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Bargebuilder

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Everything posted by Bargebuilder

  1. Well almost... I owned almost the identical barge and we did Bristol to London on the K&A. The draft did see us ground twice, but not seriously, the beam got us stuck between a couple of sets of poorly maintained lock gates and the air draft with everything removed including the wheelhouse prevented us from getting under a bridge without scraping some paint off. The width of the vessel made us very, very unpopular with other boats, some of whom were very vocal about it! Passing other boats, even narrowboats was almost impossible in many places and to be honest it was a stressful trip that was never repeated. I wouldn't even consider a widebeam if my intention was to actually cruise anywhere, but maybe as a static houseboat. We kept ours and cruised exclusively on 'lumpy' waters, coastal and tidal estuaries where it was absolutely brilliant.
  2. Was the OPs base plate built with 6mm steel or was it greater and lost thickness? It's been posted elsewhere on here that many insurance companies won't insure at less than 4mm, so pitting exceeding 2mm in depth might be of concern if the plate only starts at 6mm. A 10mm base plate must give lots more confidence to a prospective purchaser as they get a 6mm buffer for corrosion/erosion before they run into problems, whereas a 6mm plate only gives a 2mm buffer. 300% more steel is available to disappear with a 10mm plate than with a 6mm plate, it could last 3x longer all else being equal. The value of the 'lost' steel is inconsequential compared to the work and expense of over-plating a thin hull (less than 4mm) that eventually proves difficult to sell or insure.
  3. As a single hander, you are indeed very likely to save some time and effort when sharing a lock. Conversely, if the crew of a boat a single hander shares with consists of just two people, they are most likely to spend longer and expend more effort getting through the lock, unless like you, the single hander really pulls their weight. Speaking personally, I'd be very happy to share a lock with you any time given your attitude, but that is far from true for some single handers I've met. As a general rule, I'd rather do a flight of wide beam locks by myself than share with a single hander, as I find it easier, quicker and requiring less effort.
  4. The extent to which a single hander "takes advantage" depends on how "fully crewed" the other boat is. If it's a hire boat with 6 occupants, all of whom are eager to be involved in their weeks holiday experience, then zero advantage is taken. If however the other boat has a single crew to open and close all 4 gates and all 4 paddles by themselves, then much more advantage is taken. It is indeed harder work and takes longer when you are stuck with a single hander who doesn't help at locks. If they offer and do their best to help and are good company, the "taking advantage" is easy to overlook.
  5. The Chemco product might just be superior, but you'll never know if you always stick to the same familiar coating. My barge was in a boat yard next to a steel boat that had been wet grit blasted and had gingered badly. The owner turned up and started painting on the Chemco primer mentioned. About half way through painting, it started to rain, heavily, but for whatever reason he continued painting the steel that was dripping with water. Eventually, the roller tray containing the primer collected enough rain to cover the surface of the paint and he continued, pushing the roller through the water to pick up the primer. Needless to say I was horrified, thinking to myself that he was wasting his time and the coating and the blasting that was far from cheap. My fit-out took 4 years and the painted boat sat next to me for all of that time and no rust showed through in all of that time. He hadn't even applied a second coat, let alone a top coat. That is what converted me to the Chemco rage, well, that and the excellent price. I applied 80Kg of Chemco primer and glass flake epoxy to my barge and 11 years later it is entirely intact and shows no sign of thinning or needing re-coating. When I sold my barge, the coating was one of the things that the buyer identified as making my vessel more desirable than others he viewed. Try something new, you may be converted. The Chemco product might just be superior, but you'll never know if you always stick to the same familiar coating. My barge was in a boat yard next to a steel boat that had been wet grit blasted and had gingered badly. The owner turned up and started painting on the Chemco primer mentioned. About half way through painting, it started to rain, heavily, but for whatever reason he continued painting the steel that was dripping with water. Eventually, the roller tray containing the primer collected enough rain to cover the surface of the paint and he continued, pushing the roller through the water to pick up the primer. Needless to say I was horrified, thinking to myself that he was wasting his time and the coating and the blasting that was far from cheap. My fit-out took 4 years and the painted boat sat next to me for all of that time and no rust showed through in all of that time. He hadn't even applied a second coat, let alone a top coat. That is what converted me to the Chemco rage, well, that and the excellent price. I applied 80Kg of Chemco primer and glass flake epoxy to my barge and 11 years later it is entirely intact and shows no sign of thinning or needing re-coating. When I sold my barge, the coating was one of the things that the buyer identified as making my vessel more desirable than others he viewed. Try something new, you may be converted.
  6. I agree, some single handers are great and do their bit to help, hopping on and off, climbing ladders and doing their share of the work. I have however, been stuck with single handers who don't help at all. My wife steers and I do the locks and we progress nicely, but with an uncooperative single hander, instead of having to open and close two gates, I have to dash round opening 4. It is also a slower process, two boats entering and leaving the lock. Working hard on 4 paddles and 4 gates whilst watching a single hander standing at the tiller can be a bit frustrating. Rudeness however is unforgivable.
  7. I should add, that Epo-chem™ RS 500P is the perfect wet and surface tolerant two pack epoxy primer to use if your boat is going to be wet grit blasted or very high pressure water blasted, as the wet bright steel will ginger before your eyes before you get a chance to paint it. Chemco also supply their superb glass flake epoxy coating for a premium super hard wearing finish. Let them advise you.
  8. Of course, if the Chemco coating is used, wet gingered steel will have no detrimental effect on its adhesion or performance.
  9. Did you not read above? I've anchored on many occasions along the non-tidal Thames and never dragged. Correctly position the rudder so the current pushes the stern towards the bank and use a mud weight or a kedge anchor for a belt and braces approach.
  10. It's a stunning trip: the upper Thames is so much more interesting than much (not all) of the canal network. Paid for moorings are available, but several times when we did it we dropped the anchor a couple of metres from the bank behind thickets of trees and bushes. We were never disturbed and had restful nights with no worries about undesirables and no problems with angry land owners. Only something you'd do if you were staying on board and only perhaps for a single night in any one place. We have done the same many times also on the River Nene, where proper moorings are often completely unavailable; another beautiful River. Have a great trip!
  11. That is all excellent advice and I'm sure will result in a prepared surface suitable for most coatings, but all that time and effort can very easily be avoided by using a coating designed to cover and arrest the development of rust with much, much less work and no need for acids or solvents; Epo-chem™ RS 500P
  12. You are right, whatever the seal, it won't be an easy job, but don't panic, time is on your side. A heavy grease will slow the drips, possibly to an acceptable level, and may delay the need for replacement for years. The arrangement you have won't fail catastrophically, the dripping will just slowly get worse. A good pump of waterproof grease before you leave the boat should continue to stop the dripping completely until you next spin the prop shaft. For your peace of mind, an automatic bilge pump would be a wise addition and then get round to replacing the worn part when you can.
  13. Without a doubt, but as a professional you will know how unlikely it is that one could achieve a grit blast type preparation on the type of scale and corrosion in the photo with just a cup brush and angle grinder, particularly in the corners.
  14. Chemco make the stuff and supply it themselves at trade prices in tins of 5Kg or 1Kg sample tins. Two pack of course. The Chemco is likely to stick better unless the prep is to bright metal with no rust or gingering so is also likely to last longer. They have a superb technical team at the end of the phone who will offer excellent advice.
  15. White metal bearings are soft; it will be that if it is indeed a white metal bearing. Of course replacing it is the long term solution, but it's a tricky job and possibly not one the OP would tackle himself. It's rubbish that the lithium grease would be too thick to pump in the winter, those greasers exert plenty of pressure.
  16. That's really quite runny stuff, you could try something like this.
  17. The clearance between the bearing and shaft might have opened over the years, giving the grease a harder time to keep the water out. You could get a replacement, but it is a bigger job than re-packing a stern gland, or you could just try a thicker waterproof grease. Some of the white lithium greases might be thicker, but it looks like what you are using is white already.
  18. What you see might be a white metal bearing, traditionally used with greased stern tubes. Hopefully it doesn't need replacing.
  19. Does what you have drip excessively, is that why you are working on it?
  20. It may be that the stern tube is entirely grease packed. Isn't the light brown ring around the prop shaft some sort of packing?
  21. Is the cream coloured tube at the bottom of the picture the stern tube and welded to the steel of the hull?
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