Stern gland tightened and locking nuts

Went over to shardlow marina for some red diesel and spotted this Dutch barge that has been replated - an enormous boat that must weigh 40 tonnes plus - glad I haven't got to black it!

Tightened the stern gland and installed locking nuts - found a couple in the bit box. Awkward to reach but worth it in the end. The port side nut was very loose - the opposite side to the formerly loose engine mount. Being a v bottom means that I am unable to empty the bilge completely - the bilge pump will not sit at the lowest point. I am reliant on the grease in the water to keep the rust at bay. It is full of diesel at the moment after the fuel filter change.

Tidy up the wiring

Today's visit consisted of wiring the solar panel directly to the leisure battery (via the previously installed regulator) and looking at the control panel which had a low output and intermittent fault.

 The wiring of the solar panel went fine, I have left the wires visible as I may wish to remove in the future.

The control panel was unscrewed from the bulkhead and inspected. There were no obvious faults or broken fuses, although, a joint was loose and some of the spade connections had oxidised a little, but, not enough to fail. The output of the panel via the cig lighter socket is still low at 11.5 volts, but, the horn and tunnel light are now working without breaks after a few seconds. I may leave the panel in situ for now and I have disconnected the radio, which would not work due to the lack of power supplied to it.
Now that the solar regulator is connected directly to the battery, the auxiliary cigarette lighter socket can now be used to power my digital radio.
Next job - sort out the stern gland - tighten and add new nuts to stop it vibrating loose.

jobs i need to do on the boat

Just a memo to remind myself:
Replace burnt out fuse panel and radio
wire solar panel directly to leisure battery
tighten stern gland and possibly re pack - add additional nuts to hold in position (currently single nuts)
sort out leaking front window
Get ready for boat safety - not due until April 2015
Tidy trees and hedges at mooring
Paint boat roof - cream or light yellow
Look at a rear cover - the chap that was going to do it has retired

Fuel filter changed

Blimey that was difficult. Very difficult to access the filter due to cables in the way. The top rubber seal doesn't sit in a recess - it sits on the top of the filter so is difficult to hold in place as the two sections are matched up. The old filter was contaminated with a light brown substance - possibly rusty water. On re fitting a new filter I had to bleed the system in two places - the filter inlet and the fuel pump bleed valve. Initially the engine ran very smoothly, once bled, but, it is now back to the uneven idling that it had before. I suppose I will have to put up with the current position, at least the engine doesn't cut out, and it sounds fine once revved. I might top up the diesel tank and put some more anti bug solution in it, plus some redex to clean the injectors .

Recent email to narrowboat world

The canals are for leisure and slowing life down. If you want to speed go on a motorway. The canals are getting like the roads, full of arrogant tossers who feel entitled to go any speed they wish. The moaners also can't be bothered to pass the time of day or even acknowledge on line moorers, it is getting to be an unpleasant experience being on the canals recently. This is a very recent development in the last couple of years. Perhaps there should be a horsepower limit on boats - a common excuse for speeding is "I am only on tick over".
Time to call a truce and remember the community spirit that is sadly being lost to this wonderful network enjoyed by many and spoiled by a few.

David Morrell
Evening cloud

Sent from my iPad

Like a painters radio

Got to the boat today and was amazed at the amount of bird poo on the roof - - spent an hour brushing it off. 

Took the boat a few hundred yards to turn it and noted that it was not losing any water - encouraging. I still need to change the fuel filter - the engine is hunting at tick over suggesting that it is blocked. 

Rob at the mooring has put a fence up to secure our car park - not gone down well with the neighbours but important to keep out our Roma friends.

Also noted that the fuse panel is on its way out - seems to be working intermittently with all fuses - so the horn radio and light will not work properly. I suspect it is the solar panels fault as there is a constant current through the panel when it is plugged in - I should wire it directly to the leisure battery but like the option of unplugging it when running the engine.