SUIGENERIS

Thanks Alan for the posting. I am a regular visitor to Foxton and when speaking to the proprietors of the pubs there, they seem fed up with having no boats around for their customers to gongoozle at. The visitor moorings are considerably empty of boats , and that I am sure is because of the VERY LARGE signage warning not to moor more that 24 hours, nor return too soon, nor to spend more than 14 days in a month at Foxton. It's a shame as Foxton is a premier visitor location for Leicestershire, and the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust so badly needs loads of support, and if non boaters go there on a weekend day in the winter ( and many hundreds do) and there is only one or two boats about for them to watch and to add interest to the scene then there is a real clash of interests. Cheers. Mick

Hi. Kieron I am guessing from your boat name and the engine description you are running a Coventry Victor. HDW 2 which was marketed as a "Victor Vixen" engine. They were fitted into a lot of Board of Trade approved lifeboats. There were indeed "valve guide seal pads" in that design of engine. The part number was N 1176/A and there used to be a site on the web for Coventry Victor with some spares available. Whether that still exists I have no idea. If not available I guess you just have to bodge it with some caulking string. I do have a servicing manual and parts list of about 80 pages with quite good drawings and could perhaps get it copied for you if it helps. Let me know. via a personal message. Cheers. Mick

I have never retired my old battery drills because the batteries have expired, I wire them up to crocodile clips and use them off the boat's battery bank. Even have a small motorcycle battery that can be carried about when I need them away from the permanent source. Cheers. Mick

Hi Neil. Gald to hear it is nearing fruition. I had mine tested in Essex too, out of the water . I had Lee Freeman come down to me. You will find him on the list of BSS examiners. He is in Northamptonshire but is happy to travel as long as you cover the extra cost of his fuel. He has tested our boats several times over the years and is a very competent examiner. Cheers. Mick

Hi. Debdales overhead gantry is over a launching bay which I am pretty sure is only wide enough for narrowboats. But they are very obliging people and may have an alternative method for dealing with wide beams. I certainly would suggest calling them as they would be ideally situated for you. Mick

Very often builders build the boat with the base plate stood on a concrete floor. In which case they weld any joints in the base plate from above. In most cases the weld is sufficiently penetrating for there to be little cavity between the plates if viewed from below. however sometimes the penetration is less and that is more often the case where a thicker base plate has been specified. Some builders have no means to lift a boat hull sufficiently to make an external weld, so the boat is despatched with a slight void existing between the plates. If the surveyor thinks it needs doing, then it probably does! Mick.

Hi. Although not that local to you I found a company called Protective Textile Co. at Chessington, west of London to be brilliant. They made a complicated cover for our boat at half the cost of other quotes, It was in the best quality material, made in less than two weeks, ( whereas I had been quoted up to three months by others). They will send them out to you too. They made mine absolutely exactly to the plan I sent them. I marked all the measurements, including zips, eyelets, fasteners etc on a scaled drawing, and it fitted perfectly. The quality of workmanship was excellent. and the price astonishingly low. They make covers for all sorts of equipment and vehicles. Check out their website; www.protectivetextile.co.uk. Cheers. Mick

I have included 4 additional roof vents ( ecs type) set about 6 inches in from the sides of the roof, two at the bow and two at the stern, they are ducted with 9" x 1" plastic vent duct , via flat elbow adaptors ( all from toolstation ) running within the wall cavity down to the bilge area below the floor. this ensures a circulation of air. Seems to work well. Mick

What on earth did we do for cover when doing maintenance work before they built all those lovely wide motorway bridges ?

I have one of these fitted and as I understand it the aquadrive has the thrust carried on to two ( on bigger ones more) rubber pads which locate the thrust bearing in alignment with the shaft. Then there is a CV joint between that and the engine/gearbox which can accomodate quite a considerable lack of alignment of the engine. But if the thrust plate or the rubber pads are defective then the shaft is flexing and could easily be the cause of the wear on the stern tube.

Thanks to those who responded with advice. Enquiries to various makers indicated a general price concensus and several months waiting, as well as a reluctance to make something based on my scale drawings. However, searching the net, I did find a brilliant maker down in Kingston on Thames, The Protective Textile Company, they beat the best price by 25% , made it up in just 3 weeks and it is to an excellent standard, perfectly made to my scale drawings , made in an excellent material and all done without any fuss at all. Highly recommended! Cheers. Mick

When my hook and loop backing pads stop holding on , I replace them by cutting new hook and loop ( velcro) covering from a roll i bought on ebay, it is 4" wide and and came in a metre length very cheaply. I stick it on to the pad with evo stik contact adhesive. It has proven a very cheap and efficient way to avoid the exorbitant costs of replacement backing pads. Mick

Hi. I need to get a "tent" canopy made. The first 11 foot of our boat is under steel to appear to be cargo area under covers. There are some openings which will need zips and also 2 prisms needing clear covers. Has anyone any recommendations for who to go to for a quote and perhaps even who they might not reconmmend! many thanks in advance. Mick

The only firm that I can speak of is from my own personal experience of having a new hull built . Nick Thorpe was entirely a good experience. He did it all as per his quote and on time, and he was doing a stretch back at the end of last year. So certainly worth considering him. email is enquiries@nickthorpeboatbuilding.com . Mick

HI. Nick Thorpe Boatbuilding at Hixon recently built a nice looking one, and he is a thoroughly nice chap, Look up on the internet what people say about him! He is what I decribe as "old school". started with well known boatbulding firms before going on his own. 01 889 270040 or w.w.w.nickthorpeboatbuilding.com

The VTH as I understand was set up to run at a variety of governed speeds, relating to customers required horsepower before leaving the factory, although the governor is variable to enable lesser speeds, The hp is equivalent to one per 100 revolutions max, so if the manufacturers plate on the side stated 10 hp it was governed to run at 1000 rpm max, otherwise at 15 hp governed to 1500 max, and all stations in between ! I am in the same situation as casper ghost, because I am running a 2 VTH too, I am always prepared to put one aside for spares if the price happens to be right. I guess we will have to keep an eye out for it coming up for auction Cheers. Mick

Thanks ,everybody , When I get around to rebuilding the JP I shall have to consider a ring gear then from MPS or others, but it was just that I saw the FR3 bare block on ebay at £100 and thought it might be an interchangeable size. I presently have a Ruston 2VTH that's big enough for my 50 footer, but the JP keeps my interest! Have to say this site is brilliant, and so many knowlegable people. Cheers. mick.

You could try oxalic acid solution , it used to be the main ingredient in a product called colourback supplied by one of the marine paint companies. It is used in bee-keeping now. So a search on google might find an easy supply. Has certainly worked for me on my hardwood cabin sides on a sea boat. It also works well on rust stains. I think it is in jenolite rust treatment too. Of course handle with usual caution as an acid.

Hi. I am new to this forum so forgive me if this has already been discussed. I have a JP2 ( actually badged a CS18/2M ) which of course is only a handstart. Does anyone know whether there is any compatability with the FR 2 or 3 Flywheel as it might just be an inexpensive way to get a ring gear to add an electric start. Many thanks. Mick.