riverwolf

Could not help our selves on friday as Midland Chandlers had 20% everything,so we now have a nice new Classic Range,we had planned on buying an Epping as this is what we have had in previous boats,but the quality of the castings were not good on the ones we looked at.My plan had been to fit the Epping with a back boiler as these are available,but not so for the Classic!Has any one fitted a boiler to a Classic?Would the Epping boiler fit?Or when i buy a Boatmans Stove for the backcabin/bedroom would i be better getting one with a back boiler?Thanks,Mike.

Walked past Drake a couple of days ago,looks like it would keep you busy for sometime to come!

The back cabin is perfect,very mellow,but better suited to the smaller person,engine hole very trad,under cloths needs a bit of work,but it has a great feel to it! A really lovely boat.

Found ourselves at Warickshire Fly last wednesday so had a good look at 'Ian',what a lovely boat! Amazed that no one has bought her/him yet,especially now the price has been reduced!Sorry to say too big for us,but has to be seen if you are looking for a big motor that feels proper!!

In the Beta JD3 Classic Tug Engine thread there was mention of the suitability of the Greaves engines for narrow boats,i have since then received the following information from Phil Lizius at Longboat Engineering and include it here with his blessing in the hope it might prove helpful to others seeking a traditional looking engine at what seems a reasonable price,Phil writes as follows ," Please find attached the dimensional details for the Greaves 2YWM and 3YWM engines. The dry weight of the 2YWM is 327kg and for the 3YWM it would be 402kg. You would need to add approx 150kg for the gearbox and adaptor plate, assuming that you went for the PRM260 gearbox. Other gearbox options would vary. 2YWM The overall length of the standard engine, fitted with a PRM 260 gearbox is 48.25 inches from the gearbox flange to the end of the crankshaft extension. If the raised hand start is fitted an additional 7 inches is required to allow for removal of the starting handle. If hand start is not required and space is at a premium, the front crankshaft extension can be shortened by 5 inches, provided that a second alternator is not required. 3YWM. With all the above dimensions you would have to allow for a additional 7.5 inches for the extra cylinder. The PRM 260 gearbox is still within capacity but the PRM500 might be considered to give a better safety margin. This would add approx 5 inches to the overall length and approx 30 kg to the weight. My thoughts on engines, narrowboats and other related matters. With a 50ft by 7ft hull of conventional narrowboat design, the 2YWM will provide sufficient 'power' to drive the boat against all but the most serious of river 'flood' conditions. Under such conditions, you probably will be prevented from navigating by the Authorities. The constraints will be the size and design of the propeller fitted to the boat. In an ideal world, the 2YWM should 'throw' a 28 inch x 24 inch propeller. This would require a draught of 34 or preferably 36 inches. This is obviously not practical on a boat used mainly on the canals. The compromise position, is to fit a 22 x 17 inch prop, which would give a draught of 26 or 28 inches. This may result in reduced performance on fast flowing rivers but in practice this compromise works reasonably well in all but the most serious 'flood' conditions. Fitting a larger engine, such as the 3YWM does not resolve this basic problem but has other implications such as the engine having to 'idle' for long periods and failing to reach full operating temperature. In all, I think that the 2YWM will be more than adequate. In an ideal world, the 2YWM would require a 5ft engine room and the 3YWM 5ft 6". This allows space for easy maintenance but can be reduced at the expense of this ease of maintenance. At the moment, I have only a re-built 2YWM in stock and this is spoken for. I am waiting to hear from the Factory regarding delivery and current prices but they are notoriously slow to respond. I would estimate that a new unit, with PRM 260 gearbox will retail at about £10,500, which will carry a Manufactures 1 year warranty and a further, restricted 1 years warranty from Ourselves. "

Thank you,Bones!

Where can one find out the details of whats available and when?Thanks,Mike.

Two very Helpfull Posts! Thank You Both! Mike.

Woops!!!Oh well,have emailed!

Many thanks to All!I must say i do like the look of the Greaves engines and the price too!Do we have any members running one of these?Mike.

Much as i feared! The reason behind the question is that we are seriously thinking of having a shell built to our spec as finding what we would like at the right price is proving tricky! I was rather keen on putting a Beta JD3 Classic tug engine into it,but having been advised that this particular engine might not prove such a good investment,i am wondering what other similar engines there are out there?So Your thoughts on what to put in a 48' tug style,with enough go for river work!Thanks,Mike.

Hi All,Can someone please tell what is the price of a new DM2?

I would be intrested in hearing how this engine performs?Good or Bad,Thanks,Mike.

Thank You Liam!PM sent.

Posting this here as well as in the For Sale and Wanted Section ,as i hope it will get more looks!I trust if this is not o.k then the Mods will remove it! We are hunting for a boat that will fit in with the following as near as possible. Trad stern,48'-58' ish,with portholes,at least a 13' sheeted hold(or the possibility to create such),must have 6'6" min headroom,nice lines,simple interior with an Epping,(can refit if necessary) We have been to see 'Empire' in Birmingham which came very close!Liam's 'Ariel' would have been perfect,but we were not in a position to buy at the time!If you do know of anything similar please drop me a PM,many thanks,Mike.

Many thanks,having just read the previous posts up to date,i think i will give that one a wide berth!Any others,please, would need to be residential,and would like space for a garden and growing basket willows! Thanks,Mike.

There was a small plot of land for sale on the River Nene with a potential mooring which was discussed on here about six months ago.I see that this is still being advertised on line,wondering if this is really so,or did a forum member buy it?If anyone can point me in the right direction of the original posts that would be great! Would also be very intrested in other plots/moorings for sale to suit 50-60' NB. Thanks,Mike.

Cat +screwdriver Poor Cat!

Just on the off chance that there is anyone out there looking for a first class engineer someone well know to me maybe looking for a new position in the near future.The person in question is at present fleet engineer for a very well known hire base,and worked for me in my days of hire fleet managment.Excellent at engine and gearbox rebuilds,a first class boat handler and good with customers.If any forum member is looking for a very reliable member of staff,please drop me a P.M and i will put both parties in touch,many thanks,Mike.

What is it about small tugs that is so addictive?If you would like to see more visit www.riverman.gotdns.com and click on the Tuggies section in particular have a look at the What are they now section(Sorry i don't know how to do the clicky link thing)While on the subject of old tugs does anyone know what became of "Hobo" real name "Glenlea" that sat in the Pit at Penton Hook for sometime?Wish i had bought her when i had the chance,hopefully she has found a good home and is looking better!Best wishes to all,Riverwolf.

Thanks Pluto!I was just going to reply to my own post as i discovered that i had part of the answer right under my nose all the time!To quote from "Canal Craft by " Peter l Smith,"to work on both wide and narrow beamed canals,a number of narrowboats only 61' long were built to work between the narrow canal and certain industrial towns and cities in West Riding which were situated on the broad-beamed,short locked waterways.Only about 3 dozen of these West Riding narrowboats(61',22 ton cargo cap,were ever built.They were both bulk liquid and general cargo carriers " I am hoping that i have identified the right boats?

Hi Tony, if IIRC i read a book a few years back called "Spring on the Somme"which is the narrative about a chap who rowed this streach of canal/river from the source to ?Would be worth checking out!

Can someone please tell me the history of West Riding Horse drawn boats like Elland.Why were they built to this size,how many were built and how many remain?

Can confirm her name is Conway,she had a full conversion until recently when my son removed it with a chain saw,he cut it back to where it looked right hence the length of the back cabin.and he also replaced the rear deck.The 1000 liter plastic water container is just that,Eds water tank!