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Well I have actually done something this week, here is a copy of what I put on Facebook

 

So this trip I had to change the water pump, the one fitted started leaking and having wasted time and money before trying to fix them I bought a new one. Now the one I bought was a 60 psi one but I don't want to run my system above 30 psi and the adjustable pressure switch on the end wouldn't go that low. I just happened to have a Square D pressure switch that I adjusted to 30 psi and T'ed into the pipework just after the pump, Now my accumulator is about 20 feet along this length of 15mm pipe away from the pump, I know ideally they should be mounted as close as possible but this was a more convenient position for it. Fitted it all together and tested it. What happened was it reached pressure, the pump stopped, because the accumulator was so far away the switch immediately closed again and restarted the pump, fist pulse of water, switch open pump stop and repeat. So to get over this I had to install a small accumulator that I just happen to have on board in the 18 cm long line from the to the switch and it now runs lovely.
Despite me depressurising everything and draining it down I still managed to spill about 500cc of water under the floor onto the concrete pavers, I mopped this up the best I could but even with the cupboard door open it has taken ages to dry out, so I feel for people who get a leak under their floors, it must take forever to dry.
Now you may say how did I know the pump was leaking, well from past experience my pump now sits in a plastic tray, the types that supermarkets give away free when you buy chicken or turkey drumsticks, that black plastic that is not normally recyclable. Also sitting in that tray is one of these water alarms, after 10 minutes trying to find out why the CO alarm was bleeping with no alarm up I realised where the sound was coming from. The alarm is similar to this one  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/L4D4-9V-Water-Leak-Level-Moisture-Detector-Alarm-T4E2/302944027074?epid=1551030546&hash=item4688df01c2%3Ag%3Aa08AAOSwY3tbRc0P

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  • 1 month later...

Naughty-Cal's new toys have started arriving today.

 

We were not looking to upgrade the nav gear this year but this was an offer we could not refuse. £200 for an ex demo Raymarine A75. We have had to buy a sun cover which we found for £20 and this model didn't have the inbuilt sonar and down vision so we have had to buy the separate module for that but again we have found an ex display module at £150 and an ex display transom mount transducer at £69.

 

52416011-2277168295669132-63322301302906

 

The total so far is still below half the RRP.

 

And we have found a cracking deal on the Navionics Platinum Plus charts for the UK and Holland as well to go with it.

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2 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Naughty-Cal's new toys have started arriving today.

 

We were not looking to upgrade the nav gear this year but this was an offer we could not refuse. £200 for an ex demo Raymarine A75. We have had to buy a sun cover which we found for £20 and this model didn't have the inbuilt sonar and down vision so we have had to buy the separate module for that but again we have found an ex display module at £150 and an ex display transom mount transducer at £69.

 

52416011-2277168295669132-63322301302906

 

The total so far is still below half the RRP.

 

And we have found a cracking deal on the Navionics Platinum Plus charts for the UK and Holland as well to go with it.

Very nice - plotters make navigation so easy now.

 

You may find that 7" is a wee bit small, particularly at speed.

We went for an 11" on the cat and (maybe it just my old eyes) we found that 'just' OK.

 

I guess that why I use a lap top instead of 'internetting' on a phone.

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4 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Very nice - plotters make navigation so easy now.

 

You may find that 7" is a wee bit small, particularly at speed.

We went for an 11" on the cat and (maybe it just my old eyes) we found that 'just' OK.

 

I guess that why I use a lap top instead of 'internetting' on a phone.

The screen on this is considerably bigger then the screen on the old Raymarine it is replacing.

 

We are limited with the screen size that we can fit in the area avaliable for nav gear on the dashboard. This is about as big a screen as can fit. The 9" would have been a gnats too big.

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8 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Very nice - plotters make navigation so easy now.

 

You may find that 7" is a wee bit small, particularly at speed.

I have  a 7 inch screen and it is fine. Bigger would be better of course. The one I have integrates very nicely in the dashboard on my flybridge.

 

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I have just about completed fitting a new vhf radio - modular type so the main works is fitted under cover . The handset can easily be removed if wanted to protect it from the weather or for security reasons. 
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Up until now i have used a handheld vhf at the flybridge which is okay most of the time but sometimes I am not heard if lock keepers have a handheld. The fixed radio will have better range .

I feel I have the boat more or less fully equipped , any more equipment will be a bonus .

 

 

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, MartynG said:

I have  a 7 inch screen and it is fine. Bigger would be better of course. The one I have integrates very nicely in the dashboard on my flybridge.

I have just about completed fitting a new vhf radio - modular type so the main works is fitted under cover . The handset can easily be removed if wanted to protect it from the weather or for security reasons. 
Up until now i have used a handheld vhf at the flybridge which is okay most of the time but sometimes I am not heard if lock keepers have a handheld. The fixed radio will have better range .

I feel I have the boat more or less fully equipped , any more equipment will be a bonus .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tidy job.

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  • 1 month later...

Annoying exhaust smell in boat for 6 months getting worse. After a lot of checking decided to take off the exhaust header and renew the gaskets as slight dribble of leak on one exhaust port.

 

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Thanks to PLUSGAS the 6 siezed rusty bolts were freed no issue - the usual dreaded snapped studs/bolts did not happen. Decoke the port/manifold- Can now degrease and slap some grey heat enamel on and finish engine repaint (could not reach with brush before).

 

 

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After some cleaning found the real issue - multi-pinholes on the header hidden behind the air intake header.

 

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Ordered a new header from Marine Power Services - who had some recast from originals according to website. IIRC Martyn is a member here. When it arrives will give it a few coats of VHT red exhaust paint - to bling the header up a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by mark99
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On 19/02/2019 at 23:01, ditchcrawler said:

New batteries in the weather station, we are getting weather now and its raining

Given that the weather is absolutely gorgeous right now, I take it the batteries in your weather station need changing again.  Can I ask, on behalf of us all, that you leave the old ones in for a bit? :)

 

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12 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Given that the weather is absolutely gorgeous right now, I take it the batteries in your weather station need changing again.  Can I ask, on behalf of us all, that you leave the old ones in for a bit? :)

 

Well today I have chopped off the bits of steel that were once surrounded by an Anode. The weather station is still working. PS I had a woman ask if the anemometer was recharging my batteries.

 

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20 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

PS I had a woman ask if the anemometer was recharging my batteries.

And was it? ;)

 

(Ah, that brings back such memories - how I loved climbing the mast, 100 feet above the raging seas, to change an anemometer head! I was sooo happy to grow out of that particular phase, I can tell you!)

 

Hang on - you have an anemometer?! Not on a narrowboat though, eh?

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20 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

And was it? ;)

 

(Ah, that brings back such memories - how I loved climbing the mast, 100 feet above the raging seas, to change an anemometer head! I was sooo happy to grow out of that particular phase, I can tell you!)

 

Hang on - you have an anemometer?! Not on a narrowboat though, eh?

Yes, also a rain gauge and temperature, inside and out + barometric pressure . I dont reset that for altitude just watch which way its heading. If you dont have a anemometer how do you know if its not safe to travel:help:

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6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Yes, also a rain gauge and temperature, inside and out + barometric pressure . I dont reset that for altitude just watch which way its heading. If you dont have a anemometer how do you know if its not safe to travel:help:

I stand in awe, Sir!  (I'm lying down with a Mount Gay rum after the Stourbridge 16 and the Delph actually, but nevertheless...!) 

 

Anyway, what I do to assess if it's safe to travel is stick my head out of the back doors - if it's windy enough to blow the anchors off my buttons I don't sail.  Your way is far more scientific though and appeals to me greatly.  However, I believe my long-suffering first Lieutenant would mutiny should I follow your lead, so I'm stuck with the sage advice of Portland Bill. ;)

 

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2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

I stand in awe, Sir!  (I'm lying down with a Mount Gay rum after the Stourbridge 16 and the Delph actually, but nevertheless...!) 

 

Anyway, what I do to assess if it's safe to travel is stick my head out of the back doors - if it's windy enough to blow the anchors off my buttons I don't sail.  Your way is far more scientific though and appeals to me greatly.  However, I believe my long-suffering first Lieutenant would mutiny should I follow your lead, so I'm stuck with the sage advice of Portland Bill. ;)

 

You obviously dont follow Facebook where the question is asked, can CRT make me move in the wind and what is the limit I have to move in. I boat in anything if I want to move.

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34 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

You obviously dont follow Facebook where the question is asked, can CRT make me move in the wind and what is the limit I have to move in. I boat in anything if I want to move.

Nah, I don't do FB, but I'm not surprised wind is in the book of excuses. I was a bit surprised when it took me 3 tries to get off the bank at Stewponey this morning then, just as I'd sorted myself out and got clear, the wind dropped like a stone leaving me to wonder what I'd been messing about at!  

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