BigRoj
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Posts posted by BigRoj
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Beeston lock from the Trent to the Beeston canal varies from bugger all to a foot. In fact there's generally one paddle open on both sets of gates, as requested by BW, so there is a steady flow of 'fresh' water into the Beeston/Nottingham canal.
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Meadow Lane lock, the first lock onto the Nottingham canal from the River Trent, near Trent Bridge, will be closed from the 5th-18th November.
The bottom set of gates are being replaced (at last!)
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IIRC, when I was there a month or so ago, during the floods, I went to get a brochure for a friend from the Hire-a-canal-boat office, and was surprised to notice there were a few companies operating from the same office.
Could be Robin Hood was one of those.
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ITT also own Flygt pumps, probably the best water/"suspended solids" pumps in the world!!!
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Even Lignum Vitae? You don't much about that anymore, except from men with odd shaped balls bowls!
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If the rot hasn't gone too far into the ply but it's difficult to dry out I'd look into using boron/borate preservative rods or gel.
These are put into holes in the wood, if there is any damp around they dissolve slowly and the preservative goes into the wood.
cheers,
Pete.
Thanks Pete, duly noted!! I shall look into this.
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Thanks for all your replys, I've just caught up with them all.Since discovering this problem I've been busy on a plan of action and course of remedial/replacement work.The first thing I did was to make sure no more water could get to the drain holes, and let the air circulate around to start drying out the exposed wood of the transom.The boat is coming out of the water this weekend so that the motor can be removed and the S/S transom plate taken off. I'm a bit concerned also that this plate is screwed to the transom, some screws below the waterline, but having looked at other boats I find this isn't unusual.Once out of the water and under cover, depending on the extent of the fungal/rot depth, if it isn't too bad, ie no more than a 4in diameter, then the idea is to dig the worst of it out, then attach a vacuum pump to the hole, apply a modicum of heat from a hot air blower and suck like billyo for an hour or so and repeat this process for a few days until there is an acceptable moisture content, that is the same as normal wood. Then the idea is to inject a special resin into the wood which not only kills any fungal spores left, but also bonds into the wood to make it as strong as the original structure.If it's very waterlogged then I may have to drill a small drain hole at the lower edge of the transom to allow any free water to drain. Mind you if it's that bad that there is water flowing from the bottom of this drilled hole then it's going to be a new transom. I have access to some inch and eighth 20 layer marine ply which should do the job if required.I think that this has been caused by a manufacturing defect when it was built, as the boat is only 8 years old, and the glass/fibre around the drain hole was cracked or not done properly to begin with.
It has what looks like gills, very similar to the underside of an open cup mushroom, but the fungus itself is very dense, took some chopping off!!what does the underside of the fungi look like? -
We had a week away in Greece last week, and before I went I checked the boat over to make sure it was safe and secure, no taps on, electric\gas\fuel off, that sort of thing.
So yesterday when I went to check it over I was gobsmacked to find this lot growing out of the transom:
They are growing out of one of the drain holes!
Thoughts of chopping them off, putting them under the grill with some garlic butter and Dolcelatte, and having them for supper soon disappeared as I realised that had they been edible the resident wildfowl would have had them before now!!
However, it became apparent after I'd removed them that they were growing out of the transom wood itself, as sticking a finger into the drain hole revealed it to be spongy and soft.
This looks as if it could be a mammoth task, eradicating the rotten wood, especially if it has spread. With the transom being possibly the most critical structural member on the boat, supporting the engine and transmitting the thrust from the engine to the rest of the boat, it has to be absolutely perfect, with no weak points.
Has anyone had any experience of this? And does anyone know of any product that kills wetrot stone dead that ISN'T harmful to the waterways? Cuprinol do some stuff but it is extremely harmful to aquatic life, so it can't be used.
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I would imagine with a 4 stroke outboard of 15hp or bigger, such as the BigFoot series, you would have better fuel consumption than your diesel.
And better steering response too!
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Comparing a car's starter battery, where all it ever has to do is start the engine, with use of a battery as a boat domestic is comparing apples with oranges. They are not the same job. The former is about 1AH discharge each time, the latter will regularly discharge a battery to half its capacity.
Also, in what way specifically do you feel gel batteries are "better" than a normal wet lead acid battery. They are 2-3 times the cost, need very careful charging and don't take abuse like a wet lead acid.
Although they are "maintenance-free" so would a wet lead-acid be maintenance-free if it were treated as gently as a gel battery.
Chris
I would beg to differ Chris on the costing of gel batteries, I have a very good 40ah bought for £35 which is doing sterling service as a do-all, high current drain (starting) and low current drain (lights etc). 2 years old, still in prime condition, and still the same price!!
Plus you aint go to worry too much if you tip it up.
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Are you referring to Sealed lead acid/gel type batteries? Or the AGM lithium ion things?
SLA/gel type are very good, often better than a 'normal' leadacid battery, as long as they have the correct charger and are subject to proper use, such as use in 'leisure' type applications, ie, constant drain.
(just had a thought-I've recently changed the battery in SWMBOs MX5, which was a Gel type SLA, been on for 12 years w/out any problems)
So ignore all that b*ll*cks above, you pay your money and take your choice!!!
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Thats Compass Rose with you!! There's a sister boat in our marina, Scarlet Rose, looks similar but got a better fit-out I believe.
Looks pretty calm Malc, no-one shouted For Ralph & Huey?
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Daughter uses a Mooncup. First time I clapped eyes on it thought it was an eyebath, albeit an unusually large one and a funny shape to boot!!
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The emergncy belts mentioned by Chris, were available in Halfords years ago, do not know if they still have them, not been in Halfords for a long time.
Dreadful things, the idea was good but the execution wasn't! They were a round section that you cut to length then poked a 'joiner' in the cut ends to bring them together (they were hollow)IIRC you couldn't have too small a pulley as the joiner wouldn't go round it properly.
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Here's a handy bit of kit to have, an adjustable fanbelt,
It's made up of separate links joined together with a twisty pin thing.
I've had this years, and never needed it thankfully.
I have no idea where I liberated it from, I seem to remember it was on a roll and it was for an industrial application.
It was to be used as a temporary 'get you to the nearest garage/chandlery/pub' fix until a proper one could be got.
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Can I ask why do you need to know ???
It'll be for school, to impress teacher, you see!!
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And when it finally gives up the ghost, a brand new 1000kw 4 stroke genny will still only cost you 120 quid from costco
Wow, gotta get me one of those 1000Kw things, all for £120? Do PowerGen know 'bout them?
In the same vein, B&Q are doing a 1000W 4 stroke genny for £80.
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If its a Honda it will run on unleaded, and the min will be 85RON petrol. So any old s/market tat will do. Even Morrisons.
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Ahoy Matey's! Can anyone give me some pointers on how to keep the cold out and heat in on my many windowed glassfibred boat? I am using heating from the shore point (not gas or anything onboard). Thank You. Burrrhhhy Much! (((*;*))) ps It's on the hard at the moment. I also need advice (more so really!!) on antifouling - new to boats as you may have gathered!
Hello HRP, welcome to the only website you'll ever need!!
Anyway, antifouling. There are loads of different types of AF paints, for both sea and fresh water. Hard, soft, with Teflon, silicon, most have copper oxide as the "poison", some have to be immersed in water within 24hrs of application, some are ok for 6 wks before immersion. But one thing they all have in common is that they ain't cheap!! Anywhere from £20 a litre upwards. You would be best asking a chandlery for a paint which will go on top of a previously applied AF paint (assuming it has some on the hull)
As long as the hull is cleaned of 'growth' and the original AF is 'roughed' before application, you should be ok. Mine is done every 3 years, the green stuff is jet washed off, the hull is allowed to dry and then the AF paint is put on. So far, not had any problems.
Curtains are a good start for keeping heat from escaping. Then there is the heater itself. What sort of engine does your boat have? Inboard, outboard, diesel or petrol. And what sort of fuel tank do you have? Plastic removeable or fixed metal? All these factors are important when choosing a source for your heating.
One of the best and safest forms of heating is the blown air system, such as Eberspacher, Webasto or Propex.
If you have a gas cooker, then a gas blown air heater could be a possibility. If you have a diesel engine then ,again, a diesel fired system may be best.
Failing all this, I have heard that alcohol, taken internally, is jolly good for keeping you warm
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Try putting 'Passerelle' in Google search. You'll get just what you want!!!!
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Anyone want a watery motorway?
We have them, they're called rivers, 8mph downstream, 6mph upstream!! Supersonic or what?
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They are pretty average prices, not far off manufacturers RRP. This is the problem with Marine goodies, its a fairly narrow market, and there is a particular type of boat owner who will pay almost any amount for something mundane as he doesn't know any better (and which doesn't help the rest of us). Thankfully, most of this type have their boats moored on the coast!!
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Powergen marketing it? I'll not hold my breath! Not many companies market a product that will take business away from them.
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I have a CHP device that generates more heat to the cabin/water system than we can ever use, gives over 1000W of electrical energy (soon to be double) and consumes about a litre of diesel per hour. It also has a small advantage that it can push the boat along very well. It is a Vetus 415.
Exactly, so why bother! Would be good for the 'raggy' types though who rely on wind. As the Stirling engine principal was discovered around 1815, and its main use to date is in nuclear powered submarines with their almost limitless heat supply, there is obviously not a great demand for them.
Mind you, IF we are in for a global temperature rise, then they might come into their own!!!!
When did it stop?
in Boat Building & Maintenance
Posted
Regarding your title Gary-'When did it stop being simple'-I was reflecting on cars earlier today whilst at work and when they actually stopped being owner friendly repairable and became all electronic. It must have been around the time when the average 1800cc car engine went from producing 90hp to 130hp along with strapping an ECU to the twiddly bits on the engine.
Why do we need all these electronicals, surely the only electronic bit needed on an engine is the ignition unit. A good mechanical fuel injection system (K-Jetronic) would suffice, and provide a thoroughly burnt mixture for the cat to convert.
Yes, I know, it would never work, there would always be improvements, even to a mechanical system, and people always want bigger and better, and will pay anything to get it.
And what do I drive? A big Lexus with 14 ECUs controlling everything from the engine to the door mirrors, and I love it.
By the way, have Narrowboat engines increased in power as much as car engines? I have a feeling they are pretty much the same today as they were 40 years ago!