arbutus

ABNB web site currently have “cream Cracker” which has a drop down bed. The sales info shows a few photos of the bed being deployed and it has wardrobes either side. http://www.abnb.co.uk/boat_pages/2312web/2312abnb.php?BoatID=2312

It depends how much you are willing to pay and also the room available on your boat but we use Stressless recliners, both at home and on our narrowboat. I think they are the most comfortable available. There are different models, and most models come in two or three sizes to get maximum comfort for your particular body size, although the largest chair size may not fit your boat. They also come in different types of leather, the most expensive leather is the softest but stains more easily, the cheaper leathers are more robust. I’m also picky about the footstools, I use one that doesn’t have any seams on the surface as I find it the most comfortable with bare feet. Cooks furniture in Erdington Birmingham have a good selection and we spent hours just trying them out over a number of visits, while Lee longlands in Birmingham are also worth a look. With a bit of haggling you should be able to get 20 to 25 percent discount of list price.

How about trying this link http://www.chandleryworld.co.uk/catalogue/cap-hose-tail-connector-90-deg_p0-1916.html It shows a Cap and Hose tail connecter which can be supplied in one inch Bsp, made in Bronze. It looks roughly what you are looking for Sorry, no idea how to post the picture from the web site onto here.

From the guardian newspaper’s Newton video channel. A story of Sir Charles Parson’s steam yacht Turbinia, research into propeller design and modern day testing of propellers in the watery equivalent of a wind tunnel. Well, I found it interesting. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/video/2012/aug/17/cavitation-beginners-building-fastest-ship-world-video

I moor a mile or so below Hinksford. A trip to Llangollen needs two weeks, I would save that trip for when you have a bit more than ten days. The four counties ring would be a good ten day trip which including Harecastle tunnel, Middlewich has a good Indian and chinese restaurant (both sampled this year). The River Severn , W&B and back through Birmingham is a good 10 day trip if you have an anchor. We have just come back from a ten day there and back trip to Stratford on Avon, including the BCN through Tipton, on that trip The Boot at Lapworth provided good food, we wanted to try its associated pub/restaurant, the Crabmill at Preston Baggot but we found the crabmill shuts on a Sunday evening.

You can ring the National Trust River Wey Navigation Office on 01483 561389 For 2012 I think the charges are £34 for 3 days, £68 for 7 days and £102 for 21 days A PDF of advice for boat users can be found at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/servlet/file/store5/item637623/version1/INFO%20FOR%20BOAT%20USERS%20amended%20Nov%2011.pdf

How about the Staffs & Worcs canal. Hire from Napton Narrowboats at Autherly junction, Wolverhampton. If you head South, it's all mainly rural but there are locks at regular intervals and you may have to work out how to get through the Bratch locks on your own at that time of year as the lock keeper is only there in the season. One tip, as a narrowboat is longer than the canal is wide, you need to find a winding point when you need to turn the boat around and head back to base. Don't forget to carry a canal guide that shows where the winding points are, for whichever canal you choose. I've seen a few hire boats on short term hire screwing up their cruise schedule as they either missed a winding hole or didn't realise they needed to cruise for another two hours before they could turn the boat.

We carry a soft horseshoe type lifering with a line attached. One October, on the Staffs & worcs canal, my wife slipped while stepping onto the back of the boat at the tail of a lock and fell in, injuring her shoulder as she fell. I threw a mooring rope to her, but that caught around her legs and caused more problems. I then threw the life ring which is stowed just inside the steering hatch. The life ring was a real life saver as the pain of her injury ant the shock of the cold water was making it a dangerous situation, even though the canal is quite a small waterway. The line attached to the lifering help me drag her to the bank. I also now carry a solid ladder and a rope ladder to help getting out of the water.

Yes, Nick I agree with you. My post wasn't very clear. I stated the SWL of both the chain and the rope just to indicate that both had about the same SWL. I then converted the kilogram SWL of the chain only into pounds as the web site that described the eyebolt SWL was in pounds. It did look as if I had added the rope & chain SWL together but all I had done is convert one SWL from kilos to pounds. When I created the post I had different tables in front of me, some in kilos, some in pounds.

I would of thought that the safe working load (SWL) of the eye bolt needs to be matched to the SWL of the anchor chain and warp. In the post from Proper Job he mentions that the pull from the anchor could be at 90 degrees from the direction of the shank of the eyebolt. If I follow the link from post 8 it shows a table where the strength of the eyebolt decreases by a factor of about 6.7 when the pull is at 90 degrees from the shank compared with when the pull is in line with the shank. I have just bought a 20kg anchor with chain of 10mm G40 tensile strength and nylon rope of 18mm diameter. The typical SWL of the 10mm chain is 1250 kgf and the rope has about the same SWL.of 1250 kg which equates to 2755 lbs SWL. Assuming the OP has a similar setup, If I follow the link in Post 8 then the eyebolt needs to be a nominal 1.75 inches to take a SWL of 2755 lbs with the force 90 degrees from the shank. If the anchor is larger, say, 25KG and 12mm chain is used,then the SWL is around 2120 kgf or 4673 lb and the nominal size and shank diameter of the eyebolt increases to 2.5 inches. I should say that I have no actual experience of fitting an eye bolt or calculating loadings, All I’ve done here is just tried to do the maths and come up with a ball park figure.

I had a similar problem when my boat was fairly new. It turned out to be a partial blockage in the area around the filter on the water pump. This meant that the water pump couldn’t pull sufficient flow from the water tank. On initially turning on the tap, the flow was OK, this is because the water system had an accumulator fitted after the water pump. With the taps closed the water pump slowly pressurises and pumps water into the accumulator. When the tap is opened, the accumulator uses the water and pressure stored in it to give a good flow, when once the pressure drops, the pump cuts in but can’t pull enough water from the water tank. I would thoroughly check the water pump filter especially the hole through which the water enters the filter.

There are at least two good hire companies within a 20 minute taxi ride of Wolverhampton station, with direct trains to Glasgow that take under 4 hours. There is Countrywide Cruisers at Brewood and Napton Narrowboats at Autherley Junction. Their web sites are http://www.countrywide-cruisers.com and http://www.napton-marina.co.uk/ The Shropshire Union canal is rural with locks that are in flights, which may make working the locks and looking after children easier. With young children I’d go in the summer time when light nights make amusing the kids easier.

An alternative would be a one way trip using shire cruisers going between Foulridge on the L&L and their base at Sowerby Bridge in the Calder & Hebble. the one way boats are 56 foot and are 4+2 berth http://www.shirecruisers.co.uk/routes/one-way-canal-routes.htm

Your proposed route is mainly through urban areas. I would try to see a bit more of the Staffs & Worcs., at least down to Kidderminster. The colours on the trees should just be turning and the S&W is a great canal to keep people busy. The locks are spaced out (not in flights) and there is plenty of activity getting people off the boat, working the lock and getting back on the boat.

I know very little about back boilers, but doesn’t the system need to be designed so as to always be able to dissipate the heat that the stove puts into the water. Otherwise the water will just boil away If only a calorifier is connected to the back boiler, then when once the water in the cylinder is up to temperature there is nowhere for the heat to be dissipated and the water in the back boiler could boil. In the 1980’s I had a 45 foot narrowboat with a small torgem stove with a back boiler. Without a pump, this heated the whole boat using a run of 2 inch diameter pipes along the side of the cabin and something like a 2” x 4” x 6 foot long steel box section at the far end that the builder fabricated, instead of using a panel radiator (but no calorifier fitted). The system worked great!

Underwent my first BSS examination recently. I used Andrew Phasey who lives in Stourport. I will certainly use him again, although that might be because the boat passed!. Andrew can be contacted on 07850 753633 and web site is www.theoldmainline.co.uk

I came through Hurleston locks a few weeks ago. The queue to go up the locks was a bit chaotic. You will be arriving from Nantwich direction, and Hurleston junction appears immediately after bridge 97. There were boats waiting on the towpath side just after the bridge waiting to ascend, but what confused me was that there were also some boats a few yards past the junction pointing towards Chester that were also waiting to go up Hurleston, they had come through bridge 97, been surprised by the queue, and had to continue a few yards towards Chester before they could pull into the towpath. They would have to reverse down the canal before going up Hurleston. Just be prepared for the queue.

Judging by the door handles & legs, it looks like a Brunel stove from Stovax http://www.stovax.com/stoves/traditionalstoves/wood__multi-fuel_stoves/brunel_stoves.aspx