Sheffield to Anderton on Rallentando

[IanD]

53 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

Do they have locking collars if not they can stretch if the hook is not quite in position. Seen it happen many times which is why shackles are used for lifting and not carabiniers.

Yes they have rotate/pull autolocking collars, otherwise they'd be far too weak... 😉

 

(my daughter is a climbing instructor, they were a birthday present from her)

[Tracy D'arth]

Did you miss any locks on the way Ian?

[cuthound]

34 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Rule 1 of boating - regardless of the length of your boat or location, rings and bollards are always badly spaced and in the wrong place!

 

Very true. when I went to collect my boat I left the builder, who was paving my end of garden mooring, the four bollards I wanted to use and pushed bamboo canes into the earth to mark the spots where I wanted the bollards installed.

 

When I returned back home with the boat he had moved the bollards closer together because "they didn't line up with complete paving slabs and would have looked awful"...

 

[IanD]

25 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Did you miss any locks on the way Ian?

No, portage is a bit difficult with a 60' narrowboat 😉

[Paul C]

4 hours ago, IanD said:

Indeed, it's not easy to get to. But then I only needed to get to the locker a couple of times, and the T-stud only when mooring up in the evening when it's usually not hard to get to from the bank.

 

As usual it's a tradeoff that has to be made if you want the plus points of this layout, there's no single solution that's best in all respects -- this was the one I chose because it suits me best, others may want something different.

The problem is that pretty much *all* of the possible sources seem to have been eliminated... 😞

Fair enough, if you've already tried out mooring from the bank and leaning over. We have a bow deck on our boat (and bow doors). I tried it by leaning over once, didn't like it. Also we don't have a bow thruster though, might make a slight difference.

[IanD]

25 minutes ago, Paul C said:

Fair enough, if you've already tried out mooring from the bank and leaning over. We have a bow deck on our boat (and bow doors). I tried it by leaning over once, didn't like it. Also we don't have a bow thruster though, might make a slight difference.

 

It makes quite a big difference when mooring, to prevent the boat drifting away from the bank mine can be locked onto a quiet low-thrust setting just to hold the bows in place while you tie up.

 

Not possible with many older ones which are noisy as hell, all-or-nothing, and only work so long as you hold the joystick over (and not for long). Sometimes modern technology is actually an improvement... 😉

 

Of course you can also use a centre line if there is something to tie it to or someone to hold it or you can be bothered to get a mooring spike out and knock it in -- but which do you think is the quickest easiest simplest option?

 

Nobody *needs* a BT, but sometimes they can genuinely be useful.

Edited October 20, 2023 by IanD

[Stroudwater1]

Two thoughts 

 

1. I’ve painted epoxy straight onto the sides where paint scrapes happened. Brief wash with washing up detergent then cleaned with white spirit then applied directly- sanded a bit where there was rust.
 

 It’s still on and fine two years on. It was easy to apply as David said,  like  some craftmaster spirit topcoat, just a bit runny. It is detectable because as we know epoxy goes grey with UV fairly rapidly so it’s in a slightly different stage of greying. (Sounds like many males really🤣) Use an old or v cheap brush and mix the epoxy and hardner in a glass jar measured with syringe if you can get them. 

 

2 the fair leads we have have got loose fairly fast so I’ve started using the insulation material you put onto outside or attic based copper pipe and put around the rope as it goes over the metal edge. It’s usually spongy and grey 
 

I’ve only recently started this and have a guy on the Oxford to thank  for the idea as one of his  blew off into the canal as we passed and rescued it for him. He swore by them (and at the one till we passed by and picked it up.)

 

I imagine lots have used this, perhaps the line gets damp and fails to dry in the longer run? 

[TheBiscuits]

4 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Very true. when I went to collect my boat I left the builder, who was paving my end of garden mooring, the four bollards I wanted to use and pushed bamboo canes into the earth to mark the spots where I wanted the bollards installed.

 

When I returned back home with the boat he had moved the bollards closer together because "they didn't line up with complete paving slabs and would have looked awful"...

 

 

I hope you didn't pay him!

[Snakey]

Thought the plank was driving...

[Midnight]

23 hours ago, IanD said:

 

The problem is that pretty much *all* of the possible sources seem to have been eliminated... 😞

 

Then my guess is your original assumption. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Snakey said:

Thought the plank was driving...

 

Are you on the correct thread, or forum even?

[Tracy D'arth]

On 20/10/2023 at 15:31, IanD said:

No, portage is a bit difficult with a 60' narrowboat 😉

As I see, you must have clouted every one!  Repaint required after a week!

[Rob-M]

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

As I see, you must have clouted every one!  Repaint required after a week!

And ripped the side fender off judging by the bit of dangling string.

[IanD]

12 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

And ripped the side fender off judging by the bit of dangling string.

Correct, that's the one that went in the first five minutes dropping someone off in Sheffield basin to open the swing bridge, wind pushed us sideways and hey presto it was gone. Don't like those fenders tied to eyes low on the hull, can't easily be removed, if pulled up onto gunwale they're a booby trap in wet weather, assuming they don't fall off. Will get some roof-rail hook ones instead.

 

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

As I see, you must have clouted every one!  Repaint required after a week!

 

I'm sure as a perfect skipper with a perfect crew you'd have managed to do 150 locks including the Rochdale in the wind and rain without a single scratch... 😉

 

Boats are for boating not looking at, D rails are there for a purpose, and scrapes on them are inevitable... 🙂

On 21/10/2023 at 11:02, Midnight said:

 

Then my guess is your original assumption. 

You mean condensation while the build was going on but after some diesel was put in?

 

If so that means the water is still in there, lurking at the bottom on the tank. Do you think it's worth getting the fuel polished to remove this before next time we take it out? What's your view on additives like Fuel Safe?

Edited October 22, 2023 by IanD

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

You mean condensation while the build was going on but after some diesel was put in?

 

If so that means the water is still in there, lurking at the bottom on the tank. Do you think it's worth getting the fuel polished to remove this before next time we take it out? What's your view on additives like Fuel Safe?

 Has anything happened since the water drain off, is everything diesel fed running OK? 
 Condensation, your going to get some, this is why people have water trap filters, just keep checking it and see if it’s filling up every time you run the generator, don’t over think it or you’ll be fuel polishing your tank every time you return to the boat after a period of time not using it. How many filters have you from tank to generator?

 I have one of these fitted as first filter from tank to engine and never had a problem with water/fuel.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115943365015?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=V6ViuM71S7W&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=1dHCkYGlRKG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Edited October 22, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[Rob-M]

43 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

 Has anything happened since the water drain off, is everything diesel fed running OK? 
 Condensation, your going to get some, this is why people have water trap filters, just keep checking it and see if it’s filling up every time you run the generator, don’t over think it or you’ll be fuel polishing your tank every time you return to the boat after a period of time not using it. How many filters have you from tank to generator?

 I have one of these fitted as first filter from tank to engine and never had a problem with water/fuel.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115943365015?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=V6ViuM71S7W&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=1dHCkYGlRKG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I had one similar to that fitted after we had the issues with water in the tank, drained off several litres of water\diesel mix but has been fine for the last couple of years.  I now drain off about half a litre of fuel every few months in to a clean plastic bottle and let it stand for a day or two and then tip it back in the tank as it is clean diesel.

[Midnight]

2 hours ago, IanD said:

If so that means the water is still in there, lurking at the bottom on the tank. Do you think it's worth getting the fuel polished to remove this before next time we take it out? What's your view on additives like Fuel Safe?

 

I would syphon the bottom of the tank with a length of 15mm plastic water pipe, a B&Q drill pump and a length of plastic flexitube. (Unfortuately the drill pumps aren't self priming but you will get used to the taste of diesel unless you're very quick)

 

Any water in the bottom syphoned into a bucket or clear glass bottle will tell you if you need to polish the diesel. Since I did something similar 10 years ago and stopped using fuel additives (Marine 16 & Fuel Set) I have had no further problem. I just check the bottom of the tenk every year and will polish (we have a club diesel polisher) if it gets cloudy.

[Jon57]

6 minutes ago, Midnight said:

 

I would syphon the bottom of the tank with a length of 15mm plastic water pipe, a B&Q drill pump and a length of plastic flexitube. (Unfortuately the drill pumps aren't self priming but you will get used to the taste of diesel unless you're very quick)

 

Any water in the bottom syphoned into a bucket or clear glass bottle will tell you if you need to polish the diesel. Since I did something similar 10 years ago and stopped using fuel additives (Marine 16 & Fuel Set) I have had no further problem. I just check the bottom of the tenk every year and will polish (we have a club diesel polisher) if it gets cloudy.

Or a wet and dry vacuum with a piece of 15mm plastic polypipe or similar that's what I use. 😁👍

[GUMPY]

If the tank is designed properly then there should be a drain point at the lowest point in the tank. There has been in my last two boats 🤔

[Tracy D'arth]

3 hours ago, IanD said:

Correct, that's the one that went in the first five minutes dropping someone off in Sheffield basin to open the swing bridge, wind pushed us sideways and hey presto it was gone. Don't like those fenders tied to eyes low on the hull, can't easily be removed, if pulled up onto gunwale they're a booby trap in wet weather, assuming they don't fall off. Will get some roof-rail hook ones instead.

 

 

I'm sure as a perfect skipper with a perfect crew you'd have managed to do 150 locks including the Rochdale in the wind and rain without a single scratch... 😉

 

Boats are for boating not looking at, D rails are there for a purpose, and scrapes on them are inevitable... 🙂

You mean condensation while the build was going on but after some diesel was put in?

 

If so that means the water is still in there, lurking at the bottom on the tank. Do you think it's worth getting the fuel polished to remove this before next time we take it out? What's your view on additives like Fuel Safe?

I have well scuffed D bars too but my boat is 35 years old and well travelled, not fresh out of the shop. And I am too old to care now.

You have never had to deliver a show boat to an exhibition or a new owner then? We use to take a pot of every paint used on the boat and a bit of blacking  when delivering, it became a matter of pride not to have to use it when we got there.

The Rochdale would be a challenge, all those narrow wide locks!  😊

[IanD]

2 hours ago, GUMPY said:

If the tank is designed properly then there should be a drain point at the lowest point in the tank. There has been in my last two boats 🤔

There is.

2 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I have well scuffed D bars too but my boat is 35 years old and well travelled, not fresh out of the shop. And I am too old to care now.

You have never had to deliver a show boat to an exhibition or a new owner then? We use to take a pot of every paint used on the boat and a bit of blacking  when delivering, it became a matter of pride not to have to use it when we got there.

The Rochdale would be a challenge, all those narrow wide locks!  😊

My view is that it doesn't matter how old the boat is, D bars are there for a purpose, and it's my boat to decide how to use it not a delivery to someone else who expects it to be pristine.

 

Those locks are indeed a challenge when there are waterfalls going over them and strong currents when filling, and you only want to open one gate because they're bl**dy heavy and it's a lot of extra effort and walking to open two.

 

If I was retired and had unlimited time -- like you? -- then we could have taken several weeks to move the boat, and probably had a lot fewer scratches as a result. However given real jobs and available holiday times this wasn't an option, we had less than a fortnight to move the boat, so we had to crack on.

 

I suggest you consider that other people's  circumstances and priorities may be different to yours before sniping... 😉

Edited October 22, 2023 by IanD

[MtB]

Given the speed with which all this water appeared in the diesel supply, Occam's Razor suggests a missing or incomplete weld allowing canal water in.

 

 

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, MtB said:

Given the speed with which all this water appeared in the diesel supply, Occam's Razor suggests a missing or incomplete weld allowing canal water in.

 

 

 

Last time that was suggested, Ian 'went off on one'.

 

I guess you are stirring...again.

[GUMPY]

8 minutes ago, MtB said:

Given the speed with which all this water appeared in the diesel supply, Occam's Razor suggests a missing or incomplete weld allowing canal water in.

 

 

Years ago there was a Jonathan Wilson boat at my old moorings that had this problem. When the water tank was full the weld was above the waterline, when empty it was below. It took many months to find the broken weld.

[Tracy D'arth]

5 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

Last time that was suggested, Ian 'went off on one'.

 

I guess you are stirring...again.

 

14 minutes ago, MtB said:

Given the speed with which all this water appeared in the diesel supply, Occam's Razor suggests a missing or incomplete weld allowing canal water in.

 

 

That will be some more off his Christmas present list!  But it is a distinct possibility.