205. The gearbox nearly fell off my narrowboat!
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- #narrowboat #narrowboats #canal #canals #liveaboard #cruisingthecut
After I had the narrowboat blacked at Stone I set off along the Trent and Mersey canal to head to my winter mooring. Unfortunately, disaster struck on the outskirts of the town when one lovely sunny Sunday morning, the engine made a peculiar noise which resulted in a horrible discovery...
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You did a video about restoring a toilet cassette. I think the people complaining about your videos being all rainbows and unicorns haven't looked back enough.
Ah, the joys of owning a narrowboat! 😅 Very impressed with the skills of the boater who towed you - hard enough steering one boat in the wind!
Your breakdown appears to be the result of sub-standard mechanical work earlier in the boat's life (before you bought her). The engine oil seal and the lack of split-washers on the adapter plate bolts are indicators of this. Unfortunately, these things are almost impossible to check when surveying a boat prior to purchase. I'm glad you were quick to detect that 'odd noise' and immediately nursed the boat to a marina. Your quick action probably saved you a much larger repair bill. Happy New Year and happy boating from here on. 👍👍
Home with a cold and binge-watching Cruising the Cut videos in no particular order. Very therapeutic 🦢🦢🦢🦢🦢
Get well soon!
What a lovely doggy giving you a tow and very good of the marina to let you stay. Well done Tom & Co
Hi We have returned to narrow boating after a gap of two years, having spent 8 years on the Kennet and Avon. We picked up our new boat from the builders in Warwick and her maiden voyage was to a small marina in Northamptonshire on the Grand Union. I happened upon your vlog whilst surfing you tube and can say this morning I have completed all your videos. I have enjoyed them greatly and realised what I have been missing over the last two years. I am so looking forward to cruising the midlands and the north indulging in my past time of wild life photography from the unique prospective of a Narrowboat.
I look forward to your 2020 vlogs and hope to pass you on the cut one day
Captain Pugwash aka Grahame
Welcome back to the cut!
I would wager that that had been taken apart before. The dent in the seal likely came from someone tapping it in with a hammer, the factory would have the proper press to install it. The bolts also wouldn't have come loose if they were torqued correctly. Not that it matters now, though.
Good to see you back on the move.
Actually, the factory service does not supply or recommend pressing this seal into the housing. The bolts have a known tendency to loosen in this installation due to the culmination of forces. I'm observing the time from properly torqued with dowels set properly to be approximately 800 hours operational time. A dirty prop or worn drivetrain component will significantly shorten this time. Interestingly, there are service bulletins relating to the dowl pins being mis - installed or missing.
We call them "mechanics" here. Engineers design things and mechanics have to compensate for their engineering shortfalls by fixing them.
Police that bilge from now on and good luck.
Over here HM, we call it "cobbling".
(Aka D.I.Y.)
A term covering everyone from a real, expert, experienced mechanical engineering bod to someone who owns a hammer and a blunt screwdriver who is not shy at having a go at fixing anything, anything at all under the Sun ... without a manual.
And of course incurring hundreds of millions of £££ ( collectively) in getting a real expert to fix it properly. This expert person is known as "a man who can".
"A man who can" absolutely loves people "cobbling" because a task which might have taken 5 mins turns into an epic repair job which pays off the mortgage, ensures a new car every two years and three months holiday cruising around the planet.
You may be familiar with this economic "model"?
Having problems like that is always stressful. On the other hand it's always a comforting feeling when you know that the problem has been solved and you can proceed with a certain amount of confidence.
CLASSIC B.O.A.T. moment.
Go to fix one thing, and find out there's 5 other things you should probably fix as well.
Time to "Break out another thousand" :)
Hopes shes running good after your expenses. It will be well worth.
Thanks for taking a camera along for all this!
Experiences like those boaters helping you make life worth it. It really is the small things in life.
On the other side of the pond, we say cruising is fixing your boat in exotic locations... Glad it all worked out!
Who are the grumpy sods who downvoted this vlog? Keep up the great work, one of my fave channels 👍🏻
My army of haters!
@@CruisingTheCut man, that's nothing. 8 sour grapes.
@@CruisingTheCut Wait! You have an army? Well, I guess that makes sense. With your drone and Narrow Boat, you have the Airforce and Navy covered.
5 in 10,000? It's just people having "finger trouble", trying to watch in full-screen.
Nothing like the kindness of others to save the day, eh? Hope you offered them a good cup of tea in thanks!
I'd love to watch this, but i'm still only on episode 60. i'll see ya back here in . . . a while. Love the videos from the start!
I think you are the best man for a canal vlog.
You have a cordial ,and convivial way about you.
You speak clearly and concisely too.
I enjoy your videos..glad you got the old gal working again.
Thank goodness, a fresh Cruising The Cut to break the sky screaming.
Happy New Year. Glad to see you back online and mobile. You will soon be a narrowboat mechanic.
"A bit of a klonk" what a lovely description
Just like decorating a house through the letter box. Impressed.
With everything else going on in the UK and the rest of the world, your VLOG is a real tonic. It's all too easy to forget about what is really important in life - oil seals, flywheels and sheared bolts... thank you, sir!
my mom used to repair heavy marine gearboxes, I remember her bringing the larger trawler size ones home as she used to work on them sitting up in bed. I asked her if she enjoyed lifting those huge gears about , she said "Its hell son- pass me a large crow bar and chaw of bakkey"
Sorry for your problems but an excellent narration of the problem. I boated for 16 years in New York, USA and towed a number of folks. One chap thru 4 locks on the Champlain Canal and into his home slip. Thanks for sharing. 😎
Bummer Well at least it happended at the end of the season and you were close by to the marina,, luckily not a wrecked transsmission,,, just a few parts a little down time,, hope it did not croak your repair budget,, thanks for Shareing Sir !!!!
Breaking down across from a marina is so idealic on your part. You live such a sheltered life.
Whenever the rest of us break down we are always in the middle of nowhere and have to swim for our lives.
But seriously, I’m glad you had good bad luck. That’s what I call it when things could’ve been much much worse.
If it’s mechanical, it will fail when you least expect it.
👍👍
At the beginning, the sound you heard is best described as "expensive" ... mechanics will understand ...
And rub their hands with glee. Not in front of the customer of course. Here an air of sympathy and concern is called for while keeping the smile well hidden as the profit is mentally totted up.
Not too different from undertakers really, except the aim of the mechanic is to get repeat business, but undertakers just do the one job.
@@kevgermany Family rates?
Proof once again that a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money. I had an electrical issue with my outboard this summer that was an expensive and thankfully short-lived interruption. Glad it eventually worked out for you.
An absolutely fabulous advert for the canal and river rescue and aston marina both well deserved . Glad to see your up and running again .
Is it my imagination but I think your boat sounds better.
Yes, it does
Thanks for the unglamorous look at life on the canal. I enjoy the seeing mechanical bits of a canal boat and what it takes to keep them running. Let's hope for years of easy running with repaired gearbox!
I'm glad you showed some of the headaches involved in cruising, which are frankly endemic to almost any activity involving machinery. For some real excitement in your life, take that gearbox apart!
I guess it's time to clean & re-paint the engine bay again, eh? :)
TransitBiker xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxzxxxz😉😌🥴🤭x😬
What an adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us David. Boat: A hole in the water into which you pour money. Can't wait for the winter fireside chats!
Glad you got it fixed!
Top Work by the "RCR Guys". Very impressed :-)
Well David, as a retired heavy equipment mechanic I can tell you that you got off very lucky. The damage was minimal.
Other then a few parts it would have been mostly labor.
Shame that who ever put it together last time missed a few steps, such as lock washers or some thread locker.
But that coupling was not much longer for this world so it had to be done anyway.
I live on the West Coast of Canada on the ocean. We don't have narrow boats, to bad because it looks like a nice way to cruise.
Boats are not my favorite, but I will admit that yours actually looks fairly easy.
I know that you don't want to talk about how much it cost you to repair but in my part of the world you would be looking at about $100/hr Canadian and that would be an independent mechanic and not a company. If you went with a boatyard the rates will go up from there. Just a little comparison for you.
Looking forward to your next episode.
We should start a campaign to get dual purpose recreational and commercial use canals built... Can you imagine the lock stairs we could have going on here in BC?
@@RealLuckless It would be a bit mind boggling but what an idea.
the plate , it should never come loose. Rear main crankshaft seals do leak eventually, but that usually takes thousands of hours of operation. So I think the worn drive plate shook everything loose. But those bolts need to be torqued with loctite applied. Looks like a lot of issues got resolved in one swoop, which is a good thing.
What a brilliant vlog and such a great boating community, where everyone pitches in to help. It took a while to fix with the parts arriving. But it also proves my two favouite little proverbs. ' Life happens while we are busy making other plans' and ' There is never a good time for a crisis' Thank you for sharing.
When I read the headline my first thoughts were, "THAT CAN'T HAPPEN", but to my astonishment and amazement it nearly did, I'm not sure I could have been so jolly facing that situation, thank you for posting that blog David, it's not all smelling the Rose's, being a boat owner does come with hidden costs,, I take my hat off to your marine engineer for fixing your gearbox and engine in the field, clearly highly skilled.
An old saying of fathers, if you don't plan for maintenance, your equipment will plan it for you, in this situation I am not sure you could plan for that.
Happy new year David.
phew! that must have been stressful!
You will be delighted to know this nail biting episode vastly speeded my slurping of tea and munching of Jaffa cakes so nearly a full pot and packet was consumed by the end... Apparently this is the answer... you have to break something on the boat weekly to assist viewers ! all essential elements were involved cool doggies .. much better than Horseys and cows.. and your usual ratio of cruising .. about 2% with most time spent in a marina... a resoundingly successful vlog 10/10 :-)
Haha thank you
Jaffa cakes are no problem. They are mostly orange and oranges are fruit. Fruit is good for you. Eat as much as you can.
"Pah !, nothing that a tube of silicon and masses of duct tape can't fix" - Me (as I select my favourite hammer from my extensive hammer collection )
People who say that you only show the idyllic side of narrow boating have obviously never seen the episode when you renovated a toilet cassette :)
Hahahahaha true
Love the artwork on the narrowboat that towed you to your new mooring
Hi. I'm sure those replacement bolts were put back with some thread locking compound or at least shake proof washers under the heads. Even better would be to have had the heads drilled and the bolts then wired in place. I guess it was the vibes from the diesel that loosened them. I very much doubt the engine was built with that damage to the seal, specialised tools are used for inserting at build. I rather suspect it had been badly replaced once before - maybe without lifting the engine enough to get the necessary clear working space. Still, great to know that there is a highly skilled and capable Canal Rescue Service, I did not know that existed and it's been great to see them in action. Bob.
"pipes, bits and bobs that get in the way of removing the gearbox"
I think the word you're after is "Contranklements."
Wow almost 100k subs! love the sound of that little diesel
Thanks for sharing the dark side of boat life...bet that cost a penny or two ,😞
I'm glad it broke down when you were so near to the marina and not when you were in the middle of nowhere. Glad you got it sorted and found help to relocate the boat where there was power.
Ugh I hate when mechanical issues happen with my car, I cannot imagine a boat! The stress is real.. I’m glad that there were nice people to help you and Tom did a great job. I love the sound of that engine. Glad you’re back out on the water! Cheers!
I watch playlists of your not-a-vlogs nightly to sleep to.😁
Awww that's lovely. I love sending people to sleep hahaha ;-)
CruisingTheCut hahaha 😄 I enjoy your sense of humor 😁
As a former engineer in the US NAVY, I can assure you we fixed many an ill-behaving device with a firm "thwap" from an appropriately-sized wrench. Appropriate to the size of the machine and the strange noise. Wasn't a "one-size fits all" solution anywhere in that engine room.
I do miss those days.
😂😂
You might miss those days ... doubtless the ship doesn't, you rascal!
Emergency Repair Procedure No.1 - thump offending piece of kit. Procedure No. 2 is to add swearing to the mix. And No. 3 is to up the ante on both components of the procedure :)
Wow! That, apart from a hull plate around the galley outflow that had rusted to 'lace' and a failed bilge pump allied with a rudder pintle that spewed water on the Thames, I think that is the most serious boat breakdown I've ever encountered. You were kind of doubly lucky about where you were, when it happened and having really skillful neighbours prepared to tow you to a shore line! Could have been a cold, bleak couple of weeks else.
On the plus side, you've been fretting about an oil leak for an age and, I'm guessing, slow speed handling has probably improved with that drive plate having been replaced. Incidentally, in the motorcycle world, that flexible coupling is called a 'cush drive'. I even had something similar on a CT Scanner I used to work on! Thank you for thinking of making a distressingly stationary interval, into such an interesting vlog. And well done to the field engineers who came out to do the work.
Just sat here looking at your vlog and realised you have been doing these vblogs for almost four years. I found your site after I had surgery for cancer and subsequent chemo-therapy. You and fish-finger sandwiches helped to get me through some dark times. The result is I am still here and have my own little yoghurt pot. Thank you. Thought you would like to know.
I'm glad you enjoyed the videos (and the sandwiches). Hope the cancer's gone for good and that you're having fun in the boat.
Glad it was "easy" to fix, back to the water!
And I thought it was only Maggie on Narrow Boat Chef who "broke the boat!"
All this honesty is chilling...and scary ...one needs a strong cup of tea and maybe a strong cheese sandwich...phew...what a start to 2020.
Maybe it was because I was near their marina that I broke down and it was her fault all along!! ;-)
CruisingTheCut, hey, hey, that’s enough of that! Don’t you start blaming me for breaking the boat!!
That was actually quite fascinating. I'd love to be able to repair Narrowboat engines, still time to learn I guess.
Dear oh deary me, you and your noble narrowboat have given me so many hours of blissful peace on the canals. God bless you and your boat, and the canals, and all who helped you.and repaired your boat. I pray I will live until spring and see you cruise the cut again.
Glad it's all sorted and nobody died ! Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year David.
Only shows the “Idyllic” side of narrow boating, they must have missed the paint scrapping and repairing/repainting in the engine compartment episode. Keep the episodes coming, love the countryside and history of your amazing country, thank you sir.
Thanks for the video! Greetings from Spain!
The wonderful ups and downs of narrow boating LOL. Nice to see something a little different.
No mention of how much a big job like that can cost. I imagine those types of expenses are why so many boats get abandoned and then auctioned off by the CRT, huh?
Much better video, like these much better than watching the canal throughout the video.
Thanks for taking the viewers comments on board :)
I hate to disappoint you but I hardly ever do stuff because a viewer's requested it. Over winter, I don't cruise so you get non-cruising videos, that's all!!
Remember that cyclic resonance a lot of viewers have been saying they could hear for the last 12 months or so? Will be very interested to hear how she sounds now on a steady cruise. The joys of mechanical wizardry.
I think the resonance is actually the exhaust silence rattling against its mounting because (not shown in this video) I discovered that’s what’s been making the horrible rattling noise at low revs when you’re just out of neutral.
@@CruisingTheCut All good fun! At least your boat wasn't build by Land Rover, or you would have started repair by removing the front saloon doors :-)
A peaceful new year David.
Hahahahaha that made me chuckle.
Love Old mechanic.
So simple and still more advanced than People think
I watched the CZcams "TV Journalist Quits His Job to Live on a Tiny House Boat". During the interview you mentioned as a field reporter you felt like a "one man band". A very eloquent summary of working through life. Your skill sets of writer, director, producer, photography, and "starring role" shine through. Well Done.
Nothing worse than the noise of a gearbox destroying itself. I killed a Renault Clio at 50mph on a motorway slip road. It made a horrible noise as it committed ritual French suicide and left me by the side of the road! This might also nail that last oil leak once and for all too.
Every sailor likes sharing their bedroom with a nice anchor...
Good to see it was a simple ( albeit costly) fic.
By the way, those plastic shock absorbing drive flanges are known in agriculture as a "cush drive".
The oil coming out of the transmission looked really good, your servicing procedure seems to be working well.
Yes it was pretty clean but while it was out and was due a change there's no harm in changing it, I thought.
Great Video nothing like a New Year grope in oily cold wet bilge to remind you of joys of boating..
Glad that you got it sorted out eventually. Perhaps you'll now have that pristine clean engine bay that I know you've yearned for!
Twiddling is a good thing. Have you had the opportunity to try twiddling thumbs in opposite directions?
Thanks David very educational. It’s weird how often in trying to cure one problem you find or solve another. Glad you are moving again.
Sorry to hear about your trouble! I'm sitting at home today, instead of being at work, because of my own catastrophic failure! Our nearest natgas pumping station had a pipe rupture two days ago. Repairs have been completed, but state law requires a safety inspection of every residence, before service can be restored. There are over one thousand customers affected. So I am sitting at home, keeping a fire going, not getting paid, waiting for my inspection/re-lighting, with no idea of when they might arrive. Will it be today...? Nobody knows...
I feel your pain.
My wife is in Florida for a week, mother-in-law also out of town. Neighbors work days, like me, so just sitting and waiting, lol
Blimey, that's quite the nuisance for you
@@CruisingTheCut I'm 55, first gas outage ever
I suddenly understand the frustration of being tied down - when one's urge to putter about suddenly has no outlet. Nice to see everything fixed and the trip to winter moorings sorted.
Hope the future will be less fidgety.
Much better than having the front fall off! But hopefully that will never happen as there aren't many waves on the canals.
You missed the opportunity to convert the boat over to one-horsepower operation, and cut down on the emissions (wait......a horse produces a bit different type of emissions!). It's always good to see other CZcams vloggers in these; it makes it seem more like a small family :) Keep warm and safe during the winter months on the cut.
Bill Karle a lotta gas and fertalizer
At least the oil leak is fixed. I hope he put thread locker on those bolts so they don't loosen up again.
One of the leaks... yes he did that.
Great videos as always. I’ve spent the evening catching up on the last 9 vlogs and they are so relaxing and you’ve got my sense of humour. Now onto Vandemonium. 👍🏼
Happy New Year!!! Cruising is always fixing the boat in exotic places :)
I suppose its inevitable for things like this to happen from time to time, how lucky to be close to a suitable mooring and to have other boaters available to help things along for you. Thank you for another brilliant vlog. Very pleased you have everything sorted and are back on your planned route. Very best wishes for 2020 David, looking forward to your next offering :)
You look very calm throughout but that must have been very stressful 👍🏻
It was a bit, yes
So glad to hear that the oil leak has been finally found and repaired! It has been a source of vexation for such a long time.
One of the oil leaks!
Lucky to have a failure in port instead of the open sea. Blessed to have quality mechanics available,,,mostly now all i can find are parts replacers,,,most of the true mechanics have all died off
Blimey, what an ordeal! The tinkerer in me enjoyed seeing all the components in pieces but every other part of me hopes I’ll never have to do that job myself 😀 Thanks for sharing that 👍
Oh I know your pain David. Nothing like engine replacements. I had to rebuild my engine in my 1984 Ranger inboard/outboard.
It took 2 engines to make one. The bottom of my engine & the top of another. My mechanic couldn't just order new parts. It took over 5 months to rebuild my engine. He had to buy another boat to fix mine, bc they don't make off the shelf parts anymore for that year of engine.
And for all the people asking how much did it coast him to fix his boat. It was right for what he had done.
It just wasn't fixed in 10 minutes like his video showed. Use some common sense. You do the leg work & you can find out yourselves. But what you pay will be a different price then the other boater pays. Several factors play a part in the facts.
Year of the engine, how many horse powers & so on & so on.
So quit asking. He paid the right amount for what he got done for his boat.
Great video David in showing all the parts you had done on the gear box alone. People need to realize it doesn't show how many more parts there is that can tear up on the rest of the engine that is just important to make it run then move.
Again another great video showing the ups & downs of owning a boat. This is the ugly side that MUST BE DONE SO YOU & OTHERS ARE SAFE ON THE WATER & THEN YOU GET TO HAVE FUN.
David is a good example for the boating cummunity. Thank you David for giving us these videos on showing others the reality of being a responsible boat owner.
Your friendly boater from across the pond,
Chris from Missouri
Cheers Chris! Much appreciated.
Another top notch video sir! Blessings to you!
Mechanics and engineers make the world go round.
Trevor, we bless them especially when they make house calls but not when your regular mechanic and his minions laugh when you bring in hubby's manual 4x4 and you have been driving power steering assisted automatic for 10 years. Had a V8, dual carburetor, 4 on the floor that I drove every day. Now I am older and driving in luxury, well as much luxury in a Hyundia van just a bit bigger than David's Vandemonium van, then bringing in the hubby's work car because he's away in the truck. Do you know how heavy a clutch is to push in when you don't do it regularly? Then you drive the van the next day and keep pushing your clutch foot on the floor like an idiot. I put it down to muscle memory except I have no muscle left lol
Happy that the damage wasn't worse. Could have been a BIG disaster. Happy boating!
Congrats on finding a new easier way to drain the gearbox oil.
Interesting say the least. Thanks for that.
I know this cant have been the happiest thing for you to go through but there's something immensely satisfying as a viewer to see a problem arise and then be resolved 👀 I've said it before and I'll say it again this is the best show with truly complete plotlines and character arcs 😛
Fortunate that you were so near the mariner. Glad you got it sorted and looking forward to a bit more cruising before you moor up for the winter.
It is surprising when a problem is settled and you are freed from a cloud of stress that you didn't realize you were under. Funny how the mind works and rather annoying too.
Thank goodness you got that sorted.
Man that all sounds bloody expensive!!!
Not as horrific as I anticipated but a fair chunk of cash
good neighbours are worth their weight in gold
Really useful to see what to do when you break down. I've had a boat for almost 4 years and not yet had a major problem. But it's only a matter of time!
True, but, by the looks of it that issue was caused by another's duff work.
Some folks never have any issues.
I was just thinking how blessed you were to have the boat break down where it did rather than miles away from a mooring space, supplies and assistance.
Uhhh....happynewyear?? There is no 'Simple Life' in a mechanical world; RAISE A GLASS to the blokes who are Makers and Maintainers! There is no SURVIVAL without them!
Truth! Instead of a glass I'll raise my bottled water, which probably had several makers and maintainers involved in its fabrication. (our little farm burg's water comes from the river and is a bit full of minerals for my body) A couple decades ago, in another city, had a friend who was a mechanical engineer who designed, and repaired, machines for factories. I remember a couple of times when Eric said that when you sit down and do the probability math it is amazing that something built out of a thousand parts which are each ninety-nine percent reliable ever works at all.
Thank you for sharing your pain David. Your videos are always interesting, especially for a first time live aboard like me, but they do serve to give a heads up on some of the things I should consider.
Thanks again.