Timleech
-
Posts
9,387 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Blogs
Store
Posts posted by Timleech
-
-
I disagree. Although I can't quote any sources at the moment, I've read somewhere, in a few different publications that the navvies in the 1830's named the Cheshire Locks Heatbreak Hill. Whether this is correct or not I don't know but as I said, I've read it numerous times from different sources so I'll go with that.
I've always believed 'heartbreak hill' to be an invention of early (1960's?) pleasure boaters, boatmen that I knew always talked of them as 'Cheshire Locks'
After all, they're not really 'heartbreaking' compared with some other lock flights!
Tim
-
Yeah can't understand that? Let the boat rest it's bow fender on the top gate, no need to hold it back then.
Obviously keep a constant check to see whether anything gets caught up.
I can understand the need to keep back from the cill with a plastic cruiser, but not with a steel nb.
Tim
-
Did have trouble in some locks holding the boat back by the engine and climbed out at a lot and held it by rope.
Why do you want to hold the boat back when going uphill??
Tim
-
It is typical of the attitudes within the BBC and others, they decided they would restore a boat, the logical thing may have been to approach a restorer with some experience or at least some knowledge of similar projects. Instead they go to one of their poncey chums who is more interested in Kensington loft conversions, he probably did one at some time for one of the limp wristed BBC lovies.
I didn't think the Beeb had anything to do with it?
I've never seen the programmes, mainly because they went out on some obscure cable channel IIRC??
Tim
-
I am sitting on the fence with my views on this at the moment.
But for anyone interested in the Canal Boat Builders Association Code Of Practise for the manufacture of category C and D metal boats of less than 24metres.
The final decision to adopt in full the COP will be made this July at the CBA AGM and I think there could be fire works!
You can view the final draft copy HERE
Having completed 3 boats this year with full compliance to the COP the result for the customer is a very good boat exceeding the legal requirements, but the increased cost is subject to a lot of debate!
I am quite happy to answer questions on the COP if anyone as any but I aren't going to get into an argument about it's worth because that will ultimately be put to the vote in July.
To save us trying to do the maths, can you tell us what the plate thickness requirements for the ISO standard are, for a typically framed narrowboat with 2m wide bottom?
Also is the CBA requirement for extra thickess just a way of being able to say that 'our members build superior boats' or does it have real merit?
There are some oddities, or statements of the obvious
"All continuously welded joints to be watertight."
and
B11 & B12 seem to say more or less the same thing:-
"B11 - Butt joints in bottom and side shell plating 6mm thickness or greater to be edge
prepared or back welded to provide full penetration.
B12 - Those over 12mm to be edge prepared and/or back welded."
Thanks
Tim
-
......... but what do you know about the lines and purposes of working narrowboats anyhow, the Star and Town classes whilst not having the flowing curves of a Josher for example were built by men who knew boats and how to make the most out what the companies ordered. Yes the bows on a town are bluffer than a Josher Steamer , but how dare you state that they could have chose a more attractive hull
I suppose your utopian boat is one of the Steve Hudson genre with more curves than a female german porn star ! and false rivets so you dont have to do so much maintainance
Baldock
Town Class No 106
Actually the lines aren't quite authentic 'Town Class' (large Woolwich) anyway
I bought her from BW at their big Northwich auction sale years ago, I'd gone there to try to buy a work flat but they were too much in demand! She'd been to Goole some years before for a 'BW rebuild', I had actually passed her on the M62!!
They had replated the counter apparently by removing the plating & allowed the framing to sag before welding up new plating. I decided to remedy that, & reshaped the counter to give a bit of lift almost like a small Woolwich, rather than the original flatter counter of the large version.
I'm told that when the new back cabin was put on for the TV people, it was done following the original Large Woolwich lines & it didn't look right with my reshaped counter, so they redid the whole thing
The stern looks quite good now, to my eye more pleasing though it's not 'authentic' & apparently it goes very well, but I wouldn't give tuppence for the conversion.
Tim
-
For more Wiki fun, it claims that a flat engine is one with horizontal pistons. Okay, so far so good but I'd assumed always that this meant opposing cylinders like a BMW R. But it then goes on to claim that a straight engine canted at 90° is then a flat engine merely because the cylinders are then in a horizontal plane, never mind that they are not opposed to each other. But who uses that definition? To me flat engine is opposing cylinders. A straight canted at 90° is still a straight albeit canted at 90°!
regards
Steve
That sounds like a Horizontal engine to me.
Like the Gardner HLW, HLX etc, built mainly to go under bus floors, where the 'H' is for Horizontal.
If Gardners called tham Horizontal, that's good enough for me
Tim
-
From a corrosion point of view, the closer to the prop the better. The anodes protect the steel hull from galvanic corrosion caused by the prop. Unless you have an aluminium prop in which case they protect the prop.
I have seen anodes fitted at the front of the swim and seen much worse hull corrosion near the prop when this is done.
I'll let someone else answer the question of water flow as I know slightly less than nothing about it.
Gibbo
That's the usual approach, though there is another argument along the lines that the anodes have a limited 'range', so the further forward you can get them within the physical protection of the counter, the greater the area of the hull that will be protected.
The anode manufacturers would probably like you to do both
Bigger boats/barges often have them on the rudder itself.
As for water flow, don't worry about it, I don't think you'll notice any difference.
Tim
-
Thanks for the feedback -
The base plate is not painted, but then I think that is very much standard for narrowboats(?)
The good news is that only the anodes had suffered, the hull is fine. It had four fairly chunky anodes, I guess about a foot long, one at each corner. My surprise (and concern) was not that they were dissolving, that is good, but the rate at which they were doing so. With no land line I had expected them to be in good shape, some erosion but not almost total. Two years with no land line has wiped them out, this surprised me, hence my posting.
The narrowboat on the slipway before me had no anodes, yes NONE, as in, never had any fitted! - and yes it was covered in pitting!
pictures:
http://homepage.mac.com/wjmartin/anode.jpg
They look like 2.8 Kg anodes, about right for the size of boat.
That's the condition I would expect after maybe 5 years, not two.
You may be right to suspect that there's 'something going on', & I don't think it's just an unpainted bottom plate.
Tim
-
That's the touble with the books, they are often so terribly out of date.
I last went in the Kinderton Arms 20 years ago. It did indeed look dour, but it was a bitterly cold day, with a howling gale and steady rain. We stopped and went in, got a friendly welcome and had a good meal. Admittedly any pub would have seemed welcoming in that weather, but a lot can change in 20 years (except the text inside Nicholson's)
It's now an Indian restaurant.
Tim
-
Don't think many of them got this far, but reading that Wikepedia thing I alighted on this:
Junkers Diesel aircraft engines. Take a look at these bloody things, must admit I had never heard of them before.
I think that's the design used as the basis for the Commer TS3.
Just trying, feebly, to get somewhere near back on topic, I think Junkers did produce a marine version of the design in sizes down to two cylinders, which would almost have fitted into a narrow boat.
Tim
-
Sorry, that is not a V twin, it is a parallel twin clearly showing two separerate con rods and big end bearings.
Well it's from the makers' manual for a Suzuki RGV250, which on page 1-9 says
"Engine type - Two-stroke, watercooled, 90deg V-TWIN"
http://www.suzukirgv250.co.uk/ServiceManua...n01/jpg_1-9.htm
From Wikepedia :-
True V-twin vs V-2
In a true V-twin engine, for example Harley Davidson engines, the two cylinders share a single crank pin (also known as a journal) on the crankshaft, therefore the "twin" nomenclature. Two cylinder, V shaped engines with separate crank pins for each cylinder are more properly called "V-2" engines, however, proper identification of V-2 engines is uncommon. They are frequently referred to as V-twin engines, too, although this is technically incorrect.[citation needed]
Ah, it says so in Wikipedia so it must be true
I must admit that I'd never been aware of that distinction, but it sounds as though most people ignore it anyway
Your original post was referring to V-twins, but were they really (according to your quoted definition)?
Tim
-
Don't think you have quite got the point either Phil. Unless you have some form of supercharger which these bikes certainly don't have, two stroke cylinders can't share a crankcase and if there are 2 crankcases they are not proper V twins.
I am still trying to find out what the format is.
Look at
http://www.suzukirgv250.co.uk/ServiceManua...03/jpg_3-29.htm
Clearly shows a 2-throw crank and divided crankcase.
Tim
-
That is probably the most likely answer though if they don't share a big end bearing it could be said they are not a true V twin, more a 'not quite vertical twin'.
I don't understand that contention. If there are two cylinders in a vee formation, then it's a vee twin, surely?
Some makers use in effect a 2-throw crank to try to get smoother running, but they're still vee twins.
Or am I missing something?
Tim
-
I am glad the anodes are doing their job but I was a little shocked to see them so disolved when I had deliberately chosen not to use my land line in order to protect the against this very thing.
Maybe they're just too small for the size of boat?
Some builders, and indeed some owners, will fit the smallest & therefore cheapest available, I've seen 1.5 Kg anodes on 70' boats. They won't last very long if you do that.
Tim
-
Beginning to regret starting all this, I think the 2 stroke diesel you are all thinking about is probably the Cummins. Beautiful all aluminium high revving engine with Routes Blower. The Commer was a pretty crude contraption with bell cranks and rods connecting the pistons to the cranks. The engine was usually mounted midships between the chassis members.
I certainly wasn't thinking of a Cummins 2-stroke, in fact I wasn't aware that they ever made one.
Maybe you are thinking of the GM/Detroit Diesel 2-stroke? That certainly used a ROOTS blower, as did the TS3
Here's a link to info on the Rootes-Lister:-
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/technical/TS3.htm
Tony, the stepped piston idea was very much 1950's DKW was one of them and I think DMW another. I am taking about a 100 bhp 250 bike racing last Sunday.And Tim, think about it, how do you have a divided crankcase with a 'V' twin, that's the whole point.
I wasn't referring to your motorbike engine (Suzuki based?), though I don't see why a divided crankcase shouldn't be contrived, more about the older marine 2-strokes such as Bolinders. I don't understand the suggestion that a V-twin must use a shared crankpin?
Edited to iclude a link
Tim
-
But 2 stroke diesels don't have the problem of transfer ports and crankcase compression.....The fuel comes from an injector, the air is blown in by a supercharger......
Not always. The Bolinder, Widdop, Petter 'S' & other similar 2-stroke diesels & semi-diesels used crankcase compression.
Multiple cylinders? No problem, just use a multiple or divided crankcase.
BTW, it was a 3 cylinder 2 stroke John, the Commer TS3. I understand Rootes were developing a 4 cylinder version in an attempt to squeeze more horses from it when they were swallowed up by Chrysler around 1969.And of course not forgetting the Napier Deltic 18 cylinder, 36 piston, 3 crankshaft 2 stroke unit used in rail locomotives on the east coast mainline...
Rootes were certainly working on a turbocharged version of the TS3.
And Listers marketed a marine version of the TS3, the Rootes-Lister
which like the commer TS3 had a *Roots* (no 'e') blower.
Tim
-
Whatever you choose, don't go for a square stern.
I had the doubtful privilege of collecting a boat with a completely square cruiser stern a few weeks ago, a 3-day trip at normal cruising rates which included coming down Cheshire Locks.
It was the only time I've really felt that a bow thruster might have been useful, as there was absolutely no way to steer the boat out of the lock tails, & often the option was to either bounce along the waterway wall for a while, or stop & push the bows out. Luckily the weather was good (cruiser stern weather).
Lots of room for socialising, but to my mind better for enjoying a drink in the evening sunshine after tying up than for boating.
Tim
-
Durite (and probably others) do an adapter kit with all sorts of threads, it might be worth arming yourself with one of those (as well as the matching gauge)
Tim
Forgot to say, if there's a choice go for the 'SAE' adapter kit. Chances are that it'll be a UNF or NPT thead.
No guarantees from me, mind
Tim
-
The oil pressure on my Perkins 499 (much the same has 4107 and 4108)is very low, but I'm sure it's a dodgy electrical sender. I want to replace it with a hydraulic unit, but don't know what size the engine fitting is. Does anyone know? It'll save me a long trip and a lot of faffing about if I know in advance.
Steve
Durite (and probably others) do an adapter kit with all sorts of threads, it might be worth arming yourself with one of those (as well as the matching gauge)
Tim
-
Does his trading name begin with 'M'?
Tim
-
Big horses. Kelvin k series petrol start diesels have the advantage of 21 (22?) brake horsepower per cylinder, available in 1,2,3 or 4 cylinder versions. (The single i saw said 21bhp) 'i think you'll find' (anorakish voice) a lister sr3 is under 20hp at 19. Sabb gg would suit a 30ft nb.
What's the Sabb 'gg'?
Is that the 2-cyl 'g'?
Singles were commonly fitted to boats around 30', 'Cheshire Plains' hire fleet & their partners in crime used them. A customer has a 40' boat with a Sabb single, had it for years & been everywhere with it & perfectly happy.
Not sure about 21 bhp/cyl being a great advantage on a narrow boat (unless you have only the one cylinder, of course
)The J2 is much more of a narrow boat engine.
Tim
-
Hi David.
As a very rough 'rule of thumb' we can reckon on one ton per inch of draught for a 50 -60 ft boat. If you had a 15mm bottom you would have had very much more of a problem. I make that an extra 5.5 cu. ft. of steel. What's that?
Something like 7.8 Kg/litre.
Get your calculator out!
Tim
-
Yes of course. I was mixing up ST and SR powers. In my opinion the ST is a far inferior (but more powerful) boat engine.
Agreed. So did a lot of people when the ST came out, which is why Listers brought out the Canalstar, basically (at the time) a reintroduced SR.
I know of one full-length butty which was motorised (30+ years ago) quite successfully using an SR2, it wouldn't win any races but it's still going.
Tim
)
Active anodes?
in Boat Equipment
Posted
Your anodes won't waste much if they're zinc, in fresh water
Tim