capnthommo
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Posts posted by capnthommo
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Thanks to everybody replying on this. I've got a couple of interesting options to look at now so I have somewhere to go. Thanks again.
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I'll give them a look. Sounds like I could make that work. And I'll give whale a ring although they replaced the first one as 'broken' so I'm not confident. Cheers.
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Just a little incidental here. Has anyone else, as I have, been thinking about L ion batteries as used in electric/hybrid cars? Dry cells, you can part charge, and you can discharge really deeply without damaging. At least that's what it seems to me. Any thoughts?
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1 minute ago, rusty69 said:
We are on second year of jabsco Parmax. Having been through years of shurflo s. Too early to recommend, but we were only getting two years out of a shurflo.
Thanks. That appears to be what we've got from shureflo and whale. Shurflo, the casing leaked and then the motor refused to cut out, and both whales the motor became intermittent (refusing to start) before finally giving out entirely. Very disappointing. It seems as if they're just shabby. I sure wouldn't expect, say, a central heating pump to fail even in ten years. Tbh I wouldn't mind paying more for something better made.
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Hi folks. Not been here for a while but I'm struggling yet again with fresh water pumps. Our third in less than seven years is on its way out. I've tried shureflo and whale neither lasts more than a couple of years. Can anybody recommend one that will. I'm a liveaboard so obviously they get reasonably heavy use but even so, they just don't seem up to the job. Any help would be good. Cheers
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Anyone know where I can get wheels and transmission fitted? And when are they going to tarmac the canal bed?
cheers.
nigel
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Sorry, just found it. thanks in advance but all sorted now.
Hey folks.
I just found out that I dont have a phone number for Julie on Lactodorum the coal boat that runs up the G.U from Stoke Bruerne. Can anybody help me here? If you can could you p.m. me with the number?
cheers v much
nigel
edit to apologise for my stupiditude
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Dont even think of Jewsons, MKM or Travis Perkins££££££££££££££££££££££
Arnold Laver, Howarth Timber are local to you. Try proper timber merchants not builders yards.
Something to consider. You can sometimes (more often than you might expect) you can visit an apparently small and local supplier but it is actually a subsidiary company of a large builders merchant. Won't say who but their name rhymes with mavis jerkins. So be careful, find out who the real owner is.
And re bead and butt moulding, I agree, it really does look good. only an opinion of course, feel free to disagree.
Best of luck with your search.
cheers
nigel
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Err it has already been said that the pub has changed hands. They have their own website now.
That said you do give me the opportunity to say what a lovely pub The Old Red Lion, at Kizzel, is.
hi folks. I have heard from a couple of different people this summer that the Narrowboat is pricey. one showed me the menu, interesting but a touch steep. I will, however, second the Red Lion at Kislingbury - went in for first time in years last autumn and pretty impressed.
cheers.
by gad sir but it's windy!
nigel
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only half way to the Red House (which is NOT red so don'r be fooled by that),
Perhaps a corruption of 'reed house' or 'rood house' maybe indicating an earlier building at the site?
dozens of old dinner-plates on the bottom, of many different designs so not just one set, which has remained a puzzle ever since. Do thee occupants of the Red House practice plate-skimming as a hobby perhaps?
nearby Greek restaurant?
I believe there has been talk over the years of creating a link through to Warwick, I wonder if anything will ever come of it.
cheers
nigel
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In summer the cruiser style is quite good for a family. My Centre Cockpit is even better!
Do not rush back to Cheshire, you have the whole summer to explore, why not plan an extended cruise? If you are worried about leaving your new pride and joy moored on the towpath between weekends (as we were) you could use some Boatyards and Marinas. We bought our first boat a good weeks journey from our mooring but spent the whole summer cruising - just me and the kids (12 and 9) during the week, wife and friends at weekends.
A lot more than mosts hirers!
Except for Staircase Locks which, as you say have 'Instructions', the simple version is:
Going Up: remove bath plug, open gates, enter, replace bath plug, open taps.
Going Down: Insert bath plug, open taps, open gates, enter, close gates, remove bath plug.
Do it all slowly until you are confident that you understand how the local locks work.
As above, the skipper should indicate when to open or close paddles.
Usually the 'skippper' is the person who is steering unless they are 'under instruction'.
My (ex) missus never accepted this
Get to know your boat's handling characteristics. We were lucky with our first hire (1976, Brummagen Boats): "You have the helm, reverse out from the pontoon and head us off that way. Now, this is a nice cruising speed, use reverse to stop, see how it takes only a boat's length but note how the boat turns as you use reverse. Now, take us into that arm to the left. Me, "Erm what? I thought that was some sort of drainage channel, surely this boat will not fit?". I think that was Farmer's Bridge?
Parking, or coming alongside is complicated by the lack of depth of water on the canals. When you have determined which way the boat turns in reverse (usually right) you can use this to your advantage. Assuming it veers to the right in reverse, you can approach the LH bank at a slight angle and reverse will both stop the forward motion and pull the stern in to the bank. Approaching the RH bank requires a bit more judgement; as the bow approaches the bank you must swing the stern in then engage reverse to counteract the momentum. You boat is probably ~17 tonnes - do not try to stop it with limbs or poles!
If you have crew keen to leap off of the boat, dissuade them. If the water is shallow you can approach at a good (obtuse) angle and stem up the bow in the mud. The crew step off the bow taking keys and windlasses with them. The helmsman can usually maintain this position until the lock is 'ready' or reverse and maintain position in the centre of the canal.
The important thing with locks, lift and swing bridges is to plan ahead. Never rush, walk, don't run!
Having said "do not rush, plan an extended cruise" my (now ex) wife decided that we must celebrate the nine year old's birthday at home which required leaving the boat in Oxford for a weekend! To make the rendevous I set off at 5am single handed until, at 7am, I bumped a lock side, waking the children. Pity I left my wallet in a 'phone box (before the days of mobile 'phones) - as I said, plan ahead and take it easy. This first trip has all the advantages of a distant hire base and non of the disadvantages of owning a boat; take full advantage!
I am so jealous! After you get your boat to Cheshire you will enjoy cruising the local waterway but picking up a boat from a distant place could be as big an adventure as you can make it.
Alan
spot on there. a long expedition by boat. it can be the best ever. learning about your boat and a journey to be proud of too.
enjoy, your first trip will never happen again.
cheers
nigel
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hi
we moved aboard a year and a fortnight ago. if you have half the joy from it that we have then you will never regret it.
best - life - ever!
enjoy!
nigel
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I would have imagined the last 2 hard winters have taken their toll. I haven't seen many kingfishers flying around with hammer and chisels trying to break through the ice.
I think kingfishers suffer more than most birds when the weather is really hard.
ahh! of course. and depending how deeply they hibernate it might account for the snake situation too.
cheers
nigel
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The question of gas engineers comes up quite often and it'd be useful to know who it is...
okay, it's ovation boat services. based in Leicestershire, but mobile and BSS examiner too. he comes up with a quick google.
when i spoke to him he seemed like a guy who actually wants to do business, rather than the other one i tried who seemed like they really didn't want to be bothered with all these tiresome boaters calling wanting work done.
anyhow, there you go. i'm planning the roast/baked/multi pan/grilled (yes, all of those) dinner as i sit here. my dreams are haunted by the food i have been missing. sorry, must go and dowse myself in cold water
cheers all
nigel
gods, it's good to be back online!
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just to let you people know. i'm all sorted now - arranged with an engineer to install at a reasonable price etc.
cheers
nigel
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hi
funny really, a couple of years ago we were swatting kingfishers away like flies, picking them out of our hair, scraping them off our windows. but hardly seen more than half a dozen this year. what's happened to them? snakes too, only one so far this year.
cheers
nigel
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Hmmmm.
think i will have to have a chat with my mate. bearing in mind the estimate i just got back i think it's going to need to be a DIY job. won't say how much but more than the cooker cost new - significantly more. wonder why; gold plated pipe maybe? they suggest minimum of £200 for parts alone.
thanks for the discussion though, it's suggested other possibilities.
cheers
nigel
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hi folks
i need a gas safe engineer to install my LPG pipework etc. can anybody recommend someone in the south northants/north bucks area? come on people, who have you used, who is good, are you an engineer, are you free after 20th july 2011?
getting fed up with sandwiches, salads and take-aways and to be honest i suspect the weather is a tad warm for stove-top casseroles!
i begin to crave roasted things, pies, baked spuds. HELLLP!
cheers
nigel
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Slightly practical tip....if it looks like you are going to be blinded cover one eye this will protect it from the light and whent he nasty light has gone by you just close the blinded eye and open the unblinded eye - hey presto, preservation of night vistion, ok you will lose your depth perception but it may help.
hi people
i have heard that this is the origin of the pirates eye-patch, and that few pirates/sailors actually had an eye missing. apparently the idea was, when on watch at night, to cover one eye with a patch and then if you had to go below into a lighted cabin or something you could swap the patch to the other eye when you came out. you thus had an eye with fully acclimatised night vision when on watch again. it certainly works, i've used it too.
cheers
nigel
of course, this may all be b/s so...
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Thanks for all the replies. We are just back from the trip and I thought I'd pass on what we found. We moored for two nights in Northampton at the Morrisons mooring - looks a bit iffy but all fine. Obviously a popular mooring, although we were on our own one night. Much better, I think, than the above the bottom lock mooring. Great theatre in Northampton!! Nene was terrific - windy, wet, windy etc. Very slow locks.
The only problems were with the Northampton arm - on the way down we (unusually for us!) decided on an early start - big mistake since (according to the BW guys) the top of the flight practically de-waters overnight and they have to run water down every morning. If they are delayed for some reason you have to do it yourself. Same problem on the way up - top pounds dry. I think I would vote the section of the arm under the MI as one of the most unpleasant spots on the canal system!
Do the free pump-out machines on the Nene ever work?
glad to hear you enjoyed it. i agree, the arm could do with a bit of dredging/maintenance. when i was down on the Nene this last month or so i spoke to too many who had to attend to the weed hatch. and bad news has a habit of spreading fast, doesn't it? [cynical voice]perhaps it will all get better when the Bedford-Milton Keynes link goes through.[/cynical voice]
saw you a couple of times anyway.
we generally find the Morrisons mooring to be ok. not had any trouble over the past half dozen years of occasional visits (okay, okay - horror stories please form an orderly queue on the left).
cheers
nigel
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not quite, god actualy favoured 15 commandments, but for Mozes dropping the third tablet.
to quote Moses to the children of Israel in a cartoon in, i think, Punch magazine some 35 years ago.
"Good lord no, there's hundreds of the things up there, but we'll just start with these two for now"
cheers
nigel
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Lucky devil! I'm not allowed a bike. Apparently I'm too old or something. Seems to me you have every transport base covered - boat for water, bike for land.
enjoy the glorious summer we have on the way.
nigel
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well i don't want to be too premature but i seem to be online - on the boat. yes, on the boat.
after looking at dongles i finally decided to do the the smart phone thing and use it as my own wireless hotspot. will just have to see how it goes.
btw, it's good to be back - i've missed you all - oh hell it's started raining and i was going to paint in a few minutes.
anyhow, bye for now.
cheers
nigel
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Go with Owatrol. It takes ages to dry, but that's due in part to its linseed oil content. The 'oil' penetrates well, and once dry you can overpaint. David shows a radiator brush - they and the comparative small roller are good at reaching awkward places. Clean off what you can, but the Owatrol will penetrate the surface rust no problem (though the cleaner the better). I wouldn't bother with expensive rust converters and after primers, used them in the past after thorough hammering and descaling only to find them lift off along with the overpaint after a good hammering from outside. Something soft and creepy is what a bilge will like - with engine room and visible areas the Owatrol overpainted with International Floor Paint has done me proud so far. Mind you - Owatrol Oil is not cheap, but goes a long way with many uses.
Owatrol also do a red oxide coloured rust prevention treatment, it's called CIP - catalogue page 15 HERE. Now that IS expensive!
Derek
and here's a third for owatrol.
cheers
nigel
Lithium ion batteries
in Boat Equipment
Posted
Interesting. I was only thinking in general terms because it seemed a good idea. I know they're not cheap and there'd be tech issues surrounding it.