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Beta Marine 43 will not keep running


SLC

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16 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Regularly serviced and yet the fuel filter was 7 years old. Service book stamped does not mean serviced

And that is why I would encourage DIY servicing. The owner get to know the boat and where any hidden water traps/filters are located and they have time to drain/open fuel filters to see if there are any early signs of water or bug.

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43 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

And that is why I would encourage DIY servicing. The owner get to know the boat and where any hidden water traps/filters are located and they have time to drain/open fuel filters to see if there are any early signs of water or bug.

also fun and very rewarding! :)

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On my Beta 43 and with the fuel tank alongside the engine it is easy to spin the fuel filter off, see if it is full,  (if it isn't then that gives a clue to all sorts of possible problems) empty the thing out to see what comes out (clean bright fuel or cloudy stuff) and then refill it with clean fuel from a can right to the brim and replace it. The engine should not need bleeding but a few strokes on the little lever with the bleed thingy loosened will be ok and it will start. Of course you can do the same with a new filter as well but its a quick diagnostic for annoying problems.

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It amused me that our insurance required that the boat was serviced annually. What does that mean? How do you know whether it was properly serviced and what should it involve? I couldn't agree more that you cannot trust that a boat has been serviced simply because the book has been stamped.

I did look for a leak and got the paper towel out but I could not see one - nor could the engineers though I did find a broken jubilee clip on a water hose. Engine is clean and I try to keep it that way but as a newbie I never had the confidence to go delving in. Also I am of an age where experience tells me that if your start delving into the unknown you gain too much experience in one go for your own good.

A silly thing, but when looking for the fault I was aware that I hadn't got suitable containers to collect spillage just in case sort of thing. I now have them. Sadly I am trying to get myself on a maintenance workshop but they are either booked up or on the one additional course where there are places, my other half has booked a holiday on dry land.

Another thing I have learned. Never connect a fender to a shackle bolt - the previous owner did this in order to get the height right (Moose sits low in the water at the rear). Fender gets hit by idiots speeding in Braunstone tunnel and bolt shears. Got new fenders at the right height and attached to the right point. Must refer to discussion about fenders up or fenders down when cruising.......

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2 minutes ago, SLC said:

It amused me that our insurance required that the boat was serviced annually. What does that mean? How do you know whether it was properly serviced and what should it involve? I couldn't agree more that you cannot trust that a boat has been serviced simply because the book has been stamped.

I did look for a leak and got the paper towel out but I could not see one - nor could the engineers though I did find a broken jubilee clip on a water hose. Engine is clean and I try to keep it that way but as a newbie I never had the confidence to go delving in. Also I am of an age where experience tells me that if your start delving into the unknown you gain too much experience in one go for your own good.

A silly thing, but when looking for the fault I was aware that I hadn't got suitable containers to collect spillage just in case sort of thing. I now have them. Sadly I am trying to get myself on a maintenance workshop but they are either booked up or on the one additional course where there are places, my other half has booked a holiday on dry land.

Another thing I have learned. Never connect a fender to a shackle bolt - the previous owner did this in order to get the height right (Moose sits low in the water at the rear). Fender gets hit by idiots speeding in Braunstone tunnel and bolt shears. Got new fenders at the right height and attached to the right point. Must refer to discussion about fenders up or fenders down when cruising.......

I use rope shackes to secure my stern fenders

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23 minutes ago, SLC said:

It amused me that our insurance required that the boat was serviced annually. What does that mean? How do you know whether it was properly serviced and what should it involve? I couldn't agree more that you cannot trust that a boat has been serviced simply because the book has been stamped.

I did look for a leak and got the paper towel out but I could not see one - nor could the engineers though I did find a broken jubilee clip on a water hose. Engine is clean and I try to keep it that way but as a newbie I never had the confidence to go delving in. Also I am of an age where experience tells me that if your start delving into the unknown you gain too much experience in one go for your own good.

A silly thing, but when looking for the fault I was aware that I hadn't got suitable containers to collect spillage just in case sort of thing. I now have them. Sadly I am trying to get myself on a maintenance workshop but they are either booked up or on the one additional course where there are places, my other half has booked a holiday on dry land.

Another thing I have learned. Never connect a fender to a shackle bolt - the previous owner did this in order to get the height right (Moose sits low in the water at the rear). Fender gets hit by idiots speeding in Braunstone tunnel and bolt shears. Got new fenders at the right height and attached to the right point. Must refer to discussion about fenders up or fenders down when cruising.......

Side fenders should be removed when cruising.

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8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I lift my fenders while cruising and only deploy them when moored.

are you saying that you lift your stern and front fenders when cruising, because they were the ones i was referring to

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7 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Side fenders should be removed when cruising.

 

Not necessarily. It's not a universal hard & fast practice.

 

I want my fenders down as I'm single handed. The 'fenders up" mantra for narrow boats on canals doesn't necessarily apply to other boats on other waterways. There are plenty of times I've entered a big lock on the Thames for example, full of other boats where you'd want your fenders down. If I'm at the helm without crew I can't lower the fenders as I come in. And the number of times I've had to brest up against other boats on lock landings. Nobody wants steel scraping against steel. Also rubbing strakes aren't always at the right height for concrete sidings, etc.

 

Some practices are obviously wrong like narrowboats with fenders down on canals where they can get stuck in locks. But apart from hazardous things like that it's up to each boat owner to decide what to do with their fenders while cruising. 

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17 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Not necessarily. It's not a universal hard & fast practice.

 

I want my fenders down as I'm single handed. The 'fenders up" mantra for narrow boats on canals doesn't necessarily apply to other boats on other waterways. There are plenty of times I've entered a big lock on the Thames for example, full of other boats where you'd want your fenders down. If I'm at the helm without crew I can't lower the fenders as I come in. And the number of times I've had to brest up against other boats on lock landings. Nobody wants steel scraping against steel. Also rubbing strakes aren't always at the right height for concrete sidings, etc.

 

Some practices are obviously wrong like narrowboats with fenders down on canals where they can get stuck in locks. But apart from hazardous things like that it's up to each boat owner to decide what to do with their fenders while cruising. 

On shallower narrow canals there is a tendency for them to get ripped off and then sit just right for the piece of rope to catch on the blades which is why I prefer them to be removed and why I leave locks with a tail bridge slowly as it is a perfect place for them to loiter.

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21 hours ago, enigmatic said:

 

 

Air leaks tend to slowly let a bit of diesel out as well, which means they're a lot easier to diagnose with a clean engine and drip tray. Mine was right under the bit where I bled the air out to restart it though, so it wasn't until I got round to wiping it clean I found the issue...

Air leaks can also operate in reverse. I had a swaged connection on the flexi into the lift pump which sucked air into the hose as it sucked fuel. As the connection was below the level of the agglomerator, this air gradually collected in the high point and killed the syphon. As there was little head, no fuel leak ever showed up. I only found it when I disconnected the hose and realised how loose the spigot was in the clamp. After replacing, I disassembled the joint, and the rubber hose was crazed with fine slits.

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1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

On shallower narrow canals there is a tendency for them to get ripped off and then sit just right for the piece of rope to catch on the blades which is why I prefer them to be removed and why I leave locks with a tail bridge slowly as it is a perfect place for them to loiter.

I have never seen the point of those silly rubber cylinder fender things than hang from little eyes along the side of a steel narrowboat. Who thought up that daft idea? They are too big for going into a narrow lock, and too small to be much use for mooring. They certainly don’t stop a bit of scrapery eg when entering locks or coming into a mooring other than exactly parallel, so what is the point since that is what rubbing strakes are for.
All of which is why we don’t have any, nor any little eyes to hang any from. When we moor against something, we attach the properly-sized fenders to the handrail by those hook things. One near the front and one near the back. Job done.

Edited by nicknorman
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Just now, robtheplod said:

I notice lots of people use the go-kart tyres, are these any good for putting down when mooring?

 

Depending on their height they can leave black 'skid' marks on your paintwork as you are moved forwards and backwards by passing boats.

 

If they are down below the gunwales in the 'blacking' area then they are fine.

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3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Depending on their height they can leave black 'skid' marks on your paintwork as you are moved forwards and backwards by passing boats.

 

If they are down below the gunwales in the 'blacking' area then they are fine.

Why would you put tyres above the walkway

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Please read what I wrote.

 

He has a painted band below the gunwales and above the 1st rubbing strake.

 

I said :

 

If they are down below the gunwales in the 'blacking' area then they are fine.

Why do people paint above the rubbing strake 

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1 hour ago, robtheplod said:

I notice lots of people use the go-kart tyres, are these any good for putting down when mooring?

If you like fenders that squash flat in use then yes they are great.

 

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