BOATS AND CANALS

18th January 2009

Just been to the boat the plan was:-

1) Remove hot water pump and bring home for surgery - Done it, surgery starts tomorrow.

2) Get cheap windlass to bring home for cutting up and welding to extendible wheel brace. - Done it, extending windlass reduces load by one third when extended it needs some tidying then I will post a photo.

3) Remove vinyl ellipse where hire company logo used to be. No

4) Measure fuel tank filler for locking cap. it seems to be 1 9/16 ths on the outside and 1 5/16 ths on the inside- wonder what size to buy?

5) Measure old cupboard in front so I can make locking cover for stakes and hammer. - Forgot that one and anyway it was horrible outside.

6) Measure width of middle cabin to decide on future bed - I definitely can't sleep in a cross bed so it is an extending sideways bed that will be built.

7) Measure bows and gas locker to enable design of bottle crane worthy of Liverpool Docks! - done it crane designed watch this space.

8] Get Calcutt to change gas bottle (my backs still dodgy). - We ran out of both bottles but I found out something interesting the empty bottle still has usable gas in it when the full one switches on. So when the second is also empty you can revert to the first for a while!

9) Put new castle scenes on the back doors (subject to weather) - bad weather!

Forgot to plan fitting new water filter, now done

I also forgot to post a report from last visit:-

Jo has put up our new picture in the lounge to replace the old cruising map. I've been at the plumbing again. The left pump seems to leak slightly. I've swapped them to make access easier to the leaking one.On the way I found that 3 of the adaptors were fitted incorrectly. Previously the joints from the adaptor to the pipes were the only ones I didn't touch. It seems that there are two types, one with a slopping face to match a similar slope with an O ring on it and a flat one that squeezes an O ring between them.One joint had matching sloping surfaces,the others a mix of two un-matched components. Some liberal use of PTFE tape seems to have sorted it.Unfortunately one pump still leaks slightly from the body and this suggests it needs some internal maintenance. Anyone taken a Flojet pump apart?



The ice is too thick to move so we are staying put.

The ice got thicker (around 3/8ths of an inch) so we decided to set off home again. I forgot to mention we are in my Herald again as the Peugeot wouldn't start. One of the Calcutt hire cruisers was in for maintainance and they were turning it around in the other half of the marina. It made an interesting noise and the front bobbed up and down as it crushed the ice. The ice in our half has set with an interesting wave pattern.

Cheers Graham