alan_fincher
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Posts posted by alan_fincher
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34 minutes ago, Kingdom Isambard Brunel said:
Odd looking thing.
It certainly is, isn't it?
I can honestly say I have never ever seen anything remotely like it.
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1 hour ago, 5239 said:
I’ve never seen the coal boats going around with fenders up, they seem to get on well enough,
…mind they generally know what they’re doing.
I'm not sure where you are looking, but certainly most of the GU fuel boats don't travel with front fenders deployed.
First image I found on Facebook....
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1 hour ago, Ray T said:
No connection.
BRASS WINDLASS CANAL LOCK GATE KEY VINTAGE | eBay UKIt is in the USA,.
Selwyn Jordan
"From an avid collector of nautical antiques"
Got to love the price!
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On 05/06/2025 at 20:01, Blueboat said:
Although a nice destination, I think the journey there is better.
But where are the front fenders.
There is no requirement in the bylaws to have fenders permanently deployed. You must have them available ready to be deployed, and steerers of many 71' 6" working boats choose to operate like this to avoid having to lift them to fit a lock, and then redeploying afterwards.
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On 05/06/2025 at 13:44, Jonny P said:
There are a number of captioning errors in A Canal People, presumably because they were done from memory 50 years after the events depicted.
Exactly - there are actually lots of errors.
It is entirely possible that the person captioned as Mrs Laura Carter is not actually a Laura or a Carter (or both). That would be no bigger a gaffe than some of the other known errors in Sonia Rolt's supplied captions. -
12 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:
Yes, but what is its SAE viscosity and API spec. Without those two bits of information, we can't rule incorrect oil out.
Yes, please say exactly which Smith and Allen oil.
Their web site is a bit overwhelming, but whist I can see viscosities that are a good match for your engine, most seem to have an API spec that is not.
Note a "more modern" oil is often an unsuitable oil in these older engines. -
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11 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:
As far as I'm aware, the only valuation an insurance company will accept is from an accredited surveyor.
..... but of course, you would need to pay for that.
I think that is correct.
Most irritatingly GJW are now, it seems ,only prepared to offer cover if you supply a full survey of everything. They used to accept a full HULL survey
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It's probably also worth noting that very much more recently, (say within last decade), they have started using more than one shade of blue for the hire fleet.
Not the best resolution, but this from the CRT archives shows a pair of Wyvern Shipping Company boats operating on camping boat duties. The butty is clearly DUCHESS OF YORK, and the motor most likely HEATHER BELL. I feel sure I have seen other colour images from this era, but can;t at the moment recall where. I think this is probably not a bad rendition of the Company colours.
The tug leaving the lock is the SICKLE which we currently own.
Fishery lock, Grand Union, circa 1958.
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13 hours ago, AKD said:
No, it isn't the same person. The 'Laura Carter' who worked for Blue Line with the Whitlocks was Rose Whitlock's unmarried cousin.
Thank you - that;s what I had always assumed. So who, I wonder, was MRS Laura Carter? -
1 hour ago, Speedwheel said:
Thank you. So very similar to their current livery then.
Yes.
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9 minutes ago, Ray T said:
Here she is with Sonia Rolt.
Serious question, but is Mrs Laura Carter, as in Longden's photos the same person who subsequently worked with the Whitlocks for Samuel Barlow and then Blue Line?
I had always assumed not, as I thought (perhaps wrongly?) that the latter Laura Carter was a spinster.
Does anybody know, please? -
I agree with the others that your pressure figures seem low, particularly if it is a fully rebuilt engine.
One of our previous boats had a "well used" BMC that had almost certainly seen virtually almost no work beyond basic servicing in a decade. All its psi numbers were appreciably better than those you are recording after a rebuild.
You do know that the pressure gauge is accurate, do you?
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I guess that must be the "stinkhole"?
Looks like Martin O'cCallaghan (spelling) did the repaint - I didn't know that.
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31 minutes ago, Llamedos said:
Do you know when he became her owner? I
12 minutes ago, alias said:I think it was 2009.
Mike Askin has certainly owned Victoria since at least 2009. It may be even longer, but that is the oldest year I am qite certain of.
8 minutes ago, Llamedos said:I recall he was a ‘man of few words’ but very polite with it.
Now you have me wondering if we are talking about the same Mike Askin!
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Methinks you do protest too much!
Here is how you get 143 feet of fully loaded boats passing a different 143 feet of fully loaded boats in the opposite direction.
All while also making the 180 degree turn.
Easy, really!
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56 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:
I have seen boats go in one entrance of the marina and leave via the other to get passed the ex working boats that bunched up in the cut.
That's because it is standard practice, and exactly what they would like you to do.
They offer the possibility of a "pilot" if you would prefer to be taken through, rather than take yourself through. -
10 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:
Alde gas heating that, in cold weather, gets thru' a 13kg cylinder in about 6 days
A lot quicker than that, I believe!
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7 hours ago, magnetman said:
I remember this Boat from the mid 00s around the Bulbourne and Tring areas.
Yep, it's still there! 😄
9 hours ago, zenataomm said:Sad looking cabin. It looks wooden and has no tumblehome.
Possibly wooden and a lot of filler!
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3 hours ago, AndrewGVT said:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160973702#/?channel=RES_BUY
The stern half of Dodona is up for sale, its been sat at Marsworth for years, hopefully it'll go to a good home.
a.k.a. "The Cannabis Boat".
I find it amusing that because it's listed on Rightmove the "Other properties kike this" section lists some properties with an "asking" of 100 times Dodona is priced at.
2 hours ago, David Mack said:I have, but usually for boats being sold as floating flats on a mooring (although the ads are usually silent on the lack of tennure of a mooring).
I'm wondering if in this case it's a probate sale and those handling the estate don't know how else to market a boat.
Well Dodona certainly has no proper permanent mooring. However if the new owner can get away with"cc-ing" it over a similar range to its current owner, then they will have almost as convenient as a fxed location, but with the added example of zero cost!
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5 hours ago, Russ T said:
We used Tony Tucker once. Dunno if he is still in business. He was pretty good IIRC
I personally would advise against Tony Tucker. It is admittedly a very long while ago, but a survey he did for us got too many things plain wrong.
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53 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:
I assume that's an extremely old notice?
It is indeed.
They never really ever actually finalised on one size. Hydraulic paddles from around the 1970s, and original Ham Baker ones using the "candlestick" type paddles between Calcutt ans Birmingham all remained as a much bigger size, somewhat akin to how GU main line London to Braunston used to be. (although they were tapered, which the two types I have listed were not.
I don't actually know the detail of how the switchover was done - we didn't have a boat at those times. I don't think it actually represented any type of improvement though! -
I think I'm correct in saying that butty TAURUS is actually the CRATER. It is a bit of a bastardised thing, I believe, having had it's bottom cut off at the lower sides, with the new bottom resulting in a reduced depth of the boat.
It used to be based at Weedon on the GU, though I don't know if it still is.
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35 minutes ago, Stephen Lloyd said:
I need help with a Poloma PH-5H
Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
I suggest you start a new thread with a title specific to the problems you are having. This is more likely to produce responses, than just tail ending an existing thread.
Provide specific information - don't just say "I need help with".
Historic Boats for sale online
in History & Heritage
Posted
Undoubtedly a very nice boat. but £70,000 would seem absolutely top dollar for an unconverted boat.