stort_mark

Gents, Thanks for all the advice.... and to my wise old friends Jim and Mike who know Cypress extremely well. (And both guessed correctly at the likley source of the problem). An excellent engineer came over Monday lunchtime (and ACC offered to send someone too) and he started with a wiring check. Batteries good, starter panel good. The isolation switch in the isolation box, behind the isolator switch had been damaged and partly melted, eventually breaking off - hence no power. He wired across the switch and we had a go. Started first time with a healthy belch of smoke and a roar. Edit: I should have added here that I noticed the flywheel spinning faster instantly. I managed to get to the ball on time, straight onto the cradle and up out of the water. As several new anodes were to be put on, I disconnected the battery entirely. Being collected Saturday before the high winds reappear. Freshly blacked, freshly hull surveyed, poorer than I was last Thursday. Again thanks for all the advice. Some of which I even understood. But in response to one idea: bow-hauling is not really feasible on your own. I have actually bow-hauled a boat before in a BCN Challenge a decade ago, and the same year with my old boat on my own between locks on the Farmers flight. But no, that was never an option. Even getting it out from the far side of the marina wasn't feasible without an engine. In the afternoon, I saw only one boat moving and in the other direction. 😀

Thanks all. When I came up in December to run the engine, I sensed the flywheel was running slightly slower than it used to. That time I came back to it a while later and it just started up fine. I am obviously concerned about water now but the similarity to the situation a month ago means I’m hopeful it’s related to the electrics. It’s always been a little bit temperamental. An engineer is coming tomorrow and I’m hopeful that I may be able to get a tow arranged at some stage tomorrow to get me to the blacking and hull appointment. Again thanks for the support today!

Thanks. Have sent Tom a message. Yes. Plenty of diesel in the day tank. This is an interesting comment. There is normally a tin cap on the exhaust but when I arrived today the tin was lying on its side and not covering the exhaust hole. This is the first time this has ever happened. I thought nothing of it at first but now…….. 🙄

Thanks for all the comments. I travelled up to the boat three weeks ago to start the engine, knowing this is an important short trip. It fired up fine although it did take more turns of the flywheel than expected. This is the first failure in 6 years of ownership.u think it’s too much of an imposition to request a tow (I’m at the back of the marina). Bow hauling not feasible. I’ve tested the batteries and they are fine. Fairly new anyway and trickle charged. When I press the starter button, the flywheel turns fine but as soon as I flick the decompression lever over, the flywheel stops. With no sound if the engine even beginning to catch. Last time, it was similar but when I went back to it ten minutes later it started fine. There are now no lights showing on the starter panel so I may have blown something. On the last attempt there were some wisps of smoke coming from under that panel. I am not mechanically minded at all (and it’s actually the reason I am selling the boat; it needs someone with at least a basic understanding!)

My Ruston & Hornsby 3VRH won’t start and I have to get it to a blacking and hull survey appointment in the next 24 hours. It’s just a few miles away but if the engine isn’t running, she’s not going to make it! 😬 Does anyone know of a mobile mechanic in the Hinckley/Nuneaton area? I have a strong suspicion it’s electrical but maybe not…. The batteries are fine and the flywheel is turning. But the engine isn’t catching. Cheers, Mark

I think Great Britain and Ireland have so much to see, and there is so much to do. We have enjoyed visiting the forests across both countries and just walking. We will probably still take canal holidays - and I have this ambition to cross Europe by water: with the exception of one lock flight filled in at Brest, it is possible to get from the Dutch coast to Polesia and Chernihiv (and beyond to Smolensk). So, it's actually <checks notes> not possible, but you catch my drift. Much to see and do, and while canals featured heavily in our retirement planning, that's no longer the case: for many it's just become a cheap place to live. I'm sure this is good for so many people, but not for us (nor it seems for those who have privately messaged me in the last day). I admit I fear for the future of many UK waterways as CRT clearly haven't "got it right" and it is clear that massive investment is needed for the network to stay still. One day, the powers that be will realise that maintaining what we have is far cheaper than restoring it all again.

It was possibly unfair to say the friendliness has "largely gone", but coming across unpleasant people is just all too frequent. We're always stopping to chat with friendly people, but we can do that walking the canals or with other activities: maybe more appropriate to say that there's an increasing number of unpleasant people. Let's put it this way: the cut has an ever-increasing number of the kind of people who don't indicate left when you are waiting to get out at a particularly busy roundabout. We've had wonderful decades on the canals, but I'm too old to want to deal with a***holes any more. On the licence issue, the system did not refresh overnight. However, my second call to CRT this morning was the total opposite of yesterday's experience. She could not be more helpful. She explained what had happened (while the BSS system had been properly corrected and updated successfully, the boat licencing system seems to only take data the once from that BSS system, and the certificate had been 'fixed' to a different boat). A case has been raised to fix this and she has also raised a case to ensure I get both the online and prompt payment discount if the problem is not fixed by Monday. This is what should have happened yesterday. Very pleased with her diligence, concern, professionalism and care. A credit to CRT. I have absolutely no opinion whatsoever on BCC emails or the advantages of recorded delivery. Thanks again for the advice, tips and thoughts.

Yes. That's the list on their support page. To escalate I need the contact numbers of the supervisor and manager. And I agree, the overnight sync is possibly what will happen.

OK. Thanks for all the <sob sob> replies. 😀 Plenty of banter, some good stuff and some comments that cheered me up on a long day. As expected, nothing has changed. The BSS examiner has gone back in a second time to check his update and all is still correct. I thought the servers might refresh but not yet, eight or so hours later. Will try again. Thanks for the email template. I realised that I could have got that from the Boater's Newsletter that comes out every so often. Will write an email tomorrow. My licence expires next Monday so am keen for this to be resolved before it costs a fair sum of money. On a serious note, I do agree with the sentiment about the lack of diligence by the CRT person. With the utmost respect, she was polite but utterly useless. Not only did she repeat the mantra numerous times, but also must have deliberately not "understood" what I was saying. The conversation I wrote out in the OP was pretty much verbatim. It's not rocket science. There was absolutely zero attempt to help me, really zero. I didn't share earlier that I am in the process of selling my boat, after 42 years of being on the cut one way or another. I discovered the world of the canals from my vantage point in the long-disappeared Dalton Tower of Aston Uni. That little sliver of greasy black water led to decades of exploration and fun, from boat ownership, renting, walking, exploring the long lost backwaters of the BCN (I took my boat to the the Ridgeacre Branch and into Titford Pool) and the abandoned arms of the North Oxford, did the BCN Challenge twice too. But I've had enough. I feel the friendliness has largely gone and the costs are rising. It feels like much of the work of the restoration pioneers has gone to waste; getting along the Mon & Brec in May was painful - we have more water in our shower tray. Everyone seems to be fighting each other now, rather than pulling in the same direction. It's just become tiresome and today's battle - and it has been a battle - with CRT is just symptomatic of the malaise. The canal sector is worth £1.5 billion in direct income to the economy, yet there is very little investment by anyone other than boaters. I'm just tired of broken and leaking lock gates, bumbling along in ridiculously low water conditions, with broken water points and loathsome hen and stag parties. Yeh, I've had enough. There are many many many good people on the canals but their precious company is just not enough any more to counter the absurd costs for what has become less and less fun each year. <rant over>

That's actually very good.

Yes, thanks for this. It aligns with what I was told verbally. Boat was constructed in 2006. No, not the original owners. I assume Ted Spencer did the whole thing himself. (I've tried contacting him again).

I recently had my BSSC done and a new certificate was issued. Unfortunately, there was a clerical error and the Boat Number was incorrect by one digit). The certificate was reissued with the correct number. But it is still showing up on the CRT system as invalid because it's issued to another boat. The examiner double-checked the details and says it's fine. But I'm getting the same response on the form. I phoned CRT Licence Support and the response was to "get the examiner to correct the details on the system". I think: "I literally just told you he has done that" I say: "Yes, he has done that and read it back to me while he did it" Her: "He will need to change it to the correct details" I think: "........counting to ten......." I say: "Yes, but we are in a spiral here. He says he's done it, you're saying it's not showing in the system, how do we escalate this?" I think "....because boat licence revenue pays your salary" Her: "We can't do anything" Me: "How do we fix this?" Her: "By the examiner entering the correct information in the system" [This conversation was repeated four or five times using almost exactly the same words as above] Any ideas on how to progress this? The email address of either Jane Lee or Matt Aymes would be helpful if anyone knows it so that I can take it up with them. (Should point out that both parties were polite on this call but it was quite an astonishing process) Grateful for any tips.

It is indeed. Very distinctive sound too.

I’ve only been told this this morning, so haven’t had chance to get more information (so thanks! 😊) On price, not sure. I need to do a bit of work incl hull blacking (January 😬😲). Been completely repainted but inside is still “BCN rustic” that everyone loved in the 90s and 00s but less popular now. And as always when selling a boat, there are things that need doing to get it saleable <sigh> (new pump, maybe new fridge, etc). DM me if interested in buying, I guess. She’s a beautiful 45’ Ted Spencer tug with a lovely Ruston & Hornsby 3VRH engine, but need to sell and very sadly leave the cut for good. Mark

Sadly we are having to sell NB Cypress. However, we have been told we need the original certificate of conformity for the boat to sell it which we don’t have (and never have had) and there is no plate on the boat anywhere. Was there a central registry of these certificates? I wasn’t aware of this requirement and it seems puzzling. Mark