RCR/Key Diesels

[David Mack]

4 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

The answer is for those who go boating to make time beforehand to study and learn how everything on their own boat works and how to fix it when it goes wrong.

If you put the same requirement on everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car the roads would be empty!

[BilgePump]

With car-breakdown services, at a basic they will get you to an equipped garage or bring you home to get it repaired. Having had a Landy go on three trucks to get back up here, and Green Flag also offering me a £60 taxi because there was going to be two hour delay in the final handover (they were grateful when I declined) I dread to think how much the cost would have been if I had had to arrange motorway rescue 150 miles from home and pay for it myself. I did, however, expect to pay for the repairs myself (new fuel pump) when I got it home.

 

RCR membership though seems to be for those who

a) want to insure against a big repair bill, but the cost cutting outlined by MtB then becomes apparent

or b)those who just want a first line of diagnostics after which they can make their own decisions on repairs.

 

I think some of the canal rescue things include towing but it will only be to a local yard and not like the 'get you home' of road services. If nothing I would expect a 'recovery' service to at least get a boat to the nearest 14 day mooring spot to water and toilet facilities if a fault is going to take more than a day or two to remedy. Not a cheap service to provide, certainly more than an engineer trudging down the towpath with their toolboxes.

[Big Bob W]

14 minutes ago, BilgePump said:

I think some of the canal rescue things include towing but it will only be to a local yard

Has anyone ever actually received a towed recovery from RCR?

 

[BilgePump]

4 minutes ago, Big Bob W said:

Has anyone ever actually received a towed recovery from RCR?

 

Never had membership but it appears that 'Gold' still only gets towed recovery within two hours cruising time, not very far.

[john.k]

To get my powerboat licence ,I had to know how to fix the mechanicals,as well as tides,weather , buoys , channel markers, lights , charts and basic navigation etc..........knowing how to fix the engine  was the easy part.

[dmr]

45 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

You're really not selling me on bringing a boat up there very well Dave! 

 

It has been an extra bad year but at least the volunteer lockie helps with the prop fouls.

There are rumours of some possible dredging before too long.

I am contemplating building the ultimate prop foul removal tool. You could test it for me.

[Mike Todd]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

That would not appear to be true - your posts show a continuing level of breakdowns and mishaps.

I think you missed the irony . . .

[Thomas C King]

Don't mean to be mean, but I don't think I'll ever make it through one of Narrowboat Girl's videos. Should take a page out of the Robbie Cumming book, better camera angles (i.e., not right in their face), less moaning, and useful advice, like pub of the week. But she seems pleasant enough.

 

RCR - We're subscribers. It's a convenience thing.

 

I've only called them out once in almost two years of boating, and I knew I didn't need to. The alternator wasn't charging, I saw a dangling wire and thought "I bet it's this". But by calling someone out I figured he'd also look to see why it had come loose, and I could avoid sticking my head down there and guessing. He found that the alternator had lost a bolt fixing it down.

 

HOWEVER, I became concerned when he started saying that we were stupid to install Lithiums. Questioning is fine, even if we hadn't asked his opinion. But he seemed completely uninformed, saying that we'd have to keep them charged all of the time, that generally you need one battery per appliance (!?). I know it sounds like I'm making this up, but he sounded a bit nuts about that one issue. So then I'm wondering what things he doesn't know that I don't know he doesn't know.

 

I think we'll remain subscribed, but for anything serious I'll probably get it diagnosed by RCR but the actual work by someone recommended on here.

[Athy]

11 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

I am contemplating building the ultimate prop foul removal tool. You could test it for me.

There was a bit of kit sold by one Bargee Bill a few years ago which claimed to be exactly that. I don't think it's still in production, so there's a gap in the market.

[Tracy D'arth]

The poor diagnostics and even sub standard workmanship I could expect and accept up to a point. Its the sale of "reconditioned" rubbish from Key ( which RCR own ) at every available opportunity that I find deceitful and dishonest.

 

How can they be just an insurance company when they are actively selling product from a sister company?

 

Is there insurance backed up by an underwriter in the event of them not being financially solvent and unable to carry out their promised service?

[Tracy D'arth]

56 minutes ago, dmr said:

To some extent are RCR just an insurance company and a call forwarding centre?

A friend recently had a breakdown. She was new to the area so her options were either RCR or phoning round local boatyards, possibly after using Facebook groups to get recommendations.  RCR got somebody out pretty quick and new parts were obtained and  fitted a couple of days later.

I believe the engineer who came out suggested that it would likely work out cheaper if she paid him directly for the parts and repair rather than going through RCR? I think she probably had an RCR retainer as part of her insurance?

So the engineer was carving a bit of business from RCR, for whom he is a contractor, for himself?  That is dishonest. Any of my engineers doing that would have been immediately dismissed. 

[Up-Side-Down]

TIMEA and their FaceAche page is another (far less structured) way to go for instance. There is probably the makings of a sound and far more realistic model to be built on here.

[Idle Days]

I was thinking of taking them up on their engine servicing offer! 🤣

[enigmatic]

21 minutes ago, dmr said:

I am contemplating building the ultimate prop foul removal tool. You could test it for me.

 

If you can build it extra quick, I'm on the Lancashire section of the Rochdale now!

[NB Alnwick]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

If you put the same requirement on everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car the roads would be empty!

Wouldn't that be good!

[phantom_iv]

17 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

But I bet it was well painted prettily.

 

 

I'm not sure I'd go as far as "prettily"... surprised they didn't paint the air filter too 

 

[Tim Lewis]

4 hours ago, dmr said:

This year I have had 4 prop fouls that I really struggled to clear (that's the Rochdale 😀), in fact one was done for me by a CRT volunteer whilst I bow hauled.

It occurred to me "what would I do if I really couldn't sort it and is this the sort of thing that RCR would help with?".

 

I suspect for some boaters RCR gives a nice feeling of security that help is on hand if required and phoning them is a whole lot easier than trying to find a local engineer willing to help.

 

 A friend of mine, an RCR member, got a tyre round his prop in Central London, RCR came out and soted it, apparanly it was a horrendoes job to do

 

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Tim Lewis

[haggis]

I think it is a bit more than being able to repair your own engine and carrying the appropriate spares.  When we had a fire in the engine area in Harecastle tunnel we were jolly glad we had RCR membership. OK we could have Googled and phoned round boatyards ( were travelling north) but it was a lot less stressful to contact RCR and let them diagnose what needed replacing , order the parts and fit them. In fact, Iain and the RCR guy worked together to get us going with the minimum delay. The job became more urgent when Iains elderly mother had a stroke and was in hospital and we needed to get the boat back to its mooring and get home as quickly as possible. 

 

haggis

[ditchcrawler]

For those that do Facebook here is a bit on a lock rescue Narrowboat Network Issues stoppages and incident group | Hello I hope this post is allowed: | Facebook

[Ex Brummie]

1 hour ago, phantom_iv said:

 

 

I'm not sure I'd go as far as "prettily"... surprised they didn't paint the air filter too 

 

When my boat was new, the engine and gearbox on the new Perkins 4108M was painted a nice cobalt blue including the hoses and air filter!

32 years later, you can see the parts that have required replacement.

[JamesWoolcock]

Perhaps I have happier tales to recount.

When I was based nearer Burton on Trent than I am now, no one would have used anyone else other than Key Diesels, but this was in the days before RCR's ownership. They were excellent and a pleasure to deal with and all was usually accompanied by some jolly banter with Kevan Key.

As for RCR, I signed up for all the usual reasons years ago but I've only called them out 3 times.

First, 2009, was a blown core plug in the cylinder head of my 1956 Lister FR3M at Gloucester.  A very competent guy came from Stourport. He sourced one a put it in but wasn't happy with it because of a small amount of wastage to the casting, so sourced some more and came back and redid it all. 10/10

Second was a dead cranking battery in the dead of winter at Fazeley. RCR found a new one, like for like and came out that day and fitted it, charging only for the battery. 10/10

And the last time was after hitting something very solid under Bridge 22 in Nuneaton (haven't we all!) which hit the propeller and pulled the shaft backwards out of its Fenner coupling, jamming the rudder. I got a tow to Atherstone from following friends and the next morning RCR sent a fella out who was familiar with said coupling and all was done and well within the hour. 10/10.

So for me, no gripes.

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by JamesWoolcock

[George and Dragon]

6 hours ago, NB Alnwick said:

if boaters only ever purchased boats that matched their personal understanding and ability there would be a lot more happy fewer boaters.

 

FTFY

[Bee]

I have some sympathy for anybody whose job is fixing engines on boats, I have seen so many awful lash ups on boat engines, bits of oil soaked wiring with insulation tape wrapped round twisted together connections, awful misalignment, ancient diesels sitting in 6 inches of black filth and owners who knew next to nothing about anything. And that was just my boats.

[NB Alnwick]

7 hours ago, Athy said:

There was a bit of kit sold by one Bargee Bill a few years ago which claimed to be exactly that. I don't think it's still in production, so there's a gap in the market.

 

"A gap in the market" roughly translated means another opportunity to fleece mugs with more money than sense. I remember seeing these things advertised and I am sure that the professional boatmen of old would have been highly amused.

[ditchcrawler]

14 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

 

"A gap in the market" roughly translated means another opportunity to fleece mugs with more money than sense. I remember seeing these things advertised and I am sure that the professional boatmen of old would have been highly amused.

Would he also be amused by a weed hatch where the Bargee Bill tool was designed to be used.  I think his boat would have had much bigger blades and a different shaped swim where he poked about with his shaft