Brucec

I think I might put another stack of sleepers in the middle just for the peace of mind. Better safe than sorry. I really, really hope I'm not here for two years! Thanks again all.

Thanks so much - really helpful reassurance. But oh dear god, now I really don’t want to watch when it goes back in.

Why indeed? First, because I didn’t start thinking about it at all till I stared for a while at this great mass of steel sitting on those little piles of timber; and second, because somewhere in my head, rightly or wrongly, there seems to be a difference between dangling in the air from two supports for a few minutes and resting on two more widely spaced supports for weeks on end. I imagine the sustained load would cause the hull to flex more over time.

Thank you for the reassurance. That’s one anxiety (among many, at present) I can put aside. And no, I didn’t ask for more than two straps. Never occurred to me. Should I have? Not sure they’d have appreciated it in the middle of an apocalyptic rainstorm, mind.

Hi all, I’ve just had my 58 foot narrowboat craned out of the water and put on blocks for maintenance - one pair of blocks about five feet from the prow and another pair around the same distance from the stern. Nothing at all in the middle. I’m no expert, but surely it would want some support in the middle to stop the hull flexing unduly, wouldn’t it? What do people think - should I add more blocks? And if so, how frequently should they be spaced along the hull? Or am I worrying unnecessarily? Does anyone know a quick rough and ready way to calculate how much support is needed and how to arrange it? Thanks all, Bruce

Thank you for that, Sir Nibble, and I see exactly what you mean. Re the starter, everything you suggest has now been done. I have the old armature in front of me and it has visible corrosion. Instinct suggests, as do you, that the failure to replace it and other components previously can only have contributed to the ongoing problems. The previous 'rebuilds' were partial at best. Will check the bell housing for dryness this morning, and if all ok will reassemble. Would you suggest removing the starter for another inspection after, say, a month, to make sure everything is still ok?

I wasn't at all convinced by the condensation theory myself. And yes, I'm sure it was worked on by someone who shouldn't have been let near it in the past. Anyway... Next job is to look for water in the bell housing. The owner says there may have been a one off water-in-bilge event. Would - or could - a one off event lead to the starter needing to be rebuilt three times? As I say, no coolant loss is apparent, which only leaves the canal... you would think.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I found a place where they seem to know what they're doing. Turns out the starter is, as some people suggested, completely shot, despite having been overhauled recently. The problem, I'm told, is corrosion caused by water ingress. Either condensation 'from the engine not being run often enough' or, possibly, water or coolant getting into the bell housing and being flicked up into the starter by the rotation of the flywheel. This, it turns out, is also what was wrong a year ago, when the starter was last overhauled. And obviously I don't just want to put the starter back and wait for it to fail again. I'm pretty sure it's not a coolant issue as the engine suffers no obvious coolant loss, and I imagine quite a bit of coolant would need to get into the bell housing to create these problems. And it definitely isn't being caused by water from the bilges. Which leaves condensation, or some other source of water entering the starter. So... does anyone with experience of BMC engines have any ideas on what is the likely cause of this kind of repeated water damage? And/or what solutions might be worth attempting? Thanks again.

Thanks for the replies. The starter was overhauled recently, but not the solenoid. It obviously should have been done at the same time but wasn't, hence my wish to go elsewhere. If nothing else, a solenoid repair should be cheap enough to be worth doing if only to eliminate it from the equation. But I'm pretty sure it's the solenoid that's playing up. The engine starts using the classic hit-solenoid-with-hammer solution.

Hi all, I'm having a spot of starter trouble. Does anyone happen to know of a good, reliable place in north/east London to get it reconditioned? The closer to Hackney / Tottenham / Walthamstow the better. Many thanks, Bruce

Thanks, I do

That one on eBay's only half a one! Just the adaptor - you also need the Hurth cover plate to make it work. Could be a cheapish option, but I've found a welder so I'm going to look into that angle first. Meantime I've tried tightening the bolts into the empty 4 threads in the coupling and giving the whole assembly what you might call a sharp tap or two. Nothing. Time for a more brutal assault? That kind of thing always makes me nervous when I'm not sure how something works. B

That all makes sense. I'll try and find an aluminium welder on Monday. And I'll put four bolts in those holes and give it a little tap with a big hammer. Cheers everyone - starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere. Finally. B

Thanks again for all the input. Here are some pics. The coupling: And again: The bellhousing: And another: Any thoughts on how to remove the coupling from the prop shaft? I undid the 8 bolts on the back but it doesn't want to shift at all... Cheers

If I were to go the welding route, can anybody recommend someone reliable in or near North / East London who I could discuss it with? Cheers, B