Darrenroberts

Hi guys a bit of advice needed for a mechanical learner here, I have a raw water cooled (from a mud box) 2.2 ltr BMC diesel engine and the water pump has developed a constant drip when the engine is turned off after an hour ish of running. This "drip" is now quite bad and about a litre dripped out over night from the pump and a old hose (now fixed). Now i can see a loose rubber O ring that in the pump (between the cast bits) that seams wrong, my other theory was the impeller inside the pump? or possibly the thermostat? there my three guesses what dose every one think? My main worry is in the tray i placed under the pump to catch the water there seams to be some trace of coolant (blue/greeny colour) which could of possibly come from a loose hose which i have now tightened and that drip seams to have stopped and could have been a separate issue??. Any way i now need to put more water and anti freeze in the bowman can i use standard 50/50 blue anti freeze and coolant from halfords? or do i need something different. Cheers

Thanks for the response Alan, I've got priston the front half of a converted bantock

Hi there, Iam currently moored in braunston marina and it's a question of left or right. Id like to go left to Cropready and on to Oxford but Iam in a old working boat and my largest point (at the rear chine) is 7ft 1" the rest o the boat is 7ft she's a wobbly old thing. Now the canal and river trust dimensions say the locks at napton are 7ft wide. But has any working boat owners managed to get down them. Any help will be greatly apreshiated. Thanks. Darren

i rang a few but over the phone as soon as i mentioned the age they said they wernt interested even though i have a recent survey, strange???

Thanks for all the responses guys, I've finally got hold of collidge and partners they where very friendly, and seam to have a good relationship with braunston marina (where my boat is) and the engineer i used. all in all for third party insurance £160 which i thought seamed good. I haven't gone for any extras as shes very much a project boat and me and my parnter don't have any of the modern gizzmos worth steeling. My only concern is my tools as iam a cabinet maker and collidge and partners wont cover trade tools only ones for personal use. i guess ill have to look at separate cover for that. thanks for your research Alan i really appreciate that but I've just got it sorted. ill make a note of Porthcawl for the future.

Hi there i was wondering if any one could help me. Iam trying to find an insurance company for my ex working narrow boat. She was made in 1898 and so far iam not having much luck finding a company due to her age. Can any one recommend a company that cover historic boats? cheers. Darren

cheers Laurence well pointed out i actually meant converted bantock buttys been used on the canal network today

Hi guys dose any one own a bantock boat? id love to see some pictures of restored boats back out on the cut.

Hi guys i recently found out that my great great great Granddad Billy Beck was a water trader in Gainsborough and on the census of the time his occupation has been recorded as Bargeman. i was wondering if this ment he worked the canals? and if he did weather there was a way i could find out some info? any ideas? cheers.

Wow so the anodes had completely dissolved over how many years? Did you notice they where getting hit hard when you (persumably) brought her out for blacking the previous time? The boat am looking at needs a new interior so I was going to start from nearly scratch lol first on my list (or very close to the top) would be I have the floor up and see what's going on under there but I realy hope the knees would be OK? Lol how do you check that before buying?

Thanks for the heads up she's a reported 7ft at her widest point.....iam defiantly going to check before exchanging money.

How have you fixed that problem Hugh?

oh perfecto, missed it thanks for the info.

where abouts is the timber suppler, whats there website? lol i am not looking to re do the bottom of my boat but id love some elm for internal work so ill have a look t what theyve got.

Oh nice is the timber sawn and kiln dried? Or left in stick?

Well you'd AV a job finding enough elm these days for a like for like. I made a cabinet with elm panneling long last year and had to search every where for mature timber I ended up on waiting lists for it in the end. They use oak for restorations now don't they?

Thanks for the response, point well made I'll find out if the surveyor was a specialist. The boats a converted butty and the bottom was replaced with steel (I guess replacing wood) in the 70s so persumably you must be able to weld steel to wrought iron? Haha yeh by two surveyors, it needed minor repairs that where done in December 2016 a survey from last month said it was sound. I'd probably have one done if I went for it just so I defiantly know/ can be there to chat to an engineer of my choosing. Needs a bss doing though and I need t find out when the engine was last surveyed.

Thanks for the response, point well made I'll find out if the surveyor was a specialist. The boats a converted butty and the bottom was replaced with steel (I guess replacing wood) in the 70s so persumably you must be able to weld steel to wrought iron?

iqm looking int into buying a old wrought iron hull that has passed a survey, but iam consernd about a few things 1 is the maintence on hull more complicated and 2 if I needed to have work done in the further would it beat more specialised job than a steel hull? (Costing more money?) any help would be greatly appreciated

hi guys iam still looking for a boat, iam off to have a look at a few tomorrow 1 is a thomas bantock that was reduced from a 70footer to 45ft in the 1970's {is it ok to chop a boat in half lol?} also shes has a wrought iron hull what are peoples thoughts on that? old and sturdy or old and probably in need of expensive repair? the second boat was made in 1990 by Castlefield but i carnt find any info online about them can any one help?

Lol well it wasn't my first choice but it's where I finished my apprenticeship contacts,suppliers and clients all made it a logical decision a few years back. Also Croydon is a totally different kettle of fish to getting near the river lol. Only plus side to coming back down would be my workshop on the canal side, anything made from wood is where I'll realy save on money. It's the metal bits that scare me. Handy thing is my dad wants to be involved and is a sheet metal worker with a separate set of skills and resorses. I realy wanted to buy land and move my workshop to there but again that's another big step I thought I could use a few years on the canals scouting out some where good to settle down. Where abouts was your pub? Are your on the canals now?

Haha London isn't as bad as people think but it is expensive, iam from grimsby but moved to south London as iam a cabinet maker, unfortunately London is an are where people buy heigh end work so I get good money down there. Down side is my rent on a flat combined with my workshop rent sort of left me a bit stuck, making more money but spending more too. Hence the boat iam intending on moving back up north but want to use the assets I have down here to finance the buying of a boat so I can move my business and life, if that makes sense lol

Sorry Mike thanks for your input, but your slightly missing my point. Iam not after owt for nowt here, just asking if there was any info to help me identify a good boat from the hundreds out there.

Cheers Dave so I should continue looking for hull shape combined with overall condition, my budget is 10k but that's with out taking any kind of finance out, one option I was looking at was a personal loan of about 10-15k for the purchase then using my savings for the getting in the water/ maintence and general sprusing up. Times not realy an issue for me as iam just looking to get out of the renting market and a loan repayment on the boat would be cheeper than renting in London enabling me a few years of actually been able to save money/ spend my money on my self lol and not see it go down the drain. Dose this sound like a reasonable plan?

Ok let's have a look at it although 10k is the top of my budget without hitting into loan territory lol