arbutus
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Posts posted by arbutus
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9 hours ago, whitebeard said:
I will have to insist on paying your expenses for the day, at the very least.
Well that will be £5.90 for the one way train fare.
I have an OAP bus pass and as I live in the West Midlands, I can use it on Trains and Trams in the area after 09:30. So getting home is no cost.
I've sent a PM Hopefully you can receive it, I don't know how many posts you need before it is active.
Whitebeard, if you didn't receive the private message, email me at knockoffthearris - at - gmail - dot - com
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What date are you planning to be in Brum?.
I could get an early train into Birmingham, meet at the top of farmers bridge and leave you at Aston bottom lock as there is a train station by the canal.
No charges involved, I'll even bring my own sandwiches and windlass. My dates are flexible.
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I always find it difficult to get the timings right to arrive at a pub for lunch time. The Staffs & Worcs canal is quite a slow canal and the locks are all individual, not in flights so you may not have time to visit the rock houses. You may not be able to stop for lunch at a pub some days so make sure you have food onboard incase it has to be a quick sandwich while continuing to travel. I’d also load up the boat with a weeks supplies of heavy stuff like beer, wine and bottled water (if you use it). On Day four you may also want to do grocery shopping at Kidderminster as there are two supermarkets right by the canal, which also takes time. Also, don’t forget that you may have to stop for an hour every day to fill the water tank, especially if the crew like long showers.
In Stourbridge there are two Indian restaurants in lower high street with are easily reached from the canal by walking through the underpass, under the ring road
http://www.cellarsindiancuisine.co.uk
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Just checked the boatyards website
https://www.hippersons.co.uk/dayboats
They only hire dayboats 9:15am - 4:30pm so not a big deal for a lot of people.
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A quick Google brings up this site
https://trid.trb.org/view/384852
THE ESSING TIMBER BRIDGE, GERMANY
A brief description is given of the design and construction of the Essing timber pedestrian bridge opened in September 1992 across the Rhein-Main-Donau Canal. With a maximum free span of 73m it is the first tension bridge of such a size which transforms 90% of the vertical loads into tension forces with only 10% acting as bending moments. A slim timber bridge was specified to fit in with the surroundings. Details are given of the materials used which include spruce, larch and a tropical hardwood. The bridge has the appearance of a sagging rope due to its geometry designed to transform vertical loads into tension forces. The extensive laboratory testing of the design including the use of the NASA programme NASTRAN is outlined. Prefabricated sections were joined on site without interruption using moveable glueing and pressing equipment in a tent.
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If it's a Venus Combi-Gamma Inverter-Battery charger, then the installation and operations manual can be downloaded by going to https://vetus.com/service-support/search-by-product/?_categories=technical-documentation&_productgroups=power-on-board and then clicking on the box "Operation manual and installation instructions Combi-Gamma"
It has some good diagrams of operation modes and also functions of the front panel.
It seems that it can be changed to "Inverter priority support".
Worth a read if this is the unit on the boat
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So 1.25" converts to 31.75mm
I found a site that has pipes of 31.7mm internal diameter with 3.2mm wall
They supply mild steel, aluminium and stainless steel cut to length
https://www.rapidmetals.co.uk/product/mild-steel-erw-tube-38-1mm-x-3-2mm-wall/
https://www.rapidmetals.co.uk/product/aluminium-tube-1-1-2-x-3-2mm-wall/
https://www.rapidmetals.co.uk/product/stainless-304-tube-38-1mm-x-3-2mm-wall/
Hope this helps
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I think these boats were originally called Ensign Classic (or Classic Ensign) and were cream with a brown top. I assume a boatbuilder in Stourport bought the moulds at a later date. I do remember the Ensign Classic in cream and brown being on display at a boat show.
Google Ensign classic and a few images will come up.
The link below may even be your 30' boat
https://www.uship.com/listing/217912726/Classic-ensign-30-cabin-cruiser/
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18 hours ago, Tim Lewis said:
Have just binge watched Clarksons Farm, didn’t mean to watch it all in a day but couldn’t switch it off it was so good.
Not only highly entertaining but learned more about the farming year than I have ever got from watching Countryfile!
Have a look at the YouTube channel Harry's Farm.
Harry Metcalfe farms very close to Clarkson. I suspect it's more of an adult watch than Clarkson's program but good viewing.
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2 hours ago, Cal Ando said:
So sorry for misleading everyone! All these symptoms occurred BEFORE the calorifier was drained for the winter but after it ran out of water on our journey. However, what Tony and Bee say makes sense as someone else said before we left it over winter that the calorifier was acting as a giant accumulator. We're going up to the boat this w/e so hopefully a complete refill of the system might cure it or bring more symptoms. Thanks for the advice re sucking air out via hot tap. PS no blockage between tank and pump as pipe was removed and checked, but thanks to Jen-in-Wellies for this suggestion.
A few years ago I had a newly built narrowboat with a plastic/polypropylene water tank.
Soon after delivery the water pump would take a long time to pressurise the system. It turned out to be a small piece of plastic swarf stuck in the inlet port of the water pump filter. The inlet hole in the actual filter casing was much smaller than the diameter of the water pipe that supplied the filter from the water tank. The filter mesh in the filter was fairly clean but it was only by taking the pump off and examining it very closely that the swarf was detected. I needed a pair of tweezers to extract the swarf.
I was surprised that the inlet hole in the pump case moulding was so small and that such a small piece of debris could cause such a problem.
As the problem occurred immediately after running out of water, and just out of interest:-
What type of water tank do you have? Integral mild steel, plastic or stainless steel
Does the system still have the new water pump that the engineer fitted or was the new pump just fitted for diagnostic purposes and then removed?
Is there a separate filter between the tank and the water pump?
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How about this from Aquafax. They also show a box door striker to go with it.
https://www.aquafax.co.uk/cabin-fittings/door-fittings?page=2
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20 hours ago, Bob692 said:
Can you have a throwline instead of a life ring/buoy? and keep within the rules.
Rather than keeping within the rules, I think it’s a question of how to preserve life.
A few years ago my wife slipped on wet moss at the tail end of a lock while re-boarding at the back of the boat.
This was on the gentle staffs & Worcs canal.
She went into the water, the boat had momentum and we were moving away from her. I threw a mooring line to her, which was the first thing to hand. but that tangled around her legs. I kept a soft horseshoe life-ring, with a line attached, on the seating in the boatman cabin, I threw that to her, which she was able to hug, which kept her afloat while I stopped the boat and pulled her to the side of the canal.
Then, it was quite an effort to get her over the Armco and onto the towpath.
After that I carried an old ladder that could be used to get out of the canal. I also carried a roll-up ladder (with stake to security in the bank).
First thing every morning I made sure the lifebelt was in place and the line ready.
I[‘m sure the lifebelt saved her life.
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Can't help with a ring suggestion, but what about cruising the upper Thames to Lletchlade. Anglo Welsh hire boats up to twelve berth from their Oxford base. If the river is in flood, then you are looking at an out and back cruise on the South Oxford. You Tube have a recent trip "report".
Shire Cruisers web site shows that they will be doing one-way cruises on the Leeds-Liverpool from spring next year when Figure of three locks on the Calder & Hebble is repaired, but the boat they use is a 56' maximum 6 berth that starts on a Monday which may not suite your crew.
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The installation manual for a Morso 1412 "Squirrel" stove can be downloaded from https://morsoe.com/media/com_hikashop/upload/safe/72146800_-_1400_n-en_uk_-_defra_1826145192.pdf Page 5 states
"The smoke hood must not be fitted if the stove is installed on a boat where the flue height is likely to be less than 4.5M."
There is also a diagram on Page 5 Item 1 is the smoke hood
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1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:
Never saw that bit of Wolverley. I must look harder!
The main bit of Wolverley that I've seen look like:
Mottey Meadows is a lovely nature reserve on the edge of Wheaton Aston. It will be at its peak right now.
Apparently it's an "outstanding floristically-diverse mesotrophic grassland"
The Post Office may consider this part of Wolverley, but it's a long way from the canal and the only way anyone one on a one week cruise from Countrywide Cruisers would find themselves in this area is if they were Russian agents posing as holidaymakers and having nefarious plans for other activities. If urgent supplies are needed, then pull in just before Cookley tunnel, walk up a steep path to the road over the tunnel and there's a Tesco Express virtually in front of you.
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If you find you are ahead of schedule on the way back, take a detour at Stourton Junction to Stourbridge. It's a pleasant bit of canal. I used to moor at Ashwood marina and take friends on day trips down the Stourbridge arm. The winding hole is right at the end of the arm and is just a cut out in the bank inbetween moored boats. You have to have faith that when you get to the end you'll be able to turn the boat.
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You've probably changed the engine oil by now, but if you are going to do it yourself in the future do look at the Morris lubricants site.
You can contact them to ask questions about oil suitability
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I agree, the South Oxford would be a good choice. Although if you hire from around Napton you will within an hour have th navigate the Napton lock flight.
I would also look at the Staffs & Worcs canal. This is an early contour canal, the locks are generally spread out and very pretty. It also has the much photographed Bratch locks https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit/the-bratch and a staircase pair at Botterham locks.
Napton Narrowboats run from Autherly Junction where the Staffs & Worcs ant the Shropshire union meet. They have a two berth Elite 2 boat that can be hired for short breaks https://www.napton-marina.co.uk/boats/finder/index.php Or Countrywide Cruisers hire Sir Ironside for short breaks, this also has a solid fuel stove to keep you toasty https://www.countrywide-cruisers.co.uk/sir-ironside/
I'd buy the Nicholson guides for the relevant canals to have a look at the route descriptions and lock frequency. You'll need to buy ay least three books to cover the canals already mentioned
Book 1 for the Oxford canal
"Grand Union Oxford and the South East" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grand-Union-Oxford-South-East/dp/0008146527/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3D0YDF7DIPRCI&keywords=nicholson+guides&qid=1573046165&sprefix=nicholsons+guides%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-3
Book 2 for the lower Staffs & Worcs canal
"Severn Avon & Birmingham" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Severn-Avon-Birmingham-Waterways-Nicholson/dp/0008258015/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3D0YDF7DIPRCI&keywords=nicholson+guides&qid=1573046165&sprefix=nicholsons+guides%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-6
Book 4 for the Shropshire Union and upper Staffs & Worcs canal
"Four Counties & the welsh canals" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Counties-Welsh-Canals-Waterways/dp/0008309388/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3D0YDF7DIPRCI&keywords=nicholson+guides&qid=1573046165&sprefix=nicholsons+guides%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1
OR if yo do not want the Shropshire Union and do want the Ashby canal and upper Staffs & Worcs don't buy book 4 but buy book 3 "Birmingham and the heart of England" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birmingham-Heart-England-Waterways-Nicholson-ebook/dp/B07C6LF7TG/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3D0YDF7DIPRCI&keywords=nicholson+guides&qid=1573046165&sprefix=nicholsons+guides%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-4
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In the UK there is a public holiday Monday 25 May 2020 and the schools are closed for that week. Hire prices seem to go up in that week and availability goes down.
As has been said, Napton Narrowboats run from Autherley junction which is a taxi ride from Wolverhampton railway station. Their Elite fleet have an open rear desk with seating, is has no sides to shield the wind, but maybe more comfortable and no sides to concentrate any engine noise.
http://www.napton-marina.co.uk/index.php
A few miles from there is Countrywide cruisers which have semi-trad sterns
https://www.countrywide-cruisers.co.uk
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If anyone wants background reading on dam maintenance and dam failure modes then this article may help
The article contains links including to The British Dam Society and a link to data of dam failures in the UK and worldwide
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An interesting court report concerning the Vine Inn, lockside on the Staffs & Worcs canal at Kinver.
The food hygiene doesn't look too good.
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1 hour ago, frahkn said:
I went from Stewponey to Birmingham via Dudley a few weeks ago and I can't agree that it is more "industrial".
I am fairly familiar with both routes and would almost always pick the Delph etc over the Wolverhampton 21.
OK. Perhaps I should have phrased it differently.
But the OP is coming from Canada and is doing the Stourport ring over eleven days in June when the days are long.
I did the ring a few years ago hiring from Brewood in an October when the days are much shorter and completed it in a “hirers week” (six and a half days) although we used most of the daylight that was available, so the OP should have lots of available cruising time and the Wolverhampton route gives more flexibility.
I would say that the Stourton / Dudley route into Birmingham is industrial except for the short initial stretch from Stourton junction to the junction with the Stourbridge arm which is very pretty.
I can understand why you find this route preferable.
The route to Birmingham from the top of the Wolverhampton 21 is also industrial but with an eleven day holiday and only one chance to experience the Staffs & Worcs from Stourton onwards, I would go via the S&W and Wolverhampton 21.
As a boat owner who has experienced both routes, as opposed to a one-off holiday trip like the OP, then the choice may be different.
I was born in Wordsley, walked to school every day past the blacksheds and the Stourbridge lock flight, was an apprentice at a factory on the Fenns branch, my wife worked in the local glass industry and we still live in the area so perhaps I see things through different eyes.
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I would not go via Dudley, it is a much more industrial route. I’d continue along the Staffs & Worcs. Its more scenic, including Bratch locks. It also gives more flexibility with timing. As you are going clockwise, by the time you reach Aldersley junction at the bottom of the Wolverhampton 21 most of the trips locks and the river section has been done, so if you have a couple of days spare you can divert up the Shropshire union, maybe to Brewood.
looking for fender hanger
in Boat Building & Maintenance
Posted
Midland Chandlers have these: £16.06 each including VAT
https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/products/ag-stainless-square-fender-hook-with-eye-as-056#
AG Stainless Square Fender Hook with Eye
Product code: AS-056
Dimensions:
Front face: 3"
Top: 2.1/2"
Back: 1.1/2"