booke23

It's a brilliant spot with a lovely view of Dinas Bran, I spent some time there the summer before last. It even has rings, although in contrast to most of the Llan it is a bit noisy due to the proximity of the A539....maybe not so much of an issue in winter when your windows are closed!

No, Frankton is way before Grindley so no need to actually go down. Personally I wouldn't go down Grindley unless you happen to be very ahead of schedule.....you can get tied up there for hours and hours.

It's worth joining the sea otters owners club here: https://www.seaotterowners.org.uk/ It's £10 for life which gives you access to manuals and a members only forum where you can ask any questions you might have.

On the contrary....one of the few canals in the country to have plenty of water at the moment! I'd agree with what's already been said. Go with the flow and see the sights.....Wixhall moss is worth a look too.

North. Large parts of the south 'wide' network are not ideal for wide beams....especially the K&A which has a lot of awkward narrow sections these days.

It's funny, I was just thinking that myself last night. Where I'm moored up at the moment, there is a 20ft cruiser that keeps going past.....the owner just goes on short pleasure cruises from their home mooring. It's got an electric outboard, and as they silently went past last night at sunset, it occurred to me how nice it must be. He also has what looks like a 200w solar panel on the roof, so at this time of year he probably gets his propulsion battery completely charged for free.

I agree, and you've got the best bit to come, the aqueduct and the last few miles to Llangollen.....a truly spectacular few miles of canal.

Yes, Moats can be annoying....especially when you can't get the drawbridge down. *Sorry @MtB I couldn't resist!

August is quite a good time to do the Llangollen as most private boaters avoid it thinking it's going to be manic....The Grindley Brook lock keeper I was chatting to confirmed this and said September is busier. I went up it in September once and it was definitely worse than August!

I did see a very nice one last year I think, with a front mounted cocooned engine and hydraulic drive so they do appear occasionally. However the whine from hydraulic drive is not insignificant, so I think hybrid electric would be the holy grail, but that'll cost ££££.

I've been up and back a few times in August in the last few years and it was fine. Who knows this year though.

That’s what he’s already got……he wants quieter than that!

Not by modern standards, but I was thinking in relative terms. But you raise another good point....ie the same vintage engine could sound quite different from one boat to another depending on installation.

I was also thinking Lister JP2, but I don't know how much fettling @Tigerr wants to be doing......they do like greese on their nipples every morning.

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Thanks, damn autocorrect! I've fixed that now.

On reading the title of your post, I immediately thought of Gardner which you've already seen. I'd say anything slow revving that has a silencer should fit the bill....some vintage engines have straight through exhausts and have quite a bark from the exhaust so you'd want to avoid that. I always think the Russel Newberry DM2 sounds refined and quiet.

Here's a diagram showing the methods Alan has already described. However sometimes you do see throttles where the top of the lever is pulled upwards for neutral as illustrated by the arrows on the lever below.

Yes I know.....it seems their customer service is very good.

Well, why bother if Thetford are willing to keep sending parts for free!

That's a shame. The flow chart now suggests you replace the flush button control panel, but I'd test the wiring between the panel and reed switch before you do that.....unplug the wiring harness from the reed switch circuit board and unplug the other end from the control panel. Use a multimeter in continuity mode to test each plug terminal.......it's not beyond the realms of possibility that a wire was nicked or crushed during installation.

Before owning a boat, I hired quite a few boats with Barrus shire engines with galactic hours and they all ran well. I also like the checker plate step they put on the top of the engine, very handy when clambering around in the engine bay. The only downside is they are a bit smoky at idle...a normal characteristic, something to do with swirl chambers. Of course any of the marinised industrial engines should be good for many many hours.

This is a very good point. So if you were building a boat and couldn't get a Beta engine, what would you choose? My alternates in order of preference: 1. Barrus Shire (Yanmar) 2. Nanni (Kubota) 3. Vetus (Mitsubishi)....with great reluctance as their spares are a complete rip off.

I've looked closely at recon PRM 90s and PRM 150s for myself, and I agree....there's not enough difference in cost to be worth it. No. The main thing is that the gearbox be functioning, whether it's a PRM 120 or a PRM 150.

Yes the PRM 150 is a much better gearbox. I’ve looked into this particular issue myself as my PRM 90 is slipping. The problem is you could probably spend £900ish on a new PRM125 and replace it yourself. Or you could spend £1350ish on a PRM150 plus £100 for the oil cooler (required on the PRM150) and then probably have to pay someone to fit it all as the engine will require realignment…..annoyingly the PRM150 isn’t an exact drop in replacement due to it’s differing dimensions. Not sure what an engineer would charge for this work…..say £300? So the total bill is circa £1750 for the PRM150. Only you can decide if the extra £800 is worth it……if you intend to keep the boat for a long time or do lots of hours per year it probably is.