zenataomm

Instead of a tyre try a bucket

Perhaps if they let you do a one way trip. Pick up in Brum drop it off at Paddington.

To help

I remember Arthur Bray saying, as he departed Raymond for the last time with his rucksack over one shoulder. " I always reckoned the day my Nokia couldn't connect from Blisworth Tunnel would be the day I left ... too dangerous you know." Some say mobile reception was behind the downfall of the FMC Steamer Fleet, I of course couldn't possibly comment.

Personally, I'd do it. However you probably wouldn't want to do half the things I do. For those interested in this thread but with no particular input, this link may assist. popcorn wholesale - Google Search

I do hope they're Safety Sandals.

Amanda is very talented. Was it The Romans that ate them?

Two years because of Covid ... but today I relicensed!

So, am I the only one thinking ... "I don't want to tie up where I'm told to, I stop in the middle of nowhere when I want." However as I have no TV on board I can imagine the entertainment from about 4pm when everyone starts turning up to grab a bollard. There's always one N08 H3AD that'll want to take charge and start ordering everyone around by boat length so we can get another one near a bollard. Then in the morning there'll be a race to get off to make sure we get to the next charge point in time. No, not for me.

My endearing memories of seeing camping boats in action mainly involve watching six blissful boy sprouts with their legs dangling over the front end as they watched a lock wall approaching. They obviously never introduced a badge for anticipating crushed limbs. I once observed a fascinating exercise reminiscent of an Eric Sykes film. A brood of youngsters heroically leapt the gap to the towpath, each brandishing a windlass. Falling over each other they ran up to the first Hillmorton Lock which was open and ready for them. Attacking the lock with gusto they slammed the gates closed in the face of their steerer and raised the paddles. Their mate swinging around on the tiller couldn't make himself heard above the noise of his hard reversing engine and could only watch on in dismay as his marauding charges turned their attention to the upper paddles while all leaning on the beam determined to force the gate backwards against the stop. Quickly giving that up as a bad job they galloped off like a herd of wildebeest to right any wrongs that may await them around the corner, the towpath behind them littered with lock keys.

In life, if any outcome can happen, eventually it will. The fact you ask the question indicates you recognise the danger and that the dog not necessarily will. Your question "I know there is not a lot of space out back but is there enough room for a dog to mooch around? " is indicative of your priorities. Others may be asking things like: - If my dog falls off the back, will the steerer of the boat following always see it and avoid chopping it up? Will I always see it and have time to throw the prop into neutral to avoid chopping it up? I'm not going to labour the point, simply, please don't.

Has it been like that from new? If so why didn't you involve the builder? If it's started happening since you've owned it, what's happened in between? Have you ... Struck any under water obstacles? Cilled it, or hung it up? Badly docked it? Clouted the back end against a coping? Run aground, requiring some effort to get free?

The mid 60s were grim, there was no guessing where you'd spend the night , get near the bank or even find a through passage. Sticking to a main line like The G.U. was more predictable than exploring a tributary like The S.U. Trying your luck on streams like The Caldon was foolhardy. Yards like Double Pennant advised against such horrors and wanted everyone to buy Microplus or Loftus Bennet with Perkins outboards. The 70s saw more boats about and hire boats too. The mere act of shoving steel hulls and large cruisers around like Maid Line had started to make less used canals deeper and more navigable. But most of the system was still unmaintained and a lot of us were carrying old tins of used engine oil to pour over paddle gear as we travelled. The 80s weren't too bad, lots of traffic with oodles of hire boats. I was running around with a pair of Small Woolwich and most people were capable of flushing water through to low pounds. Hire boats were doing so well that sponsoring a hire boat became the thing to do. Many locksides still sported kebs and no one would have dreamt of calling out Waterways, you just kebbed the bricks out from behind the lock gate and went your merry way. I carried a Tirfor winch and only shouted for Waterways once when my motor got hopelessly stuck in Rodbaston, and the Tirfor wasn't enough, nor was flushing out. I generally think the infrastructure is better now. The attitude has changed though. I don't believe today's boaters are navigators, they want to be customers and expect it all to be maintained in order to make it easy as possible for them.

Where?

Left over from some other job or project it would have been cheaper to plonk it somewhere totally inappropriate like Bishop Street than keep it in storage until required. Just be grateful they didn't have a spare Boat Lift or Aqueduct lying about doing nothing.

They didn't have a photo of the flight on The Ashby.

In Wilne Lane it closed after a fire in 2008. However the first time I dined there in 1974 it was located on London road next to the filled in basin just before the bridge.

End of the line? Vintage train journeys at risk as coal supply fails I guess this sounds the end for the historic steam powered narrow boat currently bearing the name President.

You now say the above, you'll be saying next you've got electrickery leaking into your batteries.

I was taught (by Listers) that white smoke points towards water in the fuel (think steam). Black smoke, unburnt fuel and blue can indicate oil. Although blue can also be the outcome of prolonged running in neutral merely to charge batteries or short runs not allowing the engine to get up to operating temperature. I'd be interested in hearing the theory behind this assumption. I suggest you get it appraised by an engineer, especially as you think you're leaking fuel internally. It's time to stop guessing or listening to "Chap down the pub", you're getting close to laying spanners on it. Whereas it's great to have a go and learn about your engine, it's also important not to fix something until you further damage it. Good luck.

Roused or aroused?

My only experience of overheating in water cooled, diesel marine four bangers has been ... BMC 1.5 - Raw water feed, rubber pipe blocked between inlet strainer and pump. Externally, the integrity of the hose looked intact. The pump was suspected as no blockage was evident in the feed pipe. It transpired the pump was fine, it was the inlet hose. Although the outer winding looked strong and intact the inner core had delaminated and was squashing flat under the negative pressure from the pump. However with the engine stopped the pipe would reform its shape. Dorothy Perkins 4109 40hp - Thermostat misfunction leading to an unexpected failure in the closed position. When starting from cold, temp gauge would shortly become erratic in operation. Likewise wet exhaust fluctuated between water and steam, eventually strangling engine of all cooling. It was concluded that the thermostat was perhaps a post market product of poor quality or not the correct one. Resulting in failure in a closed position instead of open.

I'd be more concerned about treading in more than I can chew. Unless you're tightly managing such a project I'd fear it could easily ramble on way past your expected/hoped targets and budgets. I'd certainly start with a thorough and up to date survey. Many new owners have ended up ripping back out recently fitted kitchen units and floors when weeks later they've suddenly realised that something is awry that they'd not anticipated.

I've not seen it, but could it be thinning behind the knees being padded on the outside?