[RCD]

It used to be possible to self certify boats built to category D (or C if under 12m) has that disapeared with the latest iteration?

[making wheelhouse collapsible]

1 hour ago, StortSaunterer said:

 

Looks a good system. How easy is it to take up and down, can it be done by one person?

 

To be honest it takes me a good hour slightly less if someone is there to assist, but I dont do it very often, if I was constructing it again I would try and make the front to back beam lighter maybe aluminium and use perspex in the side windows which is lighter than glass. It would also be nice to design the framing so that the front and back windows could be lowered without the rest of the wheelhouse. If you want quick teardown (which on the Stort you probably do)  I think a pram hood is the only option but they do look ugly imho, there are one or two threads on here about them including one widebeam.

[making wheelhouse collapsible]

In case it is of interest the basic design of our wheelhouse as follows ;

The heavy front and back windows hinge forward and are supported by struts, once up a beam is attached each side front to back, 4 curved beams are then place into slots on this beam going from side to side essentially to stop the canvas roof sagging. The side windows are on lift of hinges so they can be removed, it would be nicer if they could just hinge down but the cabin gets in the way. When replacing them they are held at an angle, slotted into the hinges and then raised to verical and clipped to the fore aft beams and each other with protex clips. Once all windows are in place the canvas is rolled over the roof structure and secured all along the edges with turnbuttons  (see picture) but requires sewing

I have attached some pictures. Note that we put a couple of straps over the roof in winter as our mooring is very exposed, I d not think these are really necessary, the wheelhouse feels quite solid once all clipped together it is just belt and braces.

The canvas cover can be made from tent material which is very lightweight but we used lorry type vinyl  using a hot air blower to weld hems all round and a clever little punch from J Clarke Marine to make the holes for the trunbuttons. (see  picture)

 

[Beta lift pump]

1 hour ago, system 4-50 said:

I remember in my college days travelling in a friend's uprated Morris something or another in the Welsh mountains at a certain amount more than 70 mph when the engine cut out.  My friend shouted "bang on the side of the boot".  We did and it recovered, and the process had to be repeated many times before we got to our destination.  He had relocated an electric fuel pump to a temporary position in the boot and it kept sticking.  

Should this problem occur on a Beta, presumably dancing a hornpipe on the stern of your boat would effect a temporary cure?

Facet are cheaper even from Beta and more reliable than SU. My father had a Morris Minor that went through at least 3 of the latter. I do hope having said all this mine doesnt fail this summer!

[Beta lift pump]

When we fitted our engine we were advised of all the above, our fuel tank is just below the engine,  the further advice was to fit an electric pump inline with the existing mechanical, (after the water trap) no need to remove the mechanicalal. We did this and it works (so far!) From memory (this was 10 years ago) I think it is a Facet pump which has a quirk of needing nptf threaded connections - we could not find these and Beta advised using the nearest size bsp which we also did with some hermetite and that has not leaked either.

[Beta Marine lift pump]

Our fuel tank is lower  than the engine and Beta told us to fit an electric pump inline with the mechanical one which we did and it works so may well be an easier fix.

[Recommend Battery Powered GSM alarm?]

have you googled gsm alarm?

[DIY cratch cover]

Re cratch cover (where did battery covers infiltrate this thread) If you want to keep it simple use the type of pvc sold for lorry tarpaulins a straight forward cratch cover shouldnt need any joints and the seams can easilly be welded with a hot air gun (and practice) hardware such as turn buckles and the like are readily available on the internet. Do make a template, a sheet of polythene will do fine.

[Needing info on having a boat moved by road...]

If you join the historic narrowboat club they keep (or at least used to keep) a regularly updated (lock walls do move) list of thé tight ones.

[Engine rebuild or replacement]

Re the suitability of Vetus engines the main problem complained about on here over the years is the gearbox (and drive plate) not the engine at all which is probably Mitsubishi. Apparently the gearboxes dont like being run in neutral (as when charging) and are very clunky - but then the op will know that.

Also at one time there was no air filter fitted which seems a bit cheapskate

[Anyone successfully sued a surveyor ?]

If you do go after ABC a main plank of your argument will be that they deliberately hid the problem. Make sure you have some evidence of that.

[Dutch Cruiser Conversion - WC cabin to shower / wet room room]

2 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

 

My boat, Juno, is a Viking 23 and this is in effect the arrangement - the small cubicle for the toilet is also the shower cubicle, up to you whether you put the lid down on the loo and use it as a seat or lift it out entirely and stand for your shower. The floor is designed like a shower tray, moulded in plastic with a 4 inch high lip and a plug hole. A small pump automatically cuts in as soon as water goes down the plug hole 

We had similar on our previous (30 foot) narrowboat, small 24" shower tray with a lid on, bathroom was about 3.5' by 2'

[Gas pipe size]

51 minutes ago, TandC said:

Slight diversion but connected to the topic - if I were to go into my local council-run (not university etc)  library and enquire as to whether they can provide access to specific ISO standards such as this discussed here, what exactly am I asking for....   Is it just "how can I access ISO Standards please..."

 

Or are these buried in something else?  

 

I've done a quick online search through the library catalogue service for "ISO Standards" - "British Standards Online" etc -but it doesn't return anything so prior to going to talk to someone at the library it'd be good to know what to actually ask for..... 

As you are in Oxford according to your profile https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/leisure-and-culture/libraries/reference-online/z-list

[Gas pipe size]

23 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I think this is misleading. 1/2" gas tube has a thicker wall than 15mm household copper pipe. I am not sure if ordinary 15mm copper meets the ISO or BSS, I have an idea that at one time it did not.

afaik the 15 mm (or any other water pipe is not likely to meet the thickness (of the pipe wall requirements) of the ISO/RCD wheras the imperial sizes (as sold for refrigeration) are available in the required thickness. As far as BSS goes how would they know?

[12v fridge to recommend?]

For anyone looking for a small 12v compressor fridge these have appeared on Amazon; obviously a Chinese compressor but then Danfoss are made in China now.  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shield-Autocare-Campervan-Compressor-Refrigerator/dp/B0CCF532XP/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

[Anderton Lift]

15 hours ago, David Mack said:

The other problem with the lower caisson entering the river is the resulting flotation. That means there is less force to lift the upper caisson up the last bit, so presumably it had to be pumped. Not an issue with a dry chamber at the bottom.

For the same reason the gradient at the top of Foxton Incline Plane reduces at the top so that balanced operation could continue as the lower tank entered the water.

As far as I could tell in the Belgian ones which use the original system, there is a combination of letting water out of the top tank (as seen in my photos) and a there is also a pump between the rams.

[Another cut back. ?]

3 hours ago, MartynG said:

Cuts in services provided are also a  good way to deter people from going boating.

 

we are talking cuts to services to towpath walkers here

[Anderton Lift]

The lifts on the Historic Centre Canal in Belgium were designed by the same guy as Anderton but have been refurbished to the original design, each basin counterbalances the other. and as all the weight is taken on the ram the supporting structure is much lighter and "delicate" as Anderton was originally.

[Another cut back. ?]

Isn't this a very good way of forceably drawing to the attention of non boaters and local authorities the current funding issue.

[Beta 43 with 5000 hrs]

43 minutes ago, dogless said:

We had a Beta BV 1903 with 3,500 hours recorded when we bought the boat in 2004 at 11 years old.

 

By January 2018 we had a new Beta 43 fitted as the old engine, which by then had over 17,000 hours, had become smokey and needed to be stripped down and reconditioned.

 

Finding someone to strip down the engine and do whatever work was needed would have taken many weeks (a friends took three months to be completed) and at a cost which would be impossible to accurately estimate (the friend's ultimately cost £3,400)  depending what was found.

 

Once done  several months and who knows what cost later, we'd still have an old but reconditioned engine.

 

We elected to have a new Beta 43 fitted which cost around £7,000 fitted, and took two days.

 

The engine now has over 4,000 hours and is performing as new.

 

Rog

did you change the gearbox at the same time or was that ok?

[Mooring stakes]

On 01/10/2023 at 12:30, magnetman said:

Another thing I have used before is sawn off wrecking/aligning bars. Used to find a lot of them with the magnet. I still have 3 or 4 nice old blacksmith forged wrecking bars. The big ones about 5ft long. 

 

1.5m aligning bar £27. Cut the wedge orf with the angel grinder. Mind the peening though it will be sharp. Worth regularly dressing the cut end with a grinding disc. 

 

 

 

Never tried it but I do wonder if the answer in reality is to have a triangular steel plate with three holes and a ring in the middle. Hammer three pins into the holes right down to the plate then tie boat to ring. 

That way one could use shorter pins and get more grip. 

 

 

 

 

There were some hammer-in ground screws but not sure if they were available here I think it was a Dutch product. 

 

Looked quite interesting.

Spirafix that was it. 

These ones are designed to be inserted using a hammer not by twisting. Removal is by twisting. 

 

no

Available here with a better head https://www.spirafix.com/products/30mm-ground-anchors/anchor---spirafix-30mm-b-type/?Page_ID=3610&refpid=118741&id=900962. We have these and they are very good, you hammer them in  and they rotate as you hammer, the only problem is that the head tends to get damaged by the process of hammering them in.

[Four more Oxford bridges to receive hydraulic mechanisms- £650,000. Thoughts?]

-

[Four more Oxford bridges to receive hydraulic mechanisms- £650,000. Thoughts?]

Really they are so short of money that they are fleecing boaters for licence fees - already the highest in the world - until the pips squeak.  They are threatening to close canals. Yet they can afford this

 Unbelievable.

[Four more Oxford bridges to receive hydraulic mechanisms- £650,000. Thoughts?]

Really they are so short of money that they are fleecing boaters for licence fees - already the highest in the world - until the pips squeak.  They are threatening to close canals. Yet they can afford this

 Unbelievable.

[What have I done?]

At least the AI posts are sometimes amusing this is just f ing annoying