Timleech

Try Marine Engine Services in Uxbridge, to see whether they can supply a manual. email info@marineengine.co.uk HTH Tim

True, but it didn't happen instantly. AFAIR that sluice was passing water for a while before they managed to fix it, and (also AFAIR) it was two or three days before the full effects were felt at this end of the canal. Tim

Is it the cast iron housing which has split, or the bearing itself? What you probably have is one of these, or equivalent:- https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/product_i...oducts_id=21172 The midland chandlers job you show is more than likely a 'cheap & cheerful' equivalent. No problem with that, these things usually die from corrosion rather than wear. The plastic one you show needs no lubrication, & doesn't suffer from corrosion in the same way. They do wear, though, especially if the bit of shaft they're running on is a bit rough. Of course, whatever you fit must be for the right shaft diameter & there's no 'standard size'. 40mm is quite common, though, & the number you quoted looks as though it's probably a 40mm number Sometimes the grease nipple only greases the spherical seating in the bearing housing, & not the bearing itself. Replacement can be a bit more work than at first sight, separating the ram's head from the rudder shaft, and getting the old bearing off & new one on if the shaft is corroded or caked with paint can be quite time consuming. Tim

In that case I'd take out the glass & re-bed it in PU sealant. The same stuff will do very well to refit brass to steel, if you need to do that, but it could be seen as overkill. Tim

Is it leaking between brass and glass, or brass and (presumably) steel? Tim

When I were a little lad, in the 1950s, knew nothing of canals, I used to cycle to this spot http://www.search.windowsonwarwickshire.or...p;resource=7488 and wait on the bridge, as often as not wouldn't have to wait long for a pair of boats to come by. The chances of seeing the boats diminished rapidly within a few years. I remember being really disappointed on one occasion, after waiting what seemed ages & then giving up It's amazing how neat the towpath was at the time of the pic. Still in regular use as a towpath, but still amazing. Tim

It's from Yorkshire. They do things differently there <Ducks> Tim

I don't see that an alternator controller can significantly increase the maximum loading on the belt. However, if it's doing it job it will be increasing the total power transmitted over a time interval. Surely that will to some degree increase belt wear, though maybe not dramatically. Tim

The 'better grip' is probably a result of the easier bending. The technical name for the 'toothed' type is Cogged Raw Edge, or CRE. Tim

The main difference between the two is the depth of cross section. for the same top width. An old-style V-belt will run fine in a 'wedge' pulley, though it won't transmit as much power as a wedge belt. A 'wedge' belt, however, is likely to ride on the bottom of a V-belt pulley and therefore not work at all well. Using Fenners terminology, the wedge sections are SPZ, SPA, SPB, SPC, where the older V-belt sections are Z, A, B, C (for 10, 13, 16/17, 22 mm top widths respectively for both standards). I think some makers use other designations for the wedge belts. Tim

A lot of the Ernie Thomas boats, mentioned earlier, had Fowler (2DY??) twins, about 14hp. I think Chris Barney liked the Sabbs, as did the Cheshire Plains/Yorkshire Dales lot with their Piper-built boats. We ran three hire boats from here 30+ years ago, one had a watercooled Petter, one a Sabb twin, can't remember the third. Tim

Looks more like a Barney boat to me. Certainly not the 'standard' Rugby Boatbuilders fore-end. Tim

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I fitted new shaft & bearings to a boat earlier this year, the owner had a similar complaint. It turned out that the stern tube, an unusual design, had been incorrectly assembled such that there was no route for the grease to get to the tube at all. Water is quite a good lubricant at low pressures. It is useless at higher pressures, so the car engine analogy isn't appropriate. This is one reason why good sterngear has a long bearing, so that the pressures are low enough for water to do the job. It used to be that the grease was more to lubricate the packing, and help it to seal, than to lubricate the bearing. A bit of grease in with the water will always help, though Tim

A little bit of taper at the stern would be a huge benefit, mine has none at all The square stern doesn't allow any steering out of locks or away from walls, that was when I decided a thruster would actually be useful, I've never felt the slightest wish for one before. I appreciate the space consideration, but as I said a bit of shape would make a big difference and the loss of space would be trivial. Tim

Disregarding the rest of the hull shape, I for one would find the counter shape of the latter far better for boating with than the 'agricultural, geometrical design' of stern I've got a square-sterned narrowboat which I bought as an insurance write-off. It serves my purposes as a work-boat but it's a horrible thing to boat with. The stern is always getting in the way, & it's much easier to get in to 'trouble' with it. I can see why people want bow thrusters with that shape of stern Just my personal opinion. Tim

In that case there are probably studs screwed into the plate, or (less satisfactory) welded to it. I've never seen a setup like that which had *loose* bolts or nuts fitted from below, where below was inside the diesel tank! Tim

Working narrow boats have a very heavy rudder, almost always with the rudder post raked back at an angle. This combination of weight & angle means there's always a significant load on the rudder bearings in one direction and a very stiff rudder, so not much chance of any vibration being set up even with enormous play in the bearings. Modern pleasure nb's tend to have a much flimsier setup (usually too flimsy IMO), and a vertical or near-vertical rudder post. Result, very easy to start something rattling, and the only way to reduce the rattles, apart from a complete redesign, is to remove all the sources of play. BTW top rudder bearings on modern boats, when of the flanged type, are usually bolted into tapped holes or captive nuts. Tim

Up in the Frozen North (well, Cheshire ) it was always the Ram's Head even on a Motor Boat, also in the 1960s with the last vestiges of carrying boatmen, such as Wilow Wren's North West fleet, Anderton Canal Carrying Co etc. and the likes of Charlie Atkins & John Jinks. There may well have been regional variations, of course. Edward Paget-Tomlinson's "Illustrated History of Canal & River Navigations" supports me, but I'm sure there's also something in print from the 1960s or earlier which makes the point about the Ram's Head name being carried over from horse boats to motor boats. I just can't think at the moment what it might be Tim

No, the name Ram's Head was carried over to motor boats. Even though 'Swan's Neck' would be more descriptive. Tim

Traditionally, the Ram's Head (sic) is fitted on to a tapered square on the top of the rudder post, held with a bolt or nut. Some newer boats use a conical taper, that seems to work pretty well if properly made. Others have a parallel cylindrical fit with a key. The tapered square is the best of the lot, but would originally have been forged. The other methods are easier to do by machine. Tim

The problem is that the original construction isn't very well engineered. They use standard size of bar for the rudder post, and standard black iron pipe for the blade tube. There's quite a lot of clearance between the diameters, so there's more reliance on the pinch bolt than should be the case. Also the tube isn't very thick-walled, so the area of engagement with the through bolts is quite small and a little bit of vibration will soon open out the holes. Add to that the highly corrosive situation which the rudder is in, with aerated water and galvanic action from the prop, & it's not surprising that these often give trouble. A few owners seem to have no trouble at all, for no very obvious reason. Perhaps they never use their boats? One mod which seems to help is shaping the end of the pinch bolt so that it enters a dimple drilled into the rudder post. As, supplied, they usually seem to just use a plain set bolt. Tim

*One* conventional way is to weld the parts together. I generally offer customers the option of welding or improving the original fixings, letting them decided based on the pros & cons of each. Tim

The 'proper' tried & tested construction uses a large diameter rudder tube through the counter. With the top bearing removed, this allows the complete rudder to be lifted out of the cup on the skeg and dropped out beside the skeg. The dodges such as the LB one described (there are some others out there) allow the use of a small tube through the counter and in theory allow the rudder to be dismantled wile afloat, without the need for a deep bit of canal. Tim

Who built the hull? Liverpool Boats and quite a few others use a rudder blade welded to a piece of tube, the rudder post slides inside this tube and is secured with two through bolts and one pinch bolt. It's a p*ss poor system IMO, they are very prone to working loose. I've lost count of the numbers which I've dealt with, either with oversize or extra bolts and new pinch bolt, or simply by welding the tube to the post top & bottom. You should be able to find your pinch bolt, if you have one, by reaching through the weedhatch, it'll be halfway down the rudder blade, usually on the Starboard side. You might be able to get some temporary respite by slackening off the locknut, tightening the bolt firmly, and retightening the locknut. Better, take out the pinch bolt & fit a new one. Tim