davidg

Correct, same hull builder as Cobbett. I don't actually recall seeing it out of the water but must have done while it was being built. The hull builder has vast experience of building canal boats and is generally well regarded - there is a small bit of understatement there. Although other people might choose to build the skeg differently (Simon & Steve at Brinklow Boat Services for instance) I think the hull builder had built a few without any problems, see Wrigglefingers comment. I do love everyone being coy about the name of the hull builder. I helped the original owners pick the boat up from Norton Canes where the hull was taken for grit blasting following launch and steered it round most of the Wyrley & Essington/Daw End Branch/Rushall Canal/Tame Valley and apart from smacking the coping coming off the Rushall Canal (it picked up a bladefull so didn't hold back, that's my excuse) don't recall thinking "this handles really badly, I'd rather be on the back of a proper one"*. I steered it on a few subsequent occasions - surprised the owners by how quickly it went round the bends with the Frodingham piles near Mancetter - and again, wouldn't say it handled badly. Quite. It went like train from my memory of it. This thread is a bit cryptic but I gather from one comment it now has a four bat blade on it. This was not the case when first launched: *which I would, obviously

Quite. The kids used to ask me which task they should be doing, my answer was that we should practice the boating equivalent of totaalvoetbal: work out which job needs doing next, work out who's closest to the location it needs doing in, if that's you, go do it. Once they got it, it was a joy to watch, much like Holland '74. The acronym IPDE in this clip sums it up rather well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR1Y_Uv99Z4

Alan it is perfectly possible to get up or down Hatton in 1 hour 30 minutes with a pair of boats, I've done it in that sort of time several times, and that was usually dragging a heavy arsed Josher motor boat. Having a pair makes it easier going uphill as you can rack the paddles up quickly. Having 24 kids helps too. Next time you see Simon ask him about taking France & Plover down Hatton using both engines and see how quickly it can really be done. I was once asked by a group of passengers if I was up for going up & down one evening as we were tied in Warwick - I didn't think Pete Ballard would be terribly impressed so turned that one down.

There are two connections on the back of the alternator +ve and -ve and three AC taps. Just use one of the ac taps to drive a changeover relay coil; the relay common to switched 12V off the ignition switch and the NC to drive the lamp.

It is Brinklow Junction in the sectional appendix. Of course the section from Rugby to Brinklow Is odd in that the tracks are paired by direction but with the down fast line on the outside of the down slow. The up lines being the more normal way round with the fast on the inside, as is the case for both up &down lines from Attleborough northwards. The use of Rugby's island platform for stopping trains in the down direction is the reason for this.

Economics Pete. Use the front topcloth folded in the approved manner and watch it rot in five years.Replacement cost: £x. Use a short cloth over the cratch etc. Replacement cost: £y. x>>y. What would you do? That said my short(plastic) cloth has been on ~25years.

The boat was stuck 3 parts of the way into the lock with the bottom gates open. The gates were back into the recesses and the pound was full - it certainly was by the time I'd set up a rolling wave up & down the pound, a back wave as Tam calls it. Unfortunately the only boat available to snatch it out was having to do it going backwards and I'm not sure the steerer was particularly ept. I was surprised it didn't pop out the amount the fore end was rising when we racked the paddles up the third time. I was on my way to work so left it to Steve Powell.

It's a springer(!) going up. Asked the owner if it had been overplated, he didn't know. I took Barrow through this lock last weekend and barely touched the sides so unless something dramatic has happened in the last week the walls haven't moved. Little boats are usually the problem at this lock. Tried setting up a standing wave in the pound but it wasn't shifting despite rising a long way. Not helped by the boat being on the tilt. Looks like a paddle & tirfor job.

That was the Quill system which is what Rex has just used on his barge as I said. Uses ground glass and is very effective by all accounts

Short answer: Yes. Talk to Rex Wain at Brinklow Boat Services. He's just done his barge with kit hired from a company at Melbourne (?) near Derby.

I retrieved my windlass off the boat today & measured it. The thin end of the taper is 13/16" and the fat end a slightly over 1". Like Anthony's I think it is a T&M size and would only go less than half way on the offending spindles; I bought it off the BCN society stall at what I think was their first Windmill End rally in 1984, it has been used on a great many paddles since then. If the paddles at Buckby conformed to the drawing it should go all the way on with a bit of spindle protruding. Talking to Christine at Rose this morning the ones at Buckby aren't the worst, the bottom lock at Braunston has some too but they were about the only paddles my windlass didn't touch between Cassio Bridge & Braunston. And Alan is correct about the plates and the bolts welded to the pawls on the gate paddles.

Interesting find Alan, they don't quote tolerances on the measurements but if my eyes can see the difference on two spindles three feet apart the tolerance must either be huge or they are not both in spec. Your memory of the Ham Baker paddle gear is correct, they are now the only remaining examples of what was the GU standard paddle spindle size, a large taper. The decision to alter the GU paddles south of Braunston was lamentable.

I've just sent an email to C&RT southeast so we'll see what response I get. I didn't have a tape or a Vernier caliper with me (nor the time to use one) but a visual comparison between the ground paddle spindle and the adjacent gate paddle spindles shows up a quite noticeable difference. You certainly don't need high tech measuring equipment to see it, the mk.1 eyeball is quite enough. Does anyone know what the spec on the standard paddle spindle is?

I've just brought a boat up the Grand Union from Watford. At Buckby there was a stoppage before Christmas involving new gates and it appears new ground paddle spindles. My windlass which fits happily on every other spindle I tried it on is at best a very sketchy fit on the new spindles fitted to the ground paddles at locks 10/11/12. The spindles on the ground paddles are too large. Before I fire off an email has anyone else been through since the work and found this?

The area the dock sinks in was dredged just before Christmas which should put an end to the search for human ballast and other shenanigans to get boats on & off. Wasn't there today to see how it went, out boating which is the subject for another thread.

That's better. Where the ivy covered tree is and the depression tracking off to the right is the site of the former arm to a lime quarry about half a mile away. It used to go under the road which is the hedge line you can see upper right, below the school, and continue across the fields. There were the remains of a accommodation bridge up there but it's a while since I've been that way. All likely to disappear under a new housing development.

It took me a while to work it out but the one in the middle, left hand column is the wrong way round I think. That was the Christmas some of the residents of Stockton went to Stoke, three pairs went. After a Christmas Eve in the Boat we turned Barrow & Cheam round in the middle of the night, to the great surprise of everyone else the following morning. I've got some photos but I think they're on the boat, I'll see if I can dig them out.

Also difficult may be sourcing marine feet if you are mounting it on normal engine beds. They could be fabricated but they would never be as pretty as the cast ones. Parsons Mathway were acquired by a firm in Coventry, still giving support for the gearboxes.

I ran some tests on a Squirrel last year. Highest temperature measured on the flue was 132deg near the bottom; top of flue got to 94deg. Tiles by back corners got to 115deg but they were on insulating board plus air gap.

I've never had a problem with a GU motor boat at Bordesley; at Aston and the 13 (and other single bottom gate BCN locks - bottom lock at Smethwick is the worst) the problem isn't while descending the lock, it's opening the bottom gate past the stem post while simultaneously holding the stern end against the cill with 2 out of three fenders up and the rudder over while single handed. Hillmorton, however, isn't a problem.

Quite so. When I go through a narrow lock the tiller is on the cabin roof from about when the boat is halfway into the lock until it is halfway out again. To repeat, there is no need to hold the rudder over while passing through Hillmorton in a GU motor boat. Curses, someone snuck in, I should point out the "Quite so" there refers to the last line of Daniel's post.

No it doesn't, before that one is allowed to run any further

When I tried to buy a Flojet from Aquafax that too was unavailable which may tell a story. I can give you some background on the Jabsco availability if you pm me.

I'm pretty certain this is a genuine GUCCCo company issue dipstick, big Woolwich diesel tanks for the use of. As you can see in the second photo it is graduated in 5 & 10 gallon increments up to 80 by which time the diesel will have hit the triangles. There is also a notch in the sides at the top which is about the top of the tanks. I found it a long time ago lying in the engine 'ole bilge between the diesel tank and hull side; the need to dip the tanks prompted me to fish it out and give it a birthday by way of a wire brushing to clean it up. The mystery is in the third photo which shows it is stamped JJC S11 on the reverse. The combined might of the Brinklow Boat Services (woodwork dept.) tea room couldn't come up with a plausible explanation yesterday so the question is does anyone else have an explanation? Or does anyone else have one and is it also stamped on the reverse of the scale? Of course if there is a demand for these I'm sure the Brinklow Boat Services (steelwork dept.) could find a few old ones round the back of the stores....

Errrrr.....hang on a minute Alan. The deckboard, engine 'ole & cabin sides should be taller on a little boat which roughly compensates for that 7". If you want me to name a boat which got this point seriously wrong I'll tell you tomorrow.