BOATS AND CANALS

Great Pictures

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Maurice

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Foxshaw Gardens Online & Boats and Canals

Great pics, thanks for sharing.

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Laurie Booth
http://www.pamelasalem.net

Jo and I have a boat, you may remember. We had almost forgotten. We have been a bit busy on other things. Foreign travel, rebuilding bathroom from new floor up, demolishing conservatory and loads of work on Accessible Boating.

We came up to the vaguely remembered boat to see Granddaughters. We have also started the first work of the season.

I have cleaned all the window gutters and cleaned off the bird poo from the bodywork. We also got on with gardening.



It is very muddy next to the boat and we have been steadily pushing back the brambles to widen the grass.



During our mandatory evening walk there was a nice double rainbow



Home again today but am back for some serious DIY in a week or so.

Cheers Graham

WE, it looks just Jo to me.

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Maurice

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I'm on the boat for a week or so. It is water tank time again. This is what I found.



Not to bad, the worst bit was on the wall between the tank and the lounge.

I have been in there with the angle grinder and have now rust killed it with Fertan.


I used a breathing device to protect my lungs from the fumes consisting of a long pipe attached to a snorkel mouth piece. You just hav to remember in through the mouth out through the nose.

I have also been cleaning the wall by the boat.



Cheers Graham

Whatever the 'rash' is in the first picture, I hope that it's not catching?

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Maurice

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The rash is a bit interesting. It seems to be directly under the filler and not conventional tank corrosion. Who knows what comes in with the water. It has all gone now.

Cheers Graham

I am pleased about that, but I am sure that you are much pleased than I am.

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Maurice

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I haven't been happy with then tiller since Calcutt 'straightened' the rudder. They may have out a new rudder on but it didn't line up with the tiller and there is a need to keep a permanent load to the right to steer a straight line.

After various bits of advice I took her to Braunston Marina for them to have a look.

Here she is in the dock.



We had a good look and decide the front plate was 5mm out of alignment with back plate, the bottom bearing and top bearings has too much wear and the tiller was nowhere near aligned with the rudder. We also suspected that Calcutt had put on a much bigger rudder.

After much welding we had an aligned tiller and rudder and no slop in the bearings.





The proof of the pudding - she goes straight with the tiller in the middle but there is still a load that makes the tiller move to the left.

I looked at the photos taken when she was surveyed and the new rudder is 15% longer than the old. This has altered the balance between front and back from 1 to 4 to 1 to 5.

I need to think what to do next.

Whilst up at the boat my niece and I walked around Daventry reservoir and came across this under one of the bridges.



It was interesting watching the team sink the stop planks in the dock, to get the last one down they stood on it and then wedged it in place. To empty just remove a plank.

Have a look at https://youtu.be/CvBbXDFb0CE

Cheers Graham

Decisions, decisions, by the way a nice painting.

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Maurice

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Foxshaw Gardens Online & Boats and Canals

Another weekend at the boat. I have been down the water tank again, changed all the smoke alarm batteries, washed off the excess rust killer in the engine bay and sanded down side of the bathroom door. The weather was divine.





I have been in touch with Alvechurch who built Dotterel and they are looking at their records to see what rudder she had when she was built with a view to making another.

Cheers Graham

On the boat again, I have put the final coat on the water tank so now need to wait 7 days before filling it and flushing it 3 times. 7 days is Saturday. The boat leaves Calcutt a week tomorrow. I am starting to panic.

I have also changed the engine oil and oil filters ( yes plural she has a full flow filter on addition to the normal bypass one)

Gearbox oil and fuel filter still to do.

Pictures of the tank are boring so here are two at the lock.





Cheers Graham

Final pre BCN challenge preparation is under way. I have been on the boat since Saturday.
The water tank has been filled and emptied then filled again. I will empty it today and fill it again. The recommendation is 3 times but the water didn't taste the first time. Probably because I allowed so long between coats.

I have been trying to find out why the alarm makes an annoying buzz when under way. I also noticed that the battery warning light glows slighty. After a lot of testing I changed the alternator. That fixed it but I did notice something a bit weird when I removed the old one. The split charge relay seemed to respond to the W connection. This is used for the rev counter except we haven't got one. When I put the new alternator on I left this wire off as it isn't necessary. The split charge relay didn't work. I am at a loss to understand why as then power wire should be connected to the ignition switch although I think you can connect it to the excitor wire. Clearly there is a wiring fault. I don't have a chance of tracing this so was thinking about running a new wire. Then I found out about the newer voltage senseing devices that don't need the power feed from the ignition switch so that is now fitted and it all works.

More news to follow.

Cheers Graham

Phew! glad that you have got all that sorted.

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Maurice

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Foxshaw Gardens Online & Boats and Canals

Water tank is full again, that is 3rd time and I think is ok.

Gear box oil changed, fuel and air filters changed, I have fixed the alarm somewhere sensible rather than hanging off the instruments and the temperature guage is illuminated for the first time since we got the boat.

I have polished the right hand side and will turn the boat round later.

I need to reseal the bath but the instructions on the healthy bath sealent says only apply out of doors! I also need another cost of varnish on the bathroom door.

Then just a small amount of cleaning to do. Crew join me on Wednesday.

I dropped my water filler in the canal so I got my rake out and raked bottom, I found it!

Cheers Graham