LEO

Hi, I note you say transport by road is not an option, but it'is worth considering. I had to move a boat a considerable from Lincoln (where it was moored) and taking into account stoppages, vehicle fuel costs general convenience it was worth ring up Tuckeys (who did an excellent job) and paying slippage fees each end. In the end it cost about £750 for a 48 ft boat. Not sure how long the boat you are considering moving is. It saves worry over breakdowns, vandal attacks when you leave it and payments for short term moorings. Albi

Thanks, not sure how many were made but they must be few and far between now, marine ply construction tended to shrink and swell at will and they were the most impractical of boats. Mike

Hi, A friend used to run a Brooklands Marine (Northampton) Dolphin 16 - low headroom, front steering position, everything had to be done in a 'crouched' position. I am working on an article an would like to include a photot of one, All pictures returned and creditted. We only have one picture of 'Puffin' and have mislaid that one, ( in the 1970's you actually decided whether you could afford to take the picture!). Thanks for any help. Leo

Hi, Thought this may be of interest Re:Red Diesel. Tax Changes for canal users 1 Year, 3 Months ago Red Diesel and White Diesel. White diesel is called derv and is used on the highway so it is highly taxed. Red diesel is tax exempt and only used for agricultural or marine use . There is no chemical difference other than the red die added to help the customs and excise when they check your tank. As is the case for most of the refined products derived from petroleum crude oil, diesel oil has no specific "chemical composition". It is a mixture of dozens of different hydrocarbons, including those classified as: paraffins; olefins; aromatics; and naphthenes. The physical properties of diesel oil vary somewhat from one refinery to another. However, in general, diesel oil has an initial boiling point temperature of about 300 degrees F and a final boiling point of about 625 degrees F. It also contains hydrocarbons ranging from those containing about 10 carbon atoms to those containing about 20 carbon atoms. It has a specific gravity of about 0.850 which is equivalent to an API gravity of 35. Two diesel oils for which I have compositional data indicate that they contain about 75 weight percent paraffins and about 23 weight percent aromatics. The remaining 2 weight percent are resins. Running a Gardner with the older 14:1 compression ratio pistons on White or Red Diesel will have no effect whatsoever on cold smoke. Cold white smoke on start-up was a low compression ration problem and not a flash point issue. Later Gardner’s Euro classification was a bit of a joke, the green sprayers and green injection pump was a money making move, what improved emissions was the employment of 15:1 compression ratio pistons. The vast majority of modern agricultural tractors and excavators by caterpillar that run on Red Diesel employ state of the art common rail fuel injection, which is not designed for a less refined fuel. Paraffin The physical properties of paraffin will vary to Kerosene. Gardner engines will run on Kerosene or household heating fuel of No. 1 Fuel type. Kerosene Kerosene has a lighter density than diesel oil, a lower boiling range than diesel oil (hence, it is more volatile than diesel oil), and it very probably has a much poorer Cetane Number than diesel oil. All of these factors will result in poorer performance of your diesel engine. Damage in the fuel injection pump and sprayer tips can also be expected due to decreased lubrication performance of Kerosene. Gardner's suggested adding 1% lubricating oil to the Kesosene to overcome the lubrication issue. Adding engine oil to Kerosene further changed its character. It is taken from a Gardner Forum Entry by a memeber who is a renowed expert on fuel oils. The Forum is well worth a visit, and registering to make use of all it's features. Highly recommended to Gardner Owners - www.gardner-enthusiast.com Hope this helps. Albi.

Interesting, but without testing the fuel to be certain I would say Peter is very honest. Any problems and his whole customer base would know about it quickly and trade (selling fuel & coal) would vanish overnight. He has been suppying me with diesel for heating and propulsion for several years and I have never had any problems. I am sure that if the wrong fuel were sold we would notice problems with at least one of the engines in boats on the moorings. Pleased you enjoyed your stay at the Cowroast & the pub. Leo.

Hi, A bit late on this one, but really all you need is a 'Bill of Sale' giving full details of boat, vendor and purchaser and importantly confirmation that the vendor is the sole owner of the boat and has good title there to, plus confirmation that it is not subject to any hire purchase agreement. Oh and allow time for funds to clear - 'CHAPS' clearance is money well spent. Hope that helps Albi

Hi,, I paid 72ppl last Wed, from Peter on Bletchley. He normally supplies us and it reflects the general cost of diesel at the moment. This time last year it was 50ppl (same supplier). Albi

I note the comments about the fire on the cabin cruiser, I saw it at Marsworth during the summer - it looked like an accident waiting to happen - small cabin cruisers do not lend themselves to having solid fuel fires installed. I would doubt it would meet BSC standards. Fourtunately it looks as though there were no boats moored close by which could have been fire damaged. Lots of rubbish on the towpath to clear up as well as the remains of the boat to remove - another bill for BW (us!) to pick up. When I saw it the boat had no licence or mooring certificates.

Hi, Early morning starts are the best, slowdown past other boats though, presumably it's a 24 hour licence so why not use as many hours as possible. Also helps spread the load with numerous boats using the system. If people tie up properly and use a 4 point mooring system, the moored boat barely moves, I know as I'm second in on a linear mooring. ATB MIKE

Try AMC diesels somewhere in Blackpool (they advertise widely) very helpful when I had a BMC !.5 - Lovely engines, now swapped for a Gardner, equally as nice but gets through the fuel a bit. I had a wet silencer on my BMC and it was as quiet as a mouse when running. Best of Luck Mie.

Hi, I have a 'hinged' tiller and find it excellent, the rudder is self centering and the only complaint I have about it is when in the 'hinged' position there is a sharp point ready to leave a severe imprint on an unsuspecting skull coming up from the Boatman's. Saw them for sale at the Cowroast to-day. Very substantial hinge arrangement - unlikely to break. MIKE

Hi, I have a Kabola 'Old Dutch' - really excellent it does blow out but this is normally an indication it needs a good clean out, probably about once a month. Be careful cleaning the inside, it's easy to damage the thermal coupling to the flame failure device. Hoover the displaced carbon out and clean all the holes at the bottom of the burner. Mine is set to tickover at it's lowest setting and also provides hot water (gravity system) use a pump if the setting is higher, I leave it running 24/7 and use an Eco fan. Be careful if re-lighting and make sure you leave it 30mins to cool down as meths evaporates very quickly, especially when warmed and you will be badly burnt if ignited too soon. Had a solid fuel fire in the previous boat, nice but what a joke with all the dust etc., only draw back with the diesel is what happens when the price goes up - I have a dedicated 50 gallon tank and will probably pay extra just for the convenience. I estimate my diesel stove uses about 1.75 litres a day on tickover. hope this helps. MIKE

WENDY I NOTE YOUR POST, PLEASE SEND ME A PM AND I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO. MIKE