classicstove

If they are sisal (brown) rope, you are best to soak them in creosote which is still avaialable from agricutural suppliers. To be more environmentally friendlty, you can use one of the creosote substitutues but they are not as effective at keeping rot and growth away If they are black rope, you could spray with cheap black paint although they will need to be redone at frequent intervals

Certain types of caol will burn more easily with little air than others Those that are types used in boiler fuel require a lot of air to make them burn well and dont easily do 'tickover' or stay in at night You could use house coal but would think about Taybright, Ancit and if you are feeling rich, Coalite all of which will burn for many hours without much air

The shake can be down to several reasons The rudder should sit quiet tightly in a cup so as to be able to pivot easily. More modern boats also have some form of bearing when it appears at the top of the counter and this arrangement, when adjusted correctly, negate any tiller shake The prop can make a diffrence and ther has been much press about the Axiom propellors and how they produce less tiller shake. You may like to consider a new prop from somewhere like Crowther Marine that will match your boats underwater shape to the engine output

I normally use garage floor paint for the roof (looks very similar to red oxide in colour but like all reds fades) and this forms a skin very quickly but can take many days to go off so no mark is made when it is walked on. Winter painting of lockers etc takes ages to dry If you are unable to get hold of scumble, then I have been trying Ronseal Paint and Grain to patch http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/ronseal-paint-and-grain

I have always called them 'weekenders' Leave the boat after boating, get public transport back to the car or home, back the next weekend, move to a convenient point etc etc

Tim From an engineering drawing I have of the 2LW that was part of the 'new line' in the 90s, the overall length from the flywheel to the flnge on a PRM 160 gearbox is 48.5 inches. From pictures of a 2LW v a 4LW you should be able to work out the additional length Maybe Walsh's Engineering in Manchester can help I would scan the drawing but my scanner is not the size of my Kitchen table !

Yoiu may want to look at the Waterways Craft Guild for Signwriters http://www.waterwayscraftguild.org.uk/directory.htm

Not receive any but I'm not a member of the IWA Maybeyou have been subject to a 'glitch' - otherwise known as a short fault in the system

I would take 3: Saul - Gloucester Gloucester - Worcester (lock up into the basin over night) Worcester - Stourport In the summer with lower water levels and a relatively quick boat across the ground, would arrange to be let out of Gloucester Lock at 0800 (tide permitting) and reach Stourport the same day

Either River Avon (Warks or Bristol) have lock landing stages going up or downstream and have been in place for many years

An old fashioned way is to cover the polished metal with vaseline - cheap and effective. You will lose the shin but if you are leaving them over the winter, in the spring they will be a loy easire to clean The other trick is to use the cheapest furniture polish you can find (Wickes ?) and spray on after cleaning. During the winter it is easy to get off if you want to reclean to have the sparkle In the spring, an alternative to Bar Keeper is Liberons Brass and Copper cleaner which is week phosphoric acid and chalk which more easily removes tarnish ready for a polish

I also think you are panicking a little too much although there is some truth in waht you say You will need a street address/accomodation address to be able to get documents (such as driving licence ) registered at and sent/collected from The easiest way is find a friend who will let you use their street address but you have already been through this There are companies that will provide a street address (enter mail forwarding into a search engine), receive your mail, hold securely and then send it to you (usually at the local Post Office under the Poste Restante scheme) There are 3 mail forwarding companies that specifically serve the canal community: boatmail.co.uk ship to shore waterwaysmail John

You may also like to try looking at a Crowther propellor who have a good reputation Where the space under a counter is limited, they can also advise the prop required to compensate http://www.crowthermarine.co.uk/

Perhaps we all need to promote the contents of this website and all adopt some of the actions http://www.considerateboater.com/homepage.htm

I know of 3 locks around the system that are 'tight' Lock 44 on the Stratford - surprised to hear that 47 has problems as well Hurleston bottom - have lifted coping stones when rising with a working boat Stret Lock (Worksop)on the Chesterfield In any lock, it is good practice not to anything making the boat wider than the baseplate (anodes, pipe fenders etc) and these can get the boat stuck John

A full guide to the pubs on the Erewash can be found at: http://www.canalandriversidepubs.co.uk/pubs/Erewash.htm

If you do try night time boating, try it with the headlight off as you wil find that there is generally enough background light once your eyes adjust When working locks, low level lighting will allow you to see in the light shaded areas without your eyes getting used to very right light

You may like to print off the page from the link below After many years of travelling the canal system, I captured my notes on pubs and these are available for all to use and are arranged in the order of travelling along the canal The entries have a telephone number for all the pubs so when you get near to the end of a days boating, you are able to check if the local does food or just beer http://www.canalandriversidepubs.co.uk/pubs/Macclesfield.htm

Weed hatches should be water tight To ensure a good seal, something similar to draught ecluder (spongy and sticky on one side about an inch wide) is available from most chandlers http://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/Products/DeckHullFittings/Weedhatch.aspx

The printed guides are great but go out of date oh so quickly After boating for many years, I have captured my notes about pubs and these are available on the 'web' via the link below Hopefully, any reader can help to keep it up to date by sending me fedback so we can all benefit

Danboline is avaialble in grey or red - the red is similar to red oxide in colour but a bit brighter in colour. Its sold as a bilge paint. Made by International, it is normally avaiable at most Chandlers. Easy to apply, gloss finish, not slippery in the wet, but, takes a long time to go fully dry (skin forms quickly but takes days to go off fully) You could use garage floor paint (tile red) which is also quite close to red oxide in colour

I passed by there a couple of weeks ago Part of the site is behind 'wire' but the moorings nearer to The Ash Tree Pub are open to anyone who wants to walk pass From the BBC article, looka as though they used a boat to get behind the 'wire' and then made off John http://www.boatmail.co.uk - the boaters mail forwarding company http://www.canalandriversidepubs.co.uk - all the waterway pubs

As any inner chimney skin will rot with the action of the waste gases, if you do get any small leak from the bottom of the chimney, rather than buy a new one straight away, take an old towel and form into a roll and put around the bottom of the chimney - works well but needs to be kept an eye on