Canal Cuttings

The Paloma was drained during the winter; the drain plug was completely removed. Don't ask me how I can be so sure....

We do have a Paloma water heater as well. I'm pretty sure we have searched most places above the floor to find the leak. Following up your tip-offs, we may now have someone to professionally fix it, who already knows our boat from the past!

Suggested this to my wife, but we could not agree on the colour! 🙄 Glad to hear it is a sensible suggestion. I would need to co-ordinate the search though - I'm pretty sure it starts in the water tank and ends up in the back of the cabin bilge, but harder to spot why.

The under-bunk area at the back had obviously been damp for a long time. It was mouldy and about 2cm deep in water. As there were numerous plastic joints in several pipes running under the bunk, above floor level, it suggested that they had been leaking. Now the area is dry (drier...) we can see that the leak does not come from there. I started to work on the plumbing, but the following day found I had seriously damaged my back, and am now reliant on hired hands! I now need a pro to help!

The water pump is in a plastic tray and is definitely not leaking. Not sure of the location of our calorifier - in the engine bilge or cabin? Thanks for the advice.

Hi, After several years successfully operating our 1990s ex-Hire Boat in a consortium, we recently bought it outright. Our first visit of the season to fill the water tank resulted in the whole tank, overnight, emptying into the rear cabin. Having dried out the area and replaced some of the plumbing joints, it appears the water is coming UP from the cabin bilge, from source unknown. We ripped out the sodden carpets and found an access trapdoor that had probably not been opened for decades. The shallow cabin bilge had filled to the top, touched the floor panels and soaked through them. The water is clean. The bilge does not fill with an empty water tank. When the tank is filled, the water pump runs constantly, suggesting water is exiting even though every tap and outlet has been checked. The bilge noticeably fills over a period of 10-20 minutes. With the pump off, we still think the bilge is filling slowly, but cannot be sure. We were under the impression that all our pipes ran above floor level, and the limited central heating consists of pipes running around the skirting, covered by kick panels. We need someone in the area to diagnose and fix the problem. Calcutt Marina themselves are overworked/understaffed at present. The boat is at the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford canals. (Daventry/Rugby/Leamington Spa area). Any advice? (We will later need someone to replace our rear fibreboard floor panels and lay flooring!) Stephen and Alice

I think that t-shirt should read "Dad's don't do things... by halves"? Although my wife just agrees with the shortened version...

DILLIGAF is obviously beyond the pale. Fancy setting off with your side fenders still trailing in the water!

I wonder if they have been selling two differently sourced models under the same name? Another review said " ... and Screwfix themselves answered peoples' questions by saying that it both WOULD and WOULD NOT work with insulated terminals, before concluding: "

From a review of the first crimpers above: From a review of the second pair:

That link is to the mobile site. Try this one for bigger pictures: https://apolloduck.com/boat.phtml?id=519651

This is where we spent part of our honeymoon in Loughlin, Nevada. Never any danger of this one sinking as it was actually a bricks & concrete hotel on the land! We hadn't believed it when we were told to drive for 6 hours across the desert and then look for a hotel that seemed to be a paddle steamer.

The cafe was very good for a cheap meal. The other businesses seem to be hanging on by their fingernails - as the day wore on, more and more doors were opened, but that is hardly a vibrant business model! Last Summer, it all seemed very clean and pleasant but a bit lifeless. We had no problems with rubbish in the cut at all.

MartynG wrote: "It would be so easy to check whether removing the fuel filler cap cures the fault when it develops."

Video here of the magnet fishing. Skip to 4.30 for the relevant part. https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/kings-langley-magnet-fisher-reveals-1526675 I can see why C&RT does not allow magnet fishing. The guy's reaction on finding it was to pull it around, move it about, film and measure it and only then report it. The policeman was trying to make him move away and he is saying that he thinks it is live because of "this bit" - pokes at the base of the shell! I know it has not gone off in 70 years but it is now drying out for the first time...

Thanks for all the advice. Having defrosted enough to investigate further, we've found a second tap hidden in a box at the back which turns on the tap at the front. Not used to these new stainless steel water points!

Just come up to get the boat ready for trip at Easter, but can't fill the water tanks as the tap at Calcutt top lock is not working. Tap turns but no water. Too **** snowy to mess around going to another water point if that is closed as well! Anyone any idea why it is not working? Thanks!

Coventry Canal, from Hawkesbury Junction (Sutton Stop) to Coventry Basin (2017). Was warned it was dirty, full of rubbish. Actually, apart from a couple of spots with floating bottles, it was lovely but quiet. People took photos as we passed, boats were so rare. It was lined with sparkling new developments. The basin was a little underwhelming - it had obviously been reopened with lots of new businesses a few years ago, but was now less than thriving - but a good safe mooring point right in the middle of the City for exploring on foot.

Our family jigsaw puzzle this Christmas (an annual tradition) was of an idyllic canal scene. In places ultra-realistic (especially the scruffy boat hulls!), it is presumably a montage of places, buildings and (1980s?) boats from around the network, although the stonework suggest the Cotswolds. Can anyone identify any of the boats, the crew, and especially the bridge? Incidentally, a very good jigsaw to work on, and the picture was better quality than the photo above!

Bluetooth is a way of connecting lots of different types of equipment without using cables. Very handy if you are moving around while wearing earphones. It only works over relatively short distances. Named after King Harald Bluetooth who "united" different types of Scandinavian tribes into the Danish kingdom!

Just a thought, but you have now invested so much time and money in this boat you should think about insuring it. It might prove virtually impossible until it is complete, but I know that "off-road" cover for classic cars under restoration is relatively cheap, as a comparison.

With 6 people on the boat, all used to unlimited water supply, you must regard each water point as a compulsory stop! You may even want to suggest that anyone who likes a leisurely shower has it while you are topping up with water - that way they don't run out, and you can leave with a full tank. Assuming you are not holding up a queue of other boats...

You were lucky it was not a Dover Sole: An angler nearly died when he accidentally swallowed a fish he had just caught

<<thread drift on>> A biopic is a biographical picture, so pronounced Buy-oh Pick. <<thread drift off>>

The great Fougasse summed it up before the War: