Psychalist

Different rules altogether in France. Where hydraulic gates are used, they are disabled automatically out of hours. Then there is the French lunch to be respected too...

The situation is fluid. Don't expect it to be the same from one day to the next at the moment. Go online (you did register didn't you?) and check your communication preferences with CaRT and make sure you sign up for notices for your waterway. If they are all set, there is some technical reason for you not receiving them. As you're getting other mails, maybe check your spam etc.

Even without covid-19 restrictions, I would suggest more experimenting before venturing onto rivers to be confident nothing will fail. I understand you have 40+ boaty years but not with your current boat, which isn't new and hasn't been moving. I'm still not confident everything on our boat is up to extended cruising after 9 months. On the face of it, it should have been fine but now have a growing list of repairs that, had they happened on a river, could have been a lot more serious. Little used boats give reassurance on short runs but as soon as something more demanding comes along, things start failing. If your boat has been doing this kind of work, then it may well be OK but a change in usage pattern (from nothing to full-on) is asking for trouble. Have you checked what's in your fuel tank as well as the 100lt of fuel? If driven hard, does the cooling system cope? Oil leaks, water leaks, throttle and gear cables? Any remaining dodgy electrics? This has got to be a consideration as well as health, because a breakdown in the middle of nowhere will surely involve a 3rd party? /G

From: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2020-documents/budget-2020 "In addition, the government will promote air quality improvement by removing the entitlement to use red diesel except for agriculture, fish farming, rail and non-commercial heating." And more detail... "Red diesel: Removing entitlement – The government will remove entitlement to the use of red diesel and rebated biofuels from April 2022, except for agriculture (including horticulture, pisciculture and forestry), rail and for non-commercial heating (including domestic heating). The government will consult on whether the entitlement to use red diesel and rebated biofuels is justified for any other users, for example there is a strong case for continued use by ferries carrying paid passengers on the UK’s rivers and inland waterways, or public entertainment. Commercial boats on open waters, including ferries and fishing boats, will remain entitled to the Marine Voyages Relief so will not have to pay more for their fuel. This measure will incentivise businesses to improve the energy efficiency of their vehicles and machinery or look for greener alternatives. To support the development of alternatives that these businesses can switch to, the Budget has also committed to at least doubling the size of the energy innovation programme, accelerating the design and production of innovative clean energy technologies. (39) Red diesel: Prohibition of use for propelling private pleasure craft – Private pleasure craft already pay the standard white diesel rate for propulsion. They will still be entitled to use red diesel for their heating use. Where they have one tank for propulsion and heating, the government will explore options that prevent them from having to pay a higher rate of duty on their heating use than they would otherwise have to pay. Details on the implementation of this power will be set out in due course."

Probably was oxters - heard in an Ulster accent by me as uxters. Dictionaries have oxter as armpit, originating (mainly Scotland and Northern Ireland) from the C16 old English oxta, and Latin axilla (which refers to the underside of birds' wings). Seems to make sense but doesn't explain the u though. Perhaps it was an accent thing.

Seems to be used in Northern Ireland to refer to the armpits - as in "Have you washed your uxters?" Corresponds with the appropriate bits on the boat. Can't explain why.

The reason may not be obvious as the tolerance is quite small. If the selector shaft pushes over in one direction or another, it can force a tiny gap on a harder worn complete older o ring enough to cause the leak. If you've changed the gear cable recently that could be a possibility. The extent between forward and reverse can be too large. Most controllers have two stops to mount the cable at the remote end from the gearbox so it's worth checking the selector position in both modes to see if it is beyond the box's natural detente positions. I reckon that was the issue with mine. Fine for 20yrs and then a 3rd party changed the cable - shortly afterwards, leaking oil. Could be wrong but..who knows. /G

I borrowed an e-book from the library about narrow-boats and promptly forgot about it. Browsing CWDF I came across this thread and his name and about the same time got a reminder my loan was expiring. Turned out the book was by Steve Haywood. I let it expire. Don't know what it was about but my appetite for reading it seems to have evaporated. <g> /G

I took the round section replacement to be the official part, certainly from ASAP I would expect so - all pictures I'd seen appeared round section (including the one linked in post 13, which is what I bought). The one I took out was a bit square, but I assumed that was because it had been compressed in a square hole for 20 years. It was certainly different material to black plumbing o rings, slightly brown and harder material to withstand the heat and pressure. Anything not of that material and dimensions, wouldn't work. As to the détente ball, I don't think the OP need worry given the state of his box, it won't be round and will be rusty. /G

Once you've got a replacement O ring, which as it comes from ASAP is round section (having recently replaced one myself), your challenge, in replacing it, is getting the old one out. The manual has a more complicated procedure than the one described on these forums, which is to turn the engine over on the starter without starting it (a second pair of hands holding the stop solenoid or cable) - the high pressure oil behind the existing gasket forces it forward along the shaft and enables you to hook it out. Poking down the shaft won't work and could damage the mating surfaces for the new seal. You have to be careful to catch any oil so cover the shaft with a rag and have a container underneath. It takes some effort so a number of attempts may be needed. I suspect this might not work too well if the oil is emulsified or foaming so you might need to clean the box out first. /G

What sort of header tank are you using - surely not the standard (Range Rover/MG) one for the amount that would expand? The reason I ask is our LPSW3 loses coolant as it expands (because of the pipe from the exhaust manifold enters the tank directly under the venting header cap) and I'm toying with the idea of fitting a different header tank as mentioned in other threads on LPWS (either that or I'm getting an air lock). /G

Ooh... back of the .Net but rather BASIC

As mentioned above, it's BA15D that you need as in 15mm bayonet with two contacts. Be careful as many adverts seem to confuse the offset bayonet pins and the contact variants in their descriptions. 3W LED seems to be about the equivalent for an existing 21W incandescent (about 250 lumens). Higher and lower output bulbs are available. Though they come in warm and cool white variants, it may take some trial and error to find one you're satisfied with. I got the warm white variant of this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonlux-Contact-Replacement-Interior-Lighting/dp/B018S9KN5G?ref_=ast_bbp_dp - the light is quite yellow. Expecting the cool ones any day for comparison. Also available on eBay with very dynamic daily pricing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bonlux-2-Pack-Ba15d-LED-Bulb-DC-12V-Warm-White-3000K-Double-Contact-Bayonet-SBC/193017235383 Note the numbers in the description "1076 1142 1157" - these appear to be the wiring and socket type designations, though I couldn't find out a great deal in searching for information. Advertisers appear to slap an abundance of numbers and key words into their adverts to improve search performance but it is misleading. I think 1142 is the correct wiring - the contacts are pos/neg and the casing isn't part of the circuit. 1157 is probably not correct and is a stop/tail light variant as seen in this advert, which also states their bulb is a BA15D when it is actually the BAY15D with offset pins: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/e11400.m43.l5919/7?euid=66d8c3e93eb046b4a653c4414d2b67b1&bu=43065765237&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fvod%3Fitemid%3D312359809699%26transid%3D939933269021&sojTags=bu=bu The bulbs in the two links at the top work for our ceiling lights (like yours). It appears to be a bit of a minefield. Good luck. /G

This is your selection: http://www.enjoykanda.co.uk/Moorings_and_Marinas.html Nearest would be Brassknocker basin. Currently there are no permanent on-line moorings (https://www.watersidemooring.com/) but worth keeping an eye on though there aren't many, and permanent private moorings are few and far between (probably Saltford down on the Avon unless you want the premium of Bath marina). See plenty of other threads re. western end of K&A - you're facing a challenge given its recent history of movement enforcement. /G

A great story and a lovely boat. Hope all goes well for you /G