agg221

Mooring - different canal edges call for different techniques. Mooring rings are easiest but where not present mooring to piling (metal uprights with a horizontal strip) is fairly easy. This uses either 'nappy pins' or 'goat chains' but if the boat is not equipped with either you can pass the rope behind the horizontal bar. Mooring at other places is by driving pins into the bank with a hammer. This is fine, but obviously does not work on hard paved towpaths. Some comments based on a trip last October: Ellesmere was a nice place to moor. The Swan was definitely the right choice of pub. If busy, there is piling to moor against further towards Llangollen so if mooring on the way up you can head past the last boat and stop at the first available opportunity. Many people start relatively late (10am) and finish relatively early (4pm) but you have plenty of daylight so if timings permit it can be useful to pass Grindley Brook either before or after these times. As has been mentioned, there is a short arm at Ellesemere with a supermarket (Tesco) at the end. If you need to nip in then going down the arm and having someone hold the boat against the side at the end is a good option if there is no mooring available. There is another arm - the Prees Branch. It doesn't take very long to go up it and back and if you have the time I would recommend it for a sense of exploring the unknown. There is plenty of room to turn at the end. If you find yourself with extra time, you can always go past Wrenbury and head on down as far towards the Shropshire Union as you have time for, then turn and come back. Alec

If you are not looking to live in the cheapest way possible, there are permanent liveaboard moorings west of London which are within the range of the underground network. Engineer's Wharf sometimes has moorings, as does Brentford. They are, perhaps surprisingly, not always full with a long waiting list because they are not central London and it is more expensive than shuffling around the towpath, but they do come with water, power and the security of being there legitimately without any need to move. Alec

OK, so assuming the river levels are OK you would be replicating our route of 1992. From memory, our moorings were: Saturday - Stratford on Avon, on the river so no locks at the start of the next day. Sunday - Fladbury, below the lock. Monday - Upton on Severn. Tuesday - Stoke Prior (having stopped for a bit in Worcester). Wednesday - King's Norton junction (not the best place but it was tipping down with rain all the way up Tardebigge and by then we had had enough). Thursday - Shirley Bridge No.8 (after a detour to Cadbury World and up to Gas Street Basin to wind). Friday - Wootton Wawen having been struggling to find anywhere decent to moor for the past hour - dredging in the past 32 years may have significantly improved things, but at least the pub was nice! Alec

It was Song I was on on Saturday - it was moored just down from you on Friday night. Song and Oates met up at Market Drayton and headed north together, mainly so that one can tow the other if (when?) an engine fails. Current evidence suggests that will be Oates, having only just got it going again in time after a magneto failure. Alec

It is indeed. I spotted you on Saturday morning but no signs of life when we passed. I missed this when first posted. Alterations were largely complete by that point I think - mainly converting the hatches from flipover tops to sliding which means I am no longer the only person who can open them. Currently at Tattenhall en route to the Port, now in stealth mode, aka partially repainted so no signwriting. The hull looks rather more black than grey though! Alec

If you are heading over then do say hello if we are about. Short boat in various shades of grey (not 50 though) with no signwriting as it is currently mid-repaint. Alec

You're welcome. I have found a working page - https://www.levantina.com/es/productos/sinterizada We have gone for Steel Marine for the hearth and the kitchen splashbacks. Alec

Have you run across Levantina? They make porcelain tiles in very large format in 3mm and 5mm thickness - it's the Techlam range which is worth looking at. Some are stone effect, others are quite an interesting range of different looks and styles. They are not cheap, but there is no minimum order quantity. Their website appears to be down at the moment so no link, but it is easier to deal with them directly than through dealers. Alec

A little further afield but no traffic issues in getting there - how about some or all of the Avon ring? You could hire from Wootton Wawen. If you haven't previously been along it then the Droitwich would provide an alternative to Worcester. If you prefer the less heavily locked route then you could go up the Stratford to Birmingham and back - no particular mooring issues. Alec

Glad to see Pauline appears to have gone to someone who knows what they are taking on, and knows that's what they want. I must admit, if my career had ended up with me needing a base in the NW or Yorkshire I would have been sorely tempted, but it looks like I am stuck where I am geographically. Alec

The Caldon is probably my favourite canal. There is something fascinating about knowing how industrial it was and what it looks like now. We found moorings overnight in the park to be fine - quiet and the locals were friendly. I always think it is a good sign when families are out enjoying the area and that was very much the case. The Black Lion is one of my favourites - not been since the fire though. The other feature which may be of interest is that the largest surviving elm tree I am aware of is very near the junction with the Leek branch. Alec

A practical point for anyone finding themselves needing to dispatch an animal or bird with access to limited equipment and a good reason not to get close enough to use physical means - this would include for example rats and squirrels caught alive. Carbon dioxide is very effective. If you put the cage in a closed bin bag and add a glass containing sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) and vinegar the CO2 concentration gradually increases, inducing coma and death without pain. This is not absolute, but it is reasonably so within the range of pragmatic options available. The same can be used on domestic animals such as chickens, rabbits and small rodents where, for example, they have suffered severe injury from which they will not recover. It is apparently better for the CO2 to build up slowly as per the above method than to add it more rapidly from a cylinder as although death is quicker with the latter approach, it is painful before the animal loses consciousness, whereas with slow build-up the pain response is not observed. We have a few chickens so there is always the possibility of a fox attack, and under some circumstances (e.g. severely injured but still very mobile and frightened) the above would be a less distressing end for them than trying to hold them still while breaking their necks or beheading on a block, hence why I did my research and had things ready before suddenly finding myself in the situation where I need to do this - fortunately it hasn't happened yet. Alec

As a temporary fix I have used this with great success: https://www.screwfix.com/p/bostik-flashband-primer-grey-3-75m-x-75mm/20535 It is available in different widths. I have stuck it to completely span from the paintwork to the glass, covering leaking frames completely, on bullseyes and portholes. It sticks extremely well so long as the surface is dry when you do it, and can be agglomerated from one piece to the next. It lasts pretty much as long as you need. Messy to remove, but can be scraped off with a plastic scraper and then the remainder wiped off with white spirit. Alec

I think I can say with a high degree of confidence that whether we end up bringing Oates or Song of the Waterways that is one award we will not be going after. Alec

Hagley has the cavitation plates and stern tube fitted, although it has never actually had the engine installed. @Ben Jameson may well have photos. I based them on the ones on Samson which I have photos of if you would like them, although it is a former horse-drawn ice boat rather than a butty. Alec

Yes, it came in to address some leaks in the cabin and to remove a fuel tank from under the foredeck. The latter is somewhat challenging as they were trying to get it out in one through the engine room. I would guess the hull is being looked over while it’s there for convenience. Alec

One of those items which was once completely commonplace and now extremely rare. I only know of three left - the last one in use was on Caggy, visible in the linked video both near the beginning and again at 5:50. I believe the current owners removed it on safety grounds. Alec

What happens if you take one of the belts off with the current set-up? We have a slow running engine (Kelvin J2) and a 160A Leece Neville large frame alternator. We are on lead-acid but the starter battery is 900CCA so when you first start charging the current is pretty high, sufficient that the alternator has to be switched out for starting. I don't have a revs problem because there is space for a large pulley on the front of the flywheel, but it is a single V belt and I do not have problems with it slipping. The alternator is bolted to the engine bed separately from the engine unit and tensioning is the standard automotive stick a bar under and lever it back in the slot, then do it up when it's tight on the belt. Your alternator is up against the bulkhead end, so you could afford to come out sideways a bit, under the tank. With that in mind, I think I would be looking at whether you too can get away with a single belt. If so, I would look at increasing the main pulley to the maximum possible size, placing the intermediate pulley where the alternator currently is, with the maximum possible difference between large and small, and then mounting the alternator separately on the floor. I would not expect the flex to be a problem. Tensioners - the standard lever it back and bolt it up approach generally works, but if you want more precision then using the bottle screw approach as applied for example on Myford M lathes is a good option. The occasional lathe gets scrapped with one of these on so it may even be a good source of them. Belts - I currently have several standard V belts of the right size and the first one has held up for three years, so I am not exactly getting through them, but when I do need to buy something I will probably go for a link belt as it makes reassembly much easier. This type: https://store.lathes.co.uk/belts/nu-t-link-v-belt Alec

The OP may find Danni & Joe's youtube series on refitting their boat quite informative. They started a step ahead of this - the hull was done, the engine was in and I think it had been sprayfoamed, but in the grand scheme of things this is a relatively short part of the total work. 38ft for full time liveaboard with no other space for worldly goods would be very challenging for two people, but it does depend a bit on the expected pattern of use. It's fine for four of us for a fortnight because we don't have to take much else with us, and that includes a substantial engine room and a foredeck rather than well deck. Alec

The main jet on a Kelvin F carburettor is 3BA. The J uses 2BA on the bowl carb and 4BA on the lifting screws which fit in the top of the changeover valves from diesel to petrol. The A has quite an assortment of 2,4 and 6BA. Alec

The older Royal became the 212, which was useful for me as I needed a new side firebox casting for a 1950s one and they are still the same part. Alec

I enjoyed that particular programme, but then I generally do enjoy In Our Time. Nothing else can span subjects as diverse as Nefertiti and Heisenberg! Alec

Aga - no. Rayburn - look at the No.1 or the Regent, e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285729306911?itmmeta=01HQXX2K1NREMSRZRKP70TH0M0&hash=item4286cb391f:g:Ta4AAOSwqNJl2hu9&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4CPi3LjA9nJsPSuA9WkqHwcRKh7xIuzTVTevMOXPWM38wk4zBHfpZq7WwoaJr7INN0NP7jP4lAGtuC51%2BjFcuFB%2FaW91eM1FP1%2BEj68ObuQ9F09NMT0k%2FifXRDMWjz5FT9r6eN5MxM5%2BS5Zpe8TUEMHdywcI92Wz3oG2VlD7%2F2Y0Q2Fn9WcFgIj%2FB4F7mT%2FvO67eGmBks8SzaeEPau2zzSKIV%2B8KozGBcMZpkIn%2F3J7KL%2F6M81g3ihy%2BBC31vdu47tye1iwA%2FIsmvbfpGtn%2FkuKv9ExlKSaeqDFuKNAYTj4f|tkp%3ABk9SR_awir2_Yw Finding someone to help reassemble one is nothing like as difficult as finding someone who will help you dismantle it in the first place! When looking at them, I wouldn't worry about them being scruffy, just complete and not cracked. Whilst it is in bits you can always get the parts re-enamelled. Kingfisher specialises in this - https://www.kingfisherenamelling.com/. I have not yet used them but it's where mine will be going. I have spoken to them about other enamelling work and found them very helpful and genuine. Alec

This is true, but brand new ones are very expensive whereas second-hand ones can often be had for under £100, or even less if it is in poor cosmetic condition and you want it re-enamelled in a colour of your choice. Alec

I dismantled our Rayburn completely to a flat-pack for re-enamelling. It is definitely a job best done outdoors, by shearing off all the bolts rather than trying to salvage them. It took the best part of a day. I haven't rebuilt it yet but that should be less of a filthy job. I will use new rockwool slab throughout. Alec