RAB

C&RT Emergency team are on to it, so it will be sorted in no time at all 🤔 If not, it will mess up all those hire boaters racing around the ring in a week. Of course it could mess up the fortnight ones as well - Us next week!!!!

Snap. Also saves certain one or two fingered hand signals from the boss when I'm trying to explain things in a non patronising way from a distance!!!!

We going to do the Warwickshire ring (Clockwise) and looking for advice please (A bit more specific than previous threads, I have looked....honest). We're not going into central Birmingham so will be heading up the Grand Union and turning right at Bordesley Junction up the Birmingham and Warwick before joining the B&F. We're planning to stop for lunch at Catherine-de-Barnes, hopefully to meet some friends at The Boat! However I'd quite like to push on a little bit in the afternoon, for an hour or so, to help shorten the next day ideally so we can get well past Star City (although I'm not adverse to stoping there, if space allows). I seem to remember an awful lot of the bank heading up to Boardsley Junction, where you may wish to moor, is solid concrete / paving and is very difficult to moor too. Is my memory right? If there are any reasonable / recommended mooring spots on this stretch your advice would be most welcome. We've plenty of time so don't really wish, or need, to cruise lots of hrs a day. As always many thanks in advance for all useful replies 😁

Heading south on the Oxford in a couple of weeks and we will need to wind in or near Banbury. If your mooring in Banbury do you have to go further down to Calthorpe Winding hole or can you wind in Banbury elsewhere? From the map the canal widens just before Banbury lock (Water point), is it wide enough here? Boat is 58ft. Many thanks in advance. PS Is Calthorpe winding hole OK by the way?

I suspect that the majority of those on this forum use the horn at blind bends, junctions etc, but very few of us actually remember all the signals and even if we do it requires both parties to understand. The canals ought to have a much simpler / shorter list of horn signals then it would be reasonable for more people to know / understand them.

Personally I’d go to Chester and back, lovely city with a very good zoo, if that floats the kids boat (so to speak). Very roughly; End day 1 (assume you have 3 to 4 hrs) you should make Middlewich. End day 2, Barbridge (Chester is a right turn when you get to the Shropshire Union, but I’d initially turn left and moor near the pub. You can turn round about a mile further down. End day 3, Either moor at the Cheshire Cat pub on edge of Chester (or go all the way into Chester) End day 4, stay in Chester (maybe start journey back) Then up to you how much you push to get back Just my views having done the trip a few times. as for bikes, towpath may be muddy in a few places but generally good for cycling. May be worth checking with hire base regarding bikes on roof or in front well deck (good locks advised).

Stern Gear - Mechanical Seal / shaft life Was discussing with a friend how water is prevented from entering along the prop shaft a few weeks ago where I explained the two basic principals; Older and dare I say traditional packing gland, with a greaser, and the mechanical seal that’s water cooled. I explained the basic pros / cons but didn’t really know how much of an issue shaft wear is with a mechanical seal and assuming correct maintenance how long the seals really last for before replacement. Would be interested in peoples experiences of years / running hrs?

Ranking my brains, there must be a “sound of music / nun pun” here somewhere? Where are our resident comedians??

How about ammonia as a potential fuel source? Yes, nasty stuff but I thought it was being touted as a potential solution a while ago? Think it burns CO2 free (although old production processes create a lot of CO2!)it also has a very high energy/density ratio I think. News on this seems to have gone quiet so assume some big issues.

Think I'd still go for monitoring the bilge in some way. Just because it's been dry for x years doesn't mean it always will be! Then again checking you've enough diesel for the heater is quite a good idea as well. Need more inputs ?

Interesting topic with no simple answer, sorry. Not too much of a concern on narrow boat engines as oil changed at same time as filters but Just to add another complexity, better is not always better either! Had a massive problem at work once (industrial gas turbines) when some bright spark decided to change to a new filter supplier, who rightly claimed it was a better filter. Unfortunately the better, whilst cheaper filter had a slightly improved filtration rating. This was great on new units, but on old units with 3000 litre oil tanks (oil never changed, just topped up) filters would block within days! Very unhappy customers! Thankfully no bypass devices fitted so units shutdown on high filter DP, rather than wiping the white metal bearings.

I’m don’t normally question our C&RT lords and masters but the sentence “Of course, we'll be asking boatersto use common sense”, what an earth does this mean? I asked a friend and they said it was an old phrase that stopped being used many years ago ????

Sorry but unfortunately the Turk’s Head has been converted to flats? Gone the way of a lot of good locals.