arbutus

Why not go for the complete Narrowboat experience and hire a boat with a solid fuel stove. You might have to turn up at the boat yard with a couple of bags of Taybright, kindling and matches, but you would be guaranteed a warm boat on chilly April days (and nights). Anglo Welsh hire short-break 4-berth boats with stoves from Trevor on the Llangollen, Middlewich Narrowboats and Norbury wharf also hire short-break boats with stoves. You may find that boat yards only offer their older boats for short-term hire. Hiring for seven days may not cost very much extra compared to four day hire and would give a wider range of boats to choose from, whatever boat yard / canal you choose.

I’d buy some light coloured Danboline bilge paint and do the job myself. Bilge paint is hard wearing, makes surfaces easy to clean and easy to spot oil leaks etc. A light paint colour makes working in the badly lit areas easier. If the boat yard is steam cleaning the engine bay, then a lot of the preparation work will have already been done. If you young enough and flexible enough to work in awkward areas then painting the engine bay a good DIY project.

Ashwood Marina Hire in a crane, normally on the first Monday of the month. So boats are craned out and spend a month on hard standing, giving lots of time for DIY blacking and time for the new hull coating to harden off. They also use the crane to get hull surveys carried out, crane the boat out, let the surveyor check the hull, then crane the boat back in about an hour later.

There is a previous Dartline discussion here http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9985 Search the forum and you may find more. I think the boat would have previously been in the Anglo Welsh fleet, looking at the pinkish colour of the bed headboards and the fact that Dartline were bought by Anglo Welsh.

OK. My turn to try an explanation! Using the analogy of water flowing through a pipe, Voltage (measured in Volts) is equivalent to water pressure, Current (measured in Amps) is equivalent to the flow of water through a pipe. Electrical power is measured in watts and is calculated by multiplying the voltage by the current flowing (Volts by Amps). Voltage affects the amount of electrical insulation a cable requires. Current affects the electrical cable size that needs to be installed. The more current, the thicker the cable required. So to transmit a certain amount of power (Volts x Amps), it can either be done by using low voltage (say, 12v) and high current ( Amps) with thick cables, or using high voltage (say 230 volts) and low current with thinner cables. One other thing to consider is the resistance of the cable. Resistance causes the voltage to drop along the cable. This is more noticeable on a 12 volt system, so you may start with a healthy 13 volts or so in the engine room at the back of the boat but the voltage right at the front of the boat may only just be adequate to run your 12volt equipment. Thicker cable reduces the resistance of the cable and hence reduces the voltage drop. Some boats use a 24 volt DC system rather than 12 volt to reduce voltage drop problems. Trucks and buses also use 24v DC. 12 volt systems use a battery and are DC (Direct Current) systems. The voltage is constant at 12 volts (or actually about 13.5 volts). 230 volt systems are AC or Alternating Current systems that in the UK run at 50 Hertz, or 50 cycles per second. This means that 50 times a second the voltage starts at zero, then in a graceful curve increases to about 290 volts before curving back to zero, then going negative in a graceful curve to minus 290 volts before curving back to zero. It’s called a Sine wave. (Just as an aside, the 230 volts quoted as mains voltage is the RMS or Root Mean Squared value of the voltage, this is meant to give a comparison with a DC system). This rising and falling of the AC Sine wave voltage is very important. Many electronic devices monitor the rising of the sine wave voltage to trigger their various functions, for example a light dimmer switch works this way, adjusting a knob on the dimmer alters at what voltage on the sine wave curve the electronics “fire” and therefore how much of the cycle gets passed through to the light to illuminate the lamp. On a boat a pure sine wave inverter reproduces a smooth 230 volt sine wave from the 12 volt DC batteries. A Modified sine wave inverter, although cheaper, will not produce such a smooth waveform, producing a stepped waveform, like something made out of Lego bricks, some electronics, even in things like washing machines, can have problems with these jerky waveforms. Although nor relevant to boats, the constantly changing AC sine wave is critical to how things like transformers work. Pass an Alternating current through a coil of wire and the sine wave creates a magnetic field that is constantly building and collapsing. This change in the magnetic field can induce an electrical current in another coil wound on the same former. If the second coil has twice as many turns of wire, then the voltage induced will be twice that of the original coil (although the current flow will be halved). Batteries are chemical devices and are rated in Ampere Hours, this is a measure of the total energy they can store. (Ampere is the full name for Amps). So a battery rated at 132 AH can produce 1 Amp for 132 hours, or 4 Amps for 33 hours etc.. However, generally batteries can only produce about 50% of their rated capacity before going flat (I think the last sentence is correct!). Generally, heating appliances take a lot of power (immersion heater, electric kettle, hair dryer, cold fill washing machine with a water heater). It’s not a good idea to use these without a shore line or at least with the engine running as the current pulled from the batteries can be large. For example, an electric kettle can be rated at 3000 watts. Even if an inverter is 100% efficient, the current (Amps) drawn from a 12 volt battery bank would be 3000 watts divided by 12volts = 250 Amps.

Hi Dave, I can help. I've sent you a PM.

I had a CT Marine 1.5 BMC in my first Narrowboat. From the spec. sheet it had Maximum BHP intermittent 39 at 3500 rpm Maximum BHP Continuous 30 at 3000 rpm Maximum engine torque 59 ib. ft. at 2500 rpm From the torque and BHP curves, at a cruising rpm of 1500 it has 15 bhp and 50 ft. lb. torque. At 2000 rpm it’s about 22 bhp and 57 lb. ft. Hope this helps!

Fruity, The rounded cup you refer to is, I think, called a smoke hood. I don’t know which Morso stove you have, but if you look up the installation instructions for your stove on the Morso site, for example, a Morso 1410, http://morso.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/72144600-1410-1440-DS-EN_UK.pdf on page 5 it states that “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. On our boat I found that the smoke hood was fitted, I've now removed it, but when I first checked it, I found mill scale from the flue chimney as well as soot accumulated in the half moon smoke hood, the amount of crud resting inside the smoke hood was worrying.

Starting from Trevor sounds as good as starting from anywhere else for your first trip, although there are parts of the canal in both directions that are very narrow so your boat passing and manoeuvring skills will be quickly tested. Depending on the time you pick the boat up from Trevor you could head up to Llangollen and stay overnight, plenty of placed to eat and drink. In a couple of places on the way to Llangollen the canal is very narrow and you need to send a crew member ahead to check that no boats are coming the other way before you proceed. Heading In the other direction, the two aqueducts are easy when once you have the pointy bit of the boat in the channel, the aqueduct is barely wider than the boat’s width so the boat just chugs over the aqueduct. For a three day trip I would bring all the provisions needed for the whole trip, you don’t want to worry about shopping while on holiday. Decide whether you are going to eat on the boat or go for pub / restaurant for meals. If eating out, then the whole day needs to be planned so that you get to the pub at the right time as you will average less than three miles an hour on the boat on that canal. Finally, make sure you have a canal guide that shows the turning points where you can turn the boat and start heading back to base. I met a boat a few years ago on the Llangollen which had missed the turning point they needed and were forced to continue through three locks (with queues) then turn the boat and come back through the same locks. It caused them a lot of stress and difficulty getting the boat back on time.

I had a new 45 foot Sagar boat built in 1981. From what I remember, it used an inch and a quarter prop shaft and a stern tube with a stuffing box on the end inside the boat and a cutlass bearing inside the external or canal end of the stern tube. The cutlass bearing is a polyurethane tube with grooves in it, which the prop shaft runs in and is water lubricated. There are two holes in the stern tube close to where it exits the hull, water flows through these holes and along the grooves inside the cutlass bearing to provide lubrication. I was warned not to over grease the stuffing box inside the boat as excess grease could leak along the stern tube and block the two holes that provide water lubrication. I’m pretty sure it was a Vetus prop shaft, stern tube and cutlass bearing. Vetus still sell them, look on their web site. The rest of the engine installation consisted of an Aquadrive coupling and a 1.5 BMC marinised by CT Marine.

How about The Waterfront by the Merry Hill Shopping center on the Stourbridge/Dudley Canal. There are visitors moorings and a bus station to get a bus to take you to Dudley and then on to Tipton, alternatively, if your friends can pick you up by car, it’s a fairly quick drive. To get there from the Shroppie it’s either up the Wolverhampton 21 and then through Netherton Tunnel, or down the Staffs & Worcs to Stourton Junction and then up the Stourbridge 16 and Delph 9.

According to their Facebook page, the offer now closes at 6:00 pm tonight 12 April

Just to be pedantic. Is it the baffle plate or smoke hood that needs to be removed Morso 1400 range of stoves have a baffle plate which is a piece of sheet steel which sits on top of the side firebricks, it can also have a semi-hemispherical smoke hood attached to the underside of the top plate where the stove pipe fixes. Acording to the manual it is this smoke hood that should not be fitted. To quote from the manual " 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. The Morso installation guide for the 1400 range can be found on their web site http://morso.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/72144600-1410-1440-DS-EN_UK.pdf Page 5 of the installation manual gives a good cut-away drawing. On our boat I found that the smoke hood was fitted, I've now removed it, but when I first checked it, I found mill scale from the flue chimney as well as soot, the amount of crud resting inside the smoke hood was worrying.

On our narrowboat and at home we have Ekornes stressless recliners http://www.ekornes.co.uk big ones at home, medium size on the boat. They’re not cheap but very comfortable. The do lots of different models and a lot of them come in two or three different sizes. Visit a furniture store that stocks a good range to try them. They come in different choices of leathers, some more rugged and easy to clean, others are softer but stain more easily. Currently they have an offer on one particular range, £800 to £950 before any discount, depending on size.

The body of the cassette toilet is up against the corridor partition. The cassette will almost certainly be removed via a small door by someone standing in the corridor. I have this arrangement on my boat and it works well. On my (holidays only) boat the cassette needs emptying at least every two days, with two people using it. Or you could have a number of cassettes and empty them all in one go, once a week.

The 30 day Explorer licence does give thirty individual day tickets which you have to date and display. It looks like they have to be used within a 12 month period. For a 62 foot boat the Explorer licence costs £ 191.51, whereas the straight one month licence costs £143.22 This link http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing/choosing-and-buying-your-licence/short-term-visitor-licence states that explorer licences are only available via the internet.

Looking on the web for licencing a 62 foot boat:- Short term Environment Agency licence for Anglian waterways is £99.89 for 31 days, £39.95 for 7 days and £7.50 for one day. It also states you need a navigation key £10 Short term CRT licences are £143.25 for one month, £ 48.24 for 7 days and £28.65 for one day. The licence may begin on any day. The web states that the prices are for advance purchase, otherwise prices are double the amount shown (no idea what this means in practice). CRT short term licences can be purchased on line, follow the link from http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing CRT boat licencing team can be contacted on 0303 040 4040

If you are worried about keeping warm, then While most hire boats will have a central heating system to keep you warm, for an October cruise I would try to hire a boat that also has a solid fuel stove. A few hire companies have some of their boats fitted with stoves including Anglo Welsh and Chas Hardern but check out the particular boat you are thinking of hiring. If you are using the train from London to get to a boat yard then Countrywide cruisers on the Shropshire union canal could be good http://www.countrywide-cruisers.com They are a twenty minute taxi ride from Wolverhampton train station which is itself just under two hours from London Euston. You would have the choice of cruising the Shropshire Union or Staffordshire and Worcester canal, both of which have narrow locks which are easy to operate. Countrywide operate Sir Ironside which is a two berth boat that has a solid fuel stove. I have no connection with the company but always think that particular boat looks good.

Yesterday The Guardian had an article “Vince cable calls time on unfair practices in pub industry. Plan for statutory code and independent adjudicator to govern relationship between pub companies and publicans” Looks like a commons debate is due today (Wednesday) Worth a read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/08/vince-cable-pub-industry-code?INTCMP=SRCH

A quick point. Don't confuse the two boat builders William Piper and Piper boats. I suspect the OP actually visited Piper boats which has been around for some time. http://www.piperboats.com/

When planning a trip, as well as using Nicholson’s, I download the relevant Boaters Guide from the Waterscape Website http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/boating/guides Useful information includes bridge / tunnel opening times and contact phone numbers. Well worth a look if you aren’t aware of these guides existence.

We hired calypso (or a sister boat) some years ago, for two couples in the summer time. It seemed all beds and bathrooms with very little day space and as I recall the dinette was not very comfortable for sitting on in the evening. The boat layout was very good for what we wanted, it gave privacy to both couples at night and as we hired during the summer the boat was used for long cruising days and then we went to the pub in the late evening to eat and drink but I would not want to use it for Autumn or winter. The other couple managed to block one of the macerator toilets which resulted in a call out and the removal of the toilet onto the bank for dismantling . As I recall we were told to make sure the latches that secured the moving roof sections were unlatched while cruising so that if the sliding section hit the side of a bridge it would side back and sustain less damage. The sliding roof was very heavy.

Hi Richard. I live in Stourbridge and can be available for most of the time (except Thursday tea time / evening) that you will be moving the boat to and from Stourbridge. The idea of turning up and lock wheeling on various lock flights sounds interesting. For example I could drive over to Hatton early on Wednesday to help with that flight and The Delph / Stourbridge 16 on Friday. I’ll send you a PM.