NB Alnwick

Our boat has been at Glascote Basin since last November where it is being repainted to a very high standard by the team at Norton Canes Boatbuilders with experienced supervision provided by Sarah Edgson. There is more information on our website here. We did start repainting 'Alnwick' in 2005 but for many reasons, progress slowed when we had completed the outside of the back cabin. By 2016, we decided that the paint we had purchased more than ten years earlier was by then too old to use!

I am resurrecting this old topic because a relative of John's is anxious to know his whereabouts or what has become of him. Some one must have seen his boat, an R W Davis 70 footer named 'Sabrina' - although I am quite sure that he must have sold it and moved on to the land.

I am not sure why anyone would want to burn 'house coal' except perhaps for nostalgia. OK, it can burn with a bright flame and is generally easier than Anthracite to light but it produces the nastiest of by-products that will eat your chimney and leave tar stains on your boat. And, the smoke can kill you! There are many good reasons why I think mining coal is still necessary but it isn't the best thing to burn on a boat. There are better solid fuel alternatives.

We were looking for a bit of comforting nostalgia and here we have it! All I can say is that the original Smartgauge was probably the most useful item of equipment that we ever purchased for our boat. The designer also provided helpful advice on how I should wire my 24v battery bank. In the many years that I spent as a moderator on here, I often had to intervene when armchair 'experts' challenged those who gave considered advice based on real reseach and experience. Thankfully I am no longer required to do this. I hope Gibbo continues to help others on here in the way that he helped me.

In my view a decent rigid aluminium ladder such as this one is essential on a narrow boat. It can be stored on top to be easily deployable. Together with a suitable wooden plank insert in can double as a strong and secure gangplank.

We once left our boat on charge from a mains hook-up. When we returned one of the batteries had failed exactly as described and all the brass and copper throughout the boat had turned black! And it isn't easy to clean it off! These days, we disconnect the batteries if the boat is unattended and check battery health regularly. It is obviously essential to disconnect and isolate a faulty battery immediately.

Only go in if you have a ladder available for getting out again!

As always, workmanship of which to be proper proud!

Obviously the wrong colour!

Evidence again of the Kelvin’s reliability and ease of maintenance. Our gearbox still gives good service after 25 years with no maintenance other than an oil change in 2007 ish. In fact, so far, the only major failure has been the crankshaft on the C.A.V. Injection pump which was repaired by welding. That was in 2006 and we bought a brand new one as a spare together with some additional spare parts but so far, these have not been needed. It must say something for the Glasgow Bergius Company when the only item to suffer serious failure was designed and manufactured elsewhere!

There are some occasions when one can open up the regulator a bit - my favourite is Braunston Tunnel. Other than that, there are times when deep mud or silt makes the engine work hard even at low rpm. That said, my bores may well be glazed - it is almost 30 years since they were last inspected! We did give the engine a good blow through when racing down the Severn Estuary - we docked at Portishead a shade over two hours after leaving Sharpness lock! However, that was 17 years ago!

A lot of nonsense about Kelvin engines and their suitability as motive power for narrow boats often emanates from those who have little or no experience of living with them. It was George Bergius who suggested to Phil Trotter that our K3 would be very appropriate for a narrow boat and, although the engine is capable of producing 66 horse power at 750 rpm - on inland waterways, with the correct screw, it will rarely need to exceed 300 rpm or thereabouts. At canal rpm the power output will be in line with that of many other engines currently being fitted to narrow boats. The advantages of a properly engineered slow running engine like the Kelvin K series includes low service and maintenance costs, exceptionally good fuel consumption (we use less than two litres an hour when cruising), and an absence of any obvious exhaust smoke - which means it is always a pleasure to stand behind! We also have to remember that in the days of commercial canal carrying, the operators were limited by financial considerations - a failed engine could be easily replaced without risk to life. Kelvins and similar top of the range engines were the choice of those who rated dependable reliability above all else. That is why they were often chosen by Arctic fishermen!

Phil Trotter at R. W. Davis told me that the designed draft is 30 inches. However, in practice, this is nearer to 36 inches when underway. It also depends on how much extra stuff you have aboard - a full coal box, a full diesel tank, etc. etc. all add to the draft.

The boat is currently at Glascote Basin for its long overdue repaint - I will investigate the method of fixing the existing pulley when I next visit.

The 24v version is rated at 55 Amps though I have rarely seen much higher than 30 on our ammeter. The old AC5R model was a very robust and reliable alternator and I remember that we were fitting these to military vehicles in the 1970s when I was working in REME workshops.

Yes - that is a possibility - and cheaper than changing a perfectly good alternator. Can you suggest a source for the pulleys, please?

We are planning to remove our three way fridge that normally runs on gas and replace it with a modern electric fridge. The only drawback is that our engine runs quite slowly and in most conditions rarely generates enough electricity to keep all our batteries fully topped up. We have a portable generator that we use to augment engine charging. The alternator driven by the engine is a Lucas/C.A.V. AC5R 24V and my question is could we find a direct replacement for this alternator that would generate enough to charge the batteries at much lower RPM? We already have the smallest practical diameter pulley on the alternator and an 18" pulley on the engine crankshaft/flywheel - so changing the gearing may not be an easy option.