koukouvagia

Does anyone have a picture of the ones made by floating blacksmith Dennis from Wolverhampton about 20 years ago? They are by far the best I've used, but since they were stamped with our Josher's fleet number, I let them go when I sold Owl. They are heavy duty flat steel which slot behind the piling. They have a mooring ring attached. I'm sure some enterprising person could make them, since I think Dennis no longer operates.

Our local heron was a pain in the neck. It would (a) crap all over the cloths and (b) scratch the paintwork on the back cabin roof with its needle-sharp talons. I was able to outwit it by running a line of string from the luby to the rear slide. It acted a bit like a trip wire and it prevented it from landing on the boat. It's now gone back to standing by the lock.

Though this wouldn't work if the conduit is hidden behind panelling.

Don't forget to add a draw wire/string to make it easier to add extra cables later.

We just gave sketches like this to the boat restorer and let him get on with the job. He came up with far cleverer ways of doing things than I'd visualised because he had many years of experience which I lacked.

Doesn't seem to be a problem.

It has a Fixed Displacement motor/pump supplied by Anglian Diesels. (An F12-060-MF-IV-K Motor to be precise) and it drives a 17"x12" prop. Power supplied by a BMC 1.8. It goes like the clappers, but I do admit that the egg whisk blade means that stopping takes requires a bit of thinking ahead . The picture shows the bottom of the ellum with the protective cover removed from the motor.

This is the route we took with our Braithwaite and Kirk butty. Although we enjoyed using it as an unconverted butty paired with our motor, there was no realistic way of keeping an unconverted butty just for the occasional outing. Just four of the original batch of 24 B&K butties retain their original appearance (Gosport, Ilford, Ilkeston and Kildare); some have been chopped in half, some have been turned into motors and some have been so radically changed that their origins have been completely lost. When we decided to motorise and convert the butty we were very aware that we were dealing with an important piece of waterways history. Any work we did on Hampton had (a) to preserve, as far as possible the original appearance of the boat and (b) it had to be easily reversible. We went for an hydraulic motor in the ellum. (This was before electric boats were beginning to make an appearance). Any one wishing to return Hampton to a horse-drawn boat has simply to lift off the steel ellum and replace it with a wooden one. (I know where the original ellum is!). The shape of the hull has not been altered or cut into and the undercloth steel conversion could be removed without too much trouble. We know that Hampton is a bit of an oddity and that the purists may decry what we have done. However, the 112 year old boat is at least preserved for the next generation to enjoy and do with it whatever they like. For the full story see www.buttyhampton.com

I'm pretty sure I'd put the belt on the right way. Also the supplier of the belt specifically said it was for a 1.8 BMC. I was told by Ed that the rubber link belts are OK, but this fibre type is not appropriate for an alternator. I've no idea, really, but I'll stick to the traditional belts in future.

My alternator (an A127) began to show a dim warning light. I was pretty confident I’d be able to trace the fault – I did all the usual tests, checked the connections, made sure the belt was tight, verified that there were no untoward voltage losses or unexpected resistances. Nothing! I was stumped. At this point I sent for Ed Bowden. He took one look and with a sharp intake of breath pinpointed immediately the reason. I’d replaced recently the alternator belt with one of these linked ones. They appear to be working but are known to slip no matter how tightly they are fitted. Once a standard belt was put back the problem was solved. So, don't be tempted to fit one of these. Occam’s razor

I used a plug cutter. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra44s-wtsHY&ab_channel=JonPeters-LongviewWoodworking You can buy the kit here, for example. https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-plug-cutter-countersink-set-4-pieces/6418v#product_additional_details_container

Our Braithwaite and Kirke butty has a small stud welded to the stem post. I've no idea when or why this was added, but it does make it easier when on cross-straps. It prevents both arms of the rope from slipping over to the same side of the stem post. I also wonder what purpose the swivel bracket with the eye was for.

I used this firm to cut polycarbonate windows. It might be worth asking if they'll cut to a template supplied by you. https://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk I originally used acrylic sheets - a big mistake, they crazed in sunlight.

After the drought of 2011 the Tring Summit became very low. In January 2012 Waterways put in stop planks at the bridge just north of Cowroast to prevent the level dropping in the marina. The effort was largely wasted because (a) the brickwork grooves were worn and (b) the bed of the canal was, apparently, so uneven that the stop planks couldn't make a proper seal. In any case, it rained soon after and all was back to normal.

Such a sad loss to his friends, family and the wider boating community. I miss listening to his boating stories and his wise advice on how to look after old boats. Jim was one of the surveyors who really understood historic boats. Condolences to Annie.

Somebody (CRT?) must be making a fortune in mooring fees on this super yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch. It's been tied d up at Canary Wharf since March 2022.. I know we all like to have a go at CRT. (Heaven knows, I've done my fair share of criticism in the past). However, allowing for inflation, I'm paying almost exactly the same amount for my present mooring as I did thirty years ago. It was expensive then and it's expensive now.

Thanks for posting that, Ray. We've lived in Rotherhithe for over thirty years and I thought I knew all about this lost canal. Turns out that I found out lots of new, interesting details.

Or you could get a link belt. These are very good and you can adjust the length as required. A bit pricey, though.

I use mine quite a bit because I like the noise it makes when I turn the handle.

I remember this 1995 accident well. I wonder if the coroner's advice about the dangers while reversing was ever acted upon.

I've mentioned this before, but worth repeating. I was following a boat whose steerer was swept off the counter. She was fiddling with an umbrella, the rudder hit an underwater obstruction, it swung round and in she went. I always steered from the step with the tiller in the small of my back.

My K2 was always difficult to start on petrol despite K7F9 plugs and a reconditioned magneto. I solved the problem by converting the magneto to a battery and coil start. Worked perfectly every time.

You should try boating with a deep drafted ex-working boat!