Ian Mac

Bu..er! I to would have sworn it was you, Welcome Hugh Chertsey - Owned by the Cherstey Kid (Dicky Barrent) from the late Sixtes, leant to Ian Kemp, who brought it to Marple/High Lane around 1970 and refitted it, Ian then took her away and did several coal runs off the Ashby with Andrew Boucher, using a butty as well. Some time in the late 70's Richard had her out on the bank at Allens yard in Oldbury and he and I and others helped him hot rivet new plates into the bow end. Not sure when Tricky got rid of her, or if it was after he died. -- Cheers Ian Mac

I can confirm it is the Daphne hauled out on the side slip at Ashton Canal Carriers, Hanover St Guide Bridge on the Ashton Canal, also home to Maria and Joel, and a Mecca for wooden boats. These Guys really know what wooden boats are about. This is currently Daphnes home mooring, as I understand it. -- Cheers Ian Mac

my dell power supply is a dc091-006 from Powery of China 90W max at 18-20v. Drives my old Dell Precision M60 well, but only when the alternator is going on some boats, if I'm too far away from the battery - vole drop down the cable! Some boats don't have big hawsers like we do I got it off amazon, the MEXXTRONICS shop for £30 -- Cheers Ian Mac

Ah that would be the time before then! The top wing wall has been jacked out twice since then that I know of. It moves all the time and when it gets too tight they just come out and jack it out again They have to drain the fore bay to do this operation. Given it is so regular I'm surprised they don't measure it and fix it before it gets too bad, they set it to 7'4" when they fix it. One of the lads actually watched them do it back in the 80's. -- Cheers Ian Mac

Two things about your design. 1) larger pipe to vent the system please, boiling water expands the volume by a huge amount it will need a way to escape easily, not by a twisted small pipe, run at least 22mm pipe up, at least, 28mm better. The pressure can rupture small pipes, then you have real problems. 2 Don't forget the 25C rule for returning water. A cold return really does rot boilers It also encourages it to rot from the inside out, so you don't see it happening till its a puddle on the floor! You should have two thermostats, one on the return which inhibits the pump while the water is cold and another which runs it, come what may, because the flow is getting too hot. -- cheers Ian Mac

Now then this is a job I've always fancied having a go at. My old gaffer designed and fitted a Solid fuel central heating system in a bungalow, that's not that clever, doing it without a pump is. The art is fitting the biggest pipe that the boiler has as a outlet for, preferably to the top of the boiler so the pipe rises directly upwards, one can up the size but the initial throttling matters. If the connection comes out the back you have to use a large slow sweep, the slower the better. The large pipe should go as high as it possibly can, then still rising on maybe a 1 in 100 climb, with the boat in its most nose light mode, assuming you are running the pipe towards the back. This is a good reason for having the fire at the back of the boat, but I know most are at the front! The size of the near horizontal pipe should be such that its volume is slightly less than that of the vertical pipe. The junction between the vertical and the near horizontal should be made with a large radius swept T the upright should either continue up and be an open vented or have a safety valve fitted, both must be external to the cabin. The radiators then come off the horizontal in small pipes vertically down to the radiator top, from the bottom of the radiator should come a large pipe down to the lower return horizontal, again this should fall from the far radiator all the way back to the fir at about 1 in 100. This return pipe should be the same size as the horizon flow, and should ideally arrive at the boiler return port directly, ie it should not need a vertical piece. If it does then this needs to be the same size as the horizontal return, and the corner piece should be a slow sweep. Now you can actually work out the sizes given the known stiction of the pipe, you can find this on the interwebbie I'm sure, and its length and the temperatures required in each radiator. On the other hand one just adjusts the return check values appropriately. You also have to get you boiler size right for the required room temperatures. Also remember when sizing your boiler that the return temp should not fall below 25degrees c otherwise you will get condensation forming inside your boiler and this will rot it for fun. -- Cheers Ian Mac

In the days when I was responsible for organising lifts for boats around breaches and closed tunnels, I use to use a standard 35ton Mobile Crane with 6 wheels. This would lift out a 70ft boat and place it on a trailer, we would whip several boats drive them around the obstruction and then drop it back in, a mornings work. We never had ringing bells, Tyseley, the Mikron Theatre Co. boat weighs just over 21tons, fully fitted with everything on board.

Each gate has its weight chiselled in it these days, but they are big gates for the middle set at Apperley, so it was just a guess. If someone is there abouts they could take a look. -- cheers Ian Mac

I've just had a thought whilst out milking the chickens, maybe this is a spot where a boat or several boats have moored for some time, and run their engines in gear whilst moored up, in the mistaken belief that it stops their engines glazing up when charging their batteries. Doing this totally wreaks the wash wall and causes precisely this sort of failure. There are some classic example around the canal system of this hooliganism. The worse ones I know of are at Ashton opposite Portland St Warehouse. People should be shot for doing this to our canals. -- cheers Ian Mac

So 2.5 is as close as it can get the load, so another metre to the lock edge, then 3.5m to hold the far gate in position. 7m max so the crane is far too big for the job, no wonder they had problems. Lets do in feet 1m = 3ft the canal is 14ft wide, therefore the centre of the far gate is 11ft from the edge 3ft to the outrigger and then the crane & outrigger is 16ft wide so another 8ft added up 22ft = 7m -- cheers Ian Mac

So 2.5 is as close as it can get the load, so another metre to the lock edge, then 3.5m to hold the far gate in position. 7m max so the crane is far too big for the job, no wonder they had problems. -- cheers Ian Mac

It didn't die it was merged into ICL "New Range machines and VME" which is still very much alive and processing. The last full emulation of S4 was written in the early 1980's. I know because I was one of the chaps writing it!. -- cheers Ian Mac "It has taken the world nearly 30 years to recover from Bill Gates, I can now, nearly do things on my computer, which were common place in the 1980's"

One word which still strike fear into any WPO is BAGDERS and this bit of the mont has them! However there is then another word, a far worse word though, NEWTS which is ultimate bad word. (can be made even worse that that by prepending "Great Crested") As the canal under restoration is now vaguely holding water, these little beauties have turned up, and that is the end of the game till GNW. The problem is that they are totally protected, Our laws, EU laws, everybodies laws, so nothing can be done, I'm surprised the towpath is still open as a footpath!, people are looking for a solution, lots of effort is going on, but don't forget this is with one group of people who bear the brunt of the government cuts, and are loosing their jobs, its really hard to negotiate, as its a set of fresh faces at each new meeting. Work on the towpath has being carried out but the main channel is currently a total no go area, I believe. How long it will remain like that God Only Knows. The aim is to get to the welsh border, as once that is reached that will enable the Welsh office to Burst into life, but we have to get there first. Plans are being discussed about starting else where on the English length, but nothing in place yet. The environmentalists have a total whip hand at the moment, even though I believe we have totally demonstrated that a restored canal is as good as the set of lakes, which we had to build alongside the canal to get it restored beyond the A5. -- Cheers Ian Mac

I would like to ask someone a very basic question. Why did they need such a big heavy crane in the first place, The biggest thing they can be lifting are the lower lock gates max weight 20tons, and the distance can't be that big, it doesn't make any sense, also you pay more for a bigger crane. The other thing is not actually much of the bank has collapsed, so just how close was he to the bank and why -- cheers Ian Mac

With respect, just to keep the record straight, I've spent 40 odd years keeping one wooden boat going, and been involved with helping with several others. We have kept ours going without any grants or gifts, she isn't like Gifford or Stour a totally new boat built professionally, we have just repaired, big repairs, but still repaired, a bit like the Irishmans spade. I've rebuilt our front end twice now! I've tried to teach the next generation how to do it, and others along the way. The art is not to waste your effort and money, and to ask people, lots of people, how they do it, and why, Try your ideas out sound them out they will tell you. As some one has pointed out, all of those that can do this properly probably could all fit in a taxi, although it is always nice to meet a newcomer to the group, and attempt to help them along, with the benefit of our experience. I do this as a hobby (labour of love) not a job. If any of you would like to learn, I'm sure the lot doing the Hazel rebuild would be as welcoming as we try to be, so that's two to choose from. Oh! and there is the new build of the Chesterfield boat, but that's a new team, but they are asking questions all the time Our next docking starts the 8th March, during which beside the regular annual maintenance we will be seeing how big a job we have on our hands for the back end rebuild, which will have to happen soon, its nearly 30 years since we last did it! That will be an interesting job getting the prop aligned correctly, in fact its a real bugger of a job, as I remember from the last time I touched a stern post. Wooden boats sink all the time, you just have to be on top of it, and catch them before they really go down. They also rot all the time, the process of steaming the timber to form them to shape knackers the wood to start with, that's why it bends, its then just a long race to stop it going down hill too fast, keeping the water out helps, rain water is a bugger, it gets in all the joints on the inside and rots its way out, so you may think all is well but it an't. Using the wrong materials is another bugger, we couldn't afford galvanised nails when we started, so had to rely on making sure the heads were treated properly, it works to a degree, but we now swear any iron at all, must be galvanised, if it touches the wood, and we also do the old way as well to help along, hopefully this is better, only time will tell. -- cheers Ian Mac

When did you get stuck in Camp hill Top? was it before or after us? -- Cheers Ian Mac

The Oxford is the great unknown to me, we are 71'*7'&1/2" No problems on the Shroppie, Chester Northgate will be tight for length, but doable, Beeston Iron you may be better of singling out width problems, one can get caught on the horizontal frame about half way down, however we have fitted with Gifford in the past, you just need to know about it. BCN - fenders up job, no width problems, that I'm aware off, depth is another story! Northern GU Camp Hill - I believe the top lock fore bay has now been fixed, you need to check with C&RT, it should be 7'2" but it falls in over time, back end of 2011 we got well stuck had to be winched out and then had to do the Northern Stratford and then the pain of the W&B, bottom to near the top, with crap rather than mud ,so like being on a roller coaster, same as the BCN new main line really. We also got stuck there in 1985 for the same reason, with the same solutions, but we have been ok befoer and after that untill 2011. Didn't go that way in 2012, so don't know for sure they have fixed it. They just drain the fore bay and literally jack the walls apart. The rest of the GU fine except Blue Luis Bridge - its too narrow for a pair you have to single out. The real unknown is the Southern Oxford. We have been up and down there, by it was a long long time ago (1977), and locks move. Please tell us who you get on. Its a tin boat why not just pull her in a bit, and it matters where you are wide, as the locks you get stuck in tend to be due to them being mis-shaped, rather than being narrow. It is amazing how far one can pull a boat in with chains, even if you have a shed on it. Other things to worry about but not on your route, this is where we worry. The S&W can be tight for us both ways, but is do able with care. The line side locks (western ones) on Cheshire locks, are a no go area got stuck in 63 in 2011 due to other lock being repaired, there are 3 others we do not fit in 60, 54. The Llangolan - Hurlston locks we can't get into the bottom lock. Last check in 2012 Lock 11 Marple going up hill, our fat bit is dead opposite the kink! doable - last passed Oct 2012 both ways Lock 21 HNC - we can't get out due to kinked offside wall around the top gate. 2005 still not fixed, C&RT know about this. Top lock of the Droitwitch Junction, fore bay guard miss positioned, dead on 7' wide rather than 7'2", we require a winch, but can do it, C&RT have said they are going to fix this, I don't know if they have done so. Last stuck there in 2011. -- Cheers Ian Mac

I'll nail my colours to the mast I think HS2 is a very good idea, but like all ideas it now needs working on to make it a proper engineered solution. Without a new railway line to remove traffic off the current WCML, we can not continue to expand, in particular the WCML is now a major freight bottle neck, and I would suggest we need these links sooner than later, the reason for the delay is down to the cost and where does the money come from problem, however cold fusion will take care of that, sooner than most of you think! Peop[le who think they are effected by it have several possibilities, sit tight, and discover its no where near as bad as they thought it was going to be sell now or work the system. Working the system takes time and lots of effort but can be very rewarding. A lines of trees planted in the right place now will have 20years growth on them by the time this comes into action, so forget the negatives, think about the big picture and how to use the system. Never mind existing navigations they will be OK its those which are to come which are the bigger task. Well its taken 139 posts to spot that the Barnsley/Dearne & Dove canal have a fight on there hands, we seemed to know that the Chesterfield lot are up and running, but no one has yet mentioned that The Ashby gets well scuppered by it at Measham as well. The time has arrived to start campaigning, all these three restorations now have an opportunity to get something out of the system, as long as they can motivate the local populations and therefore the local representatives. It will take time but time is on our side if we start now. The Ashby can get the M42 and the HS2 solved at one go, if they are clever, I think from looking at the detailed profiles. The Barnsley lot will have a fight on there hands and I think the Rother route will be hard work, but again not impossible

I think you will find that Manchester airport already has a sophisticated noise action planlinked to the The Manchester agglomeration, with lots of monitoring sites, and a system of instant fines for pilots who break the strict noise limits already in place. There are posts with Microphones on them, all up and down the fight paths, I found one in a park in Stockport and wondered what it was, and looked it up on the web and discovered there were loads they go a good way out, there was on in Winsford and one near the old Woodhead tunnel of example, They arn't under the normal flight path but at the sides. Somewhere it tells you about each excess, who the pilot was, and all the details, and how bad the excessive noise was, and how much they were fined. Not peanuts but 4 and 5 figure numbers, I assume the airline pay, but it levied against the pilot, interestingly the flight from Dubui was always getting fined, till they put an even bigger plane on that route. I'm sure you can look up where to moan to if you wish, and there would appear to be a listening ear. -- cheers Ian Mac

I trying to remember how the frame which Ken had worked, he had spent a lot of time designing it and making it work. If you look at the front end of Friday you will see that the top plank doesn't cant in as far as a traditional wooden boat, this is so the frame could be lifted out however it does mean that the front end strength isn't as great, suspect this isn't a problem for a pleasure boat it will not have 20 odd tons on board and be banging into top cills. The frame came as a front and back section, building straight bits is easy, and these sections split into three parts, it all being bolted together. This was so that he could be removed from inside the finished hull. The timbers were formed onto the frame and then the knees were inserted afterwards, this gave them something to pull the planks down onto which would not distort, getting the cross bracing in the frame was the art. Wish I'd taken pictures, I suspect people like Tony Lowery did, must ask him next time I see him. -- Cheers Ian Mac

Its a wooden boat - don't touch it with a barge pole! Wooden boats take far more maintenance than a tin one, and the timbers do not last that long, something around 30yrs for anything which has been steam bent is good, so these planks will be nearing the end. The other problem is there are very very few people capable of fixing and maintaining wooden boats, most are maintained by their owners as a labour of love. Ken built a frame so they could mass produce wooden boats, but I think they only produced one boat on this, which had a lovely shape to it. I remember seeing it when Gifford was being fixed by him for "Call Me Ted". Edited - Having now looked at the pictures definitely don't touch it, there are two ways of fixing a wooden boat this way and the proper way. This way will work for a while and then the problems will start. Not sure why he has used oak on the bottom, opepee is the current preferred timber for this job. Also I'm not sure why it hasn't been plated, thin galvanized tin really works well. Also the bolt heads appear to be protruding rather than being countersunk a definite recipe for disaster. And then there is the over planking that really is a bag of worms for the future, especially as he does not appear to have filled the voids with Calico, what a mess. looks good but how do you get the elm to seal? as you can't get at it. As to the short runs in the hull, as we say to our surveyor, they are only there till we can afford to replace the whole plank, they cause more agro than soft mick. Once a plank has started to go its basically doomed, unless it has gone through abbration, rather than rot, which these haven't, they are going on the air water interface which is where wood boats first start going. So in conclusion its got about 5 years before another bout of real work will need doing, as long as you dock her every year and keep on top of the fraying bits.

The people who stayed there late last year told me they had to pay a few quid to moor up there and were then given the access code, I thought it had always been like that, maybe some of the resident are more generous than others? Not sure how big a boat you can get in the basin its self, but there are also moorings on the mainline, off side, between the aqueduct and the basin bridge, accessed via the same gate, and those will take a couple of 70ft boats easily. Best to ask.

Allan - Agree Telford Basin is a good secure mooring, just find one of the locals to pay for the access key to the gate. DeanS - is correct, the lock with the bad bywash is Oxford Rd Lock 88 or the fifth one up. This is a new bywash, which BW installed when they took over, it was installed to stop the Palace Theatre getting flooded. As its new and just had to fit it causes all sorts of problems. It blocks with litter at the top all the time, and when it is in spate it is evil. As you say put some power on to get through it and exit on the towpath side when coming down hill, going up hill make sure that both gates are open before you enter the bridge, so you have room to manoeuvre, if its running. -- cheers Ian Mac

At the official hand over ceremony from BW to C&RT I was helping to operate lock 92, working NB Hadar up and down the lock, with the local TV doing Live transmissions, all good for the cause. I've been working that lock off and on for nearly 50 yrs - wait for the next AJ article in waterways world I believe - and some young? IWA type, whom I didn't know, told me I was getting it all wrong, I just said yes, how silly of me, listened to him rabbit on about how a lock works and then got on with running more water. Its the only way to manage that lock safely and efficiently, in my opinion, until I can convince the authorities to fit some stripping onto the top gates. As to calling out BW just yet another case of boaters not understanding the Rochdale canal, I attended three similar cases last year where boaters where stuck at lock 84. Have you got both bottom paddles fully open was my first question to them over the phone, yes, was their reply, each time. When I arrived 3/4 of an hour later having walked down from Miles Platting to sort them out, one lots had 1/2 paddle open, another lot only had one side fully open, and the third boat had one top and one bottom paddle open, well we never fully open paddles because it causes so much turbulence - what do you say, Yes is a good answer and then sort then mess out and fully open the bottom paddles. -- cheers Ian Mac