colinnorth

THanks all decision made. No need for any further replies. If I could close the topic I would.

I have been cleaning up the brasswork on my cratch frame. The brass is now lovely and bright and I would love to keep it this way BUT I am not a brass-polisher by nature. Should I varnish it (with yacht varnish)? Or should I lacquer it with something like in the photo?

I am happily moored there. The Marina was put up for sale in the Summer of 2022. The 'big boys' came and had a look. I think it was not big enough for them with no chance of enlargement. The moorig rates (as previously stated) have not been increased for several years and are well below the other marinas around. I am not aware of any slippage into the railway, the bund and roadway seem very secure and well built/maintained. The marina does not own the canalside moorings between the marina and the pub. The electrical supply is very good and well made, there is electricity to every mooring and water available on every finger (jetty) all within an easy hose length. The office accommodation is sound, there is fibre based wi-fi throughout. There is only one toilet/shower available to tenants - this is fine bearing in mind it is a non-residentail marina. There is a drydock with a large attached workshop. There is a store for coal/firewood next to the Calor gas locker and diesel tank/pump, there is a pump-out and an elsan emptying point. Attached to the office is the (new) small chandlery and the (old) much larger chandlery which could easily be converted into a clubhouse/bar. The location of the bungalow lends itself to being rented out to a 'site manager' and is sufficiently fenced off to deter anyone calling the occupant with trivial problems. The only really necessary work that I can see coming up in the next 10 years is to replace the fingers/jetties as they were built many years ago on scaffold poles and some are becoming a little rickety. If it were not for this point, I would happily put in a bid. I will be watching the auction on-line with interest.

Thanks, just looked up Smol - they want to deliver me on a regular basis. Will have to think how that would work.

Thank you all for your input. Having read a number of adverts for 'Eco' style products I find that the 'Eco' bit usually refers to the packaging that the product comes in rather than the product itself. 'Eco' products usually bang on about: Ours come in a cardboard box - no plastics etc.

I have been using Aldi Almat washing sachet thingies in my washing machine BUT I have just read the warnings on the box and it says it is very bad for the aquatic environment. What detergent, preferably sachet style are people using that are more friendly to the aquatic environment? C

I have a Roland FR-4x virtual piano accordion so I can play pretty much any instrument I want (badly)!

The boat is built 2005, fitted out 2006, registered with CRT 2006. The thinnest reading is 4.8 and is below the waterline, There is a galvanic isolator fitted and the boat is permanently connected to the shoreside mains. (At least for the last 4 years that I know of) Last blacked in 2018. Rust layer showing all along the waterline.

I have just had a boat survey done and have found 1.2mm pitting in 6mm steel. Is this a worry? If one was purchasing such a boat, at what point would you decline the purchase of said boat? (in 6mm steel - 1.2mm? 1.4mm?)

Thanks for your comments. I should have stated that the tank is part of the hull. I have not been able to work out exactly where the leak is. I would need to refill the water tank to find out. I might try a hammer test on the bulkhead to see how bad it is. A job for when we can travel after the COVID restriction lift. Colin

My bow water tank has a pinhole leak and loses water into the bilge. This was found immediately after having the water tank stripped, cleaned and re-painted with standard potable paint. That should mean that the tank was rust free before painting. I am looking at possible means of repair and have found: Specialist Coatings who have effected repairs on narrow boat water tanks. Their product is a three layer non-toxic, (sort of) fibre glass loaded paint, conveniently in three different colours to aid application. No toxic or unpleasant vapours during application. Does anyone have experience of: Using this product? Opinions about the product? Thanks Colin

Thank you for your input. I can confirm that the glow plugs have all individually tested across 12 v and ‘glow’ witnessed. The glow plug holes are regularly reamed with the appropriate drill (I have the Morse Taper version of the drill which makes reaming a doddle). The glow plugs are switched from the ignition switch and 11.8-12.2v arrives at the glow plug during the warming cycle. The glow plugs are not powered during the starter motor part of the cycle. I hold the glow plugs powered for about 30 seconds. The head was removed a year ago (for an unconnected issue) and the starting issue is the same before and after. This does seem to be a cold weather issue so I will probably leave things as they are for now.

Back on the boat for the first time since lock down kicked in, with a diesel compression tester. Test 1: remove glowplug 1, stop fuel, crank and measure. Step an repeat 1-4. All with engine cold and not having run since mid March. Cylinders: 1 390, 2 410, 3 410, 4 410 Start engine and run until warm repeat test: 1 410, 2 430, 3 430, 4 420 This does not seem too bad to me. After the tests the engine started immediately ok. This is beginning to sound like a colder weather issue to me. I will try again tomorrow and see what , if any starting issues there are.

Thanks guys, this is all sounding a bit expensive...

When the engine is running, it runs well and there is no noticeable tappet noises or irregular sounds. The engine sounds smooth when running which is why I have not looked at the valve clearances in this context. I checked the cylinder bores by finger for any scoring or damage and all was (in my opinion) very good with minimal noticeable wear. With each cylinder at TDC there was no detectable slop or movement that I could induce in the pistons to indicate wear. Not very scientific I know but it is about my limit of knowledge. There was no detectable carbon or oil build-up in the cylinder bores or in the head for that matter. Whilst the head was off I did re-seat the valves using grinding paste but was of the opinion that this was not really necessary as everything seemed clean and well fitting. I have PM'd Richard with the thought of getting a compression test done. Colin