Timleech

Look at http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/images/B...d_and_Wales.pdf for a start Tim

The locker doesn't have to hold gas *under pressure*, it just has to ensure that any leakage falls out through the drain. As I see it there should be no problem drilling holes in it, so long as you fill them up again (with approved material). Tim

Quite possibly, I believe they arrived during Saturday. (I wasn't there myself) Tim

I wasn't saying 'don't do it', just that it might not be as simple as your little list implied Also the 'contingency plan' might just be a ball of greasy rag to stuff in the hole. Someone who isn't used to that sort of work could easily panic at the sight of water rushing into their boat, it helps to have a 'plan B' if you're not used to improvising in a hurry. Be aware if you do lose the key (the keyWAY is the slot it goes into), that they are not all created equal. Yes, a lot of them are just square section stock, but sometimes the keyway in the prop (usually, though sometimes the shaft) isn't quite deep enough & a new key would need to be filed down to fit (I had to do one on Friday for a new prop, it's not that unusual). If the prop sits on top of the key, instead of on the taper, it will work loose, & I've seen propellor bosses cracked where they have been tightened hard onto a tight key. If you are determined to take the prop off under water, slacken off the nut without removing it (always a good plan), then when the prop is loose on the taper, turn the shaft until you can feel the key/keyway at the top. Then remove nut & prop without turning shaft, & you should then be able to carefully remove the key with mole grips or whatever. Tim

I'd be a bit concerned if removing the prop under water was a simple matter. It's mounted on a taper, for good reason, and it should need significant force to remove it. Also reassembling it under water and ensuring it is tight, with the split pin properly fitted (often involves drilling a fresh hole) would be a bit iffy. You would also want a contingency plan in case the plastic bag became dislodged. Tim

Yes, usually screws in a long way, maybe 60mm or so. You might get away with screwing it most of the way out, & wrapping tape or other sealant on the exposed thread then retightening. These things usually start leaking because whoever assembled it compromised on getting both threads tight because the position of the supporting plate wasn't exactly right. The risk is that whatever you do to seal it may only be temporary, and it will start leaking again sooner or later, unless you can make sure that both threads (the brass tube is threaded both ends) are tightened fully home. THis might involve drilling fresh holes in the support plate, or even cutting it out and rewelding it after the tube assembly has been tightened. Tim

More pics here. You should be able to make out that the knees were replaced like for like. As far as I remember (it *was* 29 years ago!) the Starboard side wasn't as bad at the stern, we didn't replace nearly as much, Maybe that has been replanked since then? Tim

No offence taken, it was said rather tongue in cheek No, not sure what you're referring to with the stern (or back end? Hotel boats don't have a 'back end'!). I'll try to post some pics of the stern when I've got time. No prob sending her the pics, I'll email you some higher res versions if you like. Cheers Tim

I used to be quite proud of some of the work I did 30 or so years ago, until I read that Pride is allegedly one of the seven vices, though Tim

Wasn't it the case that the GU abandoned plans to use wide beam craft after the widening scheme was completed, decided that pairs of Narrow Boats were much better suited to the (improved) canal, partly because of difficulties with wide craft passing one another?? Or has that been conveniently forgotten by those who wish to keep wide craft on the GU today? Tim

They eat other insects, I believe, and are quite useful. My wife is liable to die if she is stung, especially if out of easy reach of a hospital, but has made a bit of a study of them & has a sneaking admiration for something which she has to treat 'as if it were a venomous snake'. They're usually only a problem at the end of summer, when they tend to fly much lower and make a nuisance of themselves, but their usual behaviour patterns seem to have been a bit mixed up over the last year or three. Tim

Gardners, back in the 'sixties when Turbo diesels first became popular for waggons & Gardners wouldn't have anything to do with such things, issued dire warnings about the use of 'turbo' oils in their engines, presumably because of the bore glazing issue. I can think of no other good reason. Lister-Petter have offered their own branded oil for years because the standard offerings are too high a spec and their use can lead to bore glazing. There are special products marketed by some oil companies specifically to break down bore glazing (and I'm told that they work!). I don't think these things would happen if bore glazing were just a mischievous invention. There are other reasons for running with the engine in gear, as discussed here & elsewhere. Also very good reasons for not doing so. I don't know about any 'canteen culture', I work by myself most of the time & haven't been inside a canteen for about 30 years, & never one where such things might be discussed. As it happens I have been working on engines (and boats) for 35 years, and I've seen genuine bore glazing from time to time Tim

Yes, it's a characteristic of the design (mechanical servo clutches, I believe, like many Hurth boxes. Never seen inside one, though) M4.17/ Technodrive TMC60 Nice enough engine, but I wouldn't choose that gearbox for the job. Tim.

I think you'll find that most or all 'mechanical' boxes in our size range use splash lubrication. Nothing wrong with that if it's done properly, but it's a bit poor if it relies on the engine being in gear for the input shaft bearings to get any oil. Actually the size of alternator (including Travelpower) being frequently fitted now would make a sizeable dent in the power output of a 'properly sized' engine for a narrowboat. It's when you get into the 40+ hp commonly seen now that there's a big mismatch. Another way of dealing with the issue is having an engine driving a hydraulic pump, and hydraulic motor on both the alternator - which can be a 'proper' mains voltage job as big as the engine output - and on the prop shaft. Fairly expensive, though, compared with a mass-produced engine/gearbox/alternator combination. Tim

Oh yeah?? Vetus M4.17, 42 bhp @ 3000 rpm http://www.abcpm.co.uk/vetus/diesel/ Technodrive TMC60, as fitted to the Vetus M4.17 (that's what is on mine) 'Pleasure craft' rating 47 bhp @3000 rpm 'intermediate' rating 40 bhp @ 3000, 'continuous' 26 bhp @ 2300. http://www.technodrive.it/italy/invertitor...epl_TMC_60E.pdf Hardly 'overrated' in my book. Only just big enough, more like. Tim

Not neccessarily true. It would if the box were well designed. Parsons gearboxes, of pious & immortal memory, were splash lubricated. They had a big oil collector/thrower ring on the input shaft, this picked up oil from the bottom & threw it up to a crude gallery sort of thing under the lid, whence it ran down to the places where it was needed. Of the Technodrive, and what arrangements it has, I know nerthing. Tim

Lots of room for confusion here (apart from the talk of 'rods'). Are you talking about a 'cratch' for a pleasure boat, or for a former working boat? Strictly the term cratch, as originally used with working boats, referred to the whole (demountable) assembly including the canvas etc. Maybe you knew that & that's what you were asking for? If not, I don't think there's anything terribly technical or particular conventions to follow. BTW I have a hardwood glazed 'cratch' & top plank assembly from a 'Liverpool clone' to dispose of, not very old, it needs reglazing though. Tim

Largely theoretical ? Entirely real. I can't comment on whether the Vetus/Mitsubishis are prone to it, but it really can happen, with some engines, especially using modern high-spec oil. If you choose not to believe me, that is up to you Tim

It's been suggested to me that the Technodrive box isn't well suited to canal use, with its regular manoevring for locks etc., but I couldn't possibly comment (although I do have one, more by accident than design) Tim

I don't think anyone said it had a lower viscosity than ordinary blacking It does have a lower viscosity, and less 'body' than Rytex, but that's not quite 'ordinary blacking' in my book. I reckon 4 coats of PP should make a pretty good job. Tim

Yes PP is a Rylard product, though it's also sold under the 'Bitumastic' brand. Yes, it's fine over Rytex, they are both Bitumen paints. We usually allow 24 hours betwwen coats, a bit less sometimes in ideal summer drying weather, occasionally more if the conditions are bad. With all these things, it's at least as important to have one coat dry before applying the next, as to have the final coat fully dry before going back in the water. Otherwise you can end up with solvent trapped in the lower layers, and have paint staying soft for weeks or even peeling off. Tim

Yes. First, Premium Protection works better into any pitting than does Rytex, as it's thinner, there's less risk of it 'bridging'. That's why I use it for a first coat. Second, PP is harder and shinier than Rytex, so cosmetically is better for the top coat and may actually be more durable. No, I haven't done any scientific testing on this. Third, PP is quite a bit cheaper per litre than Rytex. Three 'full' coats of Rytex (not thinned by heating or by solvent) would be a fairly expensive business. AFAIK some of my local competitors use just a couple of coats of the cheapest bitumen they can get hold of, I think that my system (pat. pending )gives a *much* better result than that while keeping the cost within bounds. Tim

Maybe in that case a CC licence isn't applicable, & shouldn't be granted?? Tim

Any chance that water has got into the cylinders, either through the air intake or exhaust? Another route is a blown head gasket, but I'd expect that you would have noticed some sort of change in the way the engine was running last time you used it. I don't know whether this is something the Kubotas are prone to. I'm sure others will know, though. Tim

Warming does make a big difference to the viscosity, and to how much you use. We generally only do that in very cold weather. Having said that, 3 coats of 'warmed' Rytex probably gives a pretty decent coating thickness. We do first & last coats in Premium Protection, which is much thinner than Rytex, probably use about 4 to 4.5 x 5l total on a 57' boat. Tim