Maintenance

Battery check

Battery voltage was 12.6 on opening up the boat reducing to 12.3 when heater turned on. Engine run to keep the cobwebs away. Showed charge rate of 21 amps reducing quickly to 4 amps at 14.4 volts.

Routine

After our 6 week cruise time to change the engine oil and filter, and also the gearbox oil.

The engine oil change is now a well rehearsed job taking less that half an hour.  The engine marinisation includes a waste oil pump which allows one to pump the sump oil into a bucket, easier if the oil is warm, so I move the boat to a convenient bank to do this.   Then remove the filter after swathing it in a plastic bag to reduce oil spillage, whip the new one on and refill with 9 litres of new oil.   I can then decant the bucket into the now empty containers ready for disposal at our local council dump.

The gearbox oil change is essentially even easier, but the extraction has to be done using a vacuum extraction system (I use the Pela Oil Extractor), the oil is usuually cooler and takes ages to empty.

To clean out the bilge I use a proprietory bilge cleaner mixted with water, flushed around and removed using a wet-vac.   The waste is taken home to be disposed of.   Generally the bilge is always pretty clean anyway.

Finally, the boat is returned to the marina and a diesel fill of 85 litres 89p (since Aynho) sets us up for the next trip to Blue Lias in September.

Broken throttle cable

The throttle cable broke.  I knew because the engine was still running and I could select forward and reverse but no oomph.  A quick check lifting the deck board confirmed that the throttle was not moving.   The lucky thing was that I was just approaching Cassio Lock (GU) top gates very slowly waiting for the lock to be set by the other boat I had shared Ironbridge Lock with.   I just drifted round and stopped in the lock throat.    Fortunately, the other boat "Knot on Call" carried a spare which the skipper (Ian) was willing to let me have - and it was the right size.   RCR had advised him to carry one as aparently this is their single greatest call out incident.   It took an hour to fit, never having done this before.   Getting the idle adjustment right was the most fiddly part.   So I went into Harefield Marina and bought two. One for him, one for me!

Frost

A spell of cold weather arrived with sharp frost last week.  Methinks it is time to drain the water system.  So did just that and added some monopropylene glycol to the dregs in the tank and flushed it through the system.

Licence renewal time.  The gold BW/Environment Agency licence has gone up by over 10%.

Routine Oil Change

A quick visit today to do an oil change as part of getting ready for winter.  The engine is at 3237 hours use.  The oil used was from Screwfix - Silver Hook Hi-Spec 15-40 API CH4.   New filter.   Topped up the diesel tank as well to minimise condensation.

More solar power

There is no mains electric power hook-up at my mooring and although this has never been a problem with the batteries before with the two "Solara" walk on solar panels in use, continuous power requirements have increased.  The boat alarm and internal monitoring camera take a very small, but continuous drain and over time in the winter, the light is not enough to keep the voltage up after a couple of months.  I have, therefore, installed a third panel.    In the summer this should now provide almost enough power to obviate the need for running the engine when moored up for a few days and to keep the fridge freezer running if we need to leave the boat.

Eberspacher again

The boiler unit's problems had been a little difficult to diagnose, but it was reported that the fuel pump was over metering.   Subsequent events tend to support this.   The total cost of the overhaul ran to £360.  Rather more than I had bargained for.   Fitting the unit back proved very much easier than the removal now that I knew how it was secured.   The exhaust and two water lines just needed the hose clips tightening.  Finally the fuel line.   Starting the boiler produced an sad noise which I eventually deduced was the water pump running dry.   After much thought I reckoned that there must be a venting screw which, of course there was.   So then it was pretty well silent and it started up OK but with clouds of white smoke continuously coming from the exhaust even after some minutes.   My first reaction to this was an expletive, thinking that the repair had been botched, however, it could be that there was a lot of unburnt diesel in the exhaust, so I let it run.   Slowly the colour of the smoke turned blueish and finally ran clear, though not after a passing boater remarked "That looks bad!"    Finally, I connected the yellow control wire at the timer to the Text Alert box so that I can give it 12 Volts by remote control and switch the boiler on and off remotely using the mobile phone.    It worked first time.   Amazing!

Getting Ready for the summer (Part 2 ....)

Since the last report there has been a number of visits to the boats to progress the various items listed as outstanding.

Marine Band VHF Aerial:   This has been fitted.   I took out one of the ceiling lights and drilled two holes upwards from the very edge of the light void to take the RF waterproof roof socket (from Force 4) and a 3 pin "Buccaneer" marine type power socket, also waterproof, from RS Components.  These holes were then opened out with a hole saw from above, the bare metal protected with zinc primer, and the two connectors inserted and screwed in with brass machine screws usung a bit of plumbers sealant for good measure.  Then using the power available at the light socket, two automotive relays were slid under the roof trim and connected up.   Using relays enables very thin wire to be used back to the main switch/fuse panel for the navigation lights and anchor light.    I managed to fiddle this wire through under the roof trim to emerge alongside the roof edge trim and hide the control wires behind the aerial wire back to the switch panel.   It works!

Cupboard Lights:    These have been installed and are controlled via a microswitch, only coming on when the door is opened.   These are LED wall lights and I fear that they are not as bright as I had hoped.

Battery Top Up:   I always have trouble with this!    The batteries are stored in the engine compartment on top of the swim.   There is very little room above to manipulate a filling bottle and no room to look in.   So I bought a garden sprayer with a controllable wand and used that.   Great.  Then I needed a headlight and mirror to be able to see when they are full.   I am still trying to dream up some easy way of doing this without all that paraphinalia , but no luck so far.     The batteries took about 4 litres.

TV:      This was fitted satisfactorally eventually, but it took a surprising about of time to get the mouting arm set up right.    Don't know if it works yet! 

Getting ready for the summer

Side hatch window

I can't remember whether this was mentioned in the journey report, but we lost our removable perspex side hatch window on the Napton Flight on our return from the Blue Lias.    I remembered a graunching noise in the lock which must have been the window falling down the side of the lock, but it was only later when I noticed the window missing that I realised the significance of the noise.   Anyway, obviously I have to replace it.   Sourcing the plastic was not a problem as there is a specialist local shop dealing in the stuff where they will cut to size.  Here was mistake one - getting the measurements right, or more to the point the right measurement.   The window is inserted into the door recess from the outside and held there by two brass bolts, one each side in the centre of the vertical dimension and locating into slots cut in the wooden door frame.   The bolts were standard "Screwfix" ones, so no problem there but how to fix them in the right place?   Obviously this could only be done in situ and would need two people.   Pat came to help.  We took the boat out and up Widewater Lock and moored on the right hand side on the BW workboat moorings so that the hatch could easily be reached from the bank.   Then we discovered that the window was too tall by about 1 mm.  Fortunately I had a tenon saw with me and was able to cut 3 mm off to give a bit of leeway.   The door recess is about 18mm wide.   Then with Pat holding the perspex in place I offered up the bolts from inside and shot them to keep them in place, drilled tapped and screwed them in place with bass machine screws.  Then, to make a perfect job took the window to the table, removed the bolts and refitted them using a tiny drop of Araldite.   Then offered up the window again but it would not fit.   Had I put the bolts in backwards?   No idea!   On closer examination, the sides were a very snug fit in the frame and were being held off on one side by a fillet of sealant, (or weld).   Nothing for it but to bring the assembly back home and shave a strip off the side with the bandsaw. 

Other Jobs

The engine bay deck cover drainage channel had blocked off with dog fur and small leaves.  After the heavy rain there was a lot of water in the engine bilge.  There is no drainage down here as it is potentially oil contaminated, so the wet-vac is needed and the waste disposed of elsewhere.

Batteries were checked and need water.   From experience this takes several litres so a return visit is needed with appropriate supplies.

I have finally capitulated and bought a flat screen TV for the boat.   This needs mounting on a bracket on the side wall which because of the tumblehome requires a wedge shaped base made to fix it on so that it stands out horizontally.   This was measured up.

Future work

One of bungees on the rear tanneau cover has pulled out.  This needs refitting.

I am still working on the design and cable routing for the permanent Marine Band Radio aerial and mast lighting.   We will need this for our trip down the River Severn to Avonmouth and Bristol.

I have some LED lights I would like to install on a door operated switch for the central cupboard so that there is lighting at a low level.

Broken Window

Having taken the opportunity of using my Freedom Pass* to visit the boat to check all is in order after the first big freeze of the year, I noticed that the top vent of one of our smaller windows looked as if it was heavy with condensation.  From inside, I tried to wipe this off, but found to my surprise that the window was in fact broken; the security glass was crazed into hundreds of minute fragments.    I know of no reason why this should be so.   The window is almost completely hidden by the neighbouring boat, so the only explanation I can come up with is ice.

Returning again, I have fabricated a perspex temporary replacement pending a new pane.  Fortunately it only has to drop in place and does not require removal of the window frame.   All the more reason to keep a regular check on the boat eh!

Post Script:   A replacement window now been obtained and fitted.

*  For those not familiar with the advantages of being retired in London, those over 60 years of age resident in the Greater London Area are entitled to free travel within the London area.  The Freedom Pass.