JoeC
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Posts posted by JoeC
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Fuel boats Alton / Halsall visit the Caldon by road once a month. When I was there over winter it was towards the end of the month.
Call their office 01625 575811.
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The canal bank may be higher but also the ground and the round building have sunk over the years. I can't remember by how much but a guide I was talking to in the Etruria Industrial Museum did tell me and I was amazed by how much. Same for the Etruria Industrial Museum itself - sunken by 1.5 metres (I think) due to mining in the area. You can see bricked up windows in the boiler room that used to be well and truly above ground level.
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I drained my system and filled with water and used it for a while to give it a flush. Then drained and did the same again before doing the final drain and filling with antifreeze. Just helped to get rid of all of the old antifreeze and clean out any bits in the system.
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10 hours ago, Mike Hurley said:
In the house i use my phone linked to a Sony bluetooth speaker, sounds better than any car speaker I've ever had, all controlled from the phone screen and last 20 hours on a full charge. Speaker was about 150 quid though.
I enquired a year or so ago and had Sony SRS XB12 and Sony SRS XB23 bluetooth speakers recommended to me. Don't know if they are still current models or not.
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It's not a route planner as such but download an app onto your mobile if you are going to use one in the UK - OpenCanal Map. It gives you a plan of the canals, moorings, water points, pubs etc. I use it all the time.
Enjoy your time over here.
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I have fitted a new replacement 5 litre accumulator as the old one was leaking but I do not have a tyre pressure gauge to check the pressure.
The Jabsco water pump is rated at 25 psi and the new accumulator was supplied with about 35 psi and I have read that the accumulator should be set around 3 psi lower than the water pump so 22 psi. Until I can get hold of a pressure gauge what kind of issues or problems could the cold water system experience running at 35 psi?
Thank you
Joe
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13 hours ago, matty40s said:
There has been a particularly bad batch of Excel produced recently, which has caused many problems.
Jules Fuels and Ryan have refused to order any until a new batch is produced.
If you have old stock, treasure it, mine was bought last June and is excellent.
And fuel boats Alton and Halsall didn't have any in stock as the manufacturer was having issues / stopped producing Excel for a while. I had to use Red which does not light and burn very well for me.
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19 hours ago, IanD said:
The Black Lion at Consall Forge used to be absolutely splended, chickens and all, but they had a bad fire a couple of years back and AFAIK have not completely reopened, at least for the excellent food they used to do as well -- I presume the beer is as good as ever, anyone been recently to confirm what it's like now?
@IanD I have been to The Black Lion within the past month or so. The pub is trading and does not have a full food menu but it does a small amount of hot/cold food. The insurers paid out for the fire but as usual not the full amount so Jason is having to fund some repairs himself including kitchen refurb and inside toilets (gents have to use the outside toilet at present). Maybe we could start crowd funding for him? Has several beers on the go, which change regularly, and is what I also like about a pub - you don't have to drink the same beer as every other pub.
20 hours ago, StephenA said:Leek isn't a bad place either - short hike from the canal but some good pubs, and you have to go through the other mad tunnel on the canal to get to it
There is a nice mooring spot at The Pool by the entrance going towards Leek.
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You can follow CRT updates here ...Restoring Toddbrook Reservoir | Canal & River Trust (canalrivertrust.org.uk)
Their latest update from 29th January 2024 is :
We are anticipating much of the new spillway construction work will be completed by the end of 2024 and the reservoir restoration work finished by summer 2025. This will be followed by demobilisation of the construction site, building the new sailing club and extensive landscaping to return Toddbrook Reservoir and Memorial Park back to public use. We are now expecting a project end date around autumn 2025.
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As a bit of extra info.
I had issues with my Travel Power connected to my Beta engine and the issue turned out to be with a worn brush in the alternator for the TP. I had used Ed Shires and he supplied and fitted a new brush.
On my engine, it is tricky to get the TP alternator belt tight enough which led to squealing when using the TP. Using a piece of wood as a lever helped me to get the correct belt tightness - just be careful what you rest the wood against as leverage as you could cause more issues.
Ed is a very good bloke, not cheap but does a thorough job - he cares about the work he does. He also gives out lots of free advice so that compensates for the extra cost! I would use him again - in fact I have used him several times. Ed is a mobile electrician, solar installer based in the Leek area but does travel.
Joe
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I've been on the Caldon since Christmas. As already said, get past Stoke and from Milton onwards it is much better.
Currently, Elsan not working at Endon (although it was reopened on 14th somebody blocked it a day or so ago) and canal is silted up at Consall Forge (CRT due to fix end of March) so you can't get to the services at Froghall even if you could fit through the very low tunnel.
Some nice pubs along the way - the Hollybush at Denford and especially the Black Lion at Consall Forge.
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You can get coal from the little shop at the end of the canal at Snarestone. Nice place to moor and you also have services there.
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I have booked in James Parry (J M S Marine Services 07539 874309 based around Alsagar on the T&M) to come to me to do a service - details given to me by Chris Jones.
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FYI ... Chris Jones moved to the Nottingham area about three/four years ago and is based around the Redhill area. He is still doing mobile servicing (07887565531).
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FYI ... Chris moved to the Nottingham area about three/four years ago and is based around the Redhill area. He is still doing mobile servicing so give him a call should you need him (07887565531).
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Hello.
Can anybody recommend an engine service engineer in the Caldon Canal / Trent & Mersey north of Stoke area? Beta 43 engine in case you were to ask.
I have been looking up service engineers online but just after some recommendations. My engine has two services a year (continuous cruiser) and every second service I like to get an engineer in.
Last engineer I used was from RCR and I was not impressed - not necessarily the engineer but the basic work they give. When I asked at the time of booking for the tappets to be also checked they said only if the engineer had time. Well he didn't as he had four services booked in for that day and they were spread all across the region and he was not sure if he could do them all. No engine mounts checked, no prop shaft nuts checked etc. - literally change oil, filters and air filter. I am starting to do these checks myself but as mentioned I like to get a pro in every other service.
Thanks in advance.
Joe
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13 hours ago, foleyhancox said:
I have been advised to get the following:
Poynting XPOL-1 V2 5G aerial/ antenna
Huawei B535.
This is the same equipment that I have been using for two years without any issues (Huawei B535-333) - I mounted the Poynting on a pole to get a bit of height.
As for which SIM card to use ... that is another question where you will get loads of answers as each service provider has slightly different coverage. I started off Plusnet (EE) then went to Three and then EE as got a fairly good SIM deal via Amazon which worked out at about £13 per month for unlimited data.
I am a continuous cruiser so wherever I go the signal strength will vary and in a few cases non-existent.
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Thanks for your suggestions. A lot of them don't mean anything to me, I am fairly new to boating, but will look them up.
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I have been given 10 metres of 10mm hemp rope made in The Ropery at Chatham Dockyards. I don't need to use it as rope as I have spares already and was wondering what I could make out of it to keep as a souvenir or something. Any suggestions - I have not worked with rope before.
I don't need a clothes line or somewhere to hang Christmas cards from though!
Joe
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I used to own a Mazda Bongo campervan and put a kill switch onto the fuel pump wiring. If somebody tried to start the van then the engine would turn over but would not fire as no fuel was being pumped.
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Thanks for all of your comments.
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Pictures as requested.
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From Waterways World 10th January ...
'The Canal & River Trust has offered for public sale two historic narrowboats confiscated from a liveaboard boater after a decade-long battle over boat licensing .
The Thomas Bantock riveted iron-hulled March Hare – thought to date back to the 1880s – is being offered for around £11,500, while Celtic, a wooden motor in the style of Fellows, Morton & Clayton, is the rather more affordable £2,500, despite including a Russell Newbery engine. Both boats are euphemistically described as ‘projects’. While CRT will probably accept an offer for March Hare from any prospective purchaser with the money, it will insist on vetting the purchaser for Celtic, in view of its historic status and need for restoration. Both can be found at commercialboatservices.co.uk
The boats were removed from the Kennet & Avon Canal last summer after the trust failed to reach a settlement with boater George Ward (WW News Aug 2023).
The boats are being sold to offset around £48,000 CRT says it is owed for back licensing, their removal and assorted other charges. It will refuse to relicense them to Mr Ward even if he were to pay the money.
Mr Ward lived in a tent on the towpath for around two months after the boats were removed, before finally being evicted from the towpath for trespass. He called the situation “an absolute injustice.”'.
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Venetian Hire Boats and Chandlery - Middlewich Canal
in Waterways News & Press
Posted · Edited by JoeC
Since my original posting in August 2023, the chandlers reopened by somebody else and was called Bridge 5 Chandlers.
Unfortunately, things have gone belly up with the posting below on their website ( Bridge 5 Chandlers | Venetian Marina, Nantwich ) ...
NOTICE OF CLOSURE OF BRIDGE 5
Statement as of 22.04.2024
It is with regret that we announce the closure of Bridge 5 Chandlers at Venetian Marina. This decision comes as a result of several unfortunate events and circumstances beyond our control.
Firstly, one of the directors of the company, who was entrusted with leading the business, failed to fulfill their responsibilities by consistently failing to show up for work. This breach of trust and duty ultimately led to their dismissal.
Furthermore, it has come to light that the Director engaged in unethical behavior by stealing over £1,000 worth of stock from the shop, further compromising the integrity and viability of the business.
Additionally, the abrupt termination of our tenancy by Venetian Marina Management without prior notice or opportunity for discussion severely disrupted our operations and left us with no recourse for resolution.
Despite our attempts to address these issues through dialogue, Venetian Marina Management refused to engage in a constructive meeting to resolve the matters at hand, leaving us feeling marginalized and unsupported.
Throughout this entire ordeal, we have endured pressure, harassment, and a boycott, which has significantly impacted our ability to operate effectively and sustainably. In light of these challenges, we have reluctantly accepted the situation and have chosen to vacate the premises, allowing Venetian Marina to proceed as they see fit.
We would like to express our gratitude to our loyal customers and supporters who have stood by us during this challenging time. We deeply regret any inconvenience this closure may cause and assure you that we explored all possible avenues before reaching this decision.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
However, the Chamberlain Carrying Company (fuel boat on the Llangollen) have taken it over ( chamberlain carrying co - search results | Facebook ) ...
'Ruth Chamberlain
Bit of change in direction for us this week, as we have decided to take over the lease on a local marina chandlery!