Rincewind

Or look at it another way, ....... With an aging population and less children to replace them, ------- Housing problem solved!

Like Magnetman, I lock my rear doors and slide hatch from the inside with simple slide bolts, it gives an easy escape route in case of fire without looking or fumbling for keys. Mind you, I once left my boat in Middlewich for a week and when I returned the rear doors were wide open. After a few minutes of puzzlement I realised that it was in fact me that had left them open 7 days previously! No one had been inside and nothing was taken though - they are a nice lot in Middlewich!

You are correct Rusty, just for general information, If just replacing the top, when I bought my new squirrel top last year the sealing rope was already glued into place into the grooves. i.e., factory fitted. The same was true for the backplate which I also had to replace. Other seals I had to replace myself and it is imperative that you obtain the correct thickness DAHIK

The top plate of the Morso stove is secured in place with four 6mm set screws, two at the front and two at the back accessed from inside. They are prone to corrode over time and have (one at least) most likely fractured as there is a certain amount of tension to hold the stove together. You will have to part dismantle the stove to repair this as the broken set screw will have to be removed from the top plate (probably drilled out and re-tapped). If you are going to attempt this repair yourself you will need to put straps around the four sides to prevent the sides moving apart. Top plates are available from chandlers etc. if you find the screws wont come out easily. Or find someone who is capable of doing it, it will be cheaper than buying a new Morso. I would advise you not to use the stove at present as poisonous gasses can escape.

Obviously my face does not fit! I was fortunate enough that I lived not too far away. Will not use them again, especially as the price has gone up. For what you get, probably poor value for money but you would have to compare CRT prices with private docks.

Very Interesting........ When I enquired (pre Covid) I was told point blank by a member of CRT that there were none.

In that case be also aware that CRT demand your insurance has cover for £1million (IIRC) in order to use the dock. It has to be declared when booking online. The good news is my insurance company did not charge me any extra for the increase!

I used it a few years ago. You have to hire a pressure washer from a local company if you don't have one yourself. Hire by the day. Hire company phone number is usually displayed on the wall and they are aware of the requirements for boaters, e.g. pressure hose length etc. They also can provide (Hire) 110v to 240V converters so you can use your own power tools as CRT power points are 110V. Not a lot of height under the boat, perhaps a foot or so if I recall correctly. You can park your car in the CRT yard adjacent to the dock but also be aware that there no shower facilities and the hot water comes from an instant water heater in the adjacent boaters facilities.

Even better I could sign on as a (albeit elderly) cabin boy - maybe even change my name to Rodger!

A few years ago we moored up for a few days in Pali harbor on the island of Nisyros in the Dodecanese in front of a Taverna (as you do, of course). Another yacht moored next to us and we struck up a conversation with Damian, the solo sailor on board. A couple of hours later another yacht moored up on the Port side of us and the two crew on board were looking a bit fraught. They asked us if we knew on which island the nearest sailmaker was as their headsail was in need of repair. With that, Damian disappeared below deck and a few minutes later re-appeared with a sailmakers sewing machine in his arms. With no more further ado we all set about spreading the headsail out on the quayside and Damian duly re-stitched the torn luff of the sail much to the entertainment of the Taverna patrons. Needless to say, Damian did not pay for his dinner and beer that night. Just simply amazing what some people carry in their boats! I'm as jealous as hell, - need any crew? Wish you well, have a good trip!

Now you have stirred my curiosity......... Just how do you know its inedible?🤣 (Perhaps try using full fat milk and a spoonful of sugar) - let us know how you get on. 😁

Originally I fitted my boat with a 12v macerator pump (sounded like a good idea at the time 🙄) which I lived to regret as it was always getting clogged up due to guests on board disposing of wet wipes etc. in the toilet despite being told not to. It is always days after they have left the boat that the problem manifests itself and they do not see the trouble it causes. Not a pleasant job. The macerator pump had a 'Jabsco' type impeller which also wore out prematurely due to blockages. Take a tip from the water industry:- they do not use this type of pump for transferring sludge. These pumps are better suited for transferring uncontaminated liquids as opposed to semi solids, despite what Jabsco claims. Well over 15 years ago I ditched the macerator pump and replaced it with a 12v, 1.5" Whale Gulper diaphragm pump similar to the one GUMPY has indicated. I have never had a problem since! Yes, it may take longer but it can run dry without damage for extended periods whereas the Jabsco will not (should you forget to switch it off) I fitted it with full bore isolation valves either side along with quick release camlock pipe couplings to facilitate ease of maintenance but to date, I have never had to remove it. https://www.pipestock.com/hose-tube-fittings/hose-fittings/camlock-fittings My discharge hose is also fitted with camlock couplings to join together whilst being stored - odour free!

FYI, Shugborough Hall, (Lord Litchfields 'Pile') as mentioned by Ken is a 15 minute walk from your starting (or finishing) point. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/shugborough-estate It will take up most of a day to visit the hall and walk around the gardens so if that is your thing, build it into your planning. The potteries in and around Stoke on Trent (Thomas Wedgewood etc.) is another tourist attraction. https://www.worldofwedgwood.com/ Plan to overnight at Nantwitch (ample mooring available). Its well worth a visit for its old world charm and has a good selection of pubs and places to dine out.

There is one canalside at Brewood (pronounced Brood) on the Shropshire Union canal if your going that way. Never used the laundry there but the pub serves decent cask ale and has a good selection of food.

Looks good - except that the opening picture has been reversed! From that viewpoint the towpath is on the right and the canal and houses in the background are on the left! 😀

Never had a shared boat in GB so cannot speak for canal share boats, but we had a (syndicate managed) shared yacht in Greece with share owners in both GB and Denmark. It was a condition of the partnership that bed linen, towels etc. were supplied by the syndicate, kept on board and all used items were laundered - using a local laundry service - by the outgoing owner prior to flight / departure home, ready for the incoming owner. (Spare bedding was available on board). Never had a problem with that arrangement. If any item was thought to be unfit to use, we bought new locally and claimed the expenses back from the syndicate in due course. That was also the case for unavoidable repairs and replacement of damaged or lost boat equipment. You should check the written share agreement and talk to the syndicate manager prior to purchasing the share. Also check with the manager that the agreement is that: the diesel tank is refilled (full), the spare gas bottle is full and the fresh water tank is replenished prior to you taking over. Cost of diesel and gas to be bourn by previous / outgoing owner. P.S. Bow thrusters are maybe a "nice to have" but totally unnecessary, learn to handle the boat without one and become a better boatman. 😉 Hope you have many enjoyable holidays.

If your pump resembles this particular shape would this be of any help?

More of a statement than a question! Where to place the stove within the boat needs many considerations, there are many views on this and you will probably never get a definitive answer. This has been discussed before on the forum and you may well find that using the search box on the home page may help you decide. Your outside roof space may also be a deciding factor that should not be overlooked.

Was that your escape route into the canal in case of a fire onboard? 🤣

No, not always, but see below, Granite is a natural material quarried from the earth (actually formed when the the earths tectonic plates collide or ride over each other with immense pressure). e.g. earthquakes. Other quarried materials are formed from volcanic eruptions and land mass movements etc. Granite is used in its natural form to create worktops, as are other quarried materials such as marble and quartz Composite materials are also used for worktops that have the appearance of marble or granite but they are man made, insomuch as the quarried material is combined with resins and suchlike to form a composite material that offers a much lower cost to the consumer. i.e. cheaper worktops. Which is why trivets are recommended for use with these types of worktop, otherwise hot saucepans will damage the surface. If a stone merchant (kitchen worktop manufacture) cuts a substantial sized worktop from a quarried slab of genuine granite, some of that slab is left over and described as an 'Off Cut'. The off cut may not be large enough to form another worktop so they are put to one side and offered for sale at lower cost in order to recoup the initial cost of the quarried slab. Be aware though, that a composite material may have the appearance of granite without it actually being so. Best to ask a bona fide stone merchant if you are in any doubt, they are obliged to tell you before you purchase.

Use the Granite slab. It will not be too heavy for the boat and as blackrose pointed out you can always re-ballast. I have recently rebuilt my fireplace / hearth and the advice given to me by several stone merchants was to use Granite because it it the only material that can withstand heat well. Materials such as marble can crack if subjected to high heat and other stone/quarried composites typically used for kitchen worktops etc. can contain plastic resins which will melt and deform. If using tiles, the advice I was given was to use porcelain. I chose to use 30mm granite and used it for the sides and mantle as well. My stone merchant cut it to my requirements / measurements adding beveled edges and drilling holes through the base (for securing the stove) at no extra cost - template required. For small projects such as this, some stone merchants may offer you "off cuts" of granite from larger projects at a fraction of the normal cost. Always ask and shop around for best prices. My method of installing a heat barrier between the hearth and the wooden floor was to fix a 50mm concrete paving slab to the floor with several wood screws so it could not move, then the granite slab was placed on top, overlapping the concrete slab by 25mm or so. This arrangement raised the granite hearth sufficiently to give an aesthetic appeal as well as providing a heat barrier. The stove was fixed to the hearth by using sleeve anchor bolts driven through the granite (clearance holes in the granite) to anchor into the concrete slab. The sides were stood and fixed in position on the hearth, with heat barrier material behind the vertical slabs. Joints sealed with fireproof mastic.

You may be interested in this article. https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/are-copper-zinc-and-brass-mucking-up-our-fuel I reserve judgment as to the above, however all my fuel lines are steel - apart from the necessary flexible hoses between the engine and hull. I did some research a few years ago as I wanted to insert a permanent tube into my fuel tank for measuring the volume of the fuel, and from that research, came to the conclusion that mild steel was the best material to use with diesel fuel. Also take note that pure copper will 'work harden' and eventually fracture if it is subjected to stress and vibration.

I agree, metric was not very common when this engine was built. However, although most of the threads on the BMC engine are UNF or UNC, these two particular threads are metric (or they were when the head was manufactured, - unless someone has re-threaded them). I am referring to the two ports on top of the cylinder head that, more often than not, are blanked off with a threaded hexagon headed plug, one port of which you have indicated in your photo. The M16 x 1.5 pitch port on the other end of the cylinder head is often used for one of the calorifier connections as Tracy has mentioned. The reason why a metric thread was chosen, in my view, was that it provided a smaller footprint compared to a BSP thread in the limited space available and offered greater thread contact area in the relatively thin casting.

I strongly recommend that you re-measure the thread and this time use a metric ruler 😉

When the Orwell pub building and Trencherfield Mill complex was a museum run by Wigan council many years ago they erected a large notice on the towpath opposite the Orwell pub proclaiming it as the site of “Wigan Pier”. It was a false claim but a convenient one for their purposes. Many visitors went home falsely believing that they had seen Wigan Pier. Famously a certain author called George Orwell spent several days in Wigan looking for a particular Pier he had heard of but returned home without finding it, hence the title of his book. You are correct, the original was demolished and little trace of it remains. My question was:- how many people know the location of the original pier as described, joked about, named and coined by George Formby Snr.? It is after all, part of canal history. To pinpoint the location of the original site you may have to know why George Formby Snr used it as the butt of his joke when he appeared at Music Halls in Wigan (and elsewhere).