monkeyhanger

What are the arrangements for the illuminated cruise, please? I'm struggling to find any details.

I did a search for Hermetite on these forums and found Tru Blu was recommended, as it has been this time. I've bought some. Thank you to all who replied. Good old Canalworld yet again!

I need to refit a screw-in connector to my diesel tank. Many years ago I used to use red Hermetite as a joint sealant, but it seems to be no longer available. What do people use nowadays, please?

I went through Limehouse lock in 1984, and there were , if I recall correctly, 45 narrowboats in the lock at the same time, with room for quite a few more. This was the St Pancras "Last Chance" cruise, when the old ship lock was still in operation, but its closure for rebuilding was soon to happen.

I'm not sure removing the flywheel and front cover is necessary. I bought the engine as a pile of bits and put it together over 30 years ago, so my memory may be a bit rusty, but I seem to remember that the water pump and its drive gear just bolt onto the side of the gear housing, and the fuel pump doesn't need to be involved. But, as I say, it was a long time ago and I'm happy to be corrected. (But not TOO happy, because if you're correct, I've got a bigger job than I'd bargained for on my hands)

What's the length of your cabin please, and how much Owatrol did you need to use on it?

Luckily I've managed to purchase a NOS bevel gear. Now I need to make sure I'm doing the right things when fitting it.

It doesn't make sense to me, I'm afraid. I very much doubt that many oncoming steerers would understand that sort of signalling. I certainly didn't when I encountered it. Far better to use maritime signals or even hand waving in my opinion, rather then something which has been transferred from the roads and is illegal on the roads anyway. Also, on a sunny day, flashes from a tunnel light may not be observed by the steerer of an oncoming boat, who may be distracted and looking away at the time it is taking place, or it may be misconstrued as sunlight reflecting off the glass.

I was cycling along the towpath on the way home from my boat, when I stopped at Old Ford lock on the Regents canal. The lock had recently had a gate damaged and repaired, and I was interested to inspect the repair. A boat was coming up in the lock at the time, and I chatted to the guy about the condition of the gates. He pointed out that the bottom gates were leaking really badly. The lock filled and he opened the top gates and his partner started to move the boat out of the lock. The lockwheeler announced to me that he wasn't going to close the gates as they were a bit rickety. He boarded the boat and as the boat was adjacent to the top paddles, I pointed out to him that both were still raised. He shrugged his shoulders and continued on his way. AND this was a wide beam boat, so he could very easily have dropped one paddle and walked across his stern deck to the other one. Totally lazy and selfish.

On the subject of lights, as I was approaching a bridge hole, a boat was coming towards me, and in my opinion he was nearer the bridge than me so I slowed right down to wait for him. He did the same, and we were both almost stationary when I decided to go though the bridge or we could have been there all day. As I started forward, the tunnel light on the other boat started flashing on and off. As I passed the steerer, I mentioned that perhaps he had a problem with his light. "No, I was just flashing you to come through" was the reply.

If the Coventry Canal is convenient for you, I would suggest either Norton Canes or Alvecote Marina. I've watched the painters at both yards working and they both do a thorough job.

Thanks for that info. That was a page which was not in my manual, although there are no pages missing. Strange! What I was concerned about was, as it is a bevel gear drive, do I need to be concerned with the positioning of the driven gear wheel relative to the drive wheel, i.e.might it need to be shimmed to adjust it, and how would I measure the correct amount, or is it just a straight swap?

I have a reciprocating engine water pump on my JP2. I wish to replace the bevel drive gear, but although I have a marine engine manual, there is no mention of my type of water pump in it. Does anyone have any pics/ info/ advice on replacing the gear please?

The other half of Dodona was between the bottom of Marsworth locks and Peters two the last time I saw it.

The boat at Stoke Bruerne......Canis Major? I believe Dodona moors there now, as well.

Pedant alert........I always thought that the GU was the UKs longest canal, being 10 miles longer than the L&L

"Tipton" passed through the parade route but wasn't officially booked in.

Tamworth Station is an easy walk from Glascote locks.

Could you not file the heads down so that a smaller spanner or socket would fit? As an aside, I may have a complete duplex unit in my lockup if you're interested. I'll need to check.

Mine is exactly the same. If I turn the fuel shut off valve from the day tank too soon after a hard run, I have to bleed air from the pump next morning. After a gentle day's running there's no problem.

Thanks for that. I suspect that the slot in the oil control valve may be bunged up. When I took it all apart I didn't notice a slot, so I suspect it may be full of the same grey gunge that was in the bottom of the regulator reservoir. Hopefully I'll get back to the boat tomorrow to take it apart for the god knows how many-eth time.

Another question on this subject, if I may. I have a Kabola E5 boiler, which is almost identical in operation to a Refleks. It has worked perfectly for 25 years, with the usual maintenance of cleaning out the burner pot once in a while, and keeping the chimney clear. It is in a holiday boat, and as my engine gives me hot water, my Kabola doesn't get a great deal of use. I tried to light it recently and it wasn't happy. After switching on the fuel and adding meths to get it going, it would burn OK for 2 or 3 minutes, then the flame would reduce, start burning yellow and after 10 minutes or so it would go out. Turning the fuel control knob up to maximum would increase the burn time a little. I assumed that the problem is due to shortage of fuel. I dismantled the oil regulator, blew through the pipes, cleaned the filter and cleaned out quite a lot of sludge and reassembled it all. Result-----no difference. Does anyone have any suggestions, please, as I'm finding it very frustrating.

Just to update, I bought a new Par Max 3 as a replacement and the system now works perfectly. Time was tight and I haven't had a chance to check the 2.9 properly yet as Canalway Cavalcade got in the way, but I'm pretty sure that the problem lies with the pressure switch, as the inside of the pump was clean with no debris. Many thanks to all who contributed, and my knowledge of things electrical and wet has now increased somewhat. Thanks again.

Valves all clean and clear. I think it must be the pressure sensor not doing its job.