Theo
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Posts posted by Theo
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I tend to use a wet-n-dry vac cleaner for anything to do with getting rid of water.
I have one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.js...40&id=72850
With the filters in, I use it as a general vacuum cleaner for the floors etc.
With the filters removed, I have used it for sucking water out of the pipes for winterising, sucking the last dregs of water out of the water tank before re-blacking and sucking water out of the engine bilge as the pump always leaves half an inch or so behind. A wet-n-dry vac will get rid of all water whereas I find that pumps always leave some behind. The down side is that you need access to mains. This model runs happily off my 1500W inverter.
thanks for the suggestion bust at the moment I only have 600W of 230V at my disposal.
Nick
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Yesterday I discovered a rather alarming 2" water in the cabin bilges. I rather suspect it is the result of a leak in the domestic water system, possible the expansion pipe from the calorifier dumps water there.
Obviously this needs sorting very soon but I don't have a portable pump that will do the job satisfactorily. What sort should I be getting?
Nick
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Thankyou
If mine is anything to go by you also need to add in....
3 glow plugs per year. 1 glow plug housing per year, 1 water pump every 3 years, 20 hours of maintenance per year, 1 flame sensor every 2 years, about 10 gaskets per year, etc etc etc
Could have bought a proper heater for that amount.
Gibbo
What would you count as a proper heater, Gibbo?
Nick
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Pay attention Min, we've done this weeks ago
Yes, but this is another petition form another voter so it is still worthwhile.
Nick
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We had intended using New Year's eve and day to get Theodora home to Thurmaston. However with lots of rain, lots of wind and not lots of experience (with thirty years) of conditions on the Soar we decided that discretion is the better...
I woul not like to find myself aground in the middle of a field still less nose down a weir! Poor old Theodora will have to languish at Kilby Bridge for a bit longer. We will pay a visit tomorrow, though, and see if I can persuade the Mikuni to go.
Happy New Year everyone!
Nick
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No you're not being rude at all. It's difficult to see the situation someone describes without being there.
I didn't alter course, or anything, just veered slightly towards the NB, to make sure the cruiser had enough room. Of course I was washed against the NB. Normally this wouldn't have caused any problems, except I had almost got past.
The NB could have slowed, or turned aways slightly, although this would have made little difference.
The cruiser could have hung back until I had passed the NB. In fact my maximum speed is only a little over 6mph, and I believe 6mph is the maximum speed upstream on that stretch, although no one takes any notice.
I was stuck in the middle so to speak. If I'd slowed or stopped I would still have been alongside the NB, and would have lost headway, and hence steerage.
I only posted this for others to benefit from my experience, and a reminder of what everyone should do.
So who was right, or wrong, whatever is totally irrelevant. It is a simple fact, you should not just plough on, being unaware, or regardless of what is happening around you. I was the one who would have lost his life, through little fault of my own.
The Rules of the Road at Sea which presumably don't entirely apply in this case used to say (30 years ago when I was a deck officer in the Merchant Navy) that it is the duty of the overtaking vessel to keep out of the way of the overtaken vessel "until finally past and clear". It seems to me that Supermalc did not manage to do this because he compromised his own duty with a misguided (?) sense of courtesy for the vessel which was overtaking him. This third vessel had the duty of keeping out of the way of both Supermalc and the NB again until finally past and clear.
The point that I am making is that the rules were broken and caused the incident. However there must be an overriding duty of care which the NB did not follow. Perhaps he was looking elsewhere at the time!
I am not at all sure if this post adds anything to the discussion. Please feel free to ignore it!
Nick
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Cracking, that was quick! - Well done magnetman, virtual beers all round then
- Very glad to hear the indeed, and fantastic that there no lasting damage been done to her other than the paintwork.
Daniel
Wonderful. Who nicked it?
Nick
Internet rules OK!!
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I can offer nothing but words of encouragement. It must be very difficult to steal a narrowboat and get away with it. Cragdale's owners worked hard and got her back so don't be too despondent.
Nick
I wonder if a few interior details would help. A photo or tow of unusual bits that might be visibel through the windows.
Nick
PS This theft is also being discussed on uk.rec.waterways.
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Sounds like diesel bug to me. It grows at the interface between any water and the diesel in your tank. Check the water trap (if you have one) and drain off any water. If your tank isn't full top it up but put some additive like Fuel Set in beforehand so that it is well mixed in. If it's the first time you've used it you're supposed to double dose at a rate of 4000 parts fuel to 1 part additive (so you would dose your whole tank at about 2000:1).
This is very useful to know! I will check Theodora as soon as possible.
Nick
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This is my local area, I will keep my eyes peeled, perhaps you would like to phone John Pattle at Bridgwater basin Watford with info as he is the local crane man, just in case this is a highly organised plan. 01923 211 448 and ask for his mobile number.
Being a semi-traditional is slightly unusual, most of these boats seem to be traditional. brass nav lights may be removed but show markings from the screw holes.
edit: The tiller bar may be relevant, keep an eye out for a new boat without a new tiller bar. I just realised the crane man is probably on holiday till Tuesday.
Good luck
I can offer nothing but words of encouragement. It must be very difficult to steal a narrowboat and get away with it. Cragdale's owners worked hard and got her back so don't be too despondent.
Nick
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Hi,
just to confirm i intended travelling a length of the canal with no locks and the idea was just to be cruising as the bells were chiming and also to watch the inevitable fireworks.
That seems good to me. You will note that my cautions were all directed at locking. Boating by moonlight sounds wonderful and the moon is waxing gibbous (74% full now so it should be at least 80% by New Year)
Enjoy
Nick
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I recon it's a great idea. The only reason I've not done this in the past is, everyone else is too miserable. Well that's the impression I got when I asked a few years ago when I first got my boat. I did go out on Christmas day.
I often seem to be returning in the dark, so have got well used to it. Unless it's pitch black, with no moon, you'll be better off with no lights. I had a swivel mount already fitted on my boat, and I've fitted 2 lights, but even with this you are usually better off with none. If it's really black, one pointing to the bank can help, but you can see nothing forward. With moonlight it's magic. The river can be seen for a short distance in front, that moves at the same speed, giving the impression you are stationary; magical.
Be even more careful at locks, so as not to trip, or fall in. I 'found' the spill weir (the gulley around the lock) and was lucky not to seriously injure myself, as I fell headlong into this sideways, when I mistook the grass covered top as a path. See pictures on my foxton page, and you'll realize why.
A cavers type helmet light seems to work well. When on the Foxton trip, we did the last few locks, and the tunnel in the dark. No problems, but when we set off early a couple of days later, we quickly found it foggy. So thick that you couldn't even see the front of a 22ft Dawncraft. Alan (fuzzy) was driving (it's his boat) but it's the only time it's seemed too fast at 2mph.
Sorry to write on the H&S side, (I am usually on the other) but I do think that locking in the dark is something that no one should do. People can and are more likely to fall in and they are very difficult to find. Paddles do get left up, and they drain the pound. (I boat passed us at Camden last summer rushing up to Harefield for a paint job. The pound below us was empty in the morning, the top gate of the next lock down was open and so was the bottom paddle. I can't see how they managed that! Perhaps I misremember and the paddle was only half up.
Nick
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Oops, yes.
Sorry Tony - As I was typing my post on this, I did have in the back of my mind from your course that the heater types were different on the 1.5 and 1.8 BMCs.
Having said that, I still that the original BMC manual I have is is generic for the two models. But if, as Nick has said, it says "15 to 30 seconds" I guess both possibilities are kind of covered.
It sounds like practical experience is more use than the manual here, as I don't think BMC documentation implies longer needed for the 1.5 than the 1.8, (I'll check when next have access to the book, in case I'm wrong....)
I usually give my 1.8 somewhere in the 15 to 20 second range if it's a cold damp day, and it's not been run for a month or two. But, as I said in another post, it managed to start quite well in similar conditions with the throttle closed, and one injector pipe unbled, after some minor dismantling, (probably nearly as quickly as it does normally, after the heaters have been run
.....)I don't think that I could manage not to visit Theodora for a whole month. I go withdrawal symptoms (if you pardon the expression!) after ten days!
Nick
I don't think that I could manage not to visit Theodora for a whole month. I go withdrawal symptoms (if you pardon the expression!) after ten days!Nick
I got ...
(If you'll...
(Must look at posts before clicking reply!)
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We've done that before, brought some flowerpots for the roof........and it worked.
but unless you took the hire boat well out of its "normal" area like we did (a Braunston boat to Tewkesbury/river Severn) the regulars would know the boat.
When I was out in August on the Shroppie there was an emergency stoppage at the middle lock at Tyrley. It was repaired and boats moving again by the time we arrived at the end of a long queue at the top. I worked aproaching 30 boats through locks that morning and all bar 1 was grateful of the help.
We hire Holly from Middlewhich one year and as usual were rather short of time on the return journey. Only a few locks from base we found a que of about 15 down and a similar number up. I don't like just suitting around so I had a whlae of a time locking people up and down for an hour or so. I had lots of thanks and was asked if I wnated to queue jump a few boats for my pains. I had had a really good time and been helped on the way!
Nick
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It is delightful to hear such delight.
My No 2 son and SWMBO's mama saw Theodora for the first time today. They are both as delighted as we are with her. It is all very gratifying, isn't it?
Nick
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I can't remember what the manual says, (the same one covers 1.5 and 1.8 BMC engines), and ours is on the boat at the moment.
I'm fairly certain it suggests quite a long pre-heat - 20 seconds, I think it may be.
I'll try and remember to look it up, when I'm on the boat.
Alan
Oh, yes. SWMBO read all of the above and reminded me that I bought and engine manual from EBay (£10). It says 15s -30s. So now I know.
Many thanks all.
Nick
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How very gratifying! I confess to idiocy and goet a whole lot of good advice in return!
Thanks everyone!
Nick
On my dashboard, next to the switch position, it says "12 Seconds Maximum". That's on a Perkins MC42.Allan
Ah! It might depend on the engine, then. Mine is a BMC 1.5. Any advice specific to that one!
N
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I know that I will have to discover this by experientation , but how long would you expect to leave the glow plugs befroe a completely cold start?
N
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I do feel sheepish
At the moment there is a problem with Theodora's glow plug circuitry. This means that she is a pig to start but she has not let me down yet. This also means that I don't expect her to start easily. Today I nearly flattened the start battery by trying and trying to make her go. I even hot wired the glow plugs. All was all right when No. 2 son found that the stop button was still pulled out!
The good thing that came out of it was that I now know that she will start beautifully one I sort out the glow pug problem.
On all the other boats that I have used there are three positions on the ignition switch. 1) Charging circuitry on, 2) Glow plugs on 3) Starter motor on. Theodora only has functions 1 and 3. I need to do a bit of circuit tracing. There is a separate switch that I have not yet identified which could be a glow plug switch but it does not seem to have any effect.
Happy New Year Everyone
Nick
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And what would you call a large primate carrying a gun ?
"Sir"
Nick
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? Is that something to do with 'lectrics?
No. Quantum electrodynamics.
Don't ask...
Nick
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I do not wish to put a slur on brokers but do not use their surveyor, the broker has an interest in selling said boat, I am sure they are as honest as the day is long.
I would advise that any one gets their own surveyor ask on here I am sure that someone would be able to recommend one that is totally independent etc.
When we bought Teodora from Whilton Marina they refused to even recommend a surveyor but they said that they could give me a list of all the ones in the area. They said that it would be unethical to recommend one for precisely the reason that Bottle stated.
Nick
surveyor cant do survey until monday the 4th december, hopefully get the boat no more than week after that as want to have 1st night on boat 16th-17th as my wife has the weekend off work and then on christmas day we will be on it as our oven is knackered and we havent the money to get new one as we are paying for boat so we will see what the stove is like, pics will be up soon as take ovee the boat, we managed to get £1500 off the price he was asking , hope survey goes okay, if so then getting the 4 year safety certificate done at same timeWe got our last oven through Freecycle (look it up on the internet). Totally free and works beautifully.
Nick
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60' Boat. Next time I fill up I will do some timings and get a rough measure of the volume.
I think that there might be a miscalculation. 8" fwd, as long as there were no draught change aft would mean a mean draught change of 4". In fact I would suspect that there would be a slight increase in the after draught. If this is the case then the mean change of draught would be rather less than 4", say 3" which is 0.25 ft. At 10t/foot that would give 2.5t. Does that sound more reasonable?
Nick
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Don't know the length but if it was 55ft that'd be about 1o tons per foot immersion I think, which would make 8 inches (in the centre) look like 7.5 ton which means it must be 3.5 tonnes of water as it is at one end of the boat. that is a seriously big tank.
60' Boat. Next time I fill up I will do some timings and get a rough measure of the volume.
you're not being rude at all. It's difficult to see the situation someone describes without being there.
Portable pump
in Boat Equipment
Posted
Lots of sound advice, thanks. I think that the drill pump is probably the best idea. Are they self priming?
Nick