New engines

[magnetman]

Springer narrow boats do have a vee shaped hull so if you put a large enough V8 in it and prop it accordingly it seems plausible it might turn into a semi displacement vessel and do about 19 or 20 knots. I think the starn gear would need looking at in this scenario and the engine might want to be mounted amidships. 

 

Possibly best to keep the little Coventry Victor unit as it seems rather nice and won't upset the neighbours. 

 

[Tony Brooks]

9 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Possibly best to keep the little Coventry Victor unit as it seems rather nice and won't upset the neighbours. 

 

Especially as it is a proper marine engine, not some marinise industrial unit, and is probably built like a brick built whatsit. keep feeding it clean oil and fuel, and it is likely to still be going after the hull has rusted away.

[magnetman]

 

I reckon its an underused item which ia giving the impression of being nackered. 

 

The boat is another story but there are some tales about Springers being made from good quality steel. 1978 and 79 there was the mafia problem but as I understand it this was mostly affecting car bodies. 

 

Gas holder steel seems like it would be good quality. 

 

Whether Springers did actually use gas holder steel is not known definitively but they do seem to last a while. 

 

 

[truckcab79]

6 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

I reckon its an underused item which ia giving the impression of being nackered. 

 

The boat is another story but there are some tales about Springers being made from good quality steel. 1978 and 79 there was the mafia problem but as I understand it this was mostly affecting car bodies. 

 

Gas holder steel seems like it would be good quality. 

 

Whether Springers did actually use gas holder steel is not known definitively but they do seem to last a while. 

 

 

Well supposedly mine is one of them.  Hull survey gave it 5mm average overall.  And a low of 4.7 or 4.8. Fine given that they were only built as 6mm as far as I can make out.  There is one crusty looking bit by the weed hatch that the surveyor whacked with a hammer to break it off as it was delaminating / flaking  and even that measured 4.8.  Rest is just surface rust.  First job once we get to the marina will be cleaning that engine bay up, sloshing a load of Vactan over it all (I love Vactan 👍), and giving it a repaint.   

[BEngo]

The real places to watch in a Springer are:

Pitting in  the chine folds.  Folding the steel locks in stress and it pits faster.  Easily over plated. Not too pricey.

 

The counter having been put on a bit droopy and trapping water on the inside so the boat rots inside outwards. Easily replated, but costly

 

The original stern gear.  It was a bit of gas barrel with some whitemetal poured in round the shaft then freed off.    There was no proper stuffing box. Most of them are long gone.

 

The places where the top of the rudder hit the hull.  Made holes fairly quickly.  Easily overplayed and a big of round bar on the rudder contact points prevents recurrence.

 

The general attachment of the rudder stock to the blade.  It relied on  a couple of pinch  bolts and a cross bolt. None were very secure.  Easily welded up, bug then the rudder is not easily removable .

 

N

 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

3 minutes ago, BEngo said:

The real places to watch in a Springer are:

Pitting in  the chine folds.  Folding the steel locks in stress and it pits faster.  Easily over plated. Not too pricey.

 

The counter having been put on a bit droopy and trapping water on the inside so the boat rots inside outwards. Easily replated, but costly

 

The original stern gear.  It was a bit of gas barrel with some whitemetal poured in round the shaft then freed off.    There was no proper stuffing box. Most of them are long gone.

 

The places where the top of the rudder hit the hull.  Made holes fairly quickly.  Easily overplayed and a big of round bar on the rudder contact points prevents recurrence.

 

The general attachment of the rudder stock to the blade.  It relied on  a couple of pinch  bolts and a cross bolt. None were very secure.  Easily welded up, bug then the rudder is not easily removable .

 

N

 

 

 

The rounded chine area to the rear of the back bulkhead is also subject to crushing by the lifting strop. We used to cover this area with a piece of ply under the strop to spread the pressure when we lifted one.

[truckcab79]

4 minutes ago, BEngo said:

The real places to watch in a Springer are:

Pitting in  the chine folds.  Folding the steel locks in stress and it pits faster.  Easily over plated. Not too pricey.

 

The counter having been put on a bit droopy and trapping water on the inside so the boat rots inside outwards. Easily replated, but costly

 

The original stern gear.  It was a bit of gas barrel with some whitemetal poured in round the shaft then freed off.    There was no proper stuffing box. Most of them are long gone.

 

The places where the top of the rudder hit the hull.  Made holes fairly quickly.  Easily overplayed and a big of round bar on the rudder contact points prevents recurrence.

 

The general attachment of the rudder stock to the blade.  It relied on  a couple of pinch  bolts and a cross bolt. None were very secure.  Easily welded up, bug then the rudder is not easily removable .

 

N

 

 

 

Cheers good info. Worth bearing all that in mind next time she comes out of the water.  
 

Wasn’t aware about the lack of stuffing box. Is there a work-around.  Tapping for grease nipple etc?   

[magnetman]

[BEngo]

10 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

Cheers good info. Worth bearing all that in mind next time she comes out of the water.  
 

Wasn’t aware about the lack of stuffing box. Is there a work-around.  Tapping for grease nipple etc?   K

B@gger me!   A Springer original stern gear!  Not  seen one of those for about 35  years. Most of em did not last long.

 

The hex nut is what passes for a stuffing box.  There usually was a grease nipple, or a proper stern tube greaser.   You may be able to get a single turn of small (about 6mm ) packing in, more often it was a  turn or so of twisted  plumbers hemp and a load of grease. .  Give it a good clean up and see what you can see as far as greasing arrangements go.

 

Key thing is to keep the engine firmly and rigidly bolted down and well aligned. Dont overtighten the big hex nut. Keep the two bolts on the horizontal securing flange tight as well.

N

 

 

 

[magnetman]

Its the real deal this one innit

It seems thick but I wondered if the plastic pipe in the picture may be conveying grease to the tube. It does not seem to be a bilge pump. 

 

Could it be that this is a well sorted system with both packing tightened down with the big nut and also a remote greaser? 

 

 

 

 

There does seem to be a ring of grease on the inside end of the tube itself which must have come from somewhere. 

[BEngo]

8 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

Could it be that this is a well sorted system with both packing tightened down with the big nut and also a remote greaser? 

You never know. Mucho boojying out needed then the dog  might be able to  see the rabbit.  The OP clearly has a job on.  It will either be a labour of love, or become another nearly there project boat.  Sounds like it should be worth the effort, albeit there will not be  much/any financial return.

 

Packing behind a nut as a follower is always going to be a bodge.  The follower is supposed to just push, not try and rotate the packing as it is tightened.

N

[JungleJames]

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

If you want to continue wasting money by throwing it into a money pit, so be it but I will laugh heartily when you finally realise that you have not achieved a reliable boat that will give you enjoyment and few problems.

Cheap boats are cheap for the very good reason; that they cannot be turned into a silk purse  without spending far more money than they will ever be worth or realise  even a fair percentage when sold.

Your situation and aims are not unusual, I have seen the same for many years and have seen the disappointment that the owners suffer when they realise that the advice that they received was correct, that the boat was not worth spending the money on.

Time for you to move your bed to the other side of the boat, as you continually seem to get out the wrong side every morning.

[truckcab79]

Some arrows on the bits you’re discussing would be great.  I presume the hex nut referred to is under all the filth where the prop meets the angle iron support?   
 

Likewise the possible grease tube. If you’re referring to the reinforced clear (sort of ) plastic tube then that definitely comes from a little bilge pump which is there but I doubt it works and if it does it’ll just be pumping water back on itself. I’ve got a new one and tube waiting with me at home and will fit it when I’m next up there.  

22 minutes ago, BEngo said:

You never know. Mucho boojying out needed then the dog  might be able to  see the rabbit.  The OP clearly has a job on.  It will either be a labour of love, or become another nearly there project boat.  Sounds like it should be worth the effort, albeit there will not be  much/any financial return.

 

Packing behind a nut as a follower is always going to be a bodge.  The follower is supposed to just push, not try and rotate the packing as it is tightened.

N

Cheers. We’re fine with that.  It’s a hobby and just for us to enjoy.  No interest in making money or even getting our money back. If everyone worried about that then they’d never buy anything just for the fun of it. 
 

I’m busy reading everything I can about stuff I’ll need for the refit and my wife is flicking through a Farrow & Ball paint chart and deciding what Finisterre fleeces she’ll need to buy.  It’s a division of labour of sorts.  😂

Edited September 17, 2023 by truckcab79

[magnetman]

7 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

Some arrows on the bits you’re discussing would be great.  I presume the hex nut referred to is under all the filth where the prop meets the angle iron support?   
 

Likewise the possible grease tube. If you’re referring to the reinforced clear (sort of ) plastic tube then that definitely comes from a little bilge pump which is there but I doubt it works and if it does it’ll just be pumping water back on itself. I’ve got a new one and tube waiting with me at home and will fit it when I’m next up there.  

Red arrow is the nut referred to as having the packing behind it and green arrow is the tube I wondered about possibly conveying grease to the stern tube.

 

 

 

Interesting to see the emergency 5 litre bottle of mineral water in there. One wonders if this is for drinking or topping up the coolant. 

[truckcab79]

Got it. I’ll have to check on the tube. Wasn’t the one I thought you meant obviously and don’t recall seeing what it did when I was last there. Hopefully take more notice when there on Wednesday.  

[Tynas]

When considering swapping out the old Victor diesel engine in your 36ft Springer narrowboat for a newer, more powerful engine, there are several important factors and considerations to keep in mind:
- Power Requirements
- Compatibility
- Installation
- Fuel Efficiency
- Noise and Vibration Levels
- Assess Your Needs

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, Tynas said:

When considering swapping out the old Victor diesel engine in your 36ft Springer narrowboat for a newer, more powerful engine, there are several important factors and considerations to keep in mind:
- Power Requirements
- Compatibility
- Installation
- Fuel Efficiency
- Noise and Vibration Levels
- Assess Your Needs

 

Look at this member's other posts, stating the obvious with little practical help - I spy prat AI BOT.

[MtB]

28 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Look at this member's other posts, stating the obvious with little practical help - I spy prat AI BOT.

 

Yep.

 

If it turns out to be a real person though, their university degree must have been in "Stating the bleedin' obvious" - to channel Monty Python. 

[truckcab79]

All forums seem to get those posts these days. Not sure what the instigators gain out of them. Not even links to adverts in most cases.