick check if he can’t get 3600rpm out of gear there may be a problem

I know i’ve come to this very late but my boat is overpropped and works very well. If you run it in gear max revs are around 2200 rpm. But if run out of gear it runs at 3000 rpm (which is the maximum for the engine). With yours I would expect 3500 rpm out of gear. Simple check I assume you have tried it?

I’m half way through a dry January that’s why I maybe a tad tetchy but I’ll be making up for it in Feb!

My only one experience was that the lock keeper (or the man acting as lock keeper) was arrogant and most unhelpful giving flippant and in my view dangerous advice eg you’ll be at Teddington in 2 hours. He wasn’t at all clear with his intentions although he had sounded helpful previously on the telephone when I rang enquiring a few months before. He had agreed to let us out a lot earlier than he actually did. Others we met had also had a very poor experience at Limehouse. They didn’t seem to be a very happy bunch of employee's I don’t think the lockeepers are of the same mettle that they used to be. I’ve had very poor advice on the Crinan canal too. I think it’s actually quite dangerous when they don’t know what they are talking about. Some people will take their advice as gospel and not do their own calculations. All I’m saying is best stick to your own working’s out or take expert advice especially for sea and river locks l

Our local council painted some pebbledash flats near Xmas in the pouring rain. I laughed and said it wouldn’t work and they said it was fine to paint on a wet ( or damp) surface. I can’t remember the spec but I looked it up and hey ho it said it was fine. Around 5 years later the paint is still on so if you can do it over existing paint. Maybe that’s the stuff people are painting their bilge with. I must admit I wouldn’t think of painting damp surfaces though I once was told to paint a winch on an oil rig in the middle of the night when it was snowing. No it didn’t even last as long until I left by chopper on a crew change Seems Dr Bob you are saying dry is best

Come on chaps she’s an easy target to pick on. Suggest you pick on someone your own size

If you sand the adhesive flat Zinsser phenolic primers are brilliant you can paint over it. Zinsser have a really helpful helpline with a tech man manning it As an aside I agree with the others that the edges of the tiles are not ideal. Could you not get your man back to cut the silicone off and attach edging tiles or even a hardwood strip round the outside. It should be simple enough. I would worry that the silicon is going to look mucky pretty quickly and spoil the job. Please don’t take this personally it’s just my opinion and it’s easy for me to be wise after the event

I used Danboline in the engine hole and it is fine on the sides but the floor has started to rust. I’m going to investigate these damp tolerant epoxies for next time they sound like a wonder product. I’ve tried underwater setting repair epoxy putty before on a yacht without much success 20 years ago but times have obviously moved on. Wessex and SP epoxy ( I’ve used gallons ) are very temperature and moisture sensitive or they don’t set so this is a new one on me. Maybe it’s a derivative of the old underwater setting repair putty?

You can get plastic terminal covers that should satisfy the examiner (now that you should have a dry bilge!)

Roy I suggest you read what I’ve just written re keeping your bilges dry with a sunken step in your previous Danboline thread. You may not need to have wet batteries. I feel guilty as I was too busy to explain this in the summer. And then forgot. Wet bilges used to be a terrible problem for me too but are now always bone dry

On my Hallmark I drain both steps using a washbasin overflow fittings and hoses into a bucket in the engine bay. At each side where the deck joins the sides I have ice cream containers with hoses attached to the sides horizontally. The hoses are squeezed in the crack in the hatch so that they drain into the deck drain channel and thus out of the hull flange fitting. The containers are held in place with half bricks in them I used to have a flooded bilge all the time. It is now bone dry as long as I empty the bucket. When I cruise I take the containers out and just use the bucket. When in the marina I use the containers and most of the water goes through them so that I only need empty the bucket every month Clever eh? All my own idea. ( obviously very pleased with myself) I use to hate having to pump/dry out the bilge It works perfectly and costs about £5

That’s why I’m suggesting making a mosaic from a sample swatch. A local undertaker has still got some random sheets and he let me have some last year to make a work surface for a Dandy Camper restoration for the price of a pint Other laminate sample swatches must be available and the edges are generally finished nicely Genuine Formica was always very expensive

If you could get some Formica samples you could maybe make a Formica mosaic that could look quite good

Until I loose the book which has in it all sorts of random but useful narrowboat info in it…..

The guide to rock climbing in Avon Gorge used to say something like “an awkward move. Pull up on the small hold which has disappeared” Fortunately the move was on a short climb very near the start. Anyway it was too hard for me

Agreed a month. (Teddington to Lechlade) was a dawdle to say the least

I don’t know. We only stayed for a month. ( and 2 days but don’t tell them!)

Lovely boats and smashing video. Thanks

We just bought a months worth at the first lock we came to. It was £99 for the month but you can buy it by the day or week as well

It’s nice to be of assistance for a change. It’s me that generally is looking for help!

During lockdown I made sails for my dinghy using my wife’s domestic sewing machine. I have never sewed before and even though I say it myself they are perfect. It did take a long time but I did my research and took my time. The machine is a Janome 525S around £200 new as used on Sewing Bee and it will do decent zig zag stitching. Yesterday I bought canvas to make a cover for my 16 foot sailing dinghy. There is masses of info and videos on the Sailrite website. Good books include Canvaswork and Sail Repair by Don Casey and Complete Canvasworkers Guide by Jim Grant ( Sailrite) For materials Profabrics are very good and helpful and will send you samples. For a normal cover 300gsm Acrylic coated but look at Topgun, Odyssey, Weathermax. Have a chat with a cover maker eg Antrim. Basting tape is your friend. Stick it together before sewing. I would make patterns though I haven’t needed to yet Best of luck. You will enjoy it and it makes a change from joinery, mechanicing, plumbing electrical,painting! You will save an absolute fortune. You could nearly buy a new engine with the money people spend on new covers in my Marina. My biggest problem is space as I live in a very small cottage It’s great to be retired. Let us know how you get on Well you don’t seem up for a challenge or maybe you are talking from bitter experience?