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Theo

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Posts posted by Theo

  1. Canvas repairs

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted

    I'm looking for someone near Kington, Herefordshire who can do some repair work on Theodora's cloths.  Any thoughts?  She is currently being painted in Worcester so that would be convenient too.

     

    All ideas gratefully received.

     

    Nick

  5. Bowman filler assembly...

    in BMC

    Posted

    ... or whatever it's called.  I'm talking about the bit that the pressure cap covers where you top up the enginne coolant.

     

    The solder attaching the  spigot on the side where you attach the overflow pipe is broken so it's leaking.  I am mulling ove rthe best way to sort it.

     

    1. Replace the whole unit.  I can buy a new one from Calcutt.
    2. Araldite it and see how it goes.
    3. Solder it.

     

    If I do 1. then I need to be certain that I don't damage the aluminium header.  I don't mnid damaging the filler assembly.  I was thinking large pipe wrench and use ptfe tape when I screw the new one in.

     

    If I do 2. I will need to clean up the assembly really, really carefully getting all round the spigot coupling.  So I will need to remove the assembly anyway.  Without damaging it.

     

    Am I competent to do 3?  I have soldered plenty of copper plumbing in my time using Yorkshire and capillary fittings but this looks more like a wiped joint to me.  Lot's of sope for failure here.  I would be using soft solder.  Good enough?

     

    All comments and suggestions eagerlyb read.

     

    TIA

     

    Nick

     

     

  11. Will I need a new engine.

    in General Boating

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

    I am sure Roger checked this, but as it is a 1.5, when the injector pump skew gear drive lubrication system blocks the skew gear can wear. One of the skew gears that drive the injector pump is on the camshaft, just in front of the rear bearing, and it is the same skew gear that drives the oil pump skew gear. You may wish to confirm that the camshaft gear was in good order.

    Roger says:

     

    The Camshaft is carefully checked, Tony is quite right, the skew gear can wear although the cross shaft driving the FIP has a pin drive to the female spline for the pump and the pin can get worn, we check this!

     

    This is comforting to know but doesn't  solve the mystery.

  12. Possible redesign of Theodora's engine arrangements

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted

    I have posted a thread in General Boating about Theodora's seized engine.   Long standing readers may remember that Theodora has an unusual arrangement in her engine hole.  The engine is mounted back to front with the gearbox on the forward end. 

     

    The order of units from aft to forward is Engine --> Gearbox --> stub shaft rotating between two plummer blocks with a triple V pulley between them.

     

    The V belts connect with the propshaft which runs under the engine to a water cooled sterngland and then the propeller.

     

    Problems:  1.  The engine is mounted on wooden bearers which are very effective in transferring vibration to the hull and throughout the boat.

    2.  The two Plummer blocks and the gearbox need to be accurately aligned with each other.  Any movement of the engine means that there are problems with the bearings.  I last changed the stub shaft about 2,000 engine hours ago.

     

    Jason Pinder suggests doing away with the belt drive, turning the engine around and mounting it about a foot lower in the engine hole.  To me this seems a massive undertaking and would mean that the alternator and raw water cooling pump belt would be less accessible.  He suggests rubber engine bearers to reduce transmitted vibration.

     

    My favoured option is to leave the general arrangment as it is and fit something like a Python (I'm  looking at the P60-B) drive between the gearbox and the stub shaft.  The Python drive will mean that the engine would have to be moved aft a bit.  I am not near the boat so I can't, at this stage say how much and whether it could be moved back far enough.

     

    Are there any other flexible drives on the market that might take up less room?  Jason mentioned something called Ultraflex but a Google search hasn't reavealed anything like a fexible drive.

     

    All comments gratefully read!

     

    Nick

  13. Will I need a new engine.

    in General Boating

    Posted

    Hello again.

     

    The engine has been removed by Jason Pinder in Worcester.  He took it over to Calcutt and the work has been done by Roger Preen and his mate(s).  Roger sent me an email today to tell me that the works has been done.  Here is the text of his sort of diagnosis.  I still can't work out why it failed but then I don't understand the term "pick up" on a big end.  He writes 1.8 in the las sentenc but that is a mistake.  It's a short 1.5.

     

    Dear Nick,

      There was general wear ,as you would expect, but the failure was a seizure, of a main bearing  and a pick up on a big end rendering a crankshaft  replacement  necessary together with appropriate new shell bearings and thrusts, the damage suggests a breakdown of lubrication, the oil pump was replaced but was not the problem neither was the pressure relief valve  or any part of the oil train, the  rear cam shaft bearing was slightly misplaced but  this would only affect the valve train in which no significant wear was found, all camshaft followers were replaced, but this is  always usual on the 1.8. I  will send the “pick list” of what we used

        Best Regards

            Roger

    Any comments?

    Nick

  16. What's happened at Tardebigge Top Lock?

    in General Boating

    Posted

    Theodora is presently sojourning at Jason Pinder's drydock in Worcester with the engine out and on its way to Calcutt for corrective surgery.  She should be fixed in a couple of weeks.  I would then like to get her back to her home mooring at Tardebigge Old Wharf.

     

    SWMBO is a sensible lady and more cautious than I about the Severn as the weather changes so we will need a bit of careful planning before we set off to take Theodora up to Stourport to get home the long way.  Doing the anticlockwise way down to Tewksbury and up the Avon is less appealing.  The Avon can be a bit frisky in the winter.  I last did a fast river winter trip up the Kennet in 2008 and it needed so quick action that I am less confident of achieving now.

     

    I wonder if the Lock 58 repair will be a really long job like the one at Marple.

     

    N

  20. Will I need a new engine.

    in General Boating

    Posted

    Hugely helpful comments, thank you.

     

    There was some squealing, which Jilly, Andrew's wife, noticed.  She thought that it might be an alternator problem.

     

    I'm about an hour and a half away from Theodora, unfortunately, so I won't be able to carry out the investigations for a bit.

     

    I'm minded at this stage to get it to a boatyard and let the experts take over.

     

    N

  21. Will I need a new engine.

    in General Boating

    Posted

    No. 1 son took his family for a four day cruise.  He rigged the anchor saying "We'll never use that."  before setting off down the river.  After a couple of hours the engine seemed to lose power and then stopped.  The starter motor could turn the engine which fired but could not keep going.  Anchor deployed and waited to be rescued by a passing boat.  Towed to a safe mooring.  I went down to see him this morning and have listed below the signs of engine sickness:

     

    1. During the progressive failure no overheating detected.
    2. No excess smoke.
    3. Fairly rapid loss of power.
    4. Starter motor had difficulty turning the engine over.

     

    I checked the following when I got to the boat

     

    1. Battery voltage: OK
    2. Alternator free to turn: OK
    3. Propeller and associated transmission free to turn: OK
    4. Crank shaft free to turn?  (Spanner on the nut at in the middle of the pulley)  Wouldn't budge.  Seized, no rotation, not right!  Aargh!!

     

    I have inferred from this that our BMC 1.5 which has been 100% reliable over nearly 6,000 hours of cruising since we bought her in 2006 + whatever hours she had done from 1983 to 2006.  (OIl and filter change about 200 hours previously.), that the oil pump failed so there was no lubrication of the crankshaft bearings or big ends or whatever else is fed with oil from the pump.

     

    Is my inexpert inference likely to be correct?

     

    I now need to make somes decisions in consultation with my sone and his family who want to take ove rthe boat and I am getting a bit on the ancint side.

     

    • Repair that engine.
    • Get a reconditioned BMC 1.5 from Calcutt or somewhere else and have it fitted by a professional.
    • Get a different, more modern and quieter deisel engine and mount it in a more conventional way.  This would mean a new propeller as the present on is left handed and I would like to turn the engine around rather than continue with the belt drive.
    • Fit an electric drive system (series hybrid)   This is a pipedream sort of idea from my son  it sounds a very expensive option to me.  Guesstimates of the issues and costs gratefully received.

     

    The current cooling is indirect raw water.  I like this and would like any replacement deisel to use the same system.  It has never given us any trouble and if this can be done won't need a skin tank to be fitted.

     

    What do you think?

     

    Nick

     

     

     

  22. What are the connections on this Alternator?

    in Boat Equipment

    Posted

    23 hours ago, Eeyore said:

    Does this help?

    IMG_0033.jpeg

    Yes, it does.  Thanks

    On 14/08/2024 at 11:10, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

    How far you got along the Staff and Worcester?

    There’s a good bus service along there that’ll take you in to Stafford or Rugely if you decide to find somewhere to recondition an alternator. 
    And the Hire Base at Great Haywood are very helpful, they’ll order parts up for you and I reckon they’d crimp up terminals and supply the wiring if you ain’t got the right bits and bobs on board
     

     

    Thanks for the helpul hints.  We have a deadline to meet and need to get back to Tardebigge on Friday so we will exist on battery and solar until then.

    • Greenie 1

  23. Tunnel Lamp

    in Boat Equipment

    Posted

    I'm looking for a repacement tunnel lamp for the good ship Theodora.  I've had a look at tth Midland Chandlers web site but the range is very limited and the only one we somwhat liked was really expensive.  Any ideas for alternatice suppliers?

  24. What are the connections on this Alternator?

    in Boat Equipment

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

     

    Yes, but you only need to clean the faces the belt runs against. If you left it, then the belt may well be worn away, but it would gradually get cleaned, it just depends upon how many belts to are happy to fit. I suspect many pulleys go rusty during winter layups, but few bothers to clean them in the spring. I have known the odd belt to rust onto the pulley. Best de-rust to minimise the possible danger of belt failure/premature wear.

    That sound like good advice.

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