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arbutus

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Everything posted by arbutus

  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  2. 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"
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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 https://bombaypickles.co.uk http://www.cellarsindiancuisine.co.uk
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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
  9. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  10. 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
  11. 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/
  12. 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.
  13. Here's the original spec sheet for the CT40 / BMC1500 if anyone's interested CT40 Spec sheet.pdf
  14. 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?
  15. 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
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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 https://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/products/mar/classic-engine-oils/golden-film-sae-10w-40-classic-marine-oil.html
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  25. If anyone wants background reading on dam maintenance and dam failure modes then this article may help https://theconversation.com/whaley-bridge-dam-collapse-is-a-wake-up-call-concrete-infrastructure-will-not-last-forever-without-care-121423?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest from The Conversation for August 6 2019 - 1378412962&utm_content=Latest from The Conversation for August 6 2019 - 1378412962+CID_5297a4ab137226a953fbbb5821b829d5&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Whaley Bridge dam collapse is a wake-up call concrete infrastructure will not last forever without care 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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