cuthound
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Posts posted by cuthound
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30 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:
No need to be confused. I can't speak for anyone else, only me.
I re-iterate that I have had my boat 10 years and never had to remove the weed hatch. And no, it's not because it's tied up permanently, it's cruised a lot. I've never been through big cities with it though but many times through places like Banbury, Rugby, Nuneaton, Hinckley, Oxford. I've probably just been lucky (so far) as well as careful at bridge holes. I once had to use the boat hook to remove a few reeds but I try to keep an eye out and avoid them. I've used reverse to shed leaves in Autumn many many times.
Re the anti-cavitation plate (or lack there-of), I've never had one and didn't even know I didn't have one until last September. I therefore have no before and after comparison. However, I have never noticed anything adverse that could be blamed on my boat lacking that apparently inessential little bit of steel.
I've had my boat 11 years now and only been down the weedhatch twice, despite covering some of the lesser used parts of the BCN. Once soon after I got the bost, when the prop fouling caused black smoke and loss of steerage and once when I got someone's cratch cover wrapped around the prop, which stalled the engine.
However I do have a "prop protector" blade fitted. In the first instance it cleared whatever was round the prop by the time I had stopped and removed the weedhatch, and in the second case it failed to clear the obstruction, which took me over two hours to cut off.
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7 hours ago, blackrose said:
I wouldn't even bother with screws. I know the traditionalists will hate it but I just stick those brass signs on with a bit of Stixall, or other PU adhesive. Wire brush all the rust off the steel and prime/paint it first of course.
The sign will never come off, unlike screws the joint will remain flexible and because you've got sealant between the two surfaces no water can get in and no rust can form.
To complete the traditional look you could saw the threaded part off two brass screws and attach them into the screw holes with a PU adhesive...
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5 hours ago, MtB said:
Absolutely it does, and a few tupperware boaters will display a significant degree of antipathy towards steel boaters. This shows up most starkly when sharing a Thames lock with one when they'll tend to do their best to keep as far away from your nasty steel boat as they can, for fear of having their lid popped off.
Extra points awarded for spotting fussy tupperware boaters in locks wearing white cotton gloves to save their softy skin having to actually touch their ropes. Also look out for boats with fenders encased in white 'fender socks' to save getting marks on the fenders when they do their job.
I wonder how often they change their socks?
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16 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:
One of the great myths that has cocked up most of British industry is that there is something called "managerial ability" which enables you to successfully run a business you know nothing about, have no interest in, and don't give a toss about your customers.
It's why most British industry is now owned by foreigners who know exactly what they are doing - ie asset stripping and selling on.
Bill Gates wasn't a manager, nor was James Dyson.
However, the core function of CRT has never been to be a navigation authority. That was BW. CRT runs a leisure park with a few boats on it. There again, this bloke doesn't know how to do that either.
It is probably because most "managers" in this country have zero managerial qualifications. These days companies prefer to poach staff rather than train their own.
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Glad you are back Tim.
Now that you have seen the Grim Reaper off for the time being, you can concentrate on getting better and posting on here in your own inimitable style.
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Just back from a towpath walk with Sam and can report that the swans and the single female duck still have their original compliment of chicks.
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57 minutes ago, Ray T said:
Not the cut but near to where I live is a large pool. We often get mallard ducklings and baby coots and moorhens. Unfortunately in recent years they don’t last too long as maurading black backed gulls make short work of them.
That is interesting Ray, in recent years we have seen a growing gull population and a diminishing moor hen population on the cut near us.
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2 hours ago, LadyG said:
Yes, navigation requires a boat to move but moving to and from the services within a pound does not use any water, it is not actively navigating the vessel.
That must be news to most of the ships crossing oceans... : )
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4 hours ago, Tonka said:
Also better programs when only 4 channels
It's called "the raspberry jam effect".
I first heard the term used during a telecomms conference during the late 70's by an American speaker.
He pointed out that quality programming is limited by the number of good screenwriters, producers, actors etc and thus quality programs are limited to x hours per week
With only 4 channels the quality programmes on each channel will be about x/4.
When the number of channels increase to say 100 the quality content will average x/100 per channel
Sadly the amount of dross has to increase to fill the remaining air time.
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2 hours ago, IanM said:
The internet suggests 10-20% survive to adulthood.
Yes the survival rate is very low compared to cygnets and moor hen chicks, where most seem to survive.
I once saw two ducklings out of a batch disappear vertically downwards never to be seen again. Presumably taken by a pike.
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Saw our first duck with ducklings this year. She had 8.
I wonder how many will survive?
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56 minutes ago, Jonny P said:
A question for those who know their beer and know more about brewing processes than I do.
I see beers described as IPAs on here that are quite weak in strength, there’s one at 3.8% above. To me an IPA is a heavily hopped strong brew and I always took it that the strength was to get balance with the heavy hopping that was necessary to preserve the stuff on its passage to India.
Hence I’m a bit sceptical of anything claiming to be an IPA that’s less than 5%.
What’s other folks thoughts?
I agree, IPA must be strong and heavily hopped.
My wife once bought me a bottle of "Peaky Blinders IPA". It was black, like a stout! Obviously the marketing men didn't understand what the "P" stands for in IPA...
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1 hour ago, haggis said:
Lovely. You are so lucky
Stil not seen any moorhen chicks but I was a bit distracted today working ,17 locks 😃
No I haven't seen any moorhens this year either and there are far fewer ducks about. I blame bird flu.
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Just now, 5239 said:
did it end up at Minworth with all the other settees/beds/chairs 😃
No. As far as I know it is still lurking in Stockton Top Marina (formally Blue Lias Marina).
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12 minutes ago, Sue68 said:
I had the bed chairs, in fact I still have three.
When we had our first shareboat we swapped the original "Z" beds fortwo chair beds.
They worked well until some idiot dropped one in the cut whilst transporting it along the gunwale to move it to the rear of the boat, rather than disassemble it and take it through the boat...
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On 06/05/2025 at 19:57, cuthound said:
Saw our first cygnets this year at Alvecote Marina yesterday and today the proud patents brought them to our mooring to show us.
Another visit to our moorings tonight by our tame swans. They don't panic when we feed their cygnets.
We are so lucky to live here. It is a pity some to**er emptied his grass cuttings into the cut.
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Thanks for the update. Nice to know he is well enough to use his camper van.
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17 minutes ago, T_i_m said:
They are good as long as you can get access to the side. Many of the strap // chain types allow use in the same line as the the filter, often the only way to get any real access.
If all else fails you can hammer a screwdriver through the filter and use that, but it's messy.
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1 hour ago, bazman said:
Hi, my bow thruster is situated under the bow locker with what I thought was a water tight seal. Sadly, after cruising down the Severn the seal failed and the thruster became submerged for a few hours before I realised!
I’ve taken it out, removed the brushes and dried everything as best I could. Firstly, is there any hope that it might survive the ordeal?
Secondly, how would I go about testing it? Am I right in thinking that if I have it connected to the battery I can put something across the solenoids the see if the motor is ok?
Thanks.
Try drying it out, however it out If the motor subsequently seizes up, Cox Auto Electrics of Atherstone, Warwickshire can refurbish it at competitive price.
https://www.coxautoelectrics.co.uk/
They refurbished mine after is seized up following my failure to remove condensation from the BT compartment.
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I use one of these, which neither slips or crushes the filter (provided you tighten it up correctly and not too much)/
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3 minutes ago, IanD said:
Yes, but the stern doors aren't... 😉
You said 48 inches wide was needed, and it's not. And neither is 48 inches high. I don't know what the absolute minimum height and width are, just that you can get a sofabed barn sofa *as delivered (kit of parts)* in through normal stern doors and normal internal bulkhead doors without problems.
I expect if the OP was worried he could ask sofabed barn for exact dimensions... 😉
Pedant
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11 minutes ago, IanD said:
I'm confused -- mine came in through the stern doors and internal doors which are much narrower than that?
(assuming you bring it in as a kit and assemble it in the room it's going to be used in)
And how high are your narrow internal doors, presumably more than 48 inches?
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28 minutes ago, IanD said:
IIRC the sofabed barn ones arrive as a kit, they'll go through much narrower doors than that including normal width internal narrowboat doors.
Indeed, but even then the smallest gap they will fit through is about 48 inches.
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4 minutes ago, Tenzin said:
Anyone recommend a sofa bed that will fit through the small aperture of a cruiser?
I’m thinking Lego. Or building something using glued matchsticks.
It can be bean baggy, as long as it’s a decent height from the floor and not thousands of pounds.
It has to be comfortable to sleep on when unfurled.
Anyone?I have one made by Sofa Bed Barn, which fitted through the 48 inch wide front doors of my narrowboat. I'm not aware of any that are narrower.
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CHIMNEY SWEEPING
in New to Boating?
Posted · Edited by cuthound
Clarification
Indeed, in 52 years boating I have only come across one boat that was definitely running his engine because of knackered batteries. I know this because he moored behind me, and knocked on my my boat to apologise for the fact that he would be running his engine to charge his knackered batteries so that he could watch the England football match that night.
Not wanting my evening ruined by him running his engine after 8:00 pm, I solved the problem by inviting him onto my boat to watch the football with me.
He provided the beer so win win.