springy

Not according to Calor's site "Calorific Value The Calorific Value of a fuel is described as “The amount of heat released when a known quantity of fuel is burned”. Commercial Propane = 95 MJ / m3 Commercial Butane = 121 MJ / m3 Natural Gas = 38 MJ / m3" http://www.calor.co.uk/service/lpg-informa...what-is-lpg.htm However if you consider it as "how many times can I boil the kettle from a bottle of gas" then you get slightly more from a 13kg bottle of propane than a 13kg bottle of butane (though Calor actually supply butane in 15Kg bottles). Tricky stuff to do actual comparisons ! springy

Yes but we usually get it by the Kilo of liquid gas and liquid propane is slighly lower density than liquid butane so you get a little bit more "gas per kilo" BTUs from 13Kg Propane = 612709.5 BTUs from 13Kg Butane = 604632.6 (assuming I've got my sums right) Propane does actually burn hotter - 1980 deg C compared with 1970 deg C for Butane (note "artificial test burner") but there's really not a lot in it. (Either one takes the skin off your fingers pretty quickly !) springy

As has already been said most boaters use Propane, Probably from Calor. Propane Boils at -42C, Butane Boils at -0.5C, When you draw gas from a bottle the liquid is "boiled" to produce the gas which in turn makes the remaining liquid COLDER, (unless you warm the bottle!) - with butane in the winter an ambient temperature below 5C (and remember we are required to keep bottles outside the cabin) will make the liquefied gas very sluggish to boil and therefore the supply from the bottle will be slow and probably insufficient to maintain a steady flame. Propane with its much lower boiling point will maintain a steady supply even when the bottle temperature is well below zero. Propane bottles regardless of supplier have a Left Hand POL threaded connection - this requires a spanner to fit and remove (and also a moments thought to remember to turn the spanner "the wrong way"). So you can switch between gas suppliers as you choose. Butane bottles have as Snap-On connector which varies in its dimensions from one supplier to another, but does not require tools to change. If you switch supplier you will probably have to change your regulator. There is a newcomer called "Patio Gas" this is actually Propane but in a bottle with a Snap-On connector. Calor is available widely but prices vary, if you want the convenience of just picking up a bottle at the marina then be prepared to pay a premium. On the other hand if you are liveaboard at a permanent location it may be well worth while checking local industrial suppliers - whilst they may not be available countrywide they may be significantly cheaper - though beware that you compare like for like - they may be cheaper bottles but some are 11Kg, some are 13Kg. If you can fit larger bottles eg 19Kg you will also save significantly. Most suppliers will want a "Deposit" on the bottle unless you have an empty for exchange, and are not (usually) allowed to take another company's bottle in exchange for one of theirs. Occasionally you may find a company willing to take someone else's bottle in exchange - this is usually an effort to "convert" you to one of "their" customers. Calor dealers Will Not (in my experience) do this. Whilst the "Deposit" is refundable on return of the empty, you will probably need the Original Paperwork and go to the original supplier in order to reclaim it - may be tricky two or three years down the line. Propane produces slightly more heat per Kilo but there's not a lot in it. Springy

Just a thought - is it actually tripping out, or just not latching in - had a problem at home a few years back where the RCD would not stay on even with all of the outlet cables disconnected & it turned out to be a faulty RCD - never latching - just replaced the RCD & all was well. springy

Hi Biggles Some quick sums with a calculatator suggests that your plans are "to scale" - 290 divided by 60 is 4.83, and 53 divided by 11 is 4.82 - the difference between these ratios could simply be measuring from the drawing - if the drawing was 53.1 mm wide or only 289 mm long then the width/ length would be in the correct ratio. This in turn gives (approx) 4.83 mm to the foot as a scale - which seems to me to be a bit of an odd ratio unless it has been done to fit the drawing onto a particular size of paper - A4 is 297 mm tall! I once did a layout drawing of my own NB scaled to fit the width onto A4 - 210 mm wide - it took about 9 pages joined together to get the whole boat on, but I only had access to an A4 printer. springy

Stour springy

springy

Back on Topic I'm wondering how good it is for removing RUST - should I get a boxfull to use before blacking ?

Hi Tool for cleaning fins is illustrated on p29 (acrobat p30) of the lister _man.pdf downloaded from here http://www.bluemoment.com/manuals/lister_man.pdf springy

Hi I'm not aware of any "packing type material" under the cowling of a lister that might catch fire, however all lister air cooled engines are suceptible to a build up of cr*p on the cooling fins - a mixture of oil, dust, fluff etc. and I could well imagine that could catch fire - particularly as the build up also reduces the cooling efficiency & therefore causes the cylinders to run hotter. What is required for this is removal of the cowling & clean out the gaps between the cooling fins - I'm sure I've seen a drawing for a hook shaped tool for the job in a lister manual, - will post a link if I can find it. I'm also not convinced that black smoke is a sign that the engine is "performing ok", though it does depend on what you're doing at the time. springy

Yes Bolinder Semi-diesels are two stroke, as are Gardner Petter and Kromhout Semi's. Certainly no valves but in the case of a Bolinder usually not every stroke is a power stroke - might be every other stroke or every third stroke or whatever ... unless of course you've got nice deep water & nobody's watching - then you can hit every beat... springy

I would also second bones' suggestion re the boatyard, if not possible the first thing to check is the oil - it should be "ATF" which is fairly thin and usually red in colour - it is just possible that the wrong oil could be causing slow engagement problems. Also check the selector linkage though i think that's less likely - the top hole on the selector lever on the side of the gearbox should move at least 35mm from the neutral position to the ahead (or astern) position. re the thermostat - its not "vital" but just means that it will take longer to reach optimum operating temperature (if it ever gets there) and will run a little dirtier & less efficiently. Do you have a calorifier and where is it fed from ?, Skin tank or raw water? Also begs the question did the boatyard remove the stat (if so why) or did they just report its absence ? springy

Yes - particularly if as smiley pete suggested they are basically a microswitch operated by a diaphragm, on the other hand it could have been a sticking diaphragm which you have now freed off. I would also agree with use of a "slave relay", whilst the switch contacts should be specified by the manufacturer to cope with the fairly high current and high usage cycle they may just use an "off the shelf" item. springy

Hi If it is just a faulty pressure switch you might be better off just fitting an external pressure switch (e.g. Square D type) - also has the advantage that you can adjust cut-in and cut-out pressures independantly. springy

Hi TC(O) Ltd bought 4 boats from SCCC in 1948 - Aldersley (also known as MV8) was renamed Dove, now full cabin conversion, believed still existing and has an entry in the National Historic Ships Register - http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/sh...hip&id=1423 MV6 was renamed Don, fate unknown MV2 was renamed Dart, In 1968 was shortened to 58', believed still existing Bath (MV11) was renamed Dane, Still existing, restored to original condition (as at TC(O) Ltd) with the addition of a forecabin Andy (AMModels) site has a page dediacted to SCCC, http://models.bipolar4all.co.uk/severn_and_canal.htm and another for Thomas Clayton http://models.bipolar4all.co.uk/thomas_clayton.htm cheers springy

Thats definately a weird sound, shame its not clearer. springy

Hi If you can get a rigid pipe in through the filler neck to the bottom of the tank and pump (say) five or ten gallons out from the bottom of the tank first this should get rid of the worst - then treat the remainder of the tank. The stuff you have pumped out - leave to settle for a few days & then you should be able to take relatively clean fuel off the top & return it to the tank only leaving a smaller amount of diesel/water/sludge mixture to dispose of elsewhere. Fuel treatments (there are several available) generally seem to work though some are better than others, but it is definately worth removing the worst contamination first if possible cheers springy

For the same reason a Horse boat has a Looby - it's a safety release for the towing line. Begs the question why a motor has a towing mast rather than having all the top planks & stands the same - presumably because there were occasions when a motor would be towed from the towpath and the arrangement as perfected over many years of horse boating was carried over, though I have to admit that sounds a bit 'thin'. Did all motors have a towing mast when originally built ? I don't recall ever seeing anything like that on, for example, a Blue Top motor (though that could be a memory/eyesight issue) so maybe only early motors had a towing mast, or maybe some yards/builders supplied them as part of the 'standard kit' ? springy

There is no leverage advantage in either a Z or a C if the top and bottom horizontal sections are the same length - they cancel each other, however in practice the top is often slightly longer than the bottom so there is a slight mechanical advantage this however is minimal compared to the increased leverage gained by adding 2' - 3' of brass tubing with a wooden handle. springy

'Cos from that side of the boat we'd have to talk about a reverse 'Z' springy edit - tho I suppose it might be a flattened 'S'

The leverage is simply based on the distance between the handle of the tiller bar and the axis of the rudder post - a 'Z' with identical short top & bottom bars is going to be the same as a 'Z' with identical long top and bottom bars - they cancel each other out. I have seen some boats with a reversed 'C', which would seem to fit your needs, but I cant remember where at the moment. The potential problem with an inverted 'L' is the attachment point for the top of the rudder axis - this has to carry quite large forces and it is easier to get a strong enough weld onto the side of a substantial boss which is then attached to the top of the rudder axis - often with a square fitting. cheers springy

Todays list Adder Aldgate Aquarius & Ilford Atlas & Mallus Barnet Beaulieu Belatrix Buckden Cassiopea Corona Hadley Hyperion Leo Manchuria Minnow Monarch Nuneaton & Brighton Renfrew Sagitta Saltaire Seaford Southern Cross Swallow Thea Victoria Bittel Coventry Enterprise No 1 Governor Nansen II Owl Pacific Sharpness Sickle President & Kildare Peacock Stour Plus a string of half a dozen joey boats for the tugs to play with and a BCN Spoon Dredger Its pretty full up - mostly 3 abreast apologies to anyone I've missed springy

Victoria was definately there tuesday (I'll admit I didnt look today) I should have made a proper list while I was there rather than using dodgy memory ! apologies to anyone else I've missed springy

Boats already there this afternoon include :- Aldgate Belatrix Hyperion Leo Minnow Monarch Nuneaton & Brighton Sagita Swallow Governor Bittel Sharpness Nansen II President & Kildare Stour Peacock More expected to arrive tomorrow springy