Mad Harold

Going up the Fall Ing lock [Wakefield] last summer,were a dozen or so kids perhaps 13 to 15 year olds hanging around, smoking and drinking. One lad said,"can you leave the lock full" I said I would as I was going up.When I asked why,he said "it's us swimming pool". On leaving the lock,I shut the gate on my side and shouted across to the kids smoking and drinking sitting on the lock beam on the other side asking if one of them would shut the other gate,A young girl about 13 on my side said,"I'll do it mister"and promptly jumped into the lock and disappeared below the surface and I thought oh bloody hell,but she re-appeared,climbed out of the lock,shooed the youths off the lock beam and closed the gate as cool as you like. I did try to point out the danger of swimming in locks,the possibility of being dragged under from leakage of the bottom gates,but was told they know about that. They must breed them tough in Wakefield.

Very pleased that you found a suitable boat. As it's nearly new,there will be no problems with corrosion or mechanical issues,and paintwork. I used to dream of owning a boat that just needed sailing,and not needing attacking with spanners rust scraper,primer and paint. Please post us some pictures if you can.

Having owned a Norman GRP cruiser and now a steel narrowboat,I would like to comment. A fibreglass cruiser is the most inexpensive way of getting afloat,but there are several disadvantages on a canal. They are usually a pig to handle when it is windy,they are generally designed for higher speeds than on a canal,so are quite wayward at 4mph. Most outboard powered boats need about 3ft of water to clear the prop. [Not guaranteed on our canals] This particular boat is in my opinion overpriced.It does look nice,but the ad says it is powered by a 4hp engine, It doesn't say 2stroke or 4stroke,and 4hp is not enough for canals let alone rivers.Two stroke engines on canals are bad news,due to high fuel consumption and the amount of time spent idling.It needs really 10hp four stroke. Dawncraft are not really highly regarded by the cruiser community,because of their rather light build and high freeboard making them even more susceptible to wind. You can get a steel narrow boat for your budget,but it will need work. One contributor [I think it was MtB] suggested buying a narrow boat needing overplating for a rock bottom price,and getting it overplated yourself. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck.

It don't look like the .303 I was taught to shoot with when I was 14 in the A.T.C. It was wood all the way along with a bayonet clip at the end. We weren't allowed a bayonet,much too dangerous for a 14 year old.

Not one mention of a boat! I read it twice to make sure. Does this Adnan bloke know that boats use the canals as well? Perhaps one of our Mods ought to have a word in his conch pink ear.

A suction pump and then loads of kitchen roll. You say the new filter was a slightly different size .Do you mean different length or different diameter. [ I assume it is a spin on filter and not the cartridge type] If it's different diameter then it's obviously wrong. Did it have a rubber seal ? The chandlers should have book with the correct filter for your engine,and the equivalent numbers of other manufacturers filters.

Are you by any chance in the overplating trade? Seriously though,when I was looking for a boat,I often wondered why many boats were advertised as recently fully overplated,and many of them were ten years or more younger than the one I bought,which had not had the hull overplated. If the majority of the hull is corroded or the baseplate eroded wafer thin,then I can see that as a good reason to overplate,but if like mine, the survey noted rust pitting 1 and 2mm deep,and the rest of the hull readings between 4.2-4.9, [its 6 5 3mm originally} then surely it is repairable by spot welding.The surveyor's report said "monitor the hull sides with a view to repair/overplate. I am beginning to think {and I am quite prepared to be shot down about this} that many boats are overplated unnecessarily due to : Overcautious surveyors covering their backs. Overcautious insurance companies. Biased advice from boat repairers.{its obviously more profitable to overplate,than spot weld} The idea especially from newer boaters,and some more experienced ones too,that unless a boat is 10 6 4mm,then it needs overplating or it is in danger of sinking shortly. I think [ and again I am quite prepared to be contradicted ] that the durability of a boat hull depends on the quality of the steel used in construction. I know some contributors on this forum say steel is steel,but it is a fact is it not that some steel corrodes quicker than others. Also has the boat been blacked regularly and any other signs of corrosion treated. Only been boating two years,so I welcome any opinions/flak.

An all steel boat is arguably the best choice to live on,however,five grand will get you a really nice fibreglass cruiser.It may well need insulating and a heating system installing but you wouldn't need to get into debt. Norman cruisers are fairly cheap and plentiful,and you may find one with an inboard diesel.There are other makes of course,but I think to live on,it needs to be at least 23ft. A friend of mine lived for years quite happily on a 25ft Buckingham,admittedly with shore power and electric heating,and only moved off due to ill health. From what I have heard and read,your main problem is going to be finding somewhere to moor in the London area. Please let us know how you get on.

The first picture from JCO,looks like a rather wacky lifeboat conversion.Certainly when viewed from the front.

Forgot to add.There was a seven week wait for the drydock slot. Seems everyone gets work done on their boat in winter.

Had my boat surveyed and blacked by Furness Vale Marina last November. Day 1. Steam clean and survey. First blacking coat. Day 2. Second blacking coat. Day 3.Allow to dry. Out of dry dock at dawn Day 4. Drydock cost was £170 first day. £45 a day after.

It looks very much like my boat."Popsie"original steel spec,6,5,3mm.Built 1978,and has had the swim plate overplated at some time,but the rest of the hull is fine according to a recent survey. I value her around 12-15K,because of size and age,and the boat you have pointed out ,I think a little more,perhaps 15-18K,perhaps the price is a bit inflated because of the desirable mooring. The asking price may well be just a guide. As a matter of interest two boats that have been sold recently at my mooring one was initially priced at 22K,then reduced to 171/2K,and sold for 15K.The other 26K and sold for 18K. PS Are you the person who posted recently with the poor eyesight?

You have my sympathy for the diesel overflow.Had similar with my boat in that when I bought it a previous owner had put a load of broken paving slabs in the engine bay and I couldn't see any reason for this,because when I removed them,the boat was still in trim.They became contaminated with diesel drips and the stink found it's way into the cabin.Cleaning the engine bay with "Gunk" the smell of diesel gradually went,over a week or so. I think in your case,if your ballast is broken paving slabs,then the smell of diesel may well last for months.because the diesel will be well soaked in.May be best to dump the contaminated ballast,clean up the bilge,and put fresh ballast in.

Whatever oil is used,the important thing is to change it {and the filter} regularly well before it turns into black filthy grinding paste.

The advice from other contributors is good. I found that unless you can get an almost perfect surface to paint on,then gloss paint shows up every little blemish. I flatted back the old paint on mine,and used Dulux Weathershield Satin finish. It is a good finish,but not boat show standard.

The Cirrus Bombardier aero engine was a four cylinder in line,air cooled ,inverted engine producing 90hp.Made by Blackburn Aircraft,and fitted to various light aircraft pre and post war.Blackburn fitted them to some of their own biplanes,and they were also fitted to the smaller early Auster aircraft. I once nearly bought an aeroplane with a Cirrus Bombardier engine,a french designed Druine Turbi,but after a lot of thought,bought a different type.

Don't like cyclists on the towpath,but joggers I think are ok. Especially fit females in spray on jogging suits. A question for yous, at what age does a bloke change from being a young stud into a dirty old man ?

My username is very similar to another member,and he was here first,so could one of the mods tell me how to change it please?

Just Googled Ruston Bucyrus and several suppliers came up. european-diesels.co.uk/Ruston might be worth a phone call.

Thank you for the reply. Survey didn't note any other overplating. The survey says the swim plate has been overplated. I have heard it also called the uxter plate,and also the counter plate. Don't know for sure which,but if it's the bottom of the stern, just above the prop,then it only looks to be submerged only 3 or 4 inches. It could be that being closer to the surface, there is more oxygen in the water to cause corrosion.

Just replaced my flexi exhaust due to corrosion,and my getting a sore throat and cough on a recent longish cruise which I put down to my leaking exhaust. Tested my carbon monoxide detector with it's test button and it sounded off. Held it at the boat exhaust {engine running} and not a peep. Held it at my car exhaust {petrol engine} and I nearly jumped out of my skin,and it kept going for about a minute with no way to stop it. {I Felt a right prawn walking back to the boat with this thing squawking away in my pocket} My question is, why doesn't it react to diesel fumes? Is there one that does react to diesel fumes? Thanks for any answers.

Thank you for replying. Yours is the only answer so far,so the complete origins of my boat will remain a bit of a mystery.

Thank you and Arthur for that. As I've already bought the stuff, I will fit it.