Mike Jordan

I'm not sure I undersand that, is the claim that the spacers or adhesive will be affected by sunlight? I've certainly not heard of any problems, and bearing in mind that even in a rebate they are subjected to uv regularly I don't expect problems. Some of the deck lights have now been in use for more than ten years without anyone making comment. Mike.

I think it's fair comment to say that most dog boxes and deck lights are poorly made and tend to leak (those from Wotever and myself being exceptions of course) the easiest way to spot a duff one is to look for a diamond shaped rail fastened to the top of the ridge, this is usually a desperate (and futile) attempt to keep rain off the hinged joint and stop it leaking. A look at my gallery will show fitting and water proofing systems that work well! It's not rocket science, just old fashioned standard joinery methods. As to Houdini hatches, they are great for letting the heat out of the galley area but the condensation in winter months is serious enough to prevent any experienced boater from having one on a second boat.

The design shown in the photos is taken from my book "Narrow Boat & Dutch Barge Joinery Designs" and very unlikely to leak if properly made with flush glazing. available on Amazon.

You are right in saying that you can fit seals to the exhaust valve stems as well as the inlet valves, but if they are not up to spec as mine weren't they can be welded to the valve stem by the heat and then go up and down with the valve and make a very effective set of four little pumps each of which pumps oil droplets down the valve guides into the exhaust. In my instance all the joints in the exhaust system dripped oil into the engine room, soaked the exhaust lagging and made an obvious mess. Most fishing boats have a wet exhaust and the engine will be working much harder than in a canal boat so that may be the answer. The problem has been on here before but I can't find the posts. Its easy enough to take off the rocker cover and look through the springs. It is possible to remove the seals without lifting the head off.

RLWP I'm not sure what you are referring to but my question still stands. I experienced a similar but smaller problem a number of years ago with a 1.8 and I will be happy to explain the cause and cure applied.

When you did the top end rebuild did you put valve stem seals on the stems of the exhaust valves? If the answer is yes I have a suggestion about the possible cause of the problem. Mike.

I built a 46 foot boat with tiller and internal wheel steering using a push/ pull cable. The suppliers of the steering gear supplied them to fishing boats and rated the cable at a third of a ton! Mine was not the longest stock cable and the suppliers said that cables for much longer boats were available to special order. Ive also tested a boat with hydraulic steering and found it to be very poor in comparison, the cable allows you to feel the pressure on the rudder and has a self centring action. The hydraulic set cost more than five times as much but gave the steerer no feedback at all . We had a lot of enjoyment from the wheel steering and boated in some terrible weather! if I have another boat I will definitely have dual steering again.

The heater connection is a brass tube that sticks up from the head near to the thermostat housing, it may have been blanked off with a threaded plug. calcutt will have the part. As you say the centrifugal circulation pump will provide plenty of flow and pressure for your needs.

OK- Exit ignorant hydraulics engineer- enter very clever plumber.

The flow of water in a skin tank is critical! If you put the hot in at the bottom it will immediately rise to the top and be returned to the engine with little cooling on the way.

If you are feeding the calorifier coil from the original heater feed pipe and returning the flow to the bottom hose, I would expect the engine water pump to push any air out of the coil without problem.

The swan line boats were built at Fradley and by Horace greaves of stores road Derby before being made by Handcock & Lane. Only the latter were all steel and non had the steel tube top edge to the cabin Daivson Bros also made (or bought in ) shells with that distinctive steel tube top edge to the cabin. The bridge guards were fitted to some boats fitted with timber or glass fibre super structures to stop hirers ripping the top off on bridges.

Its a good idea to keep the rise to 200mm maximum and measure to the height of the foredeck. Younger boaters have no problems with 300mm steps but as the years pass!

If you can prise one out and send me PM I may be able to help. Mike.

I would second the suggestion of Streethay, they are competent and honest in their work and have all the trades on site. The problem is that it will cost as much or more than fitting out a new shell of the same size and any increase in value will be very small. Your thinking follows the route of one of boatings classic mistakes, after stripping the shell out it usually dawns on the owners that it is a worn shell with a knackered engine and the sentimental attachment isn't really that great. While not wishing to criticise the advice from your surveyor you must see the vested interest in hanging on to old boats! I speak as one who has made a living for many years out of providing furniture and fittings for boat owners who are making improvements or fitting out from scratch, and have even written the book on boat furniture. Please take a long hard look and talk to other boaters who have had a go at this before spending any cash and bear in mind that anyone who claims to be capable and able to make an early start is very suspect, you can easily be taken to the cleaners if you are not carefull. mike.

I would agree with the idea of using Iroko for the box, teak is better but heart stoppingly expensive. Like the deck light in the photo you would be well advised to have it flush glazed with double glazing. The flush glazing removes the need for retaining beads and drainage channels to get rainwater off the glass. Maintenance will be reduced if you have a tailored cover with transparent top surface for overwintering.

System 4-50. Yes. Guilty as charged. Mike.

I have owned five boats and never had a cratch board on one, I have, however, made literally hundreds of them. They are very usefull for drying wet clothing, boots, dogs etc. Most also act as a fuel store and place to keep low value items,barbecues and other mucky things that are not welcome inside the boat. There are folding tables of various designs that allow al fresco dining and drinking which are part of many boaters enjoyment of the lifestyle. They are also a good method of protecting a posh set of expensive hardwood front doors Proportions matter if the assembly is to please the eye, although I accept that not everyone will see things the same way. I think that the top of the board looks mean and unattractive if it comes to a point or has a width less than about 300 to 350mm wide. The top plank should fit up to the back of the board and never be on top. The height that you place the top plank above the roof needs to reflect the overall height of the boat. The average total height is about 80mm above the roof. Most boards feature glazing so that the forward view is not lost, it's not compulsory but I thing laminated glass is a must have, it's obviously safer than float glass and, should you be unlucky enough to break it, it will normally stay in place. The prize for least attractive must go to either a floating plastic greenhouse or one of the front covers fitted over a couduit frame with a flexible front panel.

In the late 60s I spent a day visiting the workshops of Hancock and Lane and Springer Engineering, the plan was to buy a shell to fit out. It was a day of contrasts! I'm not surprised that a shell from Hancock and Lane has lasted well, I think it was in their premises that I saw a huge shot blasting setup used to prepare shells for painting. Towards the end of their time as shell builders they also sold pre profiled kits of steel parts for home builders.

Hancock and Lane were formerly agricultural engineers working in Daventry, they made complete boats and a huge number of shells for other builders. Their quality was very high in my opinion. Dobsons gained good publicity when they fitted out a shell built by Trent Welding of Burton on Trent, The boat owner was John Gagg who was a very regular contributor to Waterways Worlld. The travels of "Nike Four" featured monthly I think.

Dobson and Son were owners of a yard at Shardlow Derby. They built wooden cruisers and fitted out narrow boats based on steel shells built by others.The had a reputation for quality work and were one of the original suppliers to early pleasure cruiser owners and operated the first chandlery stores I remember visiting. Im sure that someone will provide you with much more information about the company, they have a long history

I would agree that using adhesive is quick and easy, but when you need to replace the panels it's a nightmare! Experience it once and you will avoid doing it ever again. The best quality job would be to have hardwood frames approx 22mm thick, properly jointed and with veered ply panels let into grooves. The space at the back of the panels can be insulated and the whole secured in place with screws through the edges of the steel panels.

I've just found an even better collection of potential pain and injury delivering features! This time on a boat with a £150,000 price tag, the glowing report on this boat is by Adam Porter in Octobers Canal Boat magazine. The shell, engine, and joinery quality look superb but why would any designer create an obstacle course of lethal sharp corners in a narrow boat? The builders are one of the most experienced makers of river and offshore boats with a reputation for quality. There is no mention that the tester has even noticed the hazards, the boat is described as being aimed at those who have not been canal boating before. If they are not very carefull the experience may leave a lasting impression in more ways than one. I don't believe that any experienced narrow boat user will be much impressed. In this article even the proof reading is below optimum, the editors instruction to remove a picture and replace it with the correct one has been printed over the wrong photo and proudly published. Times are tough in the magazine industry at the moment with subscriptions falling and buyers being reluctant to make a casual purchase at nearly £4.00 a go.

Anyone capable of doing the job (or claiming to be) who hasn't got a waiting list, should be regarded with extreme suspicion. No sensible person can give a price without full details of what you want.

Unlike timber dog boxes with double glazing, Houdini hatches are great for causing condensation problems, it's not the double glazing but the alloy frames that seem to cause the grief. I've wasted hours trying to persuade new boaters who are determined "lie in bed and look at the stars" that its not a good idea. It's possible but rather costly to fit a glazed secondary frame beneath the Houdini to reduce the problem but I would avoid going there in the first place. Perhaps someone with a hatch will add their opinion.