frahkn

Nicknorman, Yes it is a Dakar - should have said earlier. I'll be boating this summer and have arranged to have some solar power fitted before I get back - will I be able to run this through the inverter to trickle charge the batteries while the inverter is switched off or will the problem be the same as with shore power? Frank.

Update:- OK, I’ve been back to the boat and the Mastervolt has three positions marked “off”, “on” and “remote”. This agrees with my copy of the instructions (the 2001 edition) at section 4. The rest of section 4 is not transparently clear but from my own experiments today, the charger does not work in the “remote” position. I realise that the inverter has been changed since my model but I don’t know how much of this was just cosmetic. Has anyone any idea how I can charge the batteries from shore power without leaving the inverter switched to the “on” position while I’m away? Thanks. Frank.

Possibly, although there doesn't seem to be much movement in the supports. From your answer I guess the supports are not in two parts - pity as I had hoped they were and that the tops could be unscrewed. Not that there is any evidence of this in my rail. Thanks. Frank.

Sorry, I'm obviously more stupid than usual today. Why is the problem intermittent? Thanks. Frank.

NMEA, Thanks. Just for my peace of mind, why/how does the element fault lead to an intermittent RCD problem? Frank.

I have a stove in the boatman’s cabin which looks exactly similar to an Epping except that:- 1) There is no name at all on mine 2) The draft control on the ash tray door is a brass circle (in the Epping photos it seems to be black) 3) On the bit immediately between the stove and the chimney (the fire box?) there is not a square door. Instead there is a circular brass piece which lifts off. Does anybody recognise this stove and can they suggest a parts source? Also, can you tell me how the brass fiddle rail can be removed? Thanks. Frank.

Thanks all, will look more carefully when back on the boat! Frank.

Sorry, my reply was made before I had seen the later ones - slow typing or slow connection I suppose. I will try this first, thanks. Nicknorman. It's a Mastervolt 12/2500-100 but I doubt that the manual which I have for it is the correct one (or otherwise it is but I cannot summon the will to read it properly) - I have only owned the boat for 11 months. There is only one switch on the front. This does have three positions but I didn't think any of them was "charger only". I will check again next time I am on the boat - if this is an option then I have been incredibly stupid but thank you for pointing out the possibility, it will certainly make life simpler if it is the case. Frank.

But could the problem not be in the immersion wiring somewhere prior to the element itself? If it was what would be a good method to spot this? My tool box doesn't run to things like earth leakage clamp meters.

Hi, I have just spent a week on the boat, getting it ready for the summer trip. I encountered a few problems, including the two electrical ones below. Can I have the benefit of your collective advice please? One. I left the boat for a month on shore power for a month (as I have in the past without any problem) but on my return found the RCD’s on the power pillar and on the boat tripped. I have no idea when this occurred but the battery control showed -132 amps. There was absolutely nothing but the combi inverter/charger switched on, so this can only have been the power used by the inverter itself. Does this often happen? Can I do anything to reduce the likelihood of a reoccurrence? Would it be better to forget trickle charging the batteries and simply switching the inverter off for the month in future? Two. I have an immersion heater fitted to my calorifier which is used, when on shore power, to save running the engine or using extra gas. For the first time, this has started tripping the boat’s RCD but only intermittently. The tripping occurs irrespective of whether any other 230 volt appliance is switched on or not. Could anyone give me advice on practical steps to use in tracing the problem – for example, what should I test (and how) before assuming the element is the problem – I don’t want to remove this on the off-chance that it is the culprit. Thanks. Frank.

Not so much 'learned to live with' as covered the speedwheel with enough layers of scalp to provide a good cusion! I'm still thinking about the change. A factor in favor is that the morse cables slightly foul the Epping stove and cannot be rerouted, reverting to the speedwheel would solve this issue. It is largely a question of nerve, it would be a pity to screw up in a 'fixing it when its not broken' situation.

Yes, that's the hole which I meant - the start of the old enterance - by the little bit of iron fencing. It's marked on the map as a full length winding hole but I just could not get round. Mind you, it is a 70' deep draughted boat and I don't have much experience with it yet - but I made several serious efforts!

My boat weighs 20 tons according to the crane at Thames and Kennet. It also weighs 16 tons according to the Tuckey's mobile crane. So much for the accuracy of crane calibration - the 23 tons recorded by Dom's crane may also not be accurate. MtB MtB I'll let Dominic speak for himself as to the accuracy or not of the crane which he used but I noticed that he replaced the area of hard-standing on his wharf, immediately after lifting my boat - there may be no connection of course. You may be correct about the ballast - I only know that ther is none in the areas (the back and front) which are not tiled. Leo No 2 I have a beta 43 but see your point - perhaps I am making an incorrect assumption about the ballast - if I can source some matching tiles, I will take one up and check. Frank.

Thanks for the replies so far, I should point out that we both still love the boat and think (like most owners) that it really stands out from the rest, both internally and externally. Curchward and others asked what eccentricities I meant, below is a list of some (I am not on the boat at the moment), not all of which irritate me but which are at least odd. The gas locker (in the bow) was designed to take only 3.9kg bottles – it has since been altered, by adding a 6” sill to the hatch opening, so that it will take 1 (but only 1) 13kg bottle. The boat weighs (per Dominic’s crane) 23 tons yet there is virtually no ballast, instead the boat is floored, for three quarters of its length, with quarry tiles. None of these can be lifted to gain access to the bilge. The Beta 43 is about 15’ forward of the stern and is offset against the port side. The drive is not hydraulic but a three piece cranked prop shaft. This leaves the engine partly in the bathroom (cocooned at the foot of the bath) and partly under the bed. Bathroom and back cabin/bedroom are separated by two bulkheads 14” apart. These bulkheads have a hospital silencer and the pump-out pipes between them so further limit engine access. The starter motor is almost completely inaccessible. There is a complete speed-wheel/push pull control, including cabling but a morse control has been retrofitted, the cables of which pass too close to the back cabin boatman’s stove but cannot be easily re-routed. Eight feet of the internal fit out is taken up with a desk/shelf running down one side with a bench opposite (with storage under) from which anybody seated cannot reach the desk. I have a much longer list of good points but these are only some of the odd ones.

My boat is a 10 year old "tug style" 70' narrowboat built by Orion boat builders. It wasn't what I really set out to buy but we fell in love with its looks and went for it. 8 months on I still feel the same about the looks but am a bit fed up with some of the many excentricities of the build. I wonder if it was a one off, built to the original owners specification or if they were all more or less like this. If you have (or have had) an Orion boat, or know of them, I would like to hear from you, in this thread or by pm if you prefer. Thanks. Frank.

I have had section 2 of the 'control of dogs order 1992' drawn to my attention by someone. This says that I must have my name and address on my dog's collar. When away from home for long periods on the boat, I think this leaves my home at increased risk of burglary. I have tried to research to see if there have been any prosecutions under this section (surely not) but can't find anything. Any ideas?

First, thank you very much for taking the time to give a detailed reply, I’m very grateful. Secondly, I don’t intend to actually do anything now, I just thought some future planning would be useful. I completely take your point about worrying myself to an early grave but I am slowly getting used to this boat (which I bought last May) and have only just spotted this potential problem. I would like to plan ahead but I am inexperienced with diesel engines and have difficulty thinking about it in the absence of a better understanding of the possibilities. I have never needed to replace a crankshaft on a car but I have had to get a new starter motor fitted. My manual only shows the engine from the right side and while I have a good general photograph of a Beta from the left, this only emphasises how awkwardly the starter is placed. My problem is that there is absolutely no access from the right hand side or the front and very limited access from above or the rear. The only part of this under my control is access from above – which I could improve by removing or altering the partitions. This would have to be thought out carefully as you point out – at present I am trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to gather the information to do. As for cutting an access hatch, unfortunately this would have to be in the side or bottom of the boat to be useful!! It’s difficult to explain the precise problem, I can’t post photos at present but will raise this topic again when I can. Frank.

Captain Fizz, Alas its not a hydraulic drive (wish it was) instead there are 3 separate python drives to the final shaft. I don't follow the rest of your post - it's because I anticipate some dismantling that I need a manual. Bigste, Sorry, I've got that but thanks. Bobbybass, You are exactly right about "cobbled to fit a gap" but isn't it possible that removing the exhaust manifold and the water header tank (and perhaps the oil cooler) would allow access to the starter motor from above? I would rather move the partitions - annoying but cheap labour (my own) than pay expensive labour to have the engine lifted. Thank you for the offer of a copy of the exploded diagram - I would be grateful for this. I am worried that if the starter fails, I will end up speaking to some yard in a position of total ignorance, I can't even see it for god's sake. I am near Stone, if you are near and want to see it (its sometimes good to have a laugh) just give me a shout. Frank.

Does anyone know where I can get hole of a “workshop manual” for my Beta 43 – something akin to the old Haynes guides? The starting motor on my engine is completely inaccessible because of the way the engine is installed, I can’t really even see it! I need to understand the best way to get to the starter motor - the way which will involve least disassembly, and for that some sort of mechanic’s guide would be helpful. My Beta is on the left side of the boat, tight against the hull and is both cocooned and topped by two half partitions running across the boat. These are about 14 inches apart and the intervening space is occupied by a hospital silencer and plumbing for the pump-out toilet. The starter is now 10 years old and as far as I know, has so far given no trouble – but it can’t last forever and I’m worried that we will have to take the boat apart to get to it when it goes wrong. Or at least that the boatyard will tell me so and charge accordingly. Any help gratefully accepted. Frank.

FidoDido, Thanks - I have made a note of the name for the future - we expect to be in the Shardlow area later this year or early next. To avoid confusion - the bubble tester would not fit in any position in the gas locker and remain checkable - this is a design issue with the boat, not any problem of the fitter's. Frank.

In case anyone wants to know how this turned out:- The marina’s recommended gas fitter came and replaced the rubber hose and regulator in the gas locker. This was an awkward, difficult to reach, job which he cheerfully completed in the rain – so good on him. This cured the slow leak into the locker, so was an important job in itself. The bubble tester was not fitted – he felt that the only possible location was under the gunnel, immediately outside the gas locker, where the gas pipe emerged from the locker. I thought that in this position the bubble tester would be too vulnerable to damage, either accidental or deliberate, so in the end we decided not to have a tester at present. Incidentally, the new regulator came with a pressure dial – I know that these got short shrift on this site recently – so I’ll let you know if it proves useful. I did not ask for it so have no axe to grind either way. Frank

My calorifier vents into the bilge at the rear, just below the stern tube. I don't think this is a particularly good idea - though we do have an automatic bilge pump located there. I have never noticed a major discharge from the calorifier but there is a regular drip - not much but more than from the stern tube - at least when stationary. The calorifier itself is below the waterline so perhaps this is the only alternative. Frank.