LEO

Hi, Choice of engine depends on personal choice, pocket money available and space available. I wanted a Gardner in a boat max lenght 48ft. Not too many of those about but I struck lucky in the end. I have seen a small tug with a 6L2 in it, but that would be totally impratical for most. Russell Newberry's are nice, most are backed with good owners clubs. I had a BMC in a boat excellent - almost vintage. All vintage engines are nice to look at and listen to, you don't own them though - you are merly a custodian. Albi

Hi, Shall probably give Crick a miss this year (first time for years) as last year was very poor - lots of half empty places filled with empty plastic chairs and lots of small traders driven out by high stall rents. Shame as it used to be so good, it will be interesting to see if the increasing boating costs we all face keep serious punters away. Albi.

Hi, Excuse me on this one, but a modern Engine would look out of place in a tug engine room. Vintage engines in many respects are easier to maintain than modern ones, assuming they have been rebuilt by a reputable builder. I think resaleabilty would be compromised by a modern engine in a tug. Go the whole hog and get a nice vintage lump, me, a 48ft tug with a 2LW. properly designed you also get a really useful 'hold' under the foredeck as well as the gas locker - the area storage area which normally compromises tug style boats, due to their deep draught. ALBI

Hi, Tony Francis made some lovely tug style boats, beautiful lines and excellent steelwork, some like PILOT have very intersting bows, his boats coupled with a good vintage engine - really excellent. Ref. falling asleep - the towing rings on the front of the cabin were specifically designed to attached a safety rope to when sleeping in a chair on the front deck, God forbid they should be considered as decoration. Tugs are really user friendly and great for getting on and off if they have a raised front deck. ATB Albi

Hi, I inherited a Thetford cassette after a 365 and find it a real improvement. The electric flush can be a problem with brats as they flush it for far too long and fill it up. I can't cut a hole to get the cassette out so swivel the whole unit round to release the cassette. Not sure if I would buy one on Ebay as the seals on the cassette have probably gone and some can be difficult to replace and it is possible that the unit may have a water leak on the flushing arrangement. My wife did not like the 365 and the cassette model does not find favour either. What ever one you use when when emptying in the sanitary station make sure that you put the screw cap to the emptying spout in a secure spot and do not re-fit over the emptying bowl --- once they have gone down 'God's telephone' they have gone for good. ALBI

MM, Interesting question with lots of answers. Depends on quality of anodes, type of bank you are against - Armco etc, who, moored around you has electricity connected, whether you have a Galvanic isolator and whether you are moored in flowing water (ie river mooring) as there are indications that flowing water increases corrosion. It's quite interesting to connect a Multimeter between the steel of the boat and the Armco and see if you get a reading, albeit a miniscule one. Albi

HI, Sounds fun, what's the engine in the boat?. Albi

Hi. Blacking is important, but anodes even more so. Many have them fitted for and aft but protection zones around the anodes is small, try to fit intermediate ones as well. If this is done make sure that the overall width of the boat is not increased so as to render passage through some narrow locks difficult. One yard around Watford has stands to put the boat on to facilitate painting the bottom. The water line is an area which needs particular attention. I have mine blacked every 2 years, but on a previous boat left it longer with no ill effects. I did notice that when I bought the boat from a fenland mooring the weed growth was much greater than normal (lush almost), this may have been due to all the fertilizers washed into the rivers in that area. I am in a fairly chalky, clean water area now and water is probably more alkaline and growth is not so great. ALBI

Hi, Sounds to me as if you have an inline filter somewhere betwwen the tank out let and the pump. I had this will cause intermittent problems. Find the filter and clear it. If you take it apart re-fit everything carefully and don't retighten screws etc overmuch or cracks will develop and leak - I had 80 galls of water on the bilges as result of a split. Some of these filters are not overdesigned and the plastic they are made from becomes brittle .The filter body incorporates a fine mesh filter which blocks after a period of time. Blockage normally caused by 'crud' build up in the bottom of the tank which can swish about as the boat moves. I found it normally happens after the winter drain down and re-fill. I found that they can be cleared temporarily by blowing down the tube, but they quickly become re-blocked unless cleaned properly. Best of liuck. Albi.

Hi, I had a look at the 'Puffer parts' option, not over impressed and imprctical for a deck fitting, i think i will go for the drill, tap and screw option. Any idea where you get the screws from - no comment about Wormwood Scrubs please.................................... Albi

Larkshall. Kabola old Dutch. Albi

HI, Uxbridge, UBC got some nice chimneys and stacks. not cheap, but I have a stainless steel chimney that has given about 15 years service. Albi

Hi, This is an interesting topic and I wondered how long it would be before fuel thefts from boats started to increase and am sure that it will only get worse. Is their an easy fit, lockable fuel cap to a deck fitting? I know Puffer parts do a lockable fitting but has anybody had experience of this? they sound a bit difficult to fit and would not provide a 'flush fitting' on say a tug deck. I would have thought there was a market for a conversion of the screw in cap for the deck fitting which could then be unlocked with a Key. Would also save any cross contamination by filling tanks with the wrong kind of liquid. Albi.

Hi, Interesting note about having a survey - both those boats I sold had surveys, both were for cash to first time buyers and both I and the boat shop insisted and on one boat a substantial price reduction was negotiated (I was selling this on behalf of a friend). Presumably if marine finance is involved a survey is a requirement. Keeping up pressure on prospective purchasers is reasonable, as that's what the vendor pays the agent to do (ie. introduce an able, willing purchaser and complete the sale as soon as possible) and lots of people say 'yes' but then 'no' in the cold light of day and all to often the vendor has 'missed' the market. I have spent nearly 40 years being amazed at people's reluctance to spend money on house surveys (few realise that offers should be made 'subject to survey'), that if ever I sell a house or a boat I now insist that a proper survey is carried out before a sale. I retired as an FRICS and maybe I have vested interest in keeping my fellow surveyors employed, but such an action avoids lots of problems. Now don't mention HIPS to me. Albi.

Hi, I have sold 2 boats though a boat shop at MK and got excellent service. The boats came under offer very quickly, (infact to the first people who viewed them), the applicants were very carefully screened and the surveys and sales went through quickly. The cash went straight into my bank account from the vendor. The broker actually did what they were contracted to do - act in the vendors best interest! - something very few brokers or estate agents do. The boats are normally sold from moorings and the vendor may or may not show potential customers round, which has it's advantages. All for a flat fee (£500) - I have no connection with the Brokers other than being a satisfied customer. When I purchased my current boat my cash offer did not proceed quickly - the brokers also had an offer from an owner whose boat they were trying to sell, commision to them under those circumstances £6000, commission if the boat was sold to me - £3250 mmmmmmmmmmmmm they gave him a long while to try and sell his boat. Albi

Hi Tony, I would go for 2 tanks and forget Webasto, go for a Kabola 'Old Dutch' or Lockgate equivalent combined with an 'Eco Fan'. It's the combination I have and can confirm it works well. Re- Jig your designs to avoid a lot of trouble. The Webasto thread confirms that lots of future problems can be expected. Albi

Hi, Interesting posts, my, - aren't boaters an amazing bunch, if we are so wonderful who leaves the empty gas bottles and defunct batteries I see when out boating - usually the 'bridgehoppers' who have just departed. Now about the long stay moorers in the middle of nowhere (the boat about 1 mile north of Castlethorpe for example) where do they empty their porta-potty? - in the canal after dark, usually. How come BW refuse points are used as dumping grounds for lots of boating bits and pieces despite requests for 'domestic rubbish only'. Who leaves the black sacks full of rubbish at mooring points when they depart? ..... How about all the piles of ash left in the hedgerows when a boater leaves after their 14 days occupation. Perhaps HelenV requests were a bit 'too close to home' for some members and boaters should consider being more helpful. Albi

Hi, More interesting posts on a brilliant subject - it used to be said that 'all engines will take you out to sea, but only a Gardner will always bring you back'. Albi.

Hi, A engine virtually the same as this (it may be the same one) recently sold on ebay for about £1700, mint condtion with dynometer and base plate. Be careful if you are using a 1L2 in a narrow boat of more than 30/35 ft they are just not powerful enough and certainly will have a poor performance if used on a river. (14HP per pot). One owner with one in a 55/60ft boat said the 4 mph speed limit something to try and achieve but is rarely broken. Great for show purposes, great for blowing smoke rings. Tony Redshaw confirmed the above when I considered buying a 48ft Nb with one in. I got a a 48ft tug with a 2LW instead. ALBI

Hi Paul, I am suprised that no in-line filter was recommended. The amount of 'crud' mine stops amazes me and whilst I am not sure how the Webasto unit works but presumably a supply of clean diesel is needed with a minimum flow rate. Nothing could be simpler than a Kabola and if one of these is affected by a poor diesel supply then a more sophisticated unit would be similarly affected. Bench tests carried out by the Makers would be under controlled conditions with clean fuel lines. I have found that 99% of plumbers/intallers fail to read intructions about flushing systems prior to use, so it is possible that some debris/sealant used in the installation could be affecting the flow. Further, is the actual installation correctly designed with regard to the height of the outlet from the diesel tank above the unit, ensuring that a correct pressure of diesel delivery is maintained. Whilst discussion about cetane ratings are excellent all to often overlooking the obvious can lead to frustration and expense. ATB Albi

Hi Laurel. My my has a Wilderness Beaver which is in poor order (shell OK but needs a complete refit), complete with trailer if your friend is interested. PM me for more details. Albi.

Hi, Difficult to say which is best - all vintage engines are excellent and am pleased that each manufacturer has its own band of supporters as this helps preserve the various marques. Having said that, RN's are excellent and well suited to canal use and are designed to tick over slowly. Gardner 2LW's which I encounter on the canal, tend to be ticking over too slowly. Manufacturers recommendations are a 420prm tickover for the 2LW and it is posible that a low tick over speed will not be good for the engine long term, especially when 'under way'. It is possible that long term the oil pump in a hydraulic gearbox will also suffer at low tickover speeds. For canal use the 2 & 3 cylinder Gardners are excellent, the engines larger than than that do not work hard enough and suffer as a result, a 40 ft+ boat with a 1L2 (14hp per pot) will struggle to achieve the 4mph speed limit. Spares for the LW range are available and some parts are being re-manufactured (www.gardner-enthusiast.com). I'm a 'Gardner man' - a custodian of a 2LW, the multi cylinder jobs obviously sound sweeter than the the 2 cylinder version, but all are excellent. Albi