[Kelvin P4R]

I feel your pain!

We bought a boat with P4 in - it smoked like no other engine I have ever had, then I bought a reconditioned engine that was probably worse than the first one.

Eventually I gave up and we put a Perkins AD3 in its place and that was a huge improvement. The P4 has a bad reputation, certainly in narrowboats, maybe they just don't get hot enough.

I think you would be better just getting rid of it. Spares are very few and far between, especially for the gear box where they have often rotted out due to sea water causing corrosion of the cooling jacket.

Interesting that you say it runs like 'crap' - mine always started well and sounded nice - it just laid a smoke screen down wherever we went.

Actually thinking about it, it did coke up the heads with monotonous regularity!

Get rid,

[New lift bridge at Lodgemoor - Cotswold Canals]

Lets hope that this one actually works at the end of the project - despite paying many thousands of pounds to get the hydraulics right to enable the bridge at The Ocean to actually swing - they eventually gave up.

[Ex-Brummagen Boats 'Brum Tug' Quercus]

That's the one I was thinking of!

[Ex-Brummagen Boats 'Brum Tug' Quercus]

I used to moor next to a Quercus on the River Wey - pretty sure it wasn't a Brumtug, although I do believe it had been lengthened

[Wilsons two seater leather settee on wooden frame]

I had a Wilsons sofa bed reupholstered in leather by them a few years ago - didn't seem a problem

[Boat painter recommendations]

My recommendation would be John Sanderson at Dadford Wharf

http://www.narrowboatpainting.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx

 

5 years on and our boat still looks great following a back to bare metal repaint

[Marcus on Ch 4]

Has anyone else been wondering about the state of the hull? Did he actually check that before starting the work? What caused the sinking originally?

[Water Tank Leak]

Have you thought about CT1 sealant (http://www.ct1ltd.com/en/ct1.html) - its awesome stuff! It will seal even as it is leaking

[Lister LPW3 cutting out under load]

Or half closed, so there is enough over time to fill the filters up, but not enough to keep them from emptying when under load. I have known that

[noisy propellers ?]

I think I know the noise you mean - we always call it 'singing'. You can often hear it on craft coming past when you are moored up. Ours seems to do it sporadically and it seems to be linked to shallower canals somehow.

Its definitely not cavitation as in our case as the counter is well underwater and we don't rev that high - although it gets worse at higher speed

It used to drive me mad, but I ignore it these days!

[Need to get a high pressure injector pipe made]

I had this problem a while ago, in the end we managed to source a new replacement (for a Perkins) - but prior to this I did speak to R N Diesels in Wolverhampton and they confirmed that they could get one made up

[Layer of blacking on skin tank too thick?]

There are a lot of boats being overplated these days - how does this get carried out without causing cooling issues - anybody know?

[Stopping sinking.]

I've seen a surveyor use a self tapper and rawlplug

[Historic Boats for sale online]

Has this one been posted before - Ling?

 

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=432372

[Tunnel Tunes]

Someone followed me through the Harecastle playing the saxophone once - awesome

[Llangollen Canal, mooring points at lift bridges.]

There is a newly restored bridge on The Stroudwater, at The Ocean, near Stonehouse just like this

 

Hydraulic gear for swinging the bridge on the non towpath side and the only moorings available on the other bank.

 

I pointed it out to the (then) Canal Manager at Stroud Council and his face fell - I honestly believe that they hadn't thought of it

 

Mind you the project was deemed complete without the ability to actually swing the bridge as the hydraulics were all wrong as well...........

[Exhaust Gardners]

Have a chat with TW Marine - they understand silencers, back pressure and the like. They will sell you an expansion box - without baffles. It might just be what you are looking for

[Perkins diesel engine issue]

Now, please don't assume I'm being rude - have you turned the fuel on?*

 

Richard

 

*Been there, done that

You have indeed!!!!

[Boat Polish - What do you use?]

I think my boat went through the same paint dock as yourself, just before yours. I have used nothing but the Craftmaster wax and the shampoo- exactly like you.

I gave found it brilliant to use and leaving no streaks.

Very odd!

[Perkins P3 cylinder]

To be fair to the OP - if its a PRM gearbox (as is fitted to my similar AD3) - the filling point is not obvious.

[Cleaning Mushroom Vents]

Spin the tops off, take 'em to a local metal polishing workshop who will charge you a very reasonable amount to polish them up.

Then lacquer them before replacing!

Worked for me

[One of the final fully complete Steve Hudson boats.....]

That's a very ... personal ... choice of exterior colour! And I'm surprised the Beta is green, because Steve usually had them in silver.

 

And right at the stern....

[Boats getting stuck at Napton]

I don't think she is anything like that wide now - pulled in when she was cut in half and a steel bulkhead at the front to keep her from spreading. She's certainly been to Llangollen

[Boats getting stuck at Napton]

That's what I was told - they tighten up as you descend

[Boats getting stuck at Napton]

We went up and down the flight last week. Our boat has the stern of an old GUCCC butty and has a pronounced pregnant bulge where they join the the new bit

 

We went through with plenty to spare. Lock 2 is apparently the worst. The volunteer lockie told me that it tightens up as you descend and that they had to flush 'at least one boat out a year'