My new old Narrowboat...

[Shandybass]

18 hours ago, GUMPY said:

Soft shackle is so much better, doesn't damage the roof paint

I've seen those, and they seem popular, but how are they any different from tying, say a re-threaded figure of eight, or a bowline plus round turn and two half hitches?

[TheBiscuits]

Just now, Shandybass said:

I've seen those, and they seem popular, but how are they any different from tying, say a re-threaded figure of eight, or a bowline plus round turn and two half hitches?

 

Just put an eye splice in your lines and use that, passing it around one of the handrail risers.

[Shandybass]

1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Just put an eye splice in your lines and use that, passing it around one of the handrail risers.

Ooh, fancy! 

I'll have to learn that one first. ...my climbing days already equipped me with the two I mentioned, haha

Edited August 24, 2025 by Shandybass

[Kingdom Isambard Brunel]

Eye splice involves no knots and is infinitely movable and re-locating.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 minute ago, Kingdom Isambard Brunel said:

Eye splice involves no knots and is infinitely movable and re-locating.

new centre lines usually come with one, 

plus a spliced ‘handle’ at other end,

 

If I need it, my rope comes off easily and gets used as an extra rope for mooring 

[David Mack]

13 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

new centre lines usually come with one, 

plus a spliced ‘handle’ at other end,

The last new centreline I bought was cut from the reel at Tradline in front of my eyes, with the ends sealed by the hot knife used to cut it. The eye splice in one end and backsplice on the other are my own work, done a little later.

[GUMPY]

3 hours ago, Shandybass said:

I've seen those, and they seem popular, but how are they any different from tying, say a re-threaded figure of eight, or a bowline plus round turn and two half hitches?

If you are attaching to an eye bolt you won't get a decent sized rope through the eye let alone two.

[AJLElectronics]

For window sealing, I would be using windscreen sealant as used for rubber mounted car windscreens.  It sets but it doesn't go hard, meaning that it will seal, flex, but not glue it all together forever.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

18 minutes ago, David Mack said:

The last new centreline I bought was cut from the reel at Tradline in front of my eyes, with the ends sealed by the hot knife used to cut it. The eye splice in one end and backsplice on the other are my own work, done a little later.

yes I’ve done similar myself,

easy to do,

and satisfying 

 

but my recent ropes were given to me and were clearly shop spliced 

 

[NB Saturn]

17 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

yes I’ve done similar myself,

easy to do,

and satisfying 

 

but my recent ropes were given to me and were clearly shop spliced 

 

 

For some reason I find centre line never lasts more that a season or two before they wear - I’ve gone with Dyneema this time and I am not learning how to splice that!

[Ken X]

31 minutes ago, NB Saturn said:

 

For some reason I find centre line never lasts more that a season or two before they wear - I’ve gone with Dyneema this time and I am not learning how to splice that!

With the proviso that I haven't done an eye splice in Dyneema myself, it looks reasonably simple to achieve. 

 

You have reminded me we need to obtain a new set of ropes. Our centre line is looking very tired. 

[GUMPY]

Being lazy I never splice ropes, if I need a loop I tie a bowline.

As for back splicing they can jam when pulled through a cleat/fairlead, I use adhesive heat shrink instead quicker, simpler and doesn't jam.

 

 

Bowlines shown with soft shackle to allow two ropes on a small eye with no paint scratching.

Edited August 24, 2025 by GUMPY

[NB Saturn]

18 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

Being lazy I never splice ropes, if I need a loop I tie a bowline.

As for back splicing they can jam when pulled through a cleat/fairlead, I use adhesive heat shrink instead quicker, simpler and doesn't jam.

 

 

Bowlines shown with soft shackle to allow two ropes on a small eye with no paint scratching.

 

Agree with you about the backsplice, but I prefer a sailmakers whipping on it - looks better than heatshrink.

[GUMPY]

13 minutes ago, NB Saturn said:

 

Agree with you about the backsplice, but I prefer a sailmakers whipping on it - looks better than heatshrink.

As I said I'm lazy🤔

 

Edited August 24, 2025 by GUMPY
Remove extrenuous picture

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, NB Saturn said:

 

For some reason I find centre line never lasts more that a season or two before they wear - I’ve gone with Dyneema this time and I am not learning how to splice that!

this looks a good deal:

 

 

last for years I reckon,

used to see it about all the time 

 

 

😃

[NB Saturn]

2 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

this looks a good deal:

 

 

last for years I reckon,

used to see it about all the time 

 

 

😃

 

murder on the hands!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

and the dance floor!

[Shandybass]

An update:

 

Well. I've just had three days on the boat. 

The first day I spent digging out the disgusting 8" of canal mud and other assorted filth from the engine bilge, using my stove shovel, a pot noodle tub (they were better when they were plastic), and my bare hands, depending on the access I had. 

Pleased with the progress on it. I can now see red floor paint...

I felt I had to dig it all out before I could start fettling the engine, so now when I go next week I can crack-on with bleeding the fuel system through, changing oil and filters, etc.

I'm thinking I should at least inspect the raw water pump impeller and the fuel pump impeller before I try to run the engine? 

Also I'm on the hard, so I need to rig up some sort of fake raw water input, maybe from an iso bulk container of oil drum?

Yesterday I was boarding-out someone else's boat, which was hard and onerous, because I had to walk about 50m to my boat every time I wanted to make a cut, because I didn't have a round 240v to domestic 240v adapter for my generator, so I had to put it through my boat into an extension lead (I suppose that makes my boat into a giant adapter), but anyway, it earned me 3 antique brass mushroom vents, which I require, as the flying saucer vents from my boat were destroyed during their removal for grit blasting ,so that's a good saving.

This morning i blacked the swim of my boat with Jotun 2 pack, as it was still bare steel. I'm thinking I'll go over the rest of the hull with it, as it's been done a bit thin, in my opinion.

8 minutes ago, Shandybass said:

 

 

 

Pretty grim before

 

Red floor!

The port side of the bilge has this steel plate welded to partition it - some sort of open topped keel tank? Any ideas? 

Anyway, that still has the 8"of mud at the bottom, which is going to be a contortionist job to remove!

Edited August 27, 2025 by Shandybass

[NB Saturn]

26 minutes ago, Shandybass said:

An update:

 

Well. I've just had three days on the boat. 

The first day I spent digging out the disgusting 8" of canal mud and other assorted filth from the engine bilge, using my stove shovel, a pot noodle tub (they were better when they were plastic), and my bare hands, depending on the access I had. 

Pleased with the progress on it. I can now see red floor paint...

I felt I had to dig it all out before I could start fettling the engine, so now when I go next week I can crack-on with bleeding the fuel system through, changing oil and filters, etc.

I'm thinking I should at least inspect the raw water pump impeller and the fuel pump impeller before I try to run the engine? 

Also I'm on the hard, so I need to rig up some sort of fake raw water input, maybe from an iso bulk container of oil drum?

Yesterday I was boarding-out someone else's boat, which was hard and onerous, because I had to walk about 50m to my boat every time I wanted to make a cut, because I didn't have a round 240v to domestic 240v adapter for my generator, so I had to put it through my boat into an extension lead (I suppose that makes my boat into a giant adapter), but anyway, it earned me 3 antique brass mushroom vents, which I require, as the flying saucer vents from my boat were destroyed during their removal for grit blasting ,so that's a good saving.

This morning i blacked the swim of my boat with Jotun 2 pack, as it was still bare steel. I'm thinking I'll go over the rest of the hull with it, as it's been done a bit thin, in my opinion.

 

Pretty grim before

 

Red floor!

The port side of the bilge has this steel plate welded to partition it - some sort of open topped keel tank? Any ideas? 

Anyway, that still has the 8"of mud at the bottom, which is going to be a contortionist job to remove!

 

Does that correspond with the holes you found on the swim?

[Shandybass]

1 hour ago, NB Saturn said:

 

Does that correspond with the holes you found on the swim?

No, they are on the starboard. They are the inlet holes for the mudbox (pic of inside attached)

It turns out the toilet flush is also fed from the canal water via the mudbox 

Lovely

So I haven't investigated it fully yet, but I think this pipe comes from the mudbox, then a hose pushed onto the tail, and feeds under the deck boards into the bathroom to supply the toilet flush. Not sure yet if there's a pump before the toilet, or if the macerator pulls water through.

Edited August 27, 2025 by Shandybass

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, Shandybass said:

...........but I think this pipe comes from the mudbox, then a house parked onto the trail, and feeds under the deck boards into the bathroom...........

 

???????????

[LadyG]

On 24/08/2025 at 20:22, NB Saturn said:

 

For some reason I find centre line never lasts more that a season or two before they wear - I’ve gone with Dyneema this time and I am not learning how to splice that!

Dyneema is pretty much as strong as the steel wire equivalent, you would not select wire to handle your boat, nor would you put it round a standard bollard, far too thin.

The Tradline ropes are nice to hsndle, will help in locking and float if you drop them overboard. They also look traditional.

Id not lime to have Dyneema rope round my prop.

I eould not bother with an eye splice, i use a big bow shackle and put each centreline on with a round turn snd two half hitches. Easy to release under pressure.if necessary or to adjust a few inches to prevent uneven wear.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2025 by LadyG

[Jen-in-Wellies]

On 24/08/2025 at 21:59, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

this looks a good deal:

 

 

last for years I reckon,

used to see it about all the time 

 

 

😃

 

Blue polyprop string used to be standard for mooring BW and later CaRT work boats. 

[NB Saturn]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

???????????

 

hose pipe onto the tail?

[Alan de Enfield]

28 minutes ago, NB Saturn said:

 

hose pipe onto the tail?

 

 

Thank you - I'd never have worked that one out.